My dad would laugh if he knew how often I eat beans these days. Growing up I loathed the thought of the little legumes. My chili had to be solely meat-based. I didn't care how much bacon was in those baked beans, and don't even get me started on limas. They just weren't my thing.
My dad is the undisputed "Bean King" of the family. When visiting
me in Paris, we shared long conversations on pintos,
kidneys, and navies over a few bottles of red. He would lecture my broke ass on how buying beans instead of steak could save me enough money for retirement. He even wants to write a book about them. He harmlessly jokes about David's background... but I think we all know who the true "Beaner" really is here.
At the start of 2012, David and I challenged ourselves to become dietary vegans - meaning no animal products whatsoever,
for one month. The goal was not to just mindlessly substitute our meat and dairy
products with "veganized" alternatives, but to focus on eating real food. This posed
as an all around food challenge. Finding various sources of our daily nutrients meant... crap... eating beans. The 30-day (ok, I lasted as a true vegan for about 3 weeks) vegan kick completely changed the way I saw food. We ate a lot
of beans that month. Chickpeas so far have been my favorite, feeling
the least "beany" out of them all. Plus, I can't get enough of Yotam
Ottolenghi's hummus recipe in his new book, Plenty. I've truly come to appreciate the nuttiness of azduki, and the versatility of the common pinto.
Attempting to eliminate our canned food intake completely, David and I have abstained
from using pre-cooked canned beans. One problem. I become easily
frustrated with cooking dried beans. A lot of time and planning is
involved in the process. First the beans must be soaked (usually the
night before), then cooked for what seems like forever (depending on
the bean, of course), and if you don't cook them at just the right temperature, you're left with a super mushy bean with a toothy skin.
