Several ideas for pre-cooking beans to make them a convenience foods along with several recipes using beans.

1. Ready to Eat – Food Storage Beans
Turn your Food Storage Beans into Convenience Foods
Many meals from beans can be made in 30 minutes or less, if you take some time to
prepare the beans. The following methods can be used:
• Commercially Canned Beans
• Home canned beans using a pressure canner – see instructions below
• Cooked beans – stored in refrigerator up to 1 week or in 2-cup portions in zip-loc
bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. Flatten and stack bags to save space.
• Sprouted beans stored in refrigerator up to 1 week or in 2-cup portions in zip-loc
bags in freezer for up to 6 months. (Sprouted beans cook in only 20-30 minutes)
• Grind beans into flour. Store different types of bean flour in mason jars. Prolong
shelf life by putting jars in refrigerator, freezer, or vacuum sealing.
Pressure Canning
Dried bean can be pressure cooked before hand for convenience in food preparation. I
have seen dried beans placed in a jar with water and pressure cooked immediately.
However, this method is not recommended because the beans will still cause gas
problems. It is better to soak the beans for 12-18 hours before processing. Discard the
original soak water and replace with new water before processing. This will cut down the
amount of gas problems caused from the beans.
I have seen two different methods for canning beans. Both work well, but you may find
that you have a preference for one or the other.
Method 1 - Soak beans in Canning Jars: The night before processing, have clean pint
jars and lids ready to go
Wash and sort the beans
Place ½ - 2/3 cup beans in each pint jar
Fill jars with water and cover them with a towel overnight
If you use 115 F water, the sprouting process will be initiated and
gas problems will be reduced even further. Place jars in
dehydrator or on a heating pad to keep 115 degrees during the soak
process
In the morning, empty the water from the jars and refill with hot water to
leave one inch head space. You may need to adjust some beans
Add ½ tsp salt to each jar
Wipe rims of jar and place a lid on each jar according to the manufacture’s
instructions.

2. Place the jars in the canner and process at 13 lbs pressure for 75
Minutes (Pressure given is for Utah, lower elevations can be
processed at 11-12 lbs pressure)
After jars are cool, wipe down, label and put them on your shelf
Method 2 - Pre-soak and pre-cook beans in stock pot before filling jars:
Cover washed, sorted beans with cold water in a large stock pot, or even in your
pressure cooker/canner. Let stand for 12-18 hours in a cool place. Drain and rinse.
After rinsing, put beans back in pan and cover with new water. Boil 15-30 minutes. Pack
beans into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head space. Add ½ tsp salt to each pint or 1 tsp salt to
each quart.
Cover beans with cooking water, leaving 1-inch head space. Remove air bubbles.
Adjust caps. Process pints 75 minutes and quarts 90 minutes at 13 lbs pressure.
Pressure given is for Utah, lover elevations can be processed at 11-12 lbs pressure,
check with your County Extension agent if you have questions.)
Cooking and Freezing
It is also possible to freeze beans after cooking for convenient preparation. Some people
have complained that this method yields mushy beans. Others have enjoyed using this
method. You can experiment and decide what you like best.
Wash and sort beans. Place 1 cup beans in quart jar or large container. Soak
beans in 3 times the amount of pure water.
Soak for 12-18 hours. Drain and rinse
Sprout beans for 2-3 days if desired (This will increase enzymes and
nutritional value or use soak method above at 115 F)
Cook beans on low in crock-pot for 4-6 hours until tender
Ladle into 2-cup freezer containers or zip loc baggies. Store in freezer.
Use within 6 months
Why Should I Sprout my Beans? The following information is an excerpt from
Jack Tips, CCN, “The Pro-Vita Plan for Optimal Nutrition”.
“Some protein foods and some vegetables become starches when cooked for an
extended period of time or at high temperatures, particularly above 200 degrees F.
These foods include beans, corn and peas. Although dry or sprouted beans and peas
are proteins, they become starches when cooked.
For beans to retain their excellent protein values, soak them, allow them to begin to
sprout, then slowly cook them below 200 degrees F. A crock pot works well for this

