Legumes Archives – Karyn's Kitchen

White Bean Soup with Ham is Comfort in a Bowl

After making a pot of white bean soup with ham, I offered to share some with a friend whose husband had been sick. Completely unprepared for the rave reviews that followed and questions about how to make it, I realized they haven’t been reading my blog. LOL.

When I told her I didn’t follow a recipe, she asked how I could ever make it exactly the same way again. Is that necessary? I’m sure I don’t often make anything exactly the same way twice. And unless I was running a restaurant where the same dish was expected to be served to the masses on daily repeat, I can’t imagine why I would want to.

As I began to explain my concept of intuitive cooking, she told me she wasn’t any good at that. I maintain that it can be learned. What you need to learn are concepts and principles, not exact measurements and ingredients. For example, a good soup starts with a good base. While you can always open a carton of stock, why not save money and make your own flavorful stock? Any time you’re cooking, and you trim the ends of vegetables that don’t make it into your finished dish, don’t throw them away. Put them into a sealable bag in the freezer. Same goes for bones/carcass. Unless you have time to immediately make stock with them, put them into the freezer for later as well. When the freezer bag is full of veggie scraps and maybe a couple of bones, you have free stock waiting to happen!

How to Make White Bean Soup from Scratch

Having soaked the white beans overnight and thawed the ham in the refrigerator that I had bought on clearance and frozen some time ago, I was in go-position for a delicious and satisfying white bean soup with ham. Dumping my freezer bag full of scraps into a stock pot and filling it with water, I put it on to boil. A couple of parmesan rinds lurking in the freezer joined the party. Whenever I’m making stock, my husband likes to peek into the kitchen and ask, “What are you cooking? Our laundry?” That always cracks me up. Yes, it looks like a big mess, but you’re going to strain it in the end, and it will taste amazing.

Meanwhile, put the softened white beans into another big pot with water and boil for 30 minutes. Drain and reserve. Chop an onion and mince some garlic. Chop some celery and the ham. How much? Depends on what you have going on in your stock pot. I knew that the lamb bones I was simmering along with onion ends, celery ends, carrot ends, snow pea ends, zucchini ends, lettuce ends, chard stems etc. would yield a very flavorful stock. So, for a pound of beans, I used:

7 ounces of ham, diced
half an onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 stalks of celery, chopped
dried sage
dried thyme

Heat some olive oil in a big pot and start cooking your onion. Let it start to get a little golden before adding the garlic, then the celery and ham. After cooking for a couple of minutes, pour some of the stock you’ve started through a strainer into the soup pot. Add the beans and be sure you have enough liquid to get them simmering without burning. You can continue to cook the stock and strain into the soup as time goes on. Cook the beans for another hour or so and then puree a cup or so of them to add some body to the soup. Test the beans and simmer until they are tender enough for your liking, perhaps 2 hours of total cooking time is a ballpark figure. Season with salt to taste.

In this case, I minced some additional garlic and parsley and stirred into the soup before serving. It adds an unexpected vibrant finish. How will you make a delicious white bean soup?

In case you hadn’t realized, beans are nutritious and full of fiber, while being easy on the pocketbook in these times of skyrocketing food prices. Experiment with pinto beans and others to enjoy a variety of flavorful, family-friendly meals.

This Black Lentils Recipe Will Spice Up Your Life

Try this black lentils recipe on meatless Monday or any time you want to spice up your life.

Are you looking for a black lentils recipe? You know, the ones that look like caviar…that’s why they’re also called beluga…I can tell you how to make an awesome batch, but I encourage you to develop your own intuition in the kitchen to make every dish uniquely your own. After rediscovering the packaged foil pouches of Indian food at my local market, I was inspired to try making my own black lentils with red beans. You can’t beat the convenience of something premade, but maybe I wanted a big batch of something like their Madras Lentils?

