Cooking Dry Beans

Beans are one of the staples in our diet. They show up on our table several times a week in several different forms. I cook up a pot of dry beans about once a week. Beans with rice or quinoa is my most frequent lunch choices.

I love beans. I can happily eat a bowl of nothing but beans. My children have been raised on beans. My husband doesn't like them as much as I do, but with rice and lots of yummy toppings it has become one of his favorites as well.

We usually eat black beans, pinto beans or navy beans. My husband is a little fussy about the size of the beans, so I stick to the smaller ones when cooking for our family. I buy dry beans by the 50 lb bag. I love all beans, but not equally. Lima beans and fava beans are among the most delicious in my opinion, but they have never been acceptable to my husband so I eat them in solitude. I've tried many kinds of beans and am always willing to try a new variety.

I took some photos while making my weekly beans and would like to share my method for cooking dry beans. My basic method is consistent, but I never make something the same way twice. There is always variety in my kitchen.

I never actually measure my ingredients, but this is more or less accurate.

• 2 cups of dry beans
• 6 garlic cloves
• half an onion
• 2 tablespoons of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• a handful of fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

I start with roughly 2 cups of dry beans. I say roughly because I just pour from my bean jar into the kettle and estimate. The seasonings vary every time I cook, but I always include garlic cloves, salt and oregano. This particular batch is seasoned with fresh onion, garlic cloves, fresh cilantro, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, salt and black pepper.

After covering the beans with water I turn the stove on high and bring it to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil I turn it down to the lowest setting. I let it simmer for several hours. I usually get this started in the morning and leave it simmering all afternoon then take it off the stove at dinner time.

We eat these beans with rice, salsa, avocado,cheese, sour cream and hot sauce or I add them to other dishes. I put them in Enchiladas, Chili Soup, Taco Salad, Burritos and much more.

One thing we always eat with our rice and beans is Sriracha. We eat Sriracha like many people eat ketchup. We're very proud when our four year old asks for Sriracha on her beans. Even if we fail in some areas of our parenting, we must be doing something right if our children love beans and ask for Sriracha.

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• See my previous post - Happy Grazers