[jacquej]

Proper soaking and rinsing is the secret to tender beans. Another tip is not to add salt or acidic foods when cooking them, particularly salt, as it can make them tough.

Chickpeas in chili are awesome, and I swear they produce less gas than properly soaked red beans.

And, never forget the lowly lentil. It cooks quickly, doesn’t need soaking to become tender, and combined with regular rice, onions, celery, and some spices of your choice, a yummy main dish! (brown is best, parboiled Uncle Ben’s second best, and forget instant rice!)

Also, there is a company that I have ordered form and can vouch for... Harmony House Foods. You can buy big jars of deydrated veggies, just perfect for adding to soups, stews, and casseroles. This saves us money, time, and the problem of keeping fresh veggies here is the house in the winter when our garden isn’t producing. We live in the snowbelt of Western NY, and the nearest market is 1 hour drive away (round trip), so we like to have dehydrated on hand.

These are not the vacuum packed big cans you buy from the survival places, and are only good for a year or two of storage. They have sample packs so you can try them out without spending a lot. They ship promptly, and are a family owned business.

Their link to save you time... Tell them a happy customer sent you!

http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/

[dennisw]

Proper soaking and rinsing is the secret to tender beans. Another tip is not to add salt or acidic foods when cooking them, particularly salt, as it can make them tough.

Exactly! Like you say salt goes in at the end

Chickpeas in chili are awesome, and I swear they produce less gas than properly soaked red beans.

Sounds great. Chickpeas and lentils are of a higher order than most other beans. They are more grain-like and less greasy. Though all beans are good. Lentils were the "mess of pottage" in the Bible

And, never forget the lowly lentil. It cooks quickly, doesn’t need soaking to become tender, and combined with regular rice, onions, celery, and some spices of your choice, a yummy main dish! (brown is best, parboiled Uncle Ben’s second best, and forget instant rice!)

Beans are a complete protein but only with brown rice and other whole grains

[Albion Wilde]

And, never forget the lowly lentil. It cooks quickly, doesn’t need soaking to become tender, and combined with regular rice, onions, celery, and some spices of your choice, a yummy main dish!

Mmmmm! I remember reading one of those travelogue books decades ago in white a white explorer hires sherpas to travel up the Himalayas or someplace like that; and the sherpas packed lentils because they were so lightweight to carry, yet easy to cook into a nourishing protein-rich stew in the evenings.

I love the Italian lentil soup with garlic, onion, carrot, celery, and olive oil, with parmesan and basil on top. It is outstanding with whole wheat bread and some tomato slices on the side.

I also love to prepare large steamed artichokes (they are cheaper in season) with a thick, garlicky lentil soup. You pull off the leaves and use them like a spoon to scoop up the lentils into your mouth, then pull the artichoke meat off the leaf with your bottom front teeth. You and all the guests throw the tough part of the leaves into a big bowl in the center of the table. Then you wipe up any leftover soup in your bowls with torn pieces of brown bread and pop those in your mouth. Everything tastes sweeter after you eat artichoke, with its natural aspartame. Heaven!