Beans Beans the Magical Fruit

HOLsale

i'm wanting to use up my plethora of pulses and be a bit more adventurous so i was hoping everyone would contribute their tastiest bean and pulses recipes here so i can start trying them out

squeaky

Is this purely veggie recipes, ones with meat, or either?

HOLsale

squeaky wrote:

Is this purely veggie recipes, ones with meat, or either?

oh happy for meat as well

but i'm open to veggie stuff too

SueRob_2

I'm not good with recipes, but this is how I use lentils
Cook half a packet of lentils in water till soft
Add 1 or 2 weetabix OR 1 or 2 slices of bread crumbed
Add a generous tsp of Marmite & some grated cheese
stir in a beaten egg. throw the mix into an oven proof dish
Cook in the oven on a medium heat till set
I serve this with roast pots & asst veg & gravy.
This serves approx 6

Swan_2

there's a thread with some good chickpea recipes HERE & a thread with some chilli recipes for using up any red kidney beans & pintos HERE

Rose Elliot's Lentil Loaf

6oz red lentils
3/4 pint wine &/or stock
1 large onion, peeled & chopped
1 carrot, peeled & chopped
1 oz butter
2oz ground, roasted hazelnuts
2 oz cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg
salt & pepper

cook lentils in liquid till tender & liquid is absorbed
grease a 1lb loaf tin, line base & narrow side with long strip greasproof paper
sautee onion, garlic & carrot for 10 minutes
add to lentils along with nuts, cheese, parsley & egg
season well
put into prepared tin & bake @ 180 for an hour & a quarter
turn out & serve sliced, hot or cold (quite nice cold in a sandwich)


Refried Beans

8oz Pinto beans
1 large onion
1-2 oz butter or marge
salt to taste

soak beans overnight
next day boil in fresh water with 1/2 onion, till tender, boiling off most of water
chop remaining onion & sautee in butter till soft & beginning to brown
add beans gradually, mashing roughly & stirring
add a little water if it's too thick
salt to taste
serve hot with tacos, tortillas or any TexMex food


Bean Soup

4-8oz dried beans of choice (I like butter beans in this soup)
4-8 oz bacon (optional)
4-8oz onions, peeled & chopped
1/2-1 Tablespoon oil
1/2-1 Tablespoon paprika (optional)
1-2 Tablespoons soy sauce (or a stock cube)
2 pints water
2 bay leaves
cream (optional)
parsley
salt & pepper

soak beans overnight, drain & rinse
fry bacon, paprika & onion, without browning, for 5 minutes
add water, soy, bay, salt & pepper & beans
bring to boil, cover & simmer till beans are tender (if using red kidneys, boil fast for 10 minutes before simmering)
taste & adjust seasoning &/or liquid as needed
to serve, stir in a little cream & sprinkle with parsley

variations ...
omit the soy/stock cube & replace some of the water with real stock if you have it
substitute veg of choice for bacon
substitute tin of tomatoes for soy sauce

HOLsale

does anyone have any bean salads or dips that they make by any chance

always happy to hear about soup but dh groans anytime i mention soup and beans in the same mouthful :rolleyes:

Swan_2

HOLsale wrote:

does anyone have any bean salads or dips that they make by any chance

always happy to hear about soup but dh groans anytime i mention soup and beans in the same mouthful :rolleyes:

I have some, I'll go & look them out for posting ... watch this space
but I'm a slow typer, so this could take some time :rolleyes:


you can thin down hummus & refried beans to make them into dips
I'm sure I've some proper bean dip recipes, I'll see if I can find them


Three Bean Salad

red kidney beans or pintos or limas
chick peas
green beans, I use a tin

if using dried beans, soak overnight separately. if canned, drain & move on to step 3 below
next day, rinse & cook separately in fresh water till tender (if using red kidneys, boil fast for 10 minutes before simmering)
drain & put in a bowl with drained green beans
add chopped spring or red onion if you like
add some chopped peppers
pour over a salad dressing of your choice, something garlicky is nice

you can use any combination of beans you like, but it's nicest to always have the green beans in it for a bit of contrast in texture & colour


Rice & Lentil Salad

8oz brown rice
8oz whole lentils
2 onions
oil for frying
salt & pepper
olive oil & lemon for dressing

chop half an onion & fry in a little oil till soft & golden
add rice, lentils & salt. stir & add enough cold water to cover by 2"
bring to boil & simmer till water is absorbed & rice & lentils are tender
meanwhile fry remaining sliced/chopped onion till brown & sweet
add to rice mixture
add dressing to mixture. reseason & allow to cool before serving

if you want to try this with white rice, cook the rice & lentils separately



Tuna & Bean Salad

8oz dried beans of choice
7oz tin tuna, drained
1-2 spring onions or some red onion, chopped/sliced
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt & pepper if needed
lettuce etc to serve

soak beans overnight
next day, drain & cook in fresh water till tender (if using red kidneys, boil fast for 10 minutes before simmering)
add dressing* & mix in while still hot
cool, add tuna, onions & parsley
season to taste
serve with salad greens & some nice bread

*Salad Dressing
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon wine or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper
2 cloves garlic
5 Tablespoons good olive oil

crush garlic with salt, add mustard, then lemon juice & vinegar, then oil

nice on most salads
if not using with fish, substitute vinegar for the lemon juice



A Simple Dal

8oz red lentils
1/2 a 14oz tin tomatoes (optional but nice)
1 oz butter/marg
2 onions, peeled & chopped or sliced
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon whole cummin seeds (optional)
oil if using cummin
1 teaspoon salt

put lentils, chilli, turmeric & salt into 1+1/2 pints of boiling water & simmer till tender
fry onion in fat till brown
add tomatoes & their juice, simmer 5 minutes, crushing any large pieces of tomato
add to lentil mixture, mix & add a little water if it seems too dry
if using cummin, fry in a little oil till the seeds begin to pop
pour over dal just before serving

tasty & very nutritious served with rice & yogurt

HOLsale

mmmm those sound lovely!

i have a recipe (somewhere) that is oddly enough out of a lowfat cookbook for the best bean dip ever... haven't made it in years so perhaps i should make some of that soon too

when i find the recipe again i'll post it here for everyone

Swan_2

HOLsale wrote:

mmmm those sound lovely!

i have a recipe (somewhere) that is oddly enough out of a lowfat cookbook for the best bean dip ever... haven't made it in years so perhaps i should make some of that soon too

when i find the recipe again i'll post it here for everyone

yes, please do

tootles_2

Throw some cooked beans into sausage casserole or beef stew......you can get away with less meat if you use beans to replace protien.

Three bean soup, stew or salad...........

jennet1

chicken and spinach curry (can't remeber the prpoer name!)
Fry an onion and garlic and add red lentils and stock, add a chicken breast per person or chopped up chicken, add curry powder and cumin, coriandar and simmer until lentils and chicken are cooked add some chopped spinach and cook briefly.
sorry I'm not very precise on measurements but my syle of cooking tends to be the "sling it in the pan" kind!!!