Easy Beans: Simple, Satisfying Recipes That Are Good for You, Your Wallet, and the Planet

Freeman, a culinary instructor, recipe developer, and food stylist, provides 40 bean-centric recipes for dishes ranging from breakfast to dinner, with snacks, sides, and salads included. If smoothies are your breakfast of choice, her recipes fortify the typical fruit-forward sips with the nutrition of beans. The requisite bean-based huevos rancheros become a breakfast sandwich, and an additional international flair is provided by Vietnamese black bean sticky rice. The recipes are not all vegetarian (e.g., turkey and white bean chili), although beans always play a significant role. Some of the best are vegetarian, however, and they draw from the world’s cuisines; coconut-curry split pea dal, black-eyed pea jambalaya, and pinto bean enchiladas are just a few examples. Most recipes use a standard can’s worth of beans, but there are detailed instructions for using dried beans as well. Recipes are easy-to-follow, and the author’s chatty tone feels as if one is conversing with an old friend. A “Bean-Cyclopedia” rounds out the book, explaining each type of bean, how to cook, and what beans to substitute.