KenK wrote:

> I love various bean soups and make them frquently; in fact a batch is in my
> crockpot cooking right now.
>
> I normally eat it plain, but yesterday thougt about trying broad noodles or
> dumplings with a bowlful. I can't see why they wouldn't but perhaps neither
> goes well with bean soup?

i really like the flexibility of making them plain
and then freezing them in quart jars. when i want some
beans i take a jar out of the freezer and put it in the
fridge and i can use them in so many ways from that
starting point.

as filler on/in salads,
with cheese and onions on top,
hot sauces,
open faced grilled cheese sammiches,
with or in eggs,
etc.

to experiment with different things you could
perhaps try different dry spices in small quantities
alone in a small batch to see if you like that.

there are a lot of different mints, basils, bay leaf,
dill, celery seed, anise, licorice, keffir lime and
other citrus, odd spices you've never tried before just
to check 'em out, nutmeg, cardamom, chili peppers
(roasted, fried, dried, ground, fresh, etc.).

a little nutmeg goes a long ways and can add some
surprising twists to existing dishes you've been
cooking for years.

cold salads in the summer are also usually good
places to add some beans for the fiber and filler.

one sauce that is easy to make is tatziki and
that is a good light sauce over almost any kind of
bean.

hummus or other bean pastes...

some beans roasted are pretty good (peanuts and
soybeans are great snacks).

i don't really ever get tired of beans in any
form, the basic texture and flavor of beans varies
enough between types that i can be happy with them
plain or with just a bit of cheese or butter.

plus i love beans fresh off the plant or the
various shellies/lima beans. we really can't
ever grow enough of these.


songbird (can you tell i've not had breakfast yet?