So I googled and stumbled across The Wanderlust Kitchen for suggestions on the spices, which is what good Indian food is all about. Well, it’s not the only thing, but if I were to ever become vegan, I would definitely master some Indian dishes. Vegan just doesn’t get any better than that, in my opinion. The texture of the black lentils will satisfy any carnivore, so this is a great way to introduce them. Remember that it’s small changes repeated over time that make a difference.

After finding some black lentils at my local farmers market, I decided to try my hand at combining them with some small red beans. After soaking the red beans overnight and defrosting some stock I had put away in the freezer, I was ready to go. Of course you can use prepackaged stock, but the last time my freezer bag was full of veggie scraps, I cooked them overnight in my slow cooker with a chicken carcass and water. That, my friends, is some amazing stock and a perfect base for all kinds of things you might want to cook. Free flavor and zero waste cooking!

Getting Started

In a big pot, I heated some olive oil and sautéed some chopped onion, jalapeno, hatch chile and ginger root until the onions started to get golden. Minced garlic joined the party and then the stock and a handful of spices. Added the red beans and simmered for 2 hours, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

As you may know, my husband loves Southern style red beans and rice. So he got very excited when he saw me soaking them overnight. Quick to tell him that I was preparing them differently this time, the next day while cooking, he kept asking, “What smells so good?” Ah, he was hooked on the aroma. That’s a good start, but of course he wanted to mash some of the beans against the side of the pot like the Southern ones I make. So I agreed that would add a nice creaminess.

Cooking Time

After cooking for two hours and smashing an eighth of the beans, I added the black lentils and cooked another 25 minutes until they were tender. After tasting, I added a touch of tomato paste and a little salt. I must say that given all of the flavors going on here, very little salt was needed. In fact you could even skip it if you’re trying to reduce your intake. Just be sure to get all the spices, chile peppers and a quality, flavorful stock in there.

Once again, I want you to experiment in the kitchen and enjoy creating a dish that you and your family will love. So, I am not about recipes per se. I suggest ingredients and proportions to get you started cooking without a recipe. You take it from there! Add more liquid to make it saucier or cook the red beans another half an hour if you prefer them softer. Reduce the amount of jalapeno if you don’t want it so spicy. Add tomato sauce and/or cream for more creamy sauciness. Be sure to let us know how you make this red beans with black lentils recipe your own.

Ingredients for Black Lentils Recipe With Red Beans:

1 pound small red beans soaked overnight
7 cups stock
1 1/2 onions, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 hatch chile, chopped
2 inches of ginger root, minced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon fenugreek
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
5 handfuls of black lentils (1/2 pound?)
2 teaspoons tomato paste
salt to taste
tomato sauce and/or cream?

How do you like this approach to cooking? Learn principles and proportions that you can adapt to your own needs rather than being shackled to a recipe. Please share via your favorite social media using the buttons below.

You Can Make Lentil Stew Without a Recipe

The possibilities are endless with lentils.

When a teenager, I expressed an interest in making lentil stew, so an older friend gave me a recipe that she liked. It called for saffron or curry powder and indeed it was delicious. The second time I prepared it, I decided to use basil and oregano instead. My friend firmly objected, “Nooooo!” Years later I was served a completely different version that contained only garlic, water and lemon juice. It was also tasty. When I told another friend about it, she also objected, “No, no, no, no.” I’m not sure why so many people seem to think there is only one way to prepare a particular food item and certainly you are allowed to have a personal preference. I find many different preparations desirable, which is why I don’t peddle recipes. Cooking without a recipe is so much more fun.

Usually I start by sautéing in olive oil: a combination of chopped onion, celery and carrots. If I have some potatoes, I might toss some of those in as well. Add some minced garlic and then some liquid: water, vegetable or chicken stock. Pour in as many lentils as you like, season with herbs or spices and let it all simmer until tender, about 25 minutes.

