What to do with Beans!

I am a big fan of Alton Brown's "Good Eats". They aired an episode last night on lentils and I was very grateful. We are on WIC and in a household full of boys it's hard to convince them to eat a healthy pound of dried beans or peas. We tried using red beans in chili, which will work next time once I get the amount right! I've done black beans and rice, which is fine but no one wants to eat a pound of it. It's hard to find ways to get rid of these beans! Being German, I have a great recipe for split pea and ham soup (which my husband refuses to eat). I've also found a great recipe for Fakes (Greek lentil soup, pronounced fah-kess), and now another Lentil soup to add. Here's the lentil soup Alton Brown shared in his episode.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground grains of paradise

Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and grains of paradise and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Using a stick blender, puree to your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.

Another great site is www.allrecipies.com. I visit that site probably once or twice a day. Here's a recipe I found that sounds even better (to me) than Alton's soup, but very similar. What will probably end up happening is some kind of conglomeration of both recipes into a different soup. I have never owned grains of paradise so bay leaves sound like a better fit for me. Anyway...

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, cubed
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups lentils - soaked, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 7 cups chicken stock
• 1 sprig fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large stockpot, saute the onions in oil until they are glossy. Stir in garlic, paprika, celery, carrots, and saute for 10 minutes.
2. Once the vegetables have sauteed for 10 minutes stir in tomatoes, chicken stock, lentils, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Stir well, then add the wine and bring the mixture to a boil. Slowly reduce the heat and cook for 1 hour on low to medium heat; or until the lentils are tender.
3. Sprinkle the soup with parsley and Parmesan (optional) before serving.