There were some great recipes with beans in the Chili contest. Lentils are a good start, Megedarra or mujadara is quick and tasty and there are a couple of recipes here. You could start with canned beans= easy. But do move on to cooking dried, they are so plump and good it is worth a little extra time. The black bean soup in Molly Katzen's Moosewood cookbook is so wonderful, it first turned me on to black beans.
To make life easier, I would highly recommend getting a pressure cooker to make dried beans. They are so much better than the canned version. Here is one of my favorite soups: http://www.food52.com/recipes/10671_spicy_stewed_black_eyed_peas_and_baby_limas_with_corn_quesadillas
Crescent Dragonwagon just published a cookbook about beans, available on Amazon. It contains one of my all time favorite bean recipes, Fanesca, an Ecuadorian Lent recipe. If you hurry, you can make it for Lent. I spent two months in Ecuador as a medical student, and admitted a patient in coma because she had to eat Fanesca even though she had serious liver disease. The book also contains a quote from Calvin Trillin's great article about Fanesca.
Lentils are a nice gateway bean. Maybe dal with rice or a lentil salad with Puys lentils and fresh vegetables?
Chickpeas from a can are very easy. Hummus or chickpea curry with rice?
Start cooking with interesting dried heirloom beans. Makes all the different. Try Ancho Spiked Scarlett Runner Bean Soup http://thespicedlife.com/2009/04/cooking-to-combat-cancer-iii-ancho-spiked-scarlet-runner-bean-soup-with-vegetables.html or a Sausage and Bean Stew with Mushrooms http://thespicedlife.com/2011/11/sausage-and-triple-bean-stew-with-crimini-mushrooms.html
Try this dip and you will not only want to make it again but you will get into cannelini beans and make soups.
http://www.food52.com/recipes/8908_roasted_fennel_white_bean_dip
The key to beans is to buy from the bulk section in a place where they move rapidly so you are assured of the freshest. Also, when you make them don't salt them until they are almost cooked or they will remain hard.
You can either do a quick soak (boil for 5 minutes and let sit on stove uncovered for an hour) or an overnight soak. When you are ready to cook add your aromatics and onion and garlic.
Keep tasting them. You learni to like something by sampling and sampling many times. I'd go for some kind of black bean soup. Traditional is good, but I really like Molly Katzen's vegetarian one flavored with oranges from Moosewood Cookbook:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/BRAZILIAN-BLACK-BEAN-SOUP-1257458
Black bean soup is good. Thanks for reminding of that, nutcakes.
However, my application for black bean is non-traditional. I cook the beans with ham, seasonings. Make some rice. And season some stock.
Instead of making it 'mush'. I plate a scoop of rice, a scoop of black beans, and pour over the hot stock. and garnish with the chopped up ham. I just like the individual beans and rice in the broth/stock.
I use those big "Fiesta ware" sombrero soup plates with the large rim. And slices of cuban sandwiches around the rim.
Baby Butter beans (lima beans--the small kind). The frozen product is good. Just lightly defrost them. Don't cook them to mush..they should have some bite for this application.
Dress with lemon juice, oregano, thyme, olive oil, a touch of salt, pepper. While still warm; fresh chopped parsley, and feta cheese. after it's cooled a bit.
If you wish, add chopped tomatoes and cucumber cube, red onions,..etc.
Best served cold, or room temp.
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http://www.food52.com/recipes/8477_sephardic_megedarra_with_garlicky_brown_rice_pilaf
http://www.food52.com/recipes/8538_slightly_smoky_mixedbean_chili
http://www.food52.com/recipes/15891_smokin_hot_vegan_vaquero_chili
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/flash-fried-steak-with-white-bean-mash-recipe/index.html
Lentils are a nice gateway bean. Maybe dal with rice or a lentil salad with Puys lentils and fresh vegetables?
Chickpeas from a can are very easy. Hummus or chickpea curry with rice?
http://www.food52.com/recipes/8908_roasted_fennel_white_bean_dip
The key to beans is to buy from the bulk section in a place where they move rapidly so you are assured of the freshest. Also, when you make them don't salt them until they are almost cooked or they will remain hard.
You can either do a quick soak (boil for 5 minutes and let sit on stove uncovered for an hour) or an overnight soak. When you are ready to cook add your aromatics and onion and garlic.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/BRAZILIAN-BLACK-BEAN-SOUP-1257458
However, my application for black bean is non-traditional. I cook the beans with ham, seasonings. Make some rice. And season some stock.
Instead of making it 'mush'. I plate a scoop of rice, a scoop of black beans, and pour over the hot stock. and garnish with the chopped up ham. I just like the individual beans and rice in the broth/stock.
I use those big "Fiesta ware" sombrero soup plates with the large rim. And slices of cuban sandwiches around the rim.
Dress with lemon juice, oregano, thyme, olive oil, a touch of salt, pepper. While still warm; fresh chopped parsley, and feta cheese. after it's cooled a bit.
If you wish, add chopped tomatoes and cucumber cube, red onions,..etc.
Best served cold, or room temp.