How should you season them? With saffron or curry powder? Sure. What about adding tomato, basil and oregano instead? Why not? (Tomato or any other acidic ingredient should go in at the end, BTW. Otherwise the legume may not get tender.) I always salt at the end too.

How thick should it be? I like a thick stew, so I use nearly a 1 to 2 ratio of lentils to liquid. But the version I had that contained only garlic, water and lemon juice was very thin, using less than a 1 to 4 ratio of lentils to water. It was also fantastic. So experiment and have some fun. I really don’t think you can go wrong with lentils. You can always add more liquid if it’s too thick and more seasoning if it needs it. Be sure to season with enough salt at the end and maybe hit it with some olive oil and parmesan or fresh herbs before serving. The possibilities are endless! For more ideas on lentils, Watch Lentils and Rice Partner for a Pantry Party.

Do you have a favorite preparation you would like to share? We would love to hear from you in the comments. Are you enjoying cooking without a recipe? Let us know and please share this post by clicking one of the links below.

Cook Flavorful Beans for Life

Give your favorite pot of beans a flavor boost.

When I was a kid, I thought beans were boring. Then I grew up and learned that they don’t have to be. Shelf stable and budget friendly, they are the foundation for countless flavorful, simple meals. In fact, in the blue zones, areas where people live the longest, beans are a regular part of a plant based diet. Who wants to start cooking more beans?

A white plate filled with small white beans, carrots and swiss chard. A white soup tureen sits in the background along with a head of garlic and a rust colored napkin.

I buy a variety in order to keep things interesting. Soak them overnight and cook up a big batch so you have some to freeze for later. Cook once and eat multiple meals. Simple.

Here’s what went into this pot:

2 pounds small white beans
olive oil
8 ounces chopped ham
1/2 onion, diced
a cup or so of leeks, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon Herbs de Provence
1 teaspoon dried sage
small piece of jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 parmesan rinds
a cup or so of white wine
enough water to cover
salt to taste near the end of cooking

Do you need all of these ingredients? Of course not. Create as you go, adding flavor with what you have on hand. I started with half an onion because I had one already cut in my refrigerator. Before I pulled out another one, I looked around and found a bag of sliced leeks in the freezer that was starting to get a little frosty, so I decided to use them. Most of what I chose to use came from my treasure chest of freezer gems: ham, leeks, jalapeno, parmesan rinds.

Starting with pork of some kind and an onion, I progressively add various ingredients to a large pot, sautéing in olive oil until I think it looks like a pleasingly flavorful combination. Then add the beans and liquid and simmer for a couple of hours until tender. Taste for seasoning and make any adjustments if necessary.

Nothing boring about these beans! For lunch the next day I sautéed some garlic in olive oil before reheating the beans with some freshly chopped tomato and mixing with pasta.

Penne with white beans and tomatoes on a yellow and terra cotta colored painted plate. In the background are blue and white toile napkins, a red onion, tomato, parmesan, grater and a glass of red wine.

The beans that went into the freezer could become soup later or they could go into a salad. Or what else? You decide how many simple meals you can create.

Looking for more ideas on cooking flavorful beans? Read Reasons to Eat This Easy Meaty Bean next.

Reasons to Eat This Easy Meaty Bean

Try this meaty bean for delicious, plant based simple meals.

How do you feel about lima beans? Growing up, my only experience with them was from a frozen package of assorted vegetables. I didn’t care for them very much because they were hard. So I was shocked when I enjoyed eating them at a friend’s house. She began with the dried variety and served them as part of a delicious Mediterranean meal. I then decided I liked lima beans after all. “Be sure to cook them long enough,” was her only advice. Since then I have enjoyed using them in simple meals.

Don’t be intimidated by cooking something new. Beans are about the most budget friendly whole food you can buy and they couldn’t be simpler to prepare.

The size of limas alone make them something special as far as legumes are concerned. Think of them as “meaty” beans while enjoying the health benefits of a plant based meal. Soak them in water overnight and plan to cook them for about 2 hours. Make a big batch to serve for a few meals and freeze some for future simple meals.

