Bean cooking times

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Ashley See

Canned beans and I have gotten along for a very long time. Until recently that is. 

Why the change? In addition to the vegetarian family I was living with swearing by dried beans and their pressure cooker, I've also been cutting kitchen expenses, and dried beans purchased in bulk are undeniably cheaper than buying canned. I couldn't find an awesome post that really broke down the price difference, so I'll write my own within the next few days. In the meantime, see the price differences over on Vegan Soapbox. (Check out "How to Save Money on Your Grocery Bill," a good read on general savings tips by Angela of Oh She Glows.)

me holding canned & dried beans

So will you save money? Yes. Are dried beans as convenient as canned? No. Dried beans do require some planning. Specifically, you have to forecast soaking and simmering time.

With that said, I think the best way to reap the rewards of dried beans, especially if you don't have a pressure cooker is to cook a bunch at once (hello weekend) and freezing them. This way, you can always have cooked beans on hand, which are always a quick thaw away from being used for any last minute recipes. (This tends to be when I used canned, is when I'm pinched on time, want to cook something at the last minute and don't have any dried beans pre-cooked.)

I crossbred two charts from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook and The Vegan Coach to create a nifty little chart detailing the various cooking times for a variety of beans.

Bean Cooking Times
Dried Bean (1 cup) Soak Time Simmer: Cups of Water Regular Cooking Time Pressure Cooking Time
Adzuki None 4

45 - 90 min. 

 

  15 - 20 min.
Black, Turtle Overnight 4 45 - 90 min.  15 - 20 min.
Black-eyed Peas Optional 4  1 hr   10 min.
Chickpea Overnight 4  3 - 4 hrs.   15 - 20 min.
Great Northern Overnight 4  45 - 90 min.  4 - 5 min.
Kidney Overnight 4  1 - 2 hrs.   5 - 7 min.

Lentil, Green

Lentil, Red

 Not required 3 

20 - 30 min.

30 - 45 min. 

5 - 7 min.

6 - 8 min. 

Lima

 

 Overnight 3 

1 1/2 - 2 hrs. 

(baby limas will take 45 - 50 min)

  not recommended
Mung  6 - 8 hours  3  1 1/2 - 2 hours   8 - 10 min.
Navy Overnight 3  60 - 90 min.   4 - 5 min.
Soybean Overnight 4  3 - 4 hrs.  15 min. 
Split Pea: Green/Yellow Not required 3  45 min.   Not recommended

 

If these simmer times are a little daunting then there are a few appliances to consider that hasten the process: pressure cooker, crocpot or a rice cooker (debate on crocpot vs rice cooker).

Also, I haven't been able to test all of these times and quantities out. There are so many variables when it comes to cooking beans, i.e., stove temperatures, where the beans come from; so, if you find a discrepancy in the above chart then let me know so we I can make tweaks. I'd love to compile a one-stop list where anyone can flip to this post (or print it out) and get an accurate feel for how long to cook and soak almost any bean on almost any stove.

Cheers!
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Zucchini and mung dal

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Ashley See

When it comes to comfort food, most people conjure up thoughts of ooey, gooey casserole dishes their mothers used to make. Maybe macaroni and cheese? Lasagna? Or perhaps your sweet tooth does the thinking and it's something a little less savory and a little more chocolate chippy?

Whatever your comfort food of choice is, we all know the lovely ambiance created by merely thinking of it; it's pillowcases right out of the dryer. It's the smell of freshly baked bread.

Prior to two years ago, my comfort foods came in candy wrappers, rhymed with schmeet bloaf, or flavor offerings of chicken and beef. Plate of zucchini mung dalSexy, I know. Thankfully, times have changed and since becoming a vegetarian (and significantly healthier), these former "comforts" have been given the boot.

Everything I've eaten in the last year and a half has been relatively new. In fact, I've hardly had the same dish twice! With that said, it's been hard to develop favorite comfort foods when I'm constantly eating new things. Comfort food genres maybe--after all, every Pacific Northwesterner has a place in their heart for soup, especially on those blistery, wet winter days that happen...well, often. Even in summer. 

So, you can imagine my surprise when after making some dal for the first time, I immediately fell head over heels into the comfort food cloud. It all started with some zucchini that needed using; I flipped open Amadea Morningstar's The Ayurvedic Cookbook and landed on the simple, yet tasty, zucchini and mung dal recipe. And boy oh boy, will this page forever be dog-eared.

Far from spicy (although it can easily be made spicy by upping the chili, if that's your cup of tea), this dish is incredible simple and nourishing. No one flavor will stand out and impress you, it's more of a collective mmm that I, and everyone else at the table, partook in.

