Recipe(tried): How to cook beans using a slow cooker

Hi Carol:

firstly, Jackie is quite correct...throw out them old beans, if you have not yet done so!

In my house, we love beans! My husband is from a culture that has beans almost every day (a day without beans is like a day without sunshine!), and, in fact, a goodly percentage of the world combines beans and rice to form a complete protein, as an alternative to costly and scarce animal protein sources. They are healthy, low or no fat, and full of fibre.

Although I keep canned beans around for convenience, I try to make a big pot of beans at the beginning of the week, to use over the course of the week.

Here is how I do it:

Presoak the beans: either soak the beans in enuf water to cover plus an inch or two for 8 hours or overnight, or bring beans and water to a boil over medium heat, boil for two minutes, and turn off the heat. Leave for two hours, and continue on. (quick soak, this second method is called. It is preferred over the first method because it gets rid of more of the ingredients in the beans that contribute to flatulence...there, I said it. nuff said!)

Either way, completely discard the water used for soaking the beans, and rinse them. Use fresh water, and here is how I cook them. This is from Robin Robertson's book, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

1 pound dried beans (this is a couple of cups)
1 large onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves

Soak the beans, using either of the above methods (I must confess I usually use the overnight method, as I find it suits my schedule better.

Drain and rinse the beans and place them in a big slow cooker. Add the onion, garlic, and bay leaves, and enuf water to cover (6 to 8 cups).

Cover and cook on high for 8 to 12 hours, or longer, depending on the type of bean.

You can check doneness by blowing on a bean, if the skin moves, they are done. Smaller beans might be done at the 6 hour mark, in my experience.

Please note!!! Never salt the beans before they are cooked, the salt interferes with the softening process.

Good luck, chickpeas are just about our favourite, I hope you have some success whipping them into shape!

Cheers!

Carolyn!