Lima beans with tomato and feta served over braised kale and topped with cilantro pesto on a white plate

Simmer and Then Bake

First I made some chicken/vegetable stock to cook the beans in. It’s fine to use something from a carton. Canned tomatoes joined the party too. Which dried herbs would you like to use from your spice cabinet? I decided on:

bay leaves
sage
rosemary
thyme

Simmer for a couple of hours. Pictured above, I put some of the beans into a casserole dish, topped with feta and panko crumbs and baked in the oven for the final half hour. I served them on top of braised kale and with a dollop of cilantro pesto. Something fresh is always refreshing on top of a slow cooked dish like this. Cilantro is what I had, but any number of herbs would have been delicious.

Lima bean soup in a brown bowl served with red cabbage salad on a white plate

Lunch the following day consisted of lima bean soup and cabbage salad.

Baked lima beans with lettuce salad on a white plate

The baked lima beans made one more appearance on a green salad and I put the soup in the freezer. You will be so happy to find the foundation of a prepared meal there in the future.

I am not vegan, but I enjoy eating a wide variety of plants. I recently read that eating 30 different plants per week increases the variety of healthy bacteria in your gut, resulting in improved immune function. Nuts and legumes count. How many different plants are you eating per week?

Ready for more legumes? Watch Lentils and Rice Partner For a Pantry Party next. No soaking required.

Quick! Read the Scoop On Split Pea Soup

Look to the pantry and freezer for a simple and satisfying meal.

Are you a fan of split pea soup? I never was until I started making my own. I think it requires a heavy dose of an herbal quality. My favorite blend is Herbs de Provence. Rosemary and thyme will do if you don’t have the former, but nothing beats Herbs de Provence, which you will always find in my treasure chest of flavor gems to season simple meals.

Keep split peas in the pantry and whip up a big batch anytime. They don’t require soaking, but they need a few hours to cook. Leftovers taste even better and also keep well in the freezer for later.

I start with chopping up an inch of bacon from my collection of freezer flavor gems. It’s totally fine to make it completely vegetarian, but I enjoy it with a little bacon if I have it on hand. After browning that in a large pot, I add a large diced onion and a few chopped carrots and minced garlic. After cooking for a few minutes, I add chicken or vegetable broth and a couple of cups of peas along with the Herbs de Provence. A cup of peas to a quart of liquid seems about right to me. You can start with less liquid and add more if you see fit as it cooks down. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally for about 3 hours or until the soup has reached your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Is this soup a meal? Served with a hunk of bread, my husband thinks so. Serve a salad on the side to round it out. It doesn’t get much easier than this, folks! Simple meals are the best!

Ingredients:

split peas (about one cup to one quart of liquid)
chicken or vegetable stock
bacon
onions
carrots
garlic
Herbs de Provence

Ready for another satisfying meal of legumes? Watch Lentils and Rice Partner for a Pantry Party.

Pinto Beans Mean Big Win For Me

Want to know how to cook pinto beans? It’s easy and you don’t need a recipe.

I keep forgetting to buy refried beans in a can and that’s what my husband wants for tostadas. On the other hand, I had a 2 pound bag of dried pinto beans, so why not cook them? Michael balked, “You can’t make refried beans from scratch.” Um…I am sure millions of Mexicans would disagree. Do I have a family recipe? No, but I was sure I knew how to cook pinto beans that would be delicious and form the basis for multiple simple meals.

I didn’t have to use the whole bag of beans at once, but I had 8 ounces of chopped ham in the freezer that would flavor them up, so I decided to cook all two pounds after inspecting them and soaking overnight. We could eat the whole beans the first day and I could mash some up another day. The rest could go into the freezer for later.

