Reader Recipe: 5 Bean Soup

Beans, Beans, They're Good For the Heart: The More You Eat, the Fuller You Get Without Breaking the Bank

What? Is that not how that phrase goes?

Anyway, beans, yes. They're cheap, they're easy to cook, and they're proteiny and filling. Mix them with rice and cheese and you have a full complex protein, or get five kinds of them together with stock and a big pot and a flame, and you've got soup.

5-Bean Soup

Ingredients:
--five kinds of beans
--stock, your choice of
--spices

Steps:
Find five kinds of beans. My feelings on the subject are: whatever's on sale. Canned pintos at 0.49 per? Sold. Dry black beans, three bags for a dollar? Fabulous.

Except for white beans. I don't know. They creep me out. **Note from LastPenny: I LOVE white beans! *vbg*

Anyway! Assemble your beans! If you're using all canned beans, your cooking time will be much much less than if they're dry. Basically, with all canned beans, you're just looking at heating ingredients through.

Some canned some dry? Dump all your dry beans in the stock in the pot. Cook over medium-low heat for hours and hours. Yes seriously. Or do the whole thing where you rest them in cold water overnight. YMMV.

When the dry beans have become cooked beans, add the canned beans.

Now, basically, as soon as you have beans in stock, you can add spices. Totally up to you what kind. Me? I continue to be in love with Tony Chachere's Cajun Spice mix, so that's me sorted, but I've also used Old Bay (nom nom nom), generic "Italian seasoning" mix (did I mention I buy what's on sale? My kitchen looks like a swap meet), garlic powder and oregano, turmeric and garlic, and whatever was in the unmarked jar at the back of the cupboard, but smelled fabulous.

The thing is, beans are usually cheap little suckers, and they pick up the flavors of whatever's added, and they fill bellies well.

Things You Can Add When Flush:
--bacon (whoa there big spender)
--chopped garlic (my fave, as I can actually grow it)
--chopped celery (hey, what's that wilting in the fridge?)
--canned tomatoes (saaaaaaaaaaaaale)
--rice (if it's regular, non-minute rice, either cook it with the dry beans or pre-cook it, because I have had bad experiences with stubborn rice)
--other things you'll all tell us about in comments

With thanks to oddmonster. Check out oddmonster's blog over here at Your Daily Dog

Argentine Steak - Tasty, economical casserole!

Argentine Steak is a tasty casserole, popular with the whole family, extremely economical, and as an added bonus, perfect in the slow cooker.

If you're prepared to buy a slightly more expensive cut of meat, it is also able to made very quickly as a fast supper!

Argentine Steak

1 rasher bacon
1 t worcestershire sauce
1 T brown sugar
1/4 c tomato sauce
1 oz grated cheese (1/2 cup)
1/2 t curry powder
1/2 c water
1 large carrot
1/2 t ground ginger
2 t vinegar (I use white for preference)
1 T flour
300 - 400 grams (1 lb) beef steak - gravy beef is beautiful in the slow cooker, use chuck or blade steak for 1 hr in the oven, or if you buy rump steak you can cook this in 40 mins. The most economical method is gravy beef in the slow cooker!

Combine all ingredients in an ovenproof dish or directly in the slow-cooker. Yes: it really is this easy. Measure everything in any order and pour into pan. Stir gently to combine.

Preheat oven/turn on slow cooker. For gravy beef, cook all day in slowcooker; or cook 2 hours in 150C oven.

For blade steak, cook 55 mins at 170C.
For chuck steak, cook 1 hr 10 at 170C.
DO NOT use a fan forced oven for these cuts of meat - turn the fan off.

For rump steak, use a fan oven if you have one, and cook 45 mins at 180C. Stir a couple of times during cooking.

Serving suggestions:

• Tasty over mashed potatoes with steamed greens on the side
• Serve as a baked potato topping with coleslaw on the side
• The leftovers reheat wonderfully for a microwave lunch