I foresee this being a staple in my recipe index. SInce this dal a calming dish for all dashas, it will please all constitutions (vatas, pittas or kaphas (*ahem*) and can easily be made for anyone.

This dish goes really well with basmati rice and a vegetable side dish. As you can see I opted for white basmati and broccoli. Morningstar notes that this dish goes really well with rice and rotali (chipattis). While I wasn't able to chipattis this time around, I most certainly will next time. And let me tell you, there will be a next time.

I will absolutely be making this again. And again. And again!

Recipe is after the jump.

Zucchini and Mung Dal
Serves: 4-5 portions
Source: The Ayurvedic Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 C split mung dal or whole mung beans
1 1/2 tbsp oil (A: I used vegetable)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp hing (asafetida)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 C water
2 C zucchini, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 tsp fresh ginger root, finely minced (A: I used 3)
1 tsp sea salt (A: I did a very generous heaped tsp)
1/2 - 1 tsp coriander powder (A: I used at least 2-3)
1/2 green chili pepper, finely chopped (A: can use a whole chili if you like heat)
 

Directions:

  1. Soak mung in 4 C of water for 2 hours. Heat oil in a heavy skillet, add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add turmeric, hing (asafetida), lime juice and drained mung beans.
  2. Add fresh ginger root and 4 C of fresh water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes if split mung, 1 hour or more (mine took 75 minutes) if whole mung beans.
  3. Add zucchini and remaining ingredients and cook for 15 minutes more, or until the beans are soft.
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Corn and black bean quesadillas with Pepper Jack

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Ashley See

Whether you're a college kid nearing the end of term and dollars, or perhaps you need a quick snack and can't be bothered to whip up something magical, the quesadilla has been a best friend to many.

Good plain or filled with all sorts of fantasticness, quesadillas are misconceived by most Americans. I applaud Sean Lawler for pointing this out. In Cook's Illustrated: American Classics 2010, he wrote the most accurate anecdote about quesadillas I've ever read:

A truly "authentic" quesadilla is just a humble kitchen snack: a fresh handmade tortilla folded around a mild melting cheese, quickly friend or crisped on a griddle, then devoured just as quickly. As the quesadilla migrated north of the border, however, it evolved into a greasy happy-hour spectacle for beer and burger joints, becoming nothing more than bad Mexican pizza: stale and soggy supermarket tortillas filled with "buffalo chicken" or "Cajun shrimp" and sliced into big, floppy triangles.

On the hunt for the perfect quesadilla, Lawler did a nice job of offering up something far tastier than nuking some shredded cheese atop a tortilla in the microwave, yet it's still simple and easy on the wallet.

Corn and black bean quesadilla assembly

Recipe after the jump.

Corn & Black Bean Quesadillas with Pepper Jack  (original recipe)
Yields 2 servings (1 if you're really hungry)

Ingredients:

2 (8-inch) tortillas (you gluten-free kids can reach for the corn tortillas)
1/3 C thawed frozen corn
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/3 C red onion (I used half an onion)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/3 C cooked/canned black beans
2 tsp lime juice
3 oz shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1 tbsp minced jalapeño chiles (optional, but adds a subtle kick)
Vegetable oil, for brushing tortillas

Directions:

  1. Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until kernels begin to brown and pop, 3-5 minutes; transfer corn to bowl.
  2. Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering; add red onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute; stir in black beans and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
  3. Return corn to skillet; gently press mixture with spatula to lightly crush beans. Transfer mixture to now-empty bowl, stir in lime juice, and season with salt to taste.
  4. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and return pan to medium heat until hot.
  5. Place 1 tortilla in skillet and toast until soft and puffed slightly at edges, about 2 minutes. Flip tortilla and toast until puffed and slightly browned, 1-2 minutes longer.
  6. Slip tortilla onto cutting board.
  7. Repeat to toast second tortilla while assembling first quesadilla. Sprinkle half of cheese, half of jalapeños, if using, and half of black bean mixture over half of tortilla, leaving 1/2-inch boarder around edge. Fold tortilla in half and press to flatten. Brush top generously with oil, you can also sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside. Repeat to form second quesadilla.
  8. Place both quesadillas in skillet, oiled sides down; cook over medium heat until crisp and well browned, 1-2 minutes. Brush tops with oil and again, can optionally sprinkle lightly with salt. Flip quesadillas and cook until second sides are crisp, 1-2 minutes.
  9. Transfer quesadillas to cutting board; cool about 3 minutes, half each quesadilla, and serve.

Recipe notes:

Cooling the quesadilla before cutting and serving is important; straight from the skillet, the cheese is molten and will ooze out. Finished quesadillas can be held on a baking sheet in a 200-degree oven for up to 20 minutes.
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