texture and color variation in the salad or even main dishes. It takes extra effort but not much

extra time. Wash, then cook each kind of bean in a separate pot. They all vary in their cooking

time, so don't attempt to cook them in one pot. Cooking them together also mutes the colors. If,

for instance, you cook small white navy beans and black turtle beans together, the white beans

become a light purplish-gray and the black beans a deadened dark purple-gray. Cooked

separately, you preserve their full rainbow of colors and your salad or bean dish will look

vibrant, elegant and appetizing.

It is also a good idea to always cook some extra beans. They freeze superbly, and you

will have them ready in your freezer to add to soups, salads, eggs, other vegetables, or even to

serve as a side dish, should your refrigerator be on the bare side. When defrosted, they are like

fresh-cooked.

Points to Remember

Legumes are highly nutritious with high protein, high fiber and no fat (with the exception of

soybeans and peanuts). With complementary grains or corn, they provide complete proteins

to the human body.

To reduce flatulence, soak the offending starch out in hot water, then drain. Serving legumes

frequently also helps.

Always cook your legume, never buy canned or frozen. Once you learn to cook it, it is easy,

reasonably quick and tastes better.

Presoaked legumes cook fast, but if you don't have time to soak, cooking time is still

reasonable. If presoaking, allow 4 hours or more.

Peas and lentils need no soaking.

Cooking time varies with the hardness of the cooking water and altitude of your kitchen.

Cook legumes to slightly chewy consistency for salads, softer for soups, refried beans and

other legume dishes.

Legumes don't soften any further once you add acid ingredient to the dish. Make sure the

legume is perfectly tender before you add tomatoes, vinegar, wine or juice.

Always salt the water when cooking legumes (¼ teaspoon salt/cup of water).

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