Budget Cooking: Bean Edition

Admin V talks about beans

Admin V here and as I continue my budget cooking series, I would like to remind you that my goal here is not to write these for everyone. People have different dietary needs and health issues. Take what works for you and leave the rest.

Today we’re going to talk about beans. As Duke the dog would say, “Roll that beautiful bean footage.”

I, like many people several years ago, invested in an instant pot. For those of you who have not been willing to do that, it is not a gimmick if you treat it like what it is. A pressure cooker with safety features that prevent kitchen explosions. I use it for making stock from bones, as a rice cooker, soup maker, and for making beans. And I’m going to tell you that it would be worth the kitchen space for its ability to make beans from dried relatively quickly without any of the other features.

If you don’t have an instant pot, but do have a crock pot, that is also a good way and if you have the time, low and slow on the stove also works. But let me share how I made them on Friday night. Y’all should know that I don’t measure. I cook by vibes so if you’re looking for amounts for this, I can’t give them to you.

Put your black beans in the instant pot with taco seasoning, a splash of hot sauce, a splash of canola oil, and garlic. Add water and stir. There should be about an inch-ish of water over the beans in the instant pot. Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes and let it naturally release. Serve over rice and with accoutrements for a homemade burrito bowl. Or eat them plain or as a side.. Really, your choice. I’ve put them in a food processor with salsa and made a high protein chip dip.

As far as budget eating goes, your best bet is dried beans, but canned beans can also be found inexpensively and are also useful for things. One of the diet trends on social media is something called dense beat salads. I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve been ahead of this social media trend for years. A can of beans drained and rinsed with a bunch of vegetables and a dressing is a delicious and easy lunch. I used to put them in mason jars and take them to work with me. I would add bacon or canned chicken and it was an easy lunch that I didn’t have to worry about reheating and could eat on the go. These days, I add tuna because I work from home and not in an office.

My base recipe for my bean salad is a can (or two) of chickpeas, a bell pepper diced, an onion diced, canned artichoke hearts, pickle relish, salt and pepper plus whatever else I felt like putting in the salad. If I had a cucumber, I would toss it in. If I had feta cheese, I would toss it in. I’ve added olives and sundried tomatoes. The world is your oyster for bean salads.

If you’re making a broth based soup (even if you’re using a can of soup), add beans. It will extend your soup and add extra protein. And make the meal more hearty for your family. I love vintage cookbooks and in the 50s, a lot of the cookbooks include recipes that make canned food go farther. We can still do that today. Like if I were to make a chicken noodle soup, I would add a can of chickpeas. It fits the vibe of the soup and wouldn’t be out of place. If you’re doing a tomato based vegetable soup, add black beans or pintos. Both of those would make it have a little bit of a chili bean vibe.

And let’s not sleep on lentils. I love to make lentil soup. It is basically lentils, tomatoes, broth, and seasoning. Nothing fancy. I go in with my potato masher and mash the lentils so it is nice and thick, but lentils are also great to make spaghetti sauce go farther. Italians, please close your ears for this, I don’t want to offend you. But if you’re making a meat sauce for spaghetti, add some cooked lentils to make the sauce stretch. Lentils also work anywhere that you would put beans. It is a matter of preference.

I could keep talking about this. I love to make homemade bean sauces for pasta. I learned this from the vegan cooks that I used to follow on youtube.. You can make a creamy sauce by blending beans with pasta water for quick and easy sauce-y pastas. Season them up with garlic and nutritional yeast and pepper and onions. I swear, they aren’t wrong. It is delicious and higher in protein than just eating pasta alone.

I’m sure there are ideas that I’ve missed. Please feel free to add them in the comments.