The Magical Fruit

In honor of my little girl, lovingly nicknamed "Beanie" since she was a newborn, whose birthday is on Wednesday, all week I would like to discuss the wonderfully frugal magical fruit, beans!

Beans are a pretty big staple of my family's diet.  Not only are they cheap, but they are easy, nutritious, and a great source of protein.  My favorite beans are pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils, and navy beans.

Today, let's discuss pinto beans.

I like to buy pinto beans in bulk because we use them quite often.  On average, they cost slightly over a dollar a pound for dried beans.  I strongly recommend avoiding canned beans since they are needlessly more expensive and dried beans do not take much more work.

To make them as convenient as canned beans, I prepare them in large batches and freeze them, so I can pull them out of the freezer for last minute meal ideas.

To prepare pinto beans, rinse the beans in cool water then place in a pot of six to eight cups of cold water per pound.  Let soak overnight.  Then drain and rinse beans.  To cook the beans, put them in six cups of hot water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

For a faster prep time, instead of soaking overnight in cold water, boil for two minutes in six cups of hot water, then remove from heat, cover, and let stand for one hour.  Then drain and rinse and follow cooking directions above.

Once cooked, divide into meal portions (I usually divide into two-cup portions) and freeze in Ziploc bags or freezer-safe containers.  To thaw, run under hot water.  Then your pinto beans are ready to be used in a variety of meals, from enchiladas, to casseroles, to dips.

Tomorrow:  One of my favorite simple pinto bean recipes:  Mexican Casserole.  Also, stay tuned to read my tips on kidney beans!