Try These Satisfying,Low-Cost Bean Dishes
Recipes for black-eyed peas, bean and barley soup, curried rice and black beans, stuffed acorn squash and kidney bean dip.
There's an icy snap and tingle in the air right now . . .
especially up in the wintry state of Vermont. "We don't
mind, though," says Anne C. Pratt of Plainfield. "Not as
long as we have a steamy plate of savory, filling beans on
the table. And the price is right too!"
It seems that every family—whether already
"scratching it out" down on the farm, living in the city
and saving pennies to move to the country too, or just
trying to make ends meet in today's high-priced
world—is interested in cutting its cost of
living.
My husband and I are no exception. And, as millions of
other families have done for centuries, we frequently cut
our living expenses (while still enjoying hearty,
nourishing, stick-to-the-ribs meals) by cooking with beans.
And, nope, we never eat the chemical-packed "beans and
franks" and other "heat and serve" frozen and canned
abominations that line the supermarket shelves. (For one
thing, the fat-laden, preservative—and dyelaced,
artificially flavored "things" currently sold by the "food"
industry as "frankfurters" aren't even allowed in our
house.)
Instead, we feast on a variety of zesty,
cook-em-from-the-ground-up main dishes that make beans the
stars of a good many cold weather Pratt lunches, dinners
... even snacks. We just never seem to get tired of beans
around our place, and I always get a big kick out of
whipping a few pennies' worth of the legumes (instead of a
couple of dollars' worth of meat) into a satisfying
meal.
(And if you didn't know it before, I'll tell you now that
legumes—when cooked up in combination with
grains—can provide all the usable protein your body
needs. If you'd like to learn more about that, take a look
at Frances Moore Lappe's eyeopening book, Diet for a Small
Planet, available at any good bookstore or from Mother's
Bookshelf.)
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BLACK-EYED PEAS
Technically, I think these little fellows are supposed to
be called black-eyed beans ... but nobody does, and I like
it better the other way anyhow. Whatever, they're delicious
when 3/4 cup of the soaked (see sidebar with this article)
peas are simmered in 2-1/2 cups of water for an hour and a
half. Then, just before they're done, add a tablespoon of
brown sugar or molasses, a dash of Worcestershire sauce,
and some salt, sauteed onions and garlic to taste. Yummmy!
It's simple, but this dish (which serves two) is so good my
mouth is watering right now.
If you eat meat and like soul food, here's another way to
prepare black-eyed peas that'll have'em askin' for seconds:
Simmer 1 cup of the soaked peas with ham hocks (or a ham
bone), 1 cup of tomato puree, a diced onion, and 2 sliced
stalks of celery in enough water to cover everything.
Season with garlic, red pepper, and bay leaf ... and salt
to taste after the peas are tender.
Serves four ... but, on a nippy winter's day, just barely.
Better fix extra!
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