Help me to learn to like beans

[EmptyNestMom]

Here is a lentil dish that Bob posted quite a long time ago...the notes/comments are from him.

LENTIL & POTATO STEW (posted by bobmark226)
("Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet")

1 cup lentils
4 cups water
1 tsp salt (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 - 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne or to taste
Salt to taste (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes (I use crushed, and have even used sauce in a pinch)
2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp sugar or honey
Water, if necessary

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, water, salt (if desired0 and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to med-low, and simmer the lentils until they are just soft, about 30 minutes.Do not drain the lentils! Discard the bay leaf, then set the lentils aside.

2. In a large dutch oven or saucepan with a nonstick surface, heat the butter or margarine and oil briefly, and add the potatoes. Sprinkle them with the turmeric, cayenne, salt (if desired), and pepper. Cook the potatoes, tossing them, over medium heat, for about five minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, the reserved lentils and their cooking liquid, the garam masala and the sugar or honey to the potatoes.

4. Cook the stew over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes (I go a bit longer until I reach a thickness I like), stirring the mixture from time to time and adding water if the stew seems to be too dry.

Serving suggestion: Serve with a cucumber raita or a mixed green salad and brown or white rice or an Indian rice with peas.

Notes: I almost serve this over brown rice with a dollop of either low fat sour cream (usually) or yogurt on top and as many different chutneys as I can find on the side! By all means use the three potatoes, really big ones, to stretch the dish. I also increase the spices on the potatoes because I like the play of the various flavors, turmeric for sweetness, cayenne for heat, and salt for...well...saltiness, which I think typify the best Indian dishes.

And a quinoa one with beans that I liked is from RecipeGirl.
(Quinoa is also a great source of complete protein)

Mexican Quinoa Salad (RecipeGirl.com)
Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 12 min Serve warm or cold.
Ingredients:
Dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salad:
1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well through a fine strainer/sieve
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
3/4 to 1 cup fresh corn (sliced off the cob, raw)
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
lime wedges
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Prepare the quinoa according to package directions. Cool slightly.
3. In a medium bowl, toss the quinoa with the tomatoes, corn and cilantro. Add the dressing and toss to coat everything. Squeeze lime on top, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.
4. Serve with lime wedges, for individual squeezing.
Nutritional Information per serving:
Serving size: 1/4th of the salad
Calories per serving: 258
Fat per serving: 8.4g
Saturated Fat per serving: .8g
Sugar per serving: 4.3g
Fiber per serving: 4.4g
Protein per serving: 7.6g
Cholesterol per serving: 0mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 40.1g

[patt]

What's the difference between beans and lentils? I don't think I've had a lentil (is it the small round brown things?)

I looked but didn't see if anyone else answered this. Forgive me if I missed. Lentils are much smaller than beans and are "lens" shaped. The french puy lentils-dark green and tiny-keep their shape and are wonderful to add to salads. Some of the others become one with the dish, melting into the other ingredients like a sauce. To me, they definitely don't have that "beany" taste.

I recently tried cooking beans in the crockpot. Per a friend's instructions, I put the seasonings into the water, turned on the crockpot and cooked on low all day. When I got home the beans were done. I divided them up into plastic freezer bags and froze them. It's awesome-no work, great taste and meal size packets waiting in the freezer.

When you are ready for tacos, black beans with feta or cotijilla cheese, some onions, cumin and cilantro--ummmummm good.

Patt

[Canice]

I made a batch of these tonight - SO good! (I used flor de castilla beans, but you could certainly just use pintos.) I like to make them brothy (extra pot liquor) because they're more versatile that way, and you can always drain it off. I think I'll buy fresh tortillas and just have the beans wrapped up with a little queso and avocado.

Perfect Pintos
(recipe by Canice)

1# cooked pinto beans – 1 cup pot liquor reserved.
2 T fresh lard or vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 jalapeños, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup ale
1 T hot sauce
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Cook beans as directed. Reserve 1 cup pot liquor, and set aside both the beans and pot liquor.

Heat lard in a large sauté pan over medium flame. Add white onions, and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add in green onions and cook 1 minute more.
Stir in Roma tomatoes. Add cooked beans, jalapeños, garlic, ale, and hot sauce. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a very low flame and simmer 20 minutes. Add reserved pot liquor, as necessary, to keep beans moist. Stir in chopped cilantro and simmer five minutes more.

[Canice]

Oh, and all this has reminded me of this great, simple guide to beans and other legumes, from Chow:

http://www.chow.com/food-news/55433/know-your-legumes/