3. process. By cooking beans this way, a small portion of beans ma be included in a protein
meal and not interfere with digestion. Otherwise, use beans away from the protein meal.”
Sprouting Beans:
Use organic beans that are fresh (this current season’s crop), if possible. Wash the
beans to clean away dirt. Pick out any rocks, shriveled or damaged beans. Soak the
beans overnight in a stainless steel or glass container. Use three times their volume of
pure water.
The following morning, pour off the water into another container and refrigerate if you
would like to use the soak water later to cook beans in. (Boil this water for 12 minutes
before cooking the beans to destroy any bacteria that might be present) Spread the
beans on a terry cloth towel and cover with an additional towel to keep them moist. Keep
them damp for two days. To avoid molds, you may need to rinse them once or twice.
Sprout the beans until a tiny white nub shows on 10% of the beans. This usually occurs
within two days. Do not sprout any further. Then they are ready to cook without boiling.
When the beans are cooked, no one will be able to visually tell that they were sprouted.
Sprouting increases the beans’ nutritional value greatly.
Cook the beans, (below the boiling point – 190 F) in the soak water or pure water until
soft. Good quality beans (a current crop) will cook in approximately one hour. Keep an
eye on them so you don’t overcook. Season as you like with vegetables, bouillon,
garlic, bay leaf, chili, herbs, or peppers) Epazote is an herb used by the Mayan Indians
to make the beans easier to digest.
Beans prepared in this manner have a wonderful, chewy texture; excellent flavor; are
easily digested; and do not cause intestinal gas. They provide wonderful proteins and
cell-scrubbing minerals.
If this method of cooking beans is too time consuming for you, just boil the beans as
usual and use them as complex carbohydrates away from protein meals. Add the herb
epazote for easier digestion. As carbohydrates, the bean will not build the degree of
health that they can as proteins. But boiled beans work well for supper time
carbohydrates with tacos, for example.

4. Grinding Beans into Flour
Dry beans can be ground to a fine flour using a hand grinder for small quantities, or
electric mills for larger quantities. Bean flour will store up to 6 months on the shelf and1
year under refrigeration. There are at least two electric grinders that are guaranteed to
grind beans into flour. They are K-Tec Kitchen Mill and the Magic Mill. You can ask the
manufacturer of your grinder if it can grind beans.
Sort beans to remove dirty beans or rock pieces before grinding. Set mill to grind on
medium-fine. The resulting flour should be as fine as the wheat flour used in baking
breads and cookies. It is a good idea to stir beans while they go into the grinding
chamber to keep them from getting stuck. After grinding beans, you can run 1 cup of dry
grain through the mill to clean out internal parts. Store flour in an airtight container.
Beans ground to a fine flour can be added in small quantities to nearly everything you
cook. Bean flours can be used in baked good made from your regular recipes in
combination with other flours, or as cream soups, sauces, dips, or in loaves, patties or
casseroles. When added to boiling water, bean flours thicken in only 1 minute. They are
ready to eat in 3 minutes. Bean flours added to baked good increase vitamins and
minerals and provide a source of complete protein. .

5. Refried Bean Recipes
Refried Beans/ Bean Dip: I have found 3 similar recipes for bean dip. Experiment
with the combinations and choose your preference
Recipe #1 Recipe #2 Recipe #3
1 pint pinto beans 1 pint pinto beans 1 pint pinto beans
Olive oil 2 TB salsa 1/3 cup chopped onion
Cumin 1 tsp cumin ½ tsp minced garlic
Chili powder 1 tsp onion powder garlic powder to taste
Seasoning Salt 1 tsp chili powder cayenne pepper to taste
½ tsp Tabasco sauce black pepper to taste
For recipe #3 – steam fry onions and garlic before adding to salsa. Puree pinto beans in
food processor or blender. Pour pureed beans into the skillet. Stir beans constantly on
low to medium heat until thickened; season while cooking. Serve hot with vegetables.
When making a cold bean dip. Simply put beans and seasonings in blender and puree
mixture. Or just put the beans and seasoning in a bowl and mash with a fork. Get your
children involved. This is an easy and delicious bean dip.
Recipe #4 – Refried beans from bean flour
2 ½ cups water Instant Refried Bean Mix
½ - ¾ tsp salt 1 1./2 cup pinto or black bean flour
Tiny pinch of garlic powder 1 ½ tsp chili powder
¾ cup pinto or black bean flour 1/8 tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cumin ½ tsp cumin
½ tsp child powder 1 tsp salt
1 tsp minced onion (optional)
Use ¾ cup mix to 2 ½ cups water
Bring water to boil in a small saucepan. Whisk in dry ingredients. Cook, while stirring,
over medium heat for 1 minute, until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and
cook for 4 minutes. Add ½ cup Picante sauce (to taste) if desired. Mixture thickens as it
cools.

