beans ideas!

[Anat]

Any ideas for beans dishes? I just put a pack of dried beans in water, I plan to cook them tomorow.

Here's my usual beans recipe, but I'd really like to try something new for a change. Maybe Chili or soemething? Any ideas are welcome (preferably very easy ones and no pork please - it's very hard to find over here).

Here's my recipe - it's a traditional Jewish dish with different variations all over the globe. This is the Eastern European version. It takes forever to cook, but that's the whole point about this dish. In the old times, women used to prepare the pot on Friday and leave in in the oven overnight to eat on Saturday. Lightening a fire is not allowed on Saturday, so this dish can stay on a low temp fire that was started on Friday and put out on Saturday evening.

Here goes:

Ingridients:

6-8 potatos (medium size - not too small).
A package of beans, soaked in water overnight.
A large onion.
Some meat (amount and type varies - I use about 2 pounds or so of lean beef).
eggs (5-6)
A little bit of sugar
Salt and pepper


Caramelize a teaspoon or so of sugar in a very large pot and add a little bit of oil, slice the onion and fry in the caramel. Add the beans and mix well. Then put the beef on top of the beans (don't mix!), and put the potatos on the beef (again, don't mix - you want to get layers here). On top of that, gently put the eggs (in the shell!). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover everything with water and bring to a boil. Then set the temperature to the lowest possible. You can bake the whole thing in the oven and then I would set the heat to almost boiling but not quite (that would be 80-90 centigrade). If you cook on gas, just use the lowest possible flame.

Now wait... and wait some more. The longer it cooks, the better. 4-5 hours is the minimum. The best is to leave it cooking overnight.

Yummy Yummy!

[Karenluvs6]

sounds delightful Anat!
sorry I'm so late on this one...but here goes...

Creamy Bean Soup



Estimated Times: Est. preparation time: 7 mins
Est. cooking time: 12 mins

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 (16-oz.) cans ORTEGA® Refried Beans
1 3/4 cups ORTEGA® Thick & Chunky Salsa
1 (14.5-oz.) can chicken broth
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper



Directions
Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

HEAT vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is tender.

STIR in beans, salsa, broth, lime juice, cumin and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro before serving.


Servings: 6

[Karenluvs6]

Tangy Bean & Spinach Salad



Estimated Times: Est. preparation time: 15 mins


Ingredients
1 (15-oz.) can pinto or lima beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 small avocado, pitted, peeled and cubed
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup fat-free sweet and sour dressing
4 cups baby spinach leaves
1 (11-oz.) can Mandarin orange segments, drained
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted (optional)



Directions
Combine beans, cauliflower, bell pepper, avocado and green onions in a salad bowl. Pour dressing over and toss.

Add spinach and oranges and toss.

Sprinkle with sunflower seeds before serving.


Servings: 4

[Karenluvs6]

Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Beans




Estimated Times: Est. preparation time: 15 mins
Est. cooking time: 35 mins



Ingredients
2 (15-oz.) cans great Northern beans, or navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14-oz.) can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes with roasted garlic, undrained
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel, or double the amount of lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried sage, divided
2 (12-16 oz.) pork tenderloins
2 large clove garlic, cut into slivers
2 teaspoons olive oil



Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F.

Combine beans, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, lemon peel and 1 teaspoon of the sage; place in a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Cut slits in tenderloins with a sharp paring knife and insert slivers of garlic; sprinkle pork lightly with remaining 1 teaspoon sage and salt and pepper to taste. Place on top of bean mixture; drizzle with oil.

Roast until pork is done and juices run clear, 35 to 40 minutes. Spoon bean mixture onto rimmed serving platter; slice pork and arrange on beans.


Servings: 8

[blinc]

I make up a mean bean soup... but it has pork in it Anat. I don't see why it wouldn't work with ground beef though. This is a really simple recipe, but tastes good. Here's what I use:

2 lbs. dried beans. Washed
1 medium/large onion (chopped)
1 lb. meat (I usually use a hambone and little bits of ham)
3 bay leaves (for a great seasoning)
salt and pepper to seasoning preferences

Put all the ingredients in a large pot, cover with water... about 3 times the amount of water to beans. Let simmer over low heat (crockpot usually) for about 6 to 8 hours.

I have a couple recipes for baked beans, if you like molasses and brown sugar... do you want to try those?

[Anat]

Thanks Karen!

I ended up using my gradfather's recipe for Tunisian style beans (he's Tunisian).

It's real easy.

Chop a large onion and fry until golden.

Add 5 spoons or so of tomato paste.

Add beans (we use the dry stuff after it's been soaked in water - I don't like using canned food if I can avoid it).

Mix everything and add cumin, red pepper and some salt.

Cover with boiling water and mix again.

Now cook on a small fire until the beans are ready (can take anythin between 2-5 hours). It's delicious and it's great with couscous (sp?).

[Anat]

Thanks blinc (we were posting at the same time :))

That soup sounds great, I think I'll try that with the next pack of beans (I actually have all the ingredients - I'll use beef).

I'd love to try out baked beans, if they're easy to make (I've got no time or patience for anything complicated :))