Restaurant Recipe Reviews

I’m not one to follow fads, but this just may be a trend worth checking out. According to a 2008 study done by WIC “Food Shopping and Consumption Habits” Staff Survey, 79% of staff report that they regularly consume dry beans and peas. Now, the staff at WIC happen to know a bit about nutrition and value for your dollar, so this is something to consider. Why haven’t you tried cooking with dry beans and peas yet? Could be because you just don’t know their value or you just haven’t tried them. Let’s see if we can get you on-board.

Eating dry beans and peas for reasons other than following a trend are numerous. If you are a vegetarian or want to reduce your meat consumption for other reasons, dry beans and peas supply needed nutrients such as protein, iron, and zinc. These legumes are also considered an excellent source of dietary fiber and folate, which are nutrients that are lacking in the American diet today.

Even if you eat meat, poultry, and fish regularly, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that you also consume several cups a week of dry beans and peas simply because of their high nutrient content. Dry beans and peas are a part of the Food Guide (Food Pyramid) “meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group”, but are also a part of the vegetable group. So, whether you’re a vegetarian, substituting dry beans and peas for meat, or you consume dry beans or peas as a vegetable, you are providing your family with the properly balanced nutrition needed for good overall health.

In order to make shopping easier, the USDA has developed a simple list of what constitutes a dry bean or pea. Their list is as follows: black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas aka garbanzo beans, falafel, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans (mature), navy beans, pinto beans, soy beans, split peas, tofu (bean curd made from soy beans), and white beans. Now, we can walk down the grocery store aisle with confidence. Let’s go shopping.

When you get to the grocery store, head for the rice aisle. Somewhere nearby there should be bags of dry beans and peas stacked up. Grab one that you remember from the list and check out the price. Usually that’s a good time to relax and smile. Now, turn the bag over and you’ll notice the instructions for preparing your beans for cooking. It all seems a little easier now, doesn’t it.

There is no end to the myriad of recipes you’ll find for cooking with dry beans and peas. Start by looking at the back of the bag. There typically are recipes printed right there. Search the internet and cookbooks and you won’t run out of ideas. You may recognize some old favorites like Split Pea Soup. Who hasn’t made that? Did you know you were following a trend? There are a lot more recipes where that came from, so keep looking.

Now, you’re wondering if there is a difference between dry beans and peas and their canned counterparts. Yes and no. For instance, just about any recipe you find for Black Bean Soup can be made with dry beans or canned. The difference boils down to (pardon the pun) boiling the beans. Yes, using dry beans and peas takes time, but the benefits of the dry may outweigh the convenience of the can. If you are watching your pennies (and who isn’t), you will appreciate the price difference immediately. Roughly speaking, you’ll get about 6 cups of cooked beans out of a 1 pound bag of dry beans, so do the math before you buy, and always shop around and watch the sales. It certainly doesn’t hurt to keep some of each, dry and canned, on hand so you are ready for quick meals as well as planned.

Now that you’ve gone beyond your Simple Split Pea Soup, you’ll want to delve into the world of real dry bean and pea cuisine! Starting with a simple Lentil Chili or Hot Kidney Bean Salad, and moving into making a satisfying Congressional Bean Soup, or ever popular Falafel. You may never eat store-bought Chickpea Hummus once you make your own creation. You’ll be amazed at how fast you leave that scared “dry bean novice” cook behind to embrace all the possibilities. And now that you’ve joined the legume bandwagon, spread the word to other folks, and see if you can’t start your own revolution!

There’s always room for a little convenience food in our cupboards, right? You don’t need to buy those expensive pre-packaged meals in the store when you can create your own healthy ready-to-cook TVP Bean Burrito Mix or Beans and Rice Mix and have them ready and waiting.