whats your fave recipe using dried peas/beans/lentils?

rising_from_the_ashes

Wow! Honestly, I had no idea there were so many! (I've still got a lot to learn!)

rinabean

I like making hummus-type things from beans. It's really easy and versatile.

You can use the milder beans in sweet baking! I puree them and then just substitute a cup's worth of the beans with a cup of the cake/cookie/whatever mix. Or, if you don't need to end up with a certain quantity, just add 1/2 to a full tin's worth to the whole mixture. It ends up slightly less sweet, so add sugar if you don't prefer them less sweet. It can taste a little beany if the recipe doesn't have strong flavours (chocolate/cocoa will be fine, otherwise add almond extract, spirits, etc.).

I love veg soups with beans in! They also give it a nice texture if you blend the soup. I suppose I just love beans

splishsplash

Another really easy recipe is for a spicy bean dip:

• heat some brown sugar (1-2 tablespoons) with some white wine vinegar (about a quarter cup) and two teaspoons of cajun spice mix (schwartz - comes in a jar)
• throw in two cans of drained, rinsed beans (any kind really, maybe cannelini and haricot?) and a tin of tomatoes
• Simmer for about 15 minutes until the liquid reduces by 1/3 - 1/2
• While the beans are cooling, liberally mix grated cheese through a bowl of tortilla chips, and zap for about a minute in the microwave (maybe less, keep your eye on them) until the cheese starts bubbling
• Blitz the beans, serve in a bowl as dip for your cheesy tortilla chips.
• Beautiful, but deadly:o

abankerbutnotafatcat

I always use cannelini beans in paella

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Aduki beans are lovely in sweet dishes - put them through a sieve (to get the skins off) heat on low and beat in an equal volume of sugar, puree (add more sugar to taste), stopping when the paste is glossy - and then use them like you would sweet chestnut puree - in pastry, for example.

rising_from_the_ashes

mmmm you guys are making me hungry!
Thanks for all the suggestions - I'll def be using up my bean supply in the NY ... that's my 1st resolution!

Stephen_Leak

Try this ...

THREE BEAN SALAD

Makes a big bowl.

INGREDIENTS

400g tin of borlotti/rose coco beans
400g tin of cannellini/white kidney beans
400g tin of red kidney beans
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of parsley

METHOD

Open the tins and drain off any liquid, Put the beans into a sieve or colander and rinse them thoroughly under running cold water.

Put the beans into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and parsley. Mix thoroughly.

Cover and put in the fridge for at least half an hour.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Use dried beans, but these will need to be soaked and boiled first.

Use other beans, including sliced green beans or broad beans. You can use baked beans, but wash the tomato sauce off.

You can use black-eyed peas, which are really black-eyed beans, and chickpeas, which are also known as garbanzo beans.

Try to use three different looking beans.

Use fresh lemon juice for preference, but bottled lemon juice will do. One fresh lemon contains about 2½ tablespoons of juice.

Use extra virgin olive oil for preference, but normal olive oil will do.

Use chopped fresh parsley for preference, but dried parsley will do.

Add a clove of garlic. Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces.

Add 2 spring onions. Wash the spring onions, cut off the root ends and leaves, peel off and discard any dried up or slimy outer leaves, then chop them into thin rings.

TIPS

The drained weight of a tin of beans is usually 240g.

Parsley is reputed to reduce the wind generating capacity of beans.

MandM90

Spicy bean burgers! Mash/whizz the beans then mix with some garlic, chilli powder, herbs, an egg and some breadcrumbs then grill, fry or freeze!

madvixen

Butter Beans work really well with Chorizo and tomatoes.

Pour 2 tins of chopped toms into a big pan and add a little bit of chilli powder and a dash of red wine.
Chop an onion finely and add this to the mix along with some crushed garlic
Chop your Chorizo and add to the pan
Add your butter beans (drained) and leave to simmer for a good couple of hours.

We've got butter beans in the slow cooker today along with some bacon and chorizo and will have it for tea with some crusty bread

LondonDreamer

Cannelini works well with chorizo as well. Nigel Slater has a really good stew/soup recipe which I make all the time:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sausage_and_bean_soup_15225

And this bean salad is on my list to make, looks fabulous!

http://www.misschievous.tv/2011/07/amazing-eat-more-veggies-bean-salad.html