Feeding my family high quality food is a priority.  Even on a budget.

Enter the humble legume.

Cheap, easy, versatile?

Check.

Protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber?

Yep, it’s all there.  Thank you, little beans.

I buy beans in bulk and cook big batches at a time.  It’s easy and saves me a lot of money and time. Who doesn’t like to save money, save time, and nourish their body!

How to I Cook Beans

I learned how to cook beans following Sally Fallon’s directions in Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. (My all time favorite book about nutrition.)  In the book there are some pretty specific directions. I’ve simplified and, aside from adding whey to lentils and black beans, pretty much prepare all beans the same.

1. First, I soak the beans several hours (8+) or overnight.  Soaking them reduces phytates (which can block mineral absorption) and makes them more digestible.

2. If I’m cooking black beans or lentils I add about a tablespoon of whey (or lemon juice) per cup of beans.  All other beans, I use plain (preferably filtered) water.

3. I rinse the beans, add fresh water, salt, chopped onions, garlic, and cook until soft.  Most of the time, I just use a slow cooker and let them soak one night, change the water in the morning, and cook.  Other times, I cook them slowly in a pot on the stove.  I’ve noticed lentils cook much faster than other legumes so I check them frequently.

Once they have cooled, I divide them up and freeze for the future.  (I drain lentils for freezing.  All the other beans I leave in their juices.)

That’s it!  Now I have beans for burritos, grilled mexican pizzas, chili, vegetarian sloppy joes and salads.

Such sweet little beans!

You want to know more about the whys and hows of cooking your own beans?  Here is an article from my favorite food organization, The Weston A. Price Foundation.

Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn

Check out our family’s adventures at New School Nomads as we plan to take a year long road trip through the United States!

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The post How to (I) cook beans and save a lot of money. appeared first on Girl Heroes.