Like with so many other natural, organic foods, I'm surprised to find out how EASY it is to make beans, and yet I've NEVER made them until two days ago. So I'm going to break it down to three easy steps so that others can start making beans for themselves too and not be subjected to possible BPA poisoning (in can lining) and high levels of sodium. Not to mention, although I totally am, that fresh, homemade beans are just better for you since the vitamins and minerals have not been depleted or altered. They haven't lost nutrition in some chemical processing or canning process and the flavor is out of this world. I literally ate black beans right out of the pot without a lick of anything for flavor added... and they tasted WONDERFUL! Your health is worth the time and a hill of beans. At the end I'll post the recipe for the awesome fajita mix you see in the pic here.Beans (Black, Red, Brown, Pic your favorite)
My method of making beans saves me a ton of time, but it requires a crock pot.
1) Place approx 3 cups of beans in a large crock pot with about 6 cups of purified water the night before you would like to eat them. Cover and go to bed. DO NOT TURN THE CROCK POT ON.
2) When you wake up in the morning, drain beans in colander and rinse them.
3) Add the beans back to the crock pot with another 6-8 cups of purified water, turn the crock pot on low and cover. Allow to slow cook throughout the day.
Depending on the softness/firmness of bean you prefer, the beans will be done cooking anywhere from noon to 5 p.m. That is a pretty large window for your beans to be perfect. When I made mine, I ate them at lunch and kept them cooking until dinner and then added them to my fajitas and they were PERFECT!!! As good as beans are for you, and as easy as they are to make, make your own and add them to everything! My next experiment with my black beans is to mash them and add them to my mashed sweet potatoes... YUMMY!
Fajitas
2 Cups chopped broiled organic chicken breast (I use left overs, no bones, no skin)
1 medium organic onion sliced into long strips
1 medium organic green bell pepper sliced into long strips
1 medium organic red or orange bell pepper sliced into long strips
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 cups of black beans (again, I use left overs)
1 package fajita seasoning mix
1/4 cup of water OR I use the black bean sauce that was created with the water and beans when cooked. It's a rich and creamy (all natural) sauce that makes my fajitas ROCK.
On high heat add beans, water, fajita seasoning and garlic in a large skillet or wok. Stir for 1 minute. Add veggies and stir for another minute or until the veggies are well coated, warm but still crispy. Serve in whole wheat pita bread or tortilla.
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