This is a great recipe for an easy meatless dinner night, or when the budget demands it. It is wonderful and comforting. It’s great with some salad served on the side. Just make sure to soak the beans the night before.
Ingredients:
– 2 tablespoons minced garlic
-1 large onion (diced)
-1 (28 ounces) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
-32 ounces vegetable or chicken broth
-3 tablespoon olive oill
-1 pound bag pinto beans
-1 tablespoon garlic powder
-1 tablespoon chili powder or annatto seed powder
-1 tablespoon coriander powder
-2 tablespoons dried oregano
-1 tablespoons onion powder
-1 tablespoon cumin powder
-1 tablespoon salt
-1 teaspoon pepper
-1 cup water
Utensils
– Chopping board
– Chopping knife
-Large bowl
-Large pot
-Measuring cups
-Measuring spoons
-Colander
Directions
If you are in a hurry, you could use canned beans for this recipe, but if you are trying to keep this dish budget friendly and don’t mind soaking some beans overnight, then dry beans is the way to go.
As I have mentioned in one of my previous blog posts, I like to soak my beans overnight with a little baking soda to help brake down the pectin that is present on the outer layer of beans, and to reduce the amount of phytic acid that is present in the beans. Phytic acid is known as an anti-nutrient because it impairs the absorption of Iron zinc and calcium. It is also the element that plays a big role in indigestion. So, I suggest you soak your beans overnight for a healthier result.
Some people would suggest adding a little of baking soda to the beans during the cooking process. What this does is that it helps the beans to cook a lot faster while keeping the integrity of the outer shell intact. If you do add baking soda to the beans while they are getting cooked, you might need to cook them for 1 hour only.
However, do not add an excess amount of baking soda to the beans during the cooking process as this can cause the beans to taste bitter, and it will also change the color of the beans to a dark gray color. half a teaspoon to 1 teaspoon of baking soda should be sufficient for the amount of beans in this recipe.
Before you proceed to cook the beans, I would suggest that you pick out any blemished beans or rocks that could be present with the beans. Unless of course you like the crunchy texture of rocks in your beans, then by all means keep them.
If you are not using baking soda during the cooking process, you will need to pre-cook the beans before cooking them. Ha! does this sound confusing? I am sure it does.
So what I like to do is to do an initial cooking on high heat of the so called beans until they release their gases which you will witness in the form of foaming bubbles that will try to spill all over your stove. So make sure to keep a close eye on them. As soon as they begin to boil and foam, remove them off the heat, cover them and let them sit for one hour. This will help to soften the beans further before the final cooking.
After the beans have sat for one hour in the hot liquid, drain and rinse them thoroughly to get rid of the excess phytic acid that could still be present in the liquid after the initial cooking process.
I know it seems like a lot of steps, but it really is not that difficult.
Now you can proceed to sauteing the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent and slightly golden brown, and the garlic is aromatic.
Add in the beans and the rest of the ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat. Once they begin to boil, reduce heat to low or medium low and cook for 1 to 2 hours, or until the beans are tender and have absorbed all the delicious flavors from the broth and seasoning.
You can serve this dish over some rice, or maybe with some bread. Our favorite rice is Jasmine rice, but you can use any rice that you like. I won’t judge you.
Vegetarian Beans
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
- Large bowl
- Large pot
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Colander
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 28 ounces can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
- 32 ounces vegetable or chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound bag pinto beans
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder or annatto seed powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Pick out any rocks or blemishes that might be in the beans. Rinse and soak beans overnight in cold water and baking soda. Make sure there is enough water to cover the beans once they swell up.
- Rinse beans thoroughly, place in a large stockpot. Fill stockpot with water to cover the beans with about 6 inches of water overhead.
- Bring beans to a boil. Remove from heat. Cover the pot for 1 hour. Using a colander, drain and rinse the beans thoroughly.
- Sautee the onions and garlic together in olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and slightly golden brown.
- Transfer the beans back into the pot with the sautéed onions and garlic. Add the vegetable or chicken broth and 1 cup of water. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir and cover.
- Bring beans to a boil on high heat. Once they begin to boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 1 to 2 hours or until beans are tender and have absorbed the flavors from the broth and seasonings.
- Serve over cooked rice. Our favorite rice to serve it with is Jasmin rice.
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