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    Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

    Chili on baked potato1

    This all vegetable and black bean chili is warming and filling. I serve this chili over a hot baked (and buttered) potato. Chili and chunks of potato are perfect after a winter afternoon in the garden. This recipe calls on dried black beans—but you could also use pinto beans, navy beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, […] More

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    Borlotti Beans: Kitchen Basics

    Beans cranberry

    Just tender cooked borlotti beans–often called cranberry beans–are a tasty late summer snack. Quick Recipe: Use your thumb to pop open the fresh-picked speckled pods, place a few handfuls of beans in a skillet and cover with just an inch of water; add a couple of cloves of garlic, peppercorns, and fresh sage, and simmer […] More

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    Black Bean Soup

    Bean soup black beans5

    The black bean – Phaseolus vulgaris – is kidney shaped and just short of blocky looking with a cream-colored flesh, and, of course, a matt to shiny black skin. Why is the black bean found in so many cuisines? Two reasons: it holds its shape when cooked, and its floury texture absorbs the flavors of […] More

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    Dried Beans: Cooking

    Beans dried soaking in water1

    Dried beans eaten fresh meaning during the season just after they have been harvested and dried–will undoubtedly be the best tasting. But a big plus for dried beans is that they have a long shelf life if stored in a dry, cool, airtight container away from sunlight. Quite easily, you can keep dried beans on […] More

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    All About Dry Beans — Growing and Cooking

    MIxed dry beans

    Dried beans are cooked and served in many ways–in salads, soups, casseroles, stews, and chilis. Dried beans can be served alone or as a side dish with meat or pasta or rice. Dried beans are commonly boiled and then sometimes baked or refried. Dried beans are beans whose seeds are dried and shelled after reaching […] More

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    Hummus Recipe

    Hummus1

    Hummus is the Arabic word for “chickpea”. The chickpea is also known as the garbanzo bean; “garbanzo” is the Spanish name derived from the Greek. Hummus is also the name given to the Middle Eastern sauce or paste that includes cooked and mashed chickpeas mixed with sesame or olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and […] More

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    How to Cook and Serve Chickpeas

    Chickpea salad1

    Chickpeas can be boiled, sauteed, roasted, and baked. They can be added to stews and turned into hummus. Chickpeas can be used in appetizers, mixed salads, and soups. The nutty flavor and creamy texture of the chickpea make it a robust and hearty addition to many dishes. The chickpea is a staple in cookery throughout […] More

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    Piquant Wax Beans

    Beans yellow wax1

    Piquant is a flavor that can be spicy, tart, or pungent. In this recipe that combines wax beans with chopped pimiento, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard, I think we are on the border between spicy and pungent. The wax bean is a pale yellow variety of green bean. Sometimes called yellow snap bean, the […] More

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    How to Quick Cook and Serve Snap Beans

    Green beans

    Fresh, tender snap beans have a delicate flavor that is delicious eaten raw or just lightly cooked. Both the immature seeds and seed pods are edible. Green beans are snap beans, but snap beans can also be yellow, purple, and splotched in multiple colors. The peak season for fresh local snap beans is late spring […] More

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    How to Cook and Serve Fava Beans

    Fava bean salad

    The fava bean—which is also known as the broad bean, English bean, Windsor bean, and horsebean–can be eaten fresh or dried. As fava beans mature, their flavor grows increasingly starchy and strong. The smallest beans—less than the size of a small fingernail—are the sweetest. The outer skins of medium- and large-sized fava beans have a […] More