6. Hummus (I found two great recipes for Hummus and a couple recipes for a Garbanzo
bean spread – you can experiment with both and come up with your favorite
combination)
Recipe #1 Recipe #2
1 cup dried chick peas (garbanzo beans) 1 pint garbanzo beans (drained)
Juice of 2-3 lemons Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup tahini (sesame tahini) 1/8 – ¼ cup raw tahini
3 TB extra-virgin olive oil 2-3 TB olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced Real Salt to taste
¼ tsp ground cumin ½ - 1 tsp Garlic Herb Bread
¾ tsp salt, plus more to taste Seasoning (Spice Hunter)
Warm pita bread, cut into triangles ½ - 1 tsp cumin
“Zip” to taste (Spice Hunter)
For Dry garbanzo beans: Rinse chick peas and throw out the damaged ones. Place in a
bowl and cover with water, soak for about 3 hours. Drain chick peas and place in
saucepan with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and
simmer, uncovered, until the skins begin to crack and the chick peas are tender, 45-60
minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
In a food processor, fitted with a metal blade or in a blender, combine the cooked
chick peas, lemon juice, tahini, 2 TB of reserved cooking liquid, olive oil, garlic, cumin,
and salt. Process until a soft, creamy paste forms, adding a little more cooking liquid if
needed. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt as needed.
Serve with warmed pita bread for dipping or fresh vegetables. Serves 6.
Garbanzo Spread Zippy Garbanzo Spread
2 cups sprouted, cooked or raw 4 cups sprouted, cooked Garbanzo
Garbanzo beans beans
1 medium onion, chopped 3 TB tahini
2 TB dried parsley 3 lemons or limes
1 tsp real salt 5-6 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp coriander 1 medium onion, chopped
Dash cayenne or chili powder 2 TB dried parsley
¼ cup water Dash of cumin
1 tsp REALSALT
Blend all in blender until smooth. Spread 1 tsp coriander
on tortillas, topped with alfalfa sprouts, or Dash cayenne or chili powder or Spice
eat with vegetables. Hunter’s “Zip”
¼ cup water
Blend all in blender until smooth. Spread
on tortillas, topped with alfalfa sprouts, or
eat with vegetables.

7. Bean Loaf or Bean Burgers minutes. Serve with steamed
vegetables.
Black Bean Burgers (adapted from
Epicurious.com)
Add beans to salads to increase
3 cups black beans, pre-cooked and protein
prepared to use
½ cup dry bread crumbs Mexican Bean Salad
2 TB plus ½ cup chunky salsa for topping
1 tsp cumin 2 pints black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp onion powder 4 cups cold cooked rice
1 tsp chili powder 2 cups chopped tomato
½ tsp Tabasco sauce ¼ cup chopped celery
½ cup green onions
Prepare the beans, if using dry. Drain
liquid from cans or prepared beans. Dressing: 1 TB olive oil, ¼ cup lime
Mash beans, add other ingredients juice, minced garlic, salt, hot pepper
mixing well. Form into patties and cook sauce to taste
on a skillet over the stove in a little oil or
on the grill. Be careful when flipping so This is a great dressing you may enjoy
they won’t fall apart. Cook on a grill on any salad.
over low heat for 3 minutes on each side
until they develop the crust you want. Balsamic Vinaigrette
Top with salsa or other toppings. Enjoy!
¼ to 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Super Bean Loaf (ingredients combine 1 tsp Dijon style mustard
to provide a complete protein) ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
¼ tsp salt
2 cups sprouted and cooked beans (on ¼ tsp sugar
low heat) ¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped 1 shallot, peeled and finely minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB sesame oil Put vinegar, mustard, pepper, salt and
¼ cup tahini sugar in a non-reactive bowl. Whisk to
½ cup cashews combine. Add olive oil in a steady
2 medium carrots, grated stream, whisking all the while. Whisk
2 eggs, beaten until emulsified. Stir in the shallot.
1 teaspoon each basil, oregano, thyme Adjust seasoning. At this time you may
¼ tsp marjoram add freshly chopped herbs of your
1/8 tsp cayenne choice, if desired. Store in the
½ tsp sea salt refrigerator in a non-reactive container
2 tsp tamari with a tight fitting lid. Bring to room
temperature before using. Shake before
Saute onion and garlic in oil. Combine serving.
all ingredients and place into oiled loaf
pan, patting gently. Bake at 350 F for 30

8. Beans in Casseroles or Burrito Enchiladas
Enchiladas
10-12 tortillas
Mexican Casserole 5 cups creamed beans (recipe above)
4 cups cooked rice
2 cups cooked rice 1 onion, chopped
2 cups corn, fresh or frozen ¼ cup water with favorite bouillon to
1 onion, chopped taste
1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 pint black beans, drained and rinsed 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 pint pinto beans, drained and rinsed Salsa
1 ½ cups fresh salsa Guacamole
1 TB chili powder Red or white enchilada sauce
Combine all ingredients into casserole Saute onion in broth and set aside. Pour
dish and cover. Bake for 45 minutes at 2 cups enchilada sauce into bottom of
350 degrees. casserole dish. Spread beans, rice and
onions down the center of each tortilla.
Roll and place seam side down in dish.
Pour remaining sauce over tortillas.
Enchilada Sauce (with bean flour) Sprinkle with green onions and corn.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees
¼ cup flour or ¼ cup white bean flour for 45 minutes. Garnish with salsa and
1 TB dried onions guacamole.
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3 cans water
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/8 tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp salt and pepper
Bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour,
stirring occasionally

