Denmark's selection of beans is paltry at best. A few weeks ago, wanted to serve my veggie enchiladas at an impromptu dinner party, but I couldn't because I hadn't soaked any black beans and none of the 4 grocery stores I shopped had them in cans.
Dried beans are definitely the most economical choice, but they're not the most convenient choice, and here, they're pretty much my only choice.
Danish grocery stores also don't carry much in the way of dried beans. I can sometimes find lentils, but mostly I buy my beans in 900g bags at a middle eastern market for around 20 DKK (about $3.75 US).
When I lived in the US, I used mostly dried beans, but I kept a few recipes worth of canned on hand for convenience. Now, I pressure cook my dried beans in bulk and freeze them, which ends up being cheaper and just as convenient (in the long run, anyway) as the canned beans I used to buy stateside.
I pressure cook the beans for a minute or two less than I would if I were planning to use them fresh out of the cooker; they don't freeze and reheat well if they're too soft.
After they've cooled, I spread them into a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze them, then depending on my level of ambition, I vacuum seal them into 1.5 cup portions, which is the equivalent of a 15.5 oz can, or I freeze them in bulk, double bagged in gallon size freezer bags.
Now I always have cooked beans on hand... another challenge solved :)Labels: food, frugal living, green living, simple living, vegan, vegetarian