I began by cooking a gigantic diced onion in some olive oil in a big pot. To that I added a couple of stalks of celery and half a bell pepper, chopped. Minced some garlic and added two frozen cubes of chipotle and the bits of ham. Beans and enough water to cover them. Let simmer for a few hours. No sweat. Cooking without a recipe is easy and fun.

Pinto beans with rice and salsa next to tortillas with cheese on a white plate

Spices I Used:

3 bay leaves
dried oregano
dried thyme
cumin
paprika

As for making these “refried style” a couple days later, for me that meant pureeing some beans in the food processor with some salsa and crushed coriander and simmering in a nonstick skillet until they reached the desired consistency.

3 bean tostadas on a white plate — Tostadas with homemade “refried” beans

I apologized to Michael about not having any cilantro or ripe avocadoes, but he said the beans were so good that he didn’t miss those ingredients. Hmm…fine praise from a guy who believed refried beans must come from a can!

To learn our method of making the tostada shells, please read Michael’s Famous Tacos. They could be the inspiration for many simple meals.

Here’s how the tostada base will look before adding the beans:

Baked corn tortillas with cheese alongside half an avocado on a white plate — Baked tortillas with cheese

After putting some of these whole pinto beans into the freezer, they reappeared later with the addition of a little barbecue sauce. Hello barbecued beans with ribs and greens! I love cooking once for multiple simple meals that everyone loves.

Pork ribs with braised kale, pinto beans and biscuit on a white plate

Find out how to make this slab of ribs next.

Watch Lentils and Rice Partner For a Pantry Party

Cooking lentils is easy. They are so versatile.

The other day a friend asked me what to do with lentils. A more relevant question is, I think, what can’t you do with lentils? They are very versatile as well as a nutritious and delicious addition to your pantry. Lentils are inexpensive and don’t require soaking or long cooking like beans and work well with all kinds of herbs and spices. Do you like Mediterranean flavors? Indian? Middle Eastern? Then lentils are for you! Cooking lentils is so easy.

One of my favorite simple meals is mujadara: lentils and rice with olive oil, onions and salt. Yup. That’s it, folks! Just 5 humble ingredients will take you to lentil paradise. I ate this 3 times a week when I was single and I still love it.

Close up of lentils with rice and caramelized onions on a white plate alongside baked sweet potato slices — Mujadara with baked sweet potato slices

The most important thing to know is that having the patience to cook the onions long enough will make all the difference in the flavor. Skimp on that and the dish will just be so-so. In this case, I had some leftover brown rice in the refrigerator that had been cooked with turmeric. Once the lentils were ready, I sautéed some garlic in a skillet and reheated the rice. Then stirred the cooked lentils in.

Cooking Lentils

To begin, I chose a huge onion and cut one half into slices and the other half I chopped up into smaller pieces. I started cooking the chopped onions in a saucepan with olive oil and the sliced onions in a skillet with olive oil. Beginning with high heat, I stir continually until they start to get a little golden and then reduce heat to the lowest setting to cook low and slow until they are brown because that’s when they impart the desired depth of flavor.

I cooked the chopped onions about 40 minutes before adding 4 cups of water and 2 cups of sorted and rinsed lentils. Let that boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes until done. Once tender, scoop out the desired amount of lentils with a slotted spoon and mix with cooked rice.

Cooked lentils in a saucepan — Cooked lentils

I let the sliced onions cook for about 50 minutes in a skillet to get nicely caramelized as a topping for this dish. Is it absolutely necessary to do a topping of onions in addition to what’s in the cooked lentils? No, but I consider it minimal effort yielding maximum flavor and textural benefit. Michael agrees. He thinks of it like fried onion rings.

Caramelized onion slices in a white skillet — Caramelized onions

Variations

If you were using white rice, you could even cook it together with the lentils in one pot. What kind of spices could you add? Sometimes I make this with a combination of red pepper flakes, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger and coriander. Choose one or two of those and experiment to see what turns you on. Allspice is great too. Salt to taste, of course.

