I taught a class. LIKE A BOSS.

Ok, so maybe not really a class but more of an informal get-together with fun friends. And maybe I wasn’t discussing string theory or time travel, but teaching the art of cooking beans. BEANS. Bear with me.

Beans are generally considered poor people’s food, and little do we know about the wealth of goodness they provide. Poor beans, so misunderstood by now they’re half emo.

My friends Amy and Caroline (both born and bred Canadians) had been nagging requesting I teach them how to cook beans. Unlike Mexico, beans are nowhere near a staple here in the great white North. In fact, when I volunteer at my local food bank I’m always astounded by the amounts of people who, upon being offered a bag of dry lentils, reply “Dry lentils? I wouldn’t know what to do with them.”  Whaa..?

This is a modern-day tragedy, considering they skip out on the lentils and all their fiber, folate and magnesium, but do go for the canned raviolis and sugary Kool-aid drinks. It isn’t anyone’s fault, though; it’s all just lack of information.

If I must be honest, I was more than a wee bit thrilled to have my buddies want to learn how to cook the legumes. I’m lucky to hang out with a rather health-oriented bunch of people here, and knowing they understand the benefits makes it all so rewarding.

Plus, I get to boss people around. Who doesn’t like that.

Before we start, this is a really cool link I found in which the soaking and cooking methods for beans are explained. It’s super easy! Basically, always soak your beans overnight before you cook them, and never add salt while they’re cooking; wait until they’re soft inside.

We began with a Hoppin’ John salad, recipe borrowed from the Food for Life series, by the Physicians Comitee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

Hoppin’ John Salad

Makes about 10 1/2-cup servings

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 cup finely sliced green onions

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

1 tomato, diced

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 – 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Combine black-eyed peas, rice, green onions, celery, tomato, and parsley in a mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice, oil, salt, and garlic and pour over the salad. Toss gently. Chill 1 to 2 hours if time permits.

That’s it! Super easy and full of flavor, especially from the lemon-garlic dressing.

Next, we moved on to making fava bean falafel. Disclosure: I have never tasted falafel from a restaurant, but my friends agreed that this version was much better than one they had tried at a Middle-Eastern joint. So, yay!

I used this recipe over here and made the fava bean version. The only thing I did differently is that I did cook the beans after soaking them. My mind couldn’t wrap around trying to grind and fry uncooked beans.

Delicious!

And finally, they learned how to make a Mexican lentil soup. It’s all in the recaudo poeple. THE RECAUDO.

There are as many versions to this soup as there are grandmothers in Mexico, but I’ll share with you how I do it. My kid devours this soup, and to me it’s like comfort food without any fatiness or cream. Heaven.

Mexican lentil soup- a la Caro

1 C of brown lentils

2 C of water

2 tomato

1 green bell pepper

2 small onions

tiny bit of olive oil

Place the lentils in a sauce pan with the water, heat to a boil and then lower heat. Let them cook, approximately 30 minutes (they should be soft on the inside, without turning to mush on the outside.) Check them constantly to make sure they don’t run out of water.

Make the recaudo– the sauce that will be the base of your soup and bring all the flavor to it. To make the recaudo, heat the olive oil lightly in a pan, add the tomatoes, peppers and onions cut in quarters and fry them. Once fried blend them all with a bit of water or vegetable stock. Add this liquid to the cooking lentils. Then add the oregano, cumin and chilli powder to taste. I go crazy with these spices because my family loves them, but you may want to start by adding half a teaspoon of each and gradually increase amounts until you like it.

Once the lentils are done cooking all the flavors will be meshed together beautifully. Salt to taste and enjoy.

In conclusion, beans totally rock and you should be eating them.

P.S. When I was taking the above pics outside, on my deck, my neighbor was out doing yard work. He stared at me as if wondering why the heck I was putting food on the floor and taking pictures of it. FOOD PORN. That’s why.

Advertisement