Sharon, I missed this one. Must have been before I joined.
What I like about beans is that it's 5 or 6 vegetables in one.
What does that mean?
Think about beans:
You can eat them raw (usually right out in the garden). Very paleo.
You can lightly steam them and eat them al dente. Very trendy.
You can cook them until they are soft and still bright green. Very common.
You can open a can and heat them. Very sad.
You can throw them in a pot with some kind of smoked pork product (of your choice) and cook them until they are soft and a little gray green. Very country.
Or you can cook the dried beans for some really good eatin'.
My old hillbilly boss (by his own admission) told me that as a kid, they would string the pods of ripe beans and hang and dry them and then in the winter they would cook them. He said they were good, his wife said otherwise.
The amazing thing about beans is that no matter how you cook them they are delicious. Completely different tastes, but delicious.
Yeah, you say, but what if you burn them? Blackened beans. I've made them. Stir fried with the right sauce and spices they are delicious (big surprise).
How many other vegetables can you overcook and still have something good to eat? OK, corn, but it's taste doesn't change that much.
