Black beans and chickpeas are the two types of beans I always stock in my house. Because my vegetarian dishes tend not use use meat substitutes, I find myself adding beans in to a lot of my dishes. I love cooking up dried black beans because they freeze well and I can pull them out as needed. They work perfect on salads, tacos, rice dishes, and even breakfast dishes. My two favorite countries (Brazil and Costa Rica) both have national dishes based around the black bean.
Instructions on preparing, soaking, and cooking dried black beans can be found here. Preparing black beans out of the bulk bin is a great way to avoid buying cans and to cut cost. To freeze the beans I simply cook them as mentioned in the link, let them cool, and then store in freezer safe containers.
Because I use a lot of beans, I have quite a few recipes that call for black beans on the site:
Other recipes that use black beans from around the web:
- Spicy, Citrusy Black Beans from Simply Recipes
- Vegan Nachos with Cashew “Cheese”
- Huevos Rancheros from Annie Eats
- Tomatillo Black Bean Tostadas from Cookie and Kate
- Black Bean and Butternut Soup from Sprouted Kitchen
- Chocolate Black Bean Truffles from Good Things Grow
Other resources/information about black beans:
Dietary Information about Black Beans
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are one of my favorite beans. Chickpeas are great by themselves, on top of salads, in stews, and can be the main base for hummus. Chickpeas can also be roasted and eaten as a crunchy snack with your favorite seasoning.
Chickpeas are easy to cook up. I usually begin soaking them in the evening and cook them the next morning (if I’m in a hurry) or cook them that night. Once I’m done, I let them cool and split them in to a few freezer safe container. If using frozen chickpeas on a salad, I often pull them out and soak them in warm water for a few minutes.
Chickpeas are one of my favorite beans and therefore, I have quite a few recipes that use them:
- Beet, Chickpea, an Feta Salad from Scandie Foodie
- Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas
- Chickpeas with Delicata Squash, Kale, and Coconut Milk from Healthy Green Kitchen
- Chickpea Fritter with Tomato Jam from Happyolks
- Chickpea Salad from Cookie and Kate
- Spiced Sweet Potato and Chickpeas from Sprouted Kitchen
- Chickpea Hot Pot from 101 Cookbooks
Other resources/information about Chickpeas:
Kidney beans aren’t always as popular as the black bean or garbanzo bean, however, they have the ability to add a bit of bulk to many meals. The flavor of the bean is more subtle than that of the garbanzo or the black bean, which leaves it a natural fit to soak up the flavors of a great meal.
While recipes that only use kidney beans aren’t extremely popular, kidney beans make a better side-kick to other beans. These beans are a great addition to a bean salad or a nice hearty chili. In some of my recipes that only call for black beans, I will sub out half the black beans and add in kidney beans for their nutritional benefit (which can be found here along with cooking instructions.)
Along with other beans, once cooked up I’ll toss these beans in a freezer safe container and pull them out when needed!
Recipes from around the web:
Mung beans by themselves seem awfully strange with even the name sounding a bit off-putting. However, I’ve recently come to love mung beans in a different form: sprouts. Dried mung beans make an excellent base for sprouts and are ready to eat in just a few days. Sonja and Alex, from A Couple Cooks, have a great resource on getting started sprouting.
Sprouts are great raw on salads, raw as a finishing ingredient in stir fry or even cooked in the stir fry (as long as you put them in at the last minute-they don’t always withstand heat very well!
While I love mung beans in sprout form, they are also delicious cooked up!
Here are a few recipes for Sprouts/Mung Beans:
- Vegetable Peanut Saute and Brown Rice Noodles Topped with Sprouts
- Noodles with Sprouted Beans and Curry Lime Dressing from A Couple Cooks
- Mung Bean, Beet, and Quinoa Salad from the Healthy Foodie
- Mung Bean Stew with Butternut Squash from the Healthy Green Kitchen
A few ideas outside of the recipes: add to stir-frys, spring rolls, and salads for a great bit of crunch!