9. Bean Soups Creamed Beans
4 cups dried beans (pinto, black, navy,
Vegetarian Chili (ingredients combine red)
to provide a complete protein) Enough water to cover beans (at least 2
inches)
1 medium onion, chopped 1 large onion or 2 medium onions,
6 cloves garlic, minces chopped
2 TB sesame oil 2-5 TB fresh garlic, minced
1 cup black beans, soaked and sprouted 1-2 tsp sea salt
½ cup kidney beans, soaked and 1 herb bouquet made from parsley,
sprouted thyme, rosemary and bay leaves
½ cup millet, soaked and sprouted
1 green pepper Soak your choice of beans overnight,
2 carrots, chopped then drain and rinse. Sprout beans if
¼ cup sunflower seeds desired. Place beans in slow cooker with
2 cups cauliflower, chopped onions, herbs, and garlic. Cover with
3-5 tomatoes, chopped water by at least 2 inches. Cook for 8
1 bay leaf hours, adding water as necessary. After
2 TB chili powder beans are cooked remove herb bouquet,
2 TB cumin pour off any remaining water and reserve
1 tsp each basil and oregano for blending. Place half the beans in a
¼ tsp each marjoram and cayenne blender and blend until smooth. Add
1 tsp salt reserved water as needed. Return
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped, blended beans to slow cooker and mix
seedless well. You can blend all beans if you want
them 100% creamy
Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add black
beans, 5 cups of water and bay leaf. 3-minute “Cream of Chicken Soup
Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and
simmer for 1 hour. Bring to boil again, 6 cups boiling water
add kidney beans and spices, and cook 1 cup fine white bean flour
for 1 hour more. Make sure the beans 2 TB Chicken or Vegetable soup base
are almost tender, then add uncooked 1 cup diced chicken pieces (optional)
millet, seeds and vegetables. Cook ½
hour. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add In a medium saucepan over medium
more water to reach desired consistency. heat, whisk bean flour into foiling water
and add base. Stir and cook 3 minutes.
Blend for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken, if
desired. Serves 3-4

10. Black Bean Soup cumin, marjoram to large fry pan and
sauté for 5 minutes. Add beans,
2 ½ cups dried black beans (1 lb) tomatoes, barley, and salt. Bring to a
6-7 cups water boil. Reduce heat, then cover and
1 cup green and red peppers, chopped simmer for 40 minutes. Stir in cilantro
3 cloves garlic, crushed and serve.
1 ½ tsp REALSALT
1 onion Thick Puree of White Bean Soup
1 cup coconut or almond milk (freeze ahead and enjoy a quick meal)
Avocado, Tomatoes (chopped) for
garnish 2 lb dried white beans, washed and
Tortillas strips picked over
2 onions, chopped
Soak beans overnight, drain. Sprout if 3 large cloves garlic, minced
desired. Cover with water and add 7 cups water
garlic, peppers and onion. Cook until 1 bay leaf
soft. Do not undercook. Blend the 2 sprigs parsley
beans in blender with the cooking water 1 whole leave swiss chard, sliced
and return to pot. Add salt and coconut crosswise
or almond milk. Serve garnished with Real Salt or Bragg Liquid Aminos
avocados, tomatoes and tortillas. Black Pepper, freshly ground
Soak beans 24 hours, in three times their
Black Bean Mexican Stew volume of pure water, and drain. Steam-
fry onions and one clove garlic until
3 cups water combined with favorite onions are tender. Put in large pot with 7
bouillon to taste cups water, add drained beans,
1 medium onion, chopped remaining garlic, bay leaf, parsley, and
1 cup corn, (fresh or frozen) chard, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat,
1 zucchini, chopped cover and simmer 1 hour. Add salt and
1 TB fresh garlic, minced continue to simmer until beans are
1 red bell pepper, chopped tender. Remove bay leaf and parsley.
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies Puree soup in batches in blender.
1 TB chili powder Return to pot and adjust seasonings.
1 tsp ground cumin This can be frozen.
1 tsp marjoram (optional)
2 pints canned black beans
1 quart canned chopped tomatoes (2 15-
oz cans)
2/3 cup pearled barley
½ cup cilantro, chopped
¼ tsp sea salt
1 avocado, chunked (for garnish)
Add broth, onion, corn, zucchini, garlic,
red bell pepper, chilies, chili powder,