Cooking with Dry Beans

Our post a few weeks ago, Canned or Dry Beans? What You Should Know... was so popular and we received so many questions on how to cook with dry beans, that we thought we would dedicate an entire post to it! Below you will find out how to soak the beans, cooking methods (including in a Crock Pot!), and how to freeze them.

1 cup of dry beans yields approximately 3 cups of cooked beans (or if comparing to canned beans, 3 cups)

Traditional Soaking Methods for Dry Beans

Soaking Overnight - In a large bowl, combine 6 to 8 cups of cold water with 2 cups of beans. Soak at least 6-8 hours - the longer the better! Drain and rinse your beans in cold water after soaking. You will also want to sort beans as foreign material (like rocks) may very well end up in your bag of beans.

Note: We don't recommend quick soaking your beans as you need quite a while to cook your beans, so it really doesn't save you too much time as long as you remember to soak your beans overnight.

Cooking Dry Beans (Remember to Soak First!)

Stovetop - Using a large saucepan or stock pot, fill with at least 6 cups of fresh water. Add drained and rinsed, soaked beans to the pot as well. At this time, you can add any type of seasoning should you wish for the beans. Cover pot and bring water and beans to a boil. Tilt lid so that some steam can escape and lower temperature to low or medium-low. Allow beans to cook for at least 2 hours or until tender (this may take a while).

Slow Cooker/Crock Pot - Add 6 cups of fresh water and rinsed, soaked beans to a slow cooker. If you wish to add seasoning of any kind, do so at this time. You could also add chopped garlic or onion, or even use Low-Sodium, Organic Chicken Stock in place of some of the water. Cover Crock Pot and place on high for 6 hours or low for 12 hours.

Freezing Cooked, Dry Beans

Allow beans to fully cool prior to storing. Transfer beans to freezer bags and store flat in your freezer. When you are ready to use them, take the bag out, give it a little shake to break up any beans that may have stuck together and add to your recipe.

What's your favorite addition - either spices, herbs or vegetables to use while cooking your beans?

Canned or Dry Beans? What You Should Know...

Ever been in the grocery store and looked at the bottom (less attractive) racks of the dry, bagged beans only to turn around and pick up the convenient cans?  You may rethink your decisions once you read this post! Here's to why you may want to plan ahead and buy dry beans vs. canned beans.

Canned or Dry Beans? What You Should Know...

Canned Beans

Advantages:

• Simple and Quick: Open, Rinse and Go!
• Canning processes really do not degrade nutritional factors. Beans do not lose much of their nutritional value when canned unlike their vegetable and fruit counterparts. 

Disadvantages:

• Almost all canned beans include ingredients beside the bean itself, including sugar! (Yep - table sugar!) Be sure to check the labels before you put them in your cart.
• Many of the cans used to contain the beans actually have BPA, an epoxy resin that is thought to have an effect on the brain and behavior of fetuses, infants and children.
• Higher cost per serving than dry beans.

Dry Beans

Advantages:

• Totally clean! You control how you cook the beans and what ingredients you use.
• You choose how long you soak them - if you want to sprout them, you can soak longer and amp up the nutritional value. 
• VERY low cost per serving (Two cans is typically the cost for one pound, which is equal to about three or four cans.)

Disadvantages:

• You have to plan ahead in order to use dry beans - they must be soaked and cooked. 
• It may take your family a little getting used to the taste of the dry beans if they are used to the taste of traditional canned beans, depending on your spices when you cook them.

It was a no-brainer to me when I discovered that many of my canned beans that I just plucked off the shelves contained added salt and sugar, as well as, were packaged in cans with BPA. Although the dry beans may be a little more time consuming on the front end, you can't beat the cost savings and the nutritional value. Plus, you can freeze the beans after you cook them!

Do you use dry beans? Why did you make the switch?

Clean Eating Food to Pack for the Airport

It may be harder to eat clean while traveling but it isn't impossible. You can bring your own food with you on the plane (just not liquids!). Even if you forget your food or you can't bring it with you for some reason, there actually are healthy choices at the airport, you just might have to look a little harder for them. If you do not have your own food with you, skip the bags of candy and stock up on fruit and nuts to snack on during the flight. Grab a bottle of water instead of the soda and if you have time to actually grab a bite to eat look for a restaurant where you can "build your own meal" (usually something similar to Chipotle). Start your vacation or business trip off right by making healthy choices at the beginning of your trip!

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CLEAN FOOD TO PACK FOR THE AIRPORT

Proteins:

• Protein Powder (Chocolate & Vanilla)
• Grilled Chicken
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Protein Bars

Carbs:

• Rice Cakes
• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Dry Oats
• Apples
• Bananas
• Dried Fruit (no sugar added)

Fats:

• Individual Packets of Peanut/Almond Butter
• Almonds

Vegetables:

• Cucumbers
• Bell Peppers

As always, check the TSA website before packing.  Not going on a plane but taking a road trip instead?  Check out our ideas for your road trip!

Happy Travels!

- The Gang