Other links for information on Mung Beans:
I love white beans for their versatility. White beans work in place of almost any type of bean in any type of dish. I first really started becoming interested in white beans when I found that my Uncle made hummus from white beans (instead of chickpeas.) The result was this amazingly creamy hummus that didn’t have quite the earthy flavor chickpeas come with. Information on the main three types of white beans, Cannelli, Great Northern (pictured), and Navy, can be found here, but when using dried beans, I usually grab whichever ones I see first.
The cooking method for these beans in similar to that of chickpeas and black beans. Soak, Rinse, and Cook! I really love have these beans in the freezer, ready to go for soups, dips, and salads. I find that the white beans pair well with so many veggies, the possibilities are endless!
Recipes for white beans:
- Spinach Artichoke Pizza with White Beans from Good Life Eats
- Penne with White Beans and Spinach from Eat, Live, Run
- Brussel Sprouts with White Beans and Pecorino from Not Without Salt
- Creamy Tuscan White Bean Pasta from How Sweet It Is
- Kale, Tomato, and White Bean Soup from Bev Cooks
- Spinach Artichoke White Bean Crostini from Two Peas and their Pod
Black-eyed peas are a bit deceptive in nature given that these cute little peas are not really peas at all, but beans. These peas are popular especially in southern cuisine, especially eaten on New Years day for good luck. Normally black-eyed peas get the pairing with pork but these little beans are great from a veggie standpoint as well!
Black-eyed peas are one of the quickest cooking beans and great for when you are in slightly more of a time crunch to get dinner on the table. Cooking instructions can be found here. Even though they cook up quick, I will still cook a large pot and freeze some for later use!
Recipes from around the web:
Brown lentils prove that not all lentils are created equally. While red lentils are great for soups because they break down, brown lentils are great for hearty main or side dishes because they hold their shape while cooking. Brown lentils also have a bit stronger flavor than those of the green and red lentils which makes them a perfect match for vegetables and seasonings.
These lentils are great as a dish on their own, used in stews, or even a salad topper. The Kitchn offers great advice on how to cook lentils (and a warning that the older the lentils, the longer the cook time. )
My recipes for Brown Lentils:
There are two different kinds of green lentils: French Green or Puy. The only significant difference is region of growth. Puy lentils are grown specially in the French town of Puy. More often than not, the green lentils you buy in the grocery store are just that, plain green lentils. Green lentils are more comparable to brown in that they hold their shape and texture better than the red. However, green lentils tend to have a bit stronger of a taste compared to the brown lentils.
These lentils are great as a dish on their own, used in stews, or even a salad topper. The Kitchn offers great advice on how to cook lentils (and a warning that the older the lentils, the longer the cook time. )
My Recipes for Green Lentils
When it comes to the bulk bins, one of the things I find most confusing is the what seems to be three ingredients that almost look identical but are actually different. Lentils come in three distinct colors: brown, green, and red. I’ve chosen to split each one up because I find that each one has it’s own unique use. I’ll often use red lentils in tomato and roasted red pepper soups while I’ll use brown and green lentils in pilafs. A great resource is the Kitchn’s comparison between the three types of lentils.
When it comes to cooking, red lentils get slightly mushy and don’t hold up well in dishes where the lentil is suppose to be the main star. While I honestly forget to cook with lentils, they actually pack quite the nutritional punch and make a great addition to many meals.
Recipes that use red lentils:
Recipes from Around the Web:
- Spiced Red Lentils from Umami Girl (adapted from Ottolenghi’s Plenty)
- Red Lentil Chili from Running with Tweezers
- Vegetable and Red Lentil Salad from Bev Cooks
- Red Lentil Soup from A Couple Cooks
- Red Lentil and Butternut Squash Curry Stew from Healthy Food for Living
- Indian Dal from Use Real Butter (and Whole Foods)
Don’t let the color fool you, yellow and green split peas are indistinguishable (except for the obvious color factor.) Split peas are just that: peas that have been dried and split in half. Split peas are great due to their high protein and fiber content (compared to their low fat content.) Split Peas have a sweeter and creamier taste compared to the lentils, which makes them great for soups!
Split peas have a relatively short cooking time and therefore have no need to be soaked. Split peas are great on their own but can also easily replace lentils in certain dishes. Cooking instructions can be found here. Because of the short cooking time, I will only cook up as many split peas as I need.
