The bean thing

[Mackay]

If your gonna get into eating dried beans and you really are into survival mentality you should have a pressure cooker. It will save you a lot of cooking time and fuel.

 

[xpc]

You may be a lady and a chef but how could you actually think that this blurb would be appetizing?

"Honeyville's Flavor-Like Chicken Chunks are actually a meat analogue product produced through a special extrusion process which provides a 100% vegetable product that approaches the texture and structure of meat"

I did however order a 2.5 pound can for $15 delivered to test on my dog - he eats everything including most vegetables but won't touch beans or ramen noodles. I'll let you know in a week or so.

And to all the rest who replied with good advice I will give all the bean info posted a wholehearted try and will respond after I put my grocery list together and have tried a few of the recipes, especially the ones that contain fatback.

I will have to give the idea of a pressure cooker in a solar oven a thought as I will have minimal resources for long duration cooking.

 

[freemotion]

Personally, I would avoid soy as a storage food. It is very high in anti-nutrients and hormone disruptors and will create all kinds of health problems if eaten regularly, including nutritional deficiencies and hypo-thyroid and other hormone problems.

Didn't realize you were on solar cells.....you might just try the canned beans for now to figure out if you can find a recipe that you like. Then store the dry beans for emergency use. You can make the bean dip by saute'ing the onions and garlic, then warm up the beans in the saute pan, and mash with a fork or potato masher. Oh, don't forget the salt and pepper!

 

[Wifezilla]

I never liked beans growing up because my mom and grandma just didn't know how to cook them. Now that I live "out west" I have had great bean dishes. I also have a friend from France who has introduced me to the wonders of a properly cooked lentil

Black beans are delicious.

 

[Ldychef2k]

Well, good luck to your dog. And if you don't like beans, don't eat them!

 

[Dace]

Hey xpc,

You have gotten great bean advice and recipes
The thing to consider is that you are looking for a palatable protein resource, so stop thinking 'beans' and start thinking protein....a shift in thinking may help them to become more appealing.

As for using a crock pot, I wonder if a day in a solar oven would be enough to soften them?

I am also a big fan of canning beans. I have not attempted it yet, but home canned beans will be much healthier for you than commercially processed ones.

One last word on garbanzos...i too think they are icky. I don't like the name or the texture. HOWEVER, as someone else pointed out they make a very good and healthy dip and can be flavored how ever you like. The basic mix is a beans, a few cloves garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and tahini (sesame paste) and salt. You can add roasted pepper, fresh jalapeo and cilantro, basil, olives, etc

 

[freemotion]

I would think a solar oven would cook beans nicely, especially if they have been soaked for 24 hours with something acidic. I haven't used one yet, we are not in the right latitude to be serious with it, but if you can get a simmer going for 1.5 - 4 hours, you should be golden. The black beans vary a lot in cooking time, since when you buy a bag in the store there is no way to tell how old they are. If you are going to store them, they will likely be old when you eat them, so knowing how to cook old beans would be good to know.

How about relaxing in front of a rocket stove for a few hours with a good book or some good company? I want to try that, as it would be more apropos to the Northeast. I have a huge pile of branches that I was gonna drop a match into in January, all the sticks left over from bringing leafy branches in to feed my goats. They would be perfect fuel for a rocket stove.

 

[Henrietta23]

I'm a relatively new fan of black beans having found a recipe for Cuban black bean burritos.

 

[Wifezilla]

Personally, I would avoid soy as a storage food. It is very high in anti-nutrients and hormone disruptors and will create all kinds of health problems if eaten regularly, including nutritional deficiencies and hypo-thyroid and other hormone problems.

THAT!!!

I would think a solar oven would cook beans nicely, especially if they have been soaked for 24 hours with something acidic.

I plan on giving this a try. Unfortunately my oldest trashed my big styro container I was going to convert in to a solar oven. Now I have to scrounge for different materials. Grrrrrrr

 

[Mackay]

HOWEVER, as someone else pointed out they make a very good and healthy dip and can be flavored how ever you like. The basic mix is a beans, a few cloves garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and tahini (sesame paste) and salt. You can add roasted pepper, fresh jalapeo and cilantro, basil, olives, etc

I am a humus connoisseur and after eating for many years I have given up on garbanzos. I make my humus now with white beans, or navy beans, (which are white) they are cheaper and produce a lot lot less gas and no one can tell the difference.

Also, cumin is a great spice to add to humus.