The Beauty of Dry Beans — and Black & White Orca Bean Chili
Last Updated August 8, 2017 · First Published October 3, 2015
Dry beans are one of those ingredients that seem infinitely challenging and time consuming. The truth is beans cooked from scratch are far more delicious and economical than canned beans. Sure, they take time, but there are ways to save time and make that time investment worth it. Additionally, you’re never going to find a can of orca beans, or any of the exciting beans (and there are so many) at the store. If you’re lucky, you can find lentils and black-eyed peas, but you’re not going to walk away with French flageolet, tiny adzuki or dappled cranberry beans. As with anything, variety is the spice of life. Different beans offer different textures, flavors and colors to your meals.
People tend to think of dry beans as stale. That might be true for the bargain bag of pinto beans on the bottom shelf, but if you choose high quality dry beans they’re going to be very fresh. You might spend $5 on a bag of Bob’s Red Mill black beans, but that bag will make you about six cans’ worth of beans.
Dry beans do take time, but you can save some time with a few tricks.
- Soak your beans. It’s not strictly necessary, but it will shave off some time. Simply cover your beans with about 2” of water and let soak a few hours to overnight before cooking. No need to refrigerate, room temp is fine. Drain off water and cook beans when you’re ready to rock and roll.
- Use a pressure cooker if you have one. These days, pressure cookers are safe and can do all sorts of miracles beyond cooking beans quickly. [Andrew’s Note: The Bob’s Red Mill Pressure Cooker Giveaway ends October 5, so enter today!]
- Use a slow cooker. Throw your beans and water in, set the slow cooker on low and let them simmer all day. Alternately, put it on high and have beans in a few hours.
- Make a big batch and freeze them in usable portions. You can freeze beans and they still taste great. Make a whole bag of beans and freeze them in 2-cup (about a can’s worth) containers.
Black and White Orca Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Bob’s Red Mill® Orca Beans
- 7 cups vegetable broth and/or water
- 1½ cups yellow onion, chopped, 1 large
- ¾ cup poblano peppers, chopped, 2 medium
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno, minced, 1 medium
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried cumin
- 1½ teaspoons dried coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
Instructions
- Sort and rinse orca beans and place in a large soup pot with vegetable broth and/or water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until just soft, about 45 minutes.
- When beans have slightly softened, add the onion, poblanos, jalapeno, garlic, dried herbs, and spices, and salt. Continue to simmer on medium-low until the beans have fully softened, another 15 – 30 minutes.
- Add fresh lime juice just before serving.
Nutrition
Beans are a great way to get your protein. What I hear is that they take so much prep. Soak your beans on the weekends, cook them up and you can eat them all week long! I have been using Bob’s Red Mill products for years, and I can’t wait to use some of the unusual beans Sara had mentioned in her post. I enjoyed reading your post.
Leslie – that is so sad since beans don’t really expire. All food sold in stores have to have an expiration date. We buy our beans in huge bulk amounts and it takes us up to 5 years to finish them off. The beans at the end are still good. They may require a little extra soaking but I haven’t found a problem cooking them.
We, also, can beans. While they are not as good as when we make them fresh, they are super easy to can and make for quick meals (and we get bean water for egg replacement).
Just this past weekend I threw out about 6 bags of beans that had an expiration date of 2 years ago. Ugh! I seem inspired to cook beans when I read recipes and am in the store. Then the beans sit in my cabinet until I throw them out!
Leslie,
I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ll have to echo Sara’s comments above, they usually don’t expire for a long time and typically just need a little extra cooking time.
I have never even heard of some of those beans. Would love to try them!
I have never heard of some of those beans! Would love to try them!