I was always reluctant to cook beans-from-dried on the hob, as it takes 1 1/2 - 2 hours, and that's a lot of gas/electric. Of course there's the easy tinned option, but since most tins are lined with BPA - even organic - I don't really fancy eating them myself or feeding them to my baby. As a vegetarian I really need the option of beans in my diet, so now I cook dried organic beans in bulk and freeze them in little portion-sized jars I save (mustard & pesto jars etc are the perfect size for one person).
I buy different types of beans each time I use up the last lot, for variation in taste and nutrition. This time I have black turtle beans and pinto beans. I know the colour from the black beans will stain the pinto, but that doesn't matter, unless for some reason you need to maintain the original colour (for blog photos perhaps). I get the 500g size packets and do two different types at once, so that's obviously 1kg in total. I find this quantity fills about 18-20 little jars, and that keeps me going for quite a while.
Most if not all types of beans contain a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin in varying amounts. Kidney beans, for example, are particularly high in this toxin and so you must be careful to ensure they're cooked properly. They can make you really sick, even from eating literally four or five improperly cooked beans. So, although many people wouldn't be quite as thorough as I am, since I'm feeding these to my baby I figure I can't be too careful.
Method:
First I empty the packets into a colander/sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold water.
Next I empty the rinsed beans into a large pot and cover with plenty of water. They need to soak overnight for 12-24 hours. This decreases cooking time dramatically, and with some beans is also an important step in removing the toxins.
The next day, empty the soaked beans into a colander again to rinse thoroughly and drain off the water. You can see the colour of it in the tub underneath! You can also see how they have increased in bulk now they've soaked up the water and softened up a bit.
Put the rinsed beans back into a large pot, and cover with fresh water (if you use boiling water this step will be quicker). Boil rapidly for 10 minutes - this is especially important for kidney beans.
I don't know if this is necessary, but I pour away the water again after boiling the beans (like I said I can't be too careful with a baby). Transfer the beans to a suitable large oven pot, such as this cast-iron one and cover with fresh boiling water. The beans will double in size during cooking so they need plenty of water and plenty of room to expand. Pop into the oven at 200 degrees Ceclius for about 2 hours.
The last thing you want is undercooked beans after all this effort, so make sure they're ready. You can tell when they're properly cooked as they will 'smush' easily if you squeeze them between your fingers. If they are still quite firm when you do this, cook them for a while longer.
When you're sure they're done, drain in a colander/sieve or they will carry on cooking if left in the water. You can see they have doubled in volume now they're cooked, and I have to use 2 colanders! Allow to cool before putting into jars.
If, like me, you intend on feeding a baby with these, I recommend sterilising the jars by first washing them in hot soapy water, rinsing, and then heating in a hot oven for about 10 minutes or so (lids as well as long as they're not plastic!)
Using a spoon or simply scooping the beans into the jars, fill them up and screw on the lids. You can now put them into the freezer and they'll stay fresh for about 6 months. In the refrigerator they will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
To defrost I simply take a jar out of the freezer the night before if I want to use them in the morning, or take them out in the morning to use them for my dinner later on. They are great to use in all kinds of dishes as an alternative to meat or simply as an extra bit of nutrition. I like to use them in my Vegetarian Curry, homemade Falafels (for these I mostly use chickpeas, but you can use any kind of bean), Easy-Peasy Crunchy Chickpeas, Sweet Cinnamon Crunchy Chickpeas, veggie burgers (recipe coming soon), homemade baked beans (recipe coming soon)... just to name a few!
If you enjoyed this post, please follow me and you can look forward to more yummy and healthy recipes, amongst other things!
Many thanks.
For extra tips on health, weight loss & information about natural foods you can also support me as Natural Health Mama at: https://www.facebook.com/naturalhealthmamma and https://naturalhealthmamablog.wordpress.com/
Logo kindly created for me by @papa-pepper
All photos in this post are my own original