As I often do, I prepare the first meal with limited ingredients because it gives me more versatility in using leftovers. In this case, I made a fast and fabulous soup the next day by adding chicken stock to the lentils along with some chopped spinach, garlic and lemon juice.

Lentil soup with spinach and lemon juice in a white bowl — Lentil soup with spinach and lemon

Guess what! I still have leftover lentils. What will I do with them? Maybe I will add a couple of other ingredients, mash them up and fry them like burgers? Or maybe I will eat them just as they are! Paired with fish and vegetables, I have another simple meal that’s ready in no time.

Cooked rockfish with lentils and rice alongside spinach and kabocha on a white plate — Rockfish seasoned with cumin, coriander, ginger and garlic accompanies mujadara, spinach and squash

Lentils and rice are “must-haves” for my pantry. We used brown lentils here, but there are so many other varieties with their own unique qualities. Try some red ones in a colorful stew with squash and chickpeas. How do you like your lentils?

Keen On Easy Red Beans and Greens

It’s easy to cook red beans and rice without a recipe.

My husband has been asking for red beans and rice, so here’s how I make it without a recipe. It’s easy. Take the basic principles and adjust proportions and seasonings to your taste. It’s one of our favorite simple meals.

Let the dried red beans soak overnight in water and then drain them. I thought it unnecessary to explain that, but once I started cooking the beans, Michael asked if I put all the soaking water into the pot with the beans…So, the answer is no. I laughed so hard I was crying.

Start by chopping up an onion or two, a bell pepper and some celery. I use roughly a third more of onion compared to the other vegetables. Get that cooking in a big pot with some olive oil while you chop some garlic and slice up some andouille sausage. I often use turkey andouille or another smoked sausage. Ham, ham hocks or salt pork could also be used.

Ingredients for Easy Red Beans:

pre-soaked red beans
chopped onion
chopped bell pepper
chopped celery
minced garlic
olive oil
andouille sausage
water

Once the vegetables have begun to soften, add the garlic and then the sausage. Then add the spices.

Spices, In Descending Order of Amounts

French thyme
Paprika
Smoked paprika
Cayenne
Basil
Oregano
salt

Now add the drained beans and enough water to cover them. Reduce to simmer and cook for a few hours, stirring occasionally. I learned from Emeril Lagasse to smash up to half the beans against the side of the pot after cooking for a couple of hours. It really adds a nice creamy texture to the finished dish, which resembles the way Michael first tasted red beans at Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch, a soul food restaurant he frequented weekly in the 90’s. This step has become Michael’s job and he gets so excited to do it that I found him trying to smash beans at the beginning of cooking this time. I had to shoo him out of the kitchen and tell him to wait a couple hours. Bless his heart.

Be aware of stirring more frequently once you smash some beans because it thickens the mixture and you don’t want them to burn at the bottom of the pot. Cook for another hour, adding a little more water along the way if it needs it. Just don’t overdo it. They should be creamy in the end, not watery. Season with salt at the end and serve on top of rice.

Collard Greens

I allow about 45 minutes for the chopped greens. I just want to cook them long enough for the stems to become tender when pierced with a fork.

I often start the greens with bacon, but I figured I could slim it down as I already had nearly a pound of andouille in the beans. So, I sauteed some diced onion in some olive oil. Then added some chopped garlic and then the greens. A splash of white vinegar gives a nice flavor. Then I wanted a little liquid to help them braise, but I didn’t want to open a carton of chicken broth for such a small amount, so I added a little water and looked around for what else to flavor it with. I had used some ramen noodles previously without the chicken flavoring packet, so I sprinkled a pinch of that in there along with a little cayenne and French thyme. Simmered covered until done.

