Chili Beans - Shortcut #2

Today I'm going to talk beans.  Sure, it's easy and cheap to just buy a can of beans with which to make dinner, but why bother when you can toss a pound of soaked dry beans into the slow cooker with some water for $1-$2 and have about  the equivalent of 5 or 6 cans?  Often with my recipes that call for beans, I put a measurement such as "1 1/2 c cooked beans" because I keep home cooked beans in gallon size Ziploc storage bags in my freezer and scoop out what I need when I need them.  For future reference, though, 1 1/2 c equals about 1 can of beans.

When searching the cans of beans in the grocery aisle, more often than not I found additional ingredients listed on the labels: calcium chloride, disodium EDTA, modified food starch, dextrose, and even high fructose corn syrup. Those additives are mostly stabilizers, sweeteners and "flavor enhancers", and nothing we really need in our beans.  There are, however, some brands that are savvy enough to just put beans, water, and salt into their cans, but you do have to search to find them on the canned bean shelf.  The problem for me with even those isn't so much the beans, but rather the can itself.

Bisphenol-A, or more commonly known as BPA, is a toxic chemical used to make plastics, and it also shows up in cans as a barrier separating our food from the metal.  Numerous scientific studies have indicated that  BPA is linked to negative health issues such as reproductive problems, behavioral and neurological problems, breast cancer (and thyroid and prostate cancers as well), obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and many more.  Some countries have already banned the use of BPA in food vessels, but not all.  Here, in the US, the FDA has finally banned the use of BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups just this year, but to my knowledge, that's as far as they have gotten.  Some larger corporations have "promised" to change the liners of their cans used for tomatoes, beans, vegetables, etc, but since they don't presently "have to", I'm not holding my breath.  I will keep an eye on the progress, though.

In the meanwhile, I think I'll skip the cans and make my own, thank you very much.  And thankfully, Ziploc and Gladware brand plastic bags and containers do not use BPA, so for the freezer, that's what I choose.

(If you are interested in learning more about BPA, a simple google search will turn up more articles than you would have time in this lifetime to read.  Here is a well sited Wiki entry, and here is an article from Science News  titled "Cans Bring BPA to Dinner, FDA Confirms" from May 2011.)


Okay, back to bean basics.  It's so simple, really:
-Inspect your beans for stones (I've only ever found 1 stone in all my years of cooking dried beans, but it's worth a check anyway).
-Soak your beans. You can either soak your beans overnight in water enough to cover by about 2-3 inches or you can do the "quick soak" method by covering the beans with same amount of water, bring them to a low boil, immediately cover, remove from the heat, and let soak for about an hour.
-Drain the soaking water from the beans and give them a rinse.  Many people don't drain the soaking water, and if you don't want to, don't.  I do because I've heard that the beans release into the water some of their indigestible compounds when soaked, and I'd rather be comfortable than sorry later.
-Cook your beans.  There are three ways to do this; refill the pot with water to cover by about an inch and simmer for a couple hours (length of time depends on the bean), put them into a baking dish, add water, cover and bake at 350 for a couple hours, or use a slow cooker (add water to cover).  I prefer the slow cooker method because the beans always turn out perfect with consistent texture every time.

So, today we are making Chili Beans (not to be confused with chili with beans, but rather those flavored beans in the can at the grocery store).  We love chili beans because they are great to grab for nachos and taco salads and even as a chili starter because they are already seasoned.  This recipe makes the equivalent of about 5 cans of  chili beans, so be sure you have containers available in which to freeze them.  About 1 1/2 c of the bean mixture equals one can.

Cooked pinto beans before draining and adding sauce

Homemade Chili Beans

• 1 lb pinto beans, soaked
• 1 onion, cut in half
• 2 cloves garlic, each sliced in half once  
• 1 bay leaf
• 6-8 c water (enough to cover the beans)

Place everything in a 6 quart slow cooker, cover and cook on high 6-8 hours.  When the beans are tender, drain over a pot or bowl, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid.  Remove and discard the onion chunks and bay leaf. Place the beans back into the slow cooker, stir in the sauce (recipe below), cover and cook on high for 30 minutes more.  Cool, place in them freezer containers and freeze.  Thaw when ready to use.

For the sauce:

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 med onion, finely chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (if you want less heat, remove the seeds)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large tomatoes, diced (about 3-4 cups)
• 2 c reserved cooking liquid from the beans
• 2 Tbs cumin
• 2 Tbs chili powder
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a 12" skillet over medium/high heat, saute the bell pepper, onion, jalapeno and garlic in the olive oil until tender, about 5-6 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium, stir in the tomatoes, and simmer uncovered about 10 minutes.  Add the reserved bean liquid and all the spices.  Reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer about 5 minutes.  Add to the beans in the slow cooker and continue with the directions above.

There are only 3 left for me to freeze because we used 2 for dinner (Taco Salads).