Basic Vegetarian Bean Recipe

Savvy Vegetarian's Recipe for Beans Without Gas

This recipe is for kidney beans, but you can substitute pinto beans, or garbanzo beans, or black beans - any kind of beans. The reason I've used kidney beans is because they are among the gassiest of beans, but one of the most useful.

If you can cook and eat kidney beans successfully, all other beans can be conquered. If you find you can't eat kidney beans without gas, just skip those and try some of the other hundreds of varieties of beans and lentils. Black-eyed peas are good, or lentils, especialy the Indian lentils, like mung dhal.

Beans are at their best combined with other foods, in soups, or mashed and spiced as in refried beans. Indian vegetarian cookbooks have fantastic bean recipes - India has been cooking beans for thousands of years. All those spices they use are essential for good bean digestion.

Helpful Bean Cooking Hints*

• Keep in mind that the soaking and cooking time will vary for each kind of bean.
• They've had enough soaking when they've doubled in size and have no wrinkles.
• They've cooked long enough when they're completely soft.
• Slow cooking is an excellent way to cook beans, but be sure to boil them and skim the foam before putting in the slow cooker all day or all night.
• Same goes for pressure cooking. If you do use a pressure cooker, consult a bean cooking chart for cooking times

Kidney Bean Cooking Directions

1. 4 - 6 servings
2. 1 c. dried kidney beans
3. Sort and clean the dried beans
4. Soak the beans in hot water for four hours, or overnight in cold water
5. Drain and rinse
6. Place in medium saucepan, cover with cold unsalted water
7. Bring to boil uncovered, boil for ten minutes, skim the foam
8. Cover and simmer for 1 - 2 hours OR cook 9 minutes at high pressure in a pressure cooker

*Note: If you're going to soak and cook beans, it's worth making extra, to freeze in small amounts for future vegetarian meals.

*For more details on cooking and eating beans: SV Report: Beans Without Gas