User blog:Asnow89/Cooking 101: Beans



Topic: Beans

What is a bean?
A bean is a common name for large plant seeds used for human food or animal feed of several genera of the family Fabaceae. Beans are one of the longest-cultivated plants. Beans were an important source of protein throughout Old and New World history, and still are today.

Types of Beans
There are many different types of beans, but here are twelve of the most popular types of beans.

Tips & Tricks

 * Always rinse off canned or dry beans before you use them.
 * Soak dry beans overnight before you use them in a recipe
 * When cooking beans, bring them up to a hard boil for five minutes then simmer for the rest of the cooking time.
 * Only season the beans when they start to become tender.
 * Salt at the very end of cooking.

Bean Recipes
Soup Recipes

Beans are delicious in meat or vegetarian soups. They add a heartiness and creaminess to the soup. Here are some of our favorite bean soup recipes for the Winter! Recipes: Barley Soup, Lentil Soup with Onions, Bacon and Tomatoes, Portuguese Soup

On their Own

Beans can be great all on their own! Here are some recipes that feature beans as the main dish. Recipes: Basic Crockpot Beans, Baked Beans Vegetarian-style, Lazy Beans

Bean Salads

Bean salads make a great side dish, a great potluck option, or even a great vegetarian entrée since beans are packed with protein. Give one of these salads a try! Recipes: Salmon and Green Bean Salad, Couscous Bean Salad, Healthy Black Bean and Rice Salad