r/Beans

absolutely goated meal combination

Chaos Kitchen Laboratory strikes again.

Built around Mayacobas, buttery limas, black beans, farro, and quinoa with charred corn, orange pepper, cucumber, jicama, asparagus, red onion, and cilantro.

The dressing wandered off the rails in the best way:

roasted garlic

ajvar

white miso

sherry vinegar

lime

smoked paprika

almond butter

a touch of date syrup

The biggest surprise was the charred corn. It brought just enough sweetness to tie into the smoky baked beans without making the salad taste sweet.

I have a whole write up of this "chaos experiment"

main part of my diet - its a process from soaking the beans to freezing them to cooking and saucing and pepper and onioning and wrapping them and frying them

A month or two ago I was the stereotypical "beans are what you cook with a leftover ham bone" guy.

Somewhere along the way that turned into, "How can I make beans the star?"

Tonight's experiment was homemade falafel made from soaked dried chickpeas, served mezze-style instead of in a pita.

Served it as a side to a fried chicken sandwich.... Mission accomplished I think the falafel won the plate.

The supporting cast:

• Homemade BeHummus (mostly chickpeas with creamy lima beans blended in for an absurdly smooth texture)

•. Smear of ajvar for that smoky biter roasted red pepper hit

• Homemade roasted garlic, lemon, and dill labneh thinned into a drizzle

• Olive oil, sumac, flaky salt, parsley, and toasted sesame

The biggest surprise wasn't the falafel. It was how much the lima beans changed the hummus without changing its identity. It still tastes like hummus, just silkier.

What's your favorite thing to serve alongside falafel?

Or what's another bean dish that deserves the spotlight?

Made these with Rancho Gordo’s yellow eye beans and holy cow - the yellow eyes are definitely my new favorite. 10/10 would recommend!

thought I’d leave this here 🫘

I've been cooking a pound of dried beans every Monday, and fitting them into meals all week. I recently discovered just how good they are in an egg scramble! Today's scramble is mushroom, onion leaves (did a bit of pruning of the onions in the garden), and bacon. With a bit of Worcester sauce 🤤

This week was a mix of navy, pinto and black beans.

I think this might be my favorite bean salad I've made so far...

I've been on a mission to make beans the star of my meals instead of just the side dish. Every week I pick a different idea and ask myself, "How can I beanify this?"

This time the inspiration was esquites.

Not to recreate it, but to borrow the flavors: charred corn, lime, roasted garlic, cilantro, and a creamy dressing.

The base:

Mayacoba beans

Black beans (slightly undercooked on purpose for extra chew)

Chickpeas

Farro

Quinoa

Vegetables:

Cast iron charred corn

Blistered shishito peppers

Orange and green bell peppers

Cherry tomatoes

Green onions

A whole bunch of cilantro

For the dressing I wanted something creamy without using mayonnaise, so I blended together:

Labneh(thick Greek yogurt)

Olive oil

Lime juice

Sherry vinegar

A ridiculous amount of roasted garlic

A spoonful of the charred corn

Some of the blistered shishitos

A tiny drizzle of date molasses

Salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and cumin

Blending some of the vegetables into the dressing turned out to be one of the best decisions. Instead of just coating the salad, the dressing actually tastes like the salad.

The finished result is surprisingly light.

The mayacobas are creamy, the black beans and farro add a little chew, the quinoa holds everything together, the corn brings sweetness and smoky char, the peppers stay crisp, and every once in a while one of the shishitos reminds you that the "shishito lottery" is real. 😂

I almost added cotija and avocado, but after tasting it I left them out. They'd be good as optional garnishes, but honestly the salad didn't need them.

I'm really curious to see what this tastes like tomorrow after everything has had a chance to mingle in the fridge.

Has anyone else blended some of the main ingredients into the dressing like this? I think I may have stumbled onto a technique I'll be using in future bean salads.

Who wants a bowl?

If you like reading about my chaotic kitchen experiments let me know, I'll keep posting.

Update

Day 2 Tasted it anx added a little more lime, and a dash of chicken bullion powder. Might by my favorite salad I have made so far.

I'm on a mission to prove beans deserve more than being the obligatory pan of baked beans at every BBQ.

My goal is to show up with a bean dish that has people asking for the recipe before they even get to the burgers.

Here's where I need your help.

Lean into the chaos.

Don't just give me bean recipes. Tell me dishes you absolutely love that you think I should beanify. I'm looking for ideas where beans become the star instead of the sidekick.

Think outside the usual BBQ playbook. Hot, cold, smoked, grilled, Mediterranean, Mexican, Cajun, Ethiopian, Korean, Indian... I don't care.

What's a dish that makes you think, "You know what? That would actually be incredible with beans."

The weirder (within reason), the better. Half the fun is seeing if I can pull off

Pinto beans cooked from dry with a white onion, 3 habaneros, mushroom bullion, and whole cumin.

Mango & Avocado salsa with red onion, garlic, and fish sauce.

Raw green cabbage cut small and massaged with red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and more cumin.

Colon cancer can’t catch me 😤

…and it was amazing 🤩

White navy beans added texture, fiber, and protein to an otherwise simple not-so-filling strawberry smoothie. Get some!

Pinto beans with a few leftover black beans thrown in, cooked until they're creamy. Served over rice with Pico de gallo. So delicious.

Hi! I have this pretty tall green bean plant in my backyard and have been getting tons of leaves but seemingly no beans, what am I doing wrong? Do i need to cut some leaves off, are they taking up too many nutrients from the soil? ( the picture stinks hahah)

I have become obsessed. I have a bean salad in my fridge pretty much at all times. Give me some dressing/combo or flavoring ideals. I have tried many, and hope for many more. Some of my favorites have been sundried tomato basil, Mexican street corn, and a Greek vinaigrette. Hit me with your best

Double beans! Carbonara butter beans with green beans on the side.