Beans in the Crock Pot
Many of you have said you enjoy reading the 7-Day Meal Planner, which runs on the back of the Extra section every Sunday. The Meal Planner is written by a cookbook author and registered dietitian named Susan Nicholson, who lives in Atlanta with her husband, Nick.
I know Susan works hard to strike a balance in the meal planner between delicious meals and healthy dishes. She also tries to incorporate at least one recipe that kids won’t whine about having to eat, which you moms and dads know can be pretty challenging. I met Susan and Nick when they swung through Roanoke on a trip last year, and they are fine people.
Susan gets a lot of her inspiration for recipes from Nick, who also enjoys cooking. They have worked to cut back on the sodium in their diets for health reasons. One way Nick does it is by cooking his own beans in a slow cooker instead of buying canned beans, which can be high in sodium. And in case you’ve ever wondered, that’s one reason many recipes ask that you drain and rinse canned beans before using them.
Nick was kind enough to share two of his favorite bean recipes for the slow cooker. Once these have been cooked, they can be used in any recipe that calls for beans or enjoyed on their own (just don’t forget to add a little bit of salt to your recipe if desired, because these beans have none). Added bonus: dried beans are incredibly inexpensive and don’t take up a lot of room in the pantry.
I’ve got the ingredients for pork barbecue in my slow cooker at home right now. Tomorrow, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Read on to see Nick’s bean recipes.
Slow Cooker Black Beans
1 ½ lbs. dried black beans, rinsed and cleaned of any pebbles
7 ½ cups boiling water
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 tsp. dried basil
9 plum tomatoes, peeled, cored and cut into pieces. Blanch first for easier peeling.
3 yellow onions, cut into small pieces
Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6 hours.
Slow Cooker White Beans
1 ½ lbs. dry Navy (or small white) beans, rinsed and cleaned of any pebbles
7 ½ cups boiling water
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. basil
3 bay leaves
9 plum tomatoes, peeled, cored, and cut into pieces. Blanch first for easier peeling.
3 yellow onions, cut into small pieces
Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 4 hours. Remove bay leaves.
Recipes courtesy of Nick and Susan Nicholson
January 27, 2010 - 11:50 AM
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I love my slow cooker! I have healthy recipes that I post on my slow cooking blog if you are interested.
Lindsey, I read your great article about the two bakeries downtown. Hopefully Roanoke can support both of them….and wouldn’t it be great if we could get a real butcher shop down there as well? Maybe another cheese shop too?
Is there anywhere in Roanoke to buy sweetbreads?
A butcher shop and a cheese shop downtown would be AWESOME!
Kristen, I haven’t seen sweetbreads anywhere, but then I have not been looking either. If I were you, I’d talk to the meat department folks at Fresh Market and call O’Brien Meats in Salem. I’ll see what I can find, too.
I love making beans from scratch – they always taste 100 times better!
Kathy, I just had a look at your blog and it’s wonderful. I love the design and the recipes you choose to share. Great source for vegetarians and vegans.
fine cooking re: salting beans and the question of whether it makes them tough or not: http://www.finecooking.com/item/9162/cooking-beans-in-salt-water
I just got back from the grocery store, with among other things, a bag of lentils and a bag of black beans. I’ll have to try the recipe above.
You can also cook dry beans quickly by using a pressure cooker and they taste great!
I always appreciate the Seven Day Meal Planner. I don’t normally like every single meal, but there is always at least a couple that just sound great! Then there are a couple I file away for later, too.
The bean recipes above look good, and with Kevin Myatt’s meteorological predictions telling us about this weekend, Lindsey, it might be a good time to discuss slow cooker soup & chili recipes. It sounds much like we’ll all be inside looking out at the snow this weekend, and what better time for some soup or chili accompanied by crusty bread!?!
I’m already planning some Cajun soup (compliments of Cherchies) and also some chili for the weekend.
Oops! Just noticed your black bean chili thread…
I love beans, and love my crock pot, but the crock pot is not the best way to cook raw beans. Even after being soaked overnight, which Nick doesn’t even mention in his recipes, some beans (depending on their age and moisture content) just won’t get tender, especially on low. Adding tomatoes can toughen them even more. Even Rival (the Crock Pot maker) says boil the beans first, then add them to your crock pot recipe. And some beans like kidney beans contain a toxin, and should be boiled for at least 10 minutes before eating. Nick’s recipes sound very easy, and very CRUNCHY!
Having read the Fine Cooking piece in Seth’s link, the question arises as to whether Nick soaked his beans before putting them in the slow cooker. I’m betting he didn’t.
#1 Kathy, I like the fact that you mark gluten free. Do you have celiac (I do) or a gluten sensitivity? Of course by now I can pretty much tell if a recipe is GF, but this is really helpful to people who are new to it.
Nick made no mention of soaking, but I will get back to them and ask if he does soak them. It seems that soaking does speed up the cooking process. I’ll let y’all know as soon as I hear back from the Nicholsons.
In regards to the bakery article expressing concerns about two bakeries competing for customers in the downtown area: In Paris there are Patisseries (SP?)on every corner and it is not unusual to encounter a passerby with a baguette tucked under their arm on the sidewalk or Metro subway. Give Roanokers time to discover the wonders of fresh baked bread…especially the aroma as they pass by! Wish I had one I could visit daily here where I live!!
Me too! I can normally only make it downtown on Saturdays.
For those who know… cooking beans in a pressure cooker, what are the time frames, etc.? Based on green beans, black beans, kidney beans, etc.?
I interviewed Vickie Smith, a pressure cooker expert/cookbook writer for a pressure cooker story a while back
http://www.roanoke.com/columnists/nair/wb/151393
She has a page about how to cook perfect dried beans in the pressure cooker. I can’t offer much experience but I can recommend her advice. Notice she recommends soaking in advance:
http://missvickie.com/howto/beans/bean-cooking.html
Tried the white beans today and was impressed with the recipe. I did add two teaspoons of salt near the end, used distilled water and did not soak. I usually cook beans with smoked meat of some sort and am disappointed with the results when I do not…but not this time! Thanks for the recipes. Wow! Virtually no fat in this recipe! Makes up for the chicken thighs I am cooking to go with tonight’s meal.