Blackened Salmon

I used to make blackened catfish, but unlike in Louisiana, we can only find farm raised around here. I prefer buying wild fish, so I used sockeye here. I don’t buy blackened seasoning anymore either, but you can make your own using black pepper and/or any other ground peppercorn, cayenne, paprika, smoked paprika, salt and garlic powder. Sprinkle it liberally on both sides of your fish and cook quickly over high heat in a preheated skillet with an oil with a high smoke point like grapeseed oil.

For more delicious inspiration on cooking without a recipe, please read Shrimp and Grits next.

How to Cook Black-Eyed Peas and Turnips Au Gratin

Try out a new bean like black-eyed peas and make your root vegetables shine.

The last time I went shopping and looked for some dried beans, the only ones left on the shelf were black-eyed peas. I think I have only eaten them once or twice in my life, so I didn’t have a vivid recollection of what they tasted like. I imagined others at the market wondered the same thing, which is why they sat there all by their lonesome selves. But I figured a bean is a bean is a bean. So why not experiment and learn how to cook black-eyed peas?

The first thing I must say about just about any kind of bean: a little pork of some kind usually improves the taste immensely. I always keep bacon in my freezer because then I can cut off an inch or two for a dish like this whenever I need it. If you don’t eat pork, use whatever leftover meat bones you have or at least some vegetable stock to boost the flavor.

Cooking the Black-Eyed Peas

After letting the black-eyed peas soak overnight, I drained them. Then I chopped up the bacon and browned it in a skillet. I added some chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, carrot and garlic. Then I dumped that into a slow cooker along with the beans and enough water to cover them. I had a can of chipotle (smoked dried jalapenos in a sauce). So I put that into a food processor combining the peppers and the sauce from the can. Then I added about a couple tablespoons of the chipotle to the pot and put the rest of the chipotle into an ice cube tray in the freezer so that I can pop the cubes into something else later. A little goes a long way with chipotle, so start small if you’re unsure about the heat.

I started this before noon so that it was ready by dinner. The slow cooker is a natural for beans because you don’t have to babysit a pot on the stove for a couple hours. But either way works just fine. Once the beans were tender, I took the lid off the slow cooker to reduce the liquid a bit. (The leftovers could be served as soup as there was more than enough liquid in there.) Seasoned with salt and called it a day. I have been told that sugar might be desirable with black-eyed peas as they have an earthy flavor that you might find more palatable if sweetened. To each his own.

Turnips Au Gratin

Meanwhile I had some turnips that had been sitting in the bottom of the fridge for a couple months, so I decided to turn them into an au gratin. You could slice them thinly by hand, but I used the slicing disk on my food processor. Used a mandoline twice in my life and decided I am way too clumsy to be trusted without adult supervision, so I gave mine away to a friend who is more graceful.

Greased the bottom of a casserole dish using some of the paper from my package of butter. Put a layer of turnips in there and sprinkled with some shredded mozzarella cheese that I had opened and needed to use. Any cheese you have available would be fine. A smoked gouda would have been divine.

You could season this up any number of ways. I decided to give it a little color with some paprika and sprinkle a little garlic powder and dried basil in there. (I don’t need to say salt, right? ) Repeated the process with another layer of sliced turnips, seasoning and cheese. Covered and put into the oven for about 20 minutes and then let it cook uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Pretty tasty and healthy for using almost exclusively pantry items. What do you think? Ready to try an unpopular bean? Let us know about your experience!

If you’re following my blog, you understand by now that I’m not doing recipes, right? I simply share my experience about cooking with the ingredients I have on hand so that you can liberate yourself and start cooking without recipes. However, I have been asked to start providing an ingredients list in case someone wants to use the same. So here goes:

Ingredients for Black-Eyed Peas:

bacon
onion
celery
bell pepper
garlic
carrot
black-eyed peas
canned chipotle

Ingredients for Turnips Au Gratin:

turnips
cheese (such as smoked gouda)
seasonings (such as garlic powder, paprika, basil)

What else might you do with turnips? Please see Be a Lamb and Try for one suggestion.