4.5
Customers say
Customers find the recipes delicious and easy to follow. The book provides useful information about cooking beans and ingredients, including sources. They appreciate the lovely photos and clear directions. Readers find the author’s style genuine and genuine in his enthusiasm. Many describe the writing as well-written and creative. However, opinions differ on whether the book is enjoyable or not.
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Unlock the possibilities of beans, chickpeas, lentils, pulses, and more with 125 fresh, modern recipes for globally inspired vegetarian mains, snacks, soups, and desserts, from a James Beard Award-winning food writer
“This is the bean bible we need.”—Bon Appétit
JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE • ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Food Network, NPR, Forbes, Smithsonian Magazine, Wired
After being overlooked for too long in the culinary world, beans are emerging for what they truly are: a delicious, versatile, and environmentally friendly protein. In fact, with a little ingenuity, this nutritious and hearty staple is guaranteed to liven up your kitchen.
Joe Yonan, food editor of the Washington Post,provides a master base recipe for cooking any sort of bean in any sort of appliance—Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop—as well as creative recipes for using beans in daily life, from Harissa-Roasted Carrot and White Bean Dip to Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas to Smoky Black Bean and Plantain Chili. Drawing on the culinary traditions of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Africa, South America, Asia, and the American South, and with beautiful photography throughout, this book has recipes for everyone. With fresh flavors, vibrant spices, and clever techniques, Yonan shows how beans can make for thrillingdinners, lunches, breakfasts—and even desserts!
From the Publisher
Publisher : Ten Speed Press; Illustrated edition (February 4, 2020)
Language : English
Hardcover : 240 pages
ISBN-10 : 0399581480
ISBN-13 : 978-0399581489
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 8.3 x 1.08 x 10.26 inches
I Do The Speed Limit –
“Cool Beans!” An exclamation used to express approval and delight. So true with this book!
“Cool Beans!” Surely it’s an expression to shout from your roof top once you start working with this book.Rather than write a review the day after the book was published, it took me somewhat longer to work with some of the recipes here and formulate my thoughts. I’ve still not covered all the recipes that I’ve got marked, but I’ve made up my mind that this is a very worthy book. And, hey, don’t forget to browse through the “Look Inside” feature on this product page. Ten Speed Press always does a great job of giving you, ahead of time, a good indication of the quality of the cook book you are considering buying. And, by perusing the contents and index pages, you can see the titles of all the chapters and most, if not all, the recipe names, plus see all pertinent ingredients.At the top of your list, “Good Reasons to Buy this Book”: It’s by Joe Yonan, a personable and true journalist who’s been with the Washington Post for a long time and who is dedicated to communication, teaching and learning. Personally, as I have most of his other cook books, and as I try to keep up with his Washington Post articles, I knew this book would be full of great material. And it is. If you don’t believe me, and that’s not enough to make you want to buy this book on beans, keep reading.IT’S ALL ABOUT BEANS! “COOL BEANS”! Those two words are an exclamation that will always remind me of my daughter, cause’ that was a favorite saying of hers during her younger days. So I felt a connection with this book before I even opened its pages. And, it’s JUST about beans and veggies, because Yonan has eliminated meat from his diet. So, meat eaters be aware: If you can’t picture your beans without a ham hock or whatever, you will need to add meat and meat flavorings to the ingredient lists yourself. And that’s a simple thing to do. (I’m saying these recipes can easily be adapted to accommodate those families and cooks that are leaning away from meat, but who have not eliminated it from their diets.)I was happy to see the great variety of beans represented in these recipes. (Although I personally found a few too many chickpea recipes.) So if you are anything like me–with a few burlap sacks from Dove Creek (Adobe Milling) sitting picturesquely in a corner, nestled next to a wicker basket filled with the latest Bean Club order from Rancho Gordo, and another basket of lady cream peas, baby green limas and gorgeously-colored kidney beans from Camellia—this is a book suited perfectly for you. Hey, it’s a book for all bean lovers, and all those with favorites, as Yonan includes dried, fresh, and canned beans, peas and lentils in his ingredient lists. And he includes alternatives in his instructions and tips, too.Okay, so for the past few weeks I’ve been cooking beans almost every day it seems. And the house is always fragrant with what’s on the stove. Yonan does provide instructions for cooking them on the stove like I do. But, more importantly, because I’m not in the majority anymore, and Yonan gives instructions for pressure cooking and multi-cooker and Instant Pot cooking. (He uses a pressure cooker, I believe.) He covers all the different ideas and techniques for cooking consistently perfect beans—soft and creamy inside and with skins intact and not tough. He mentions Rancho Gordo and ATK and individual authors and cooks when discussing techniques; brining, and using kombu, too.And because this book has put me in the mood to cook multitudes of beans, having his chapters on salads and dips and snacks, plus his tips on freezing and storing, are preventing those cooked beans from building up in the frig. The dips in this book are so, so good—I’ll always be prepared for surprise visitors and healthy snacking with a few of these made up.It still being wintertime, I’m delving more into the soup, stew, one dish and casserole recipes than into the chapter of salads. (Although there is a Christmas Lima, Kale and Tomato Salad that Ranch Gordo fans will be very happy with, and a Lady Cream Pea, Sweet Potato and Charred Okra Salad for the Camellia clientele.)In my last Rancho Gordo Bean Club box, I got a package of a “prized”, hard-to-find, black beans called Santenera Negro Delgado. There is a very fine Smoky Black Bean and Plantain Chili. And if you need an introduction to using plantains (other than fried), this is the recipe to try. It will be a revelation! There’s another Cuban-Style black bean Stew-soup recipe with orange flavor, and that’s a great idea that I’ve not even seen in any of my Cuban cook books. But what I think is the BEST black bean recipe in this book? It’s the Salsa Madre, which they are calling “Black Bean Mother Sauce Puree”. And that is what I used my Santenera Negro Delgado beans to make. I will forever be grateful for the great timing of my Bean Club order and the publication of this book. It was an ideal opportunity to honor both the bean and the recipe.I am a huge fan of Lady Cream Peas, fresh or dried. This one recipe alone–for Roasted Tomato and Pepper Soup–is worth the price of this book. I’ve salivated over many of the pictures in this book, but the idea of including Lady Cream Peas in a roasted tomato and pepper soup makes me crave it just thinking about it.Oh, and speaking of pictures: For those of you who believe it matters, there is NOT A PICTURE for each recipe. There are 50 pictures of prepared beans, plus some other pictures of dried beans and beans cooking. There are about 125 recipes. Sure, I’d like to see more pictures, (especially for something hard to see in my mind’s eye, like the skewers of mushrooms and gigante beans), but I think a lot of bean dishes would start looking a bit too similar after a while. And I bet someone, soon, will post a picture of that satay somewhere…… Plus, if I had to choose between a picture and a recipe–I’d choose another recipe every time!Some unusual and worthy recipes: A White Bean Brandade; Texas-Style Bowl O’ Red—beans, no meat; and a spectacular Show-Stopping Whole Roasted Cauliflower (on a bed of contrasting-color hummus), and Rigatoni E Ceci (with chickpeas).Some simple, worthy recipes: Marinated Lima Beans; a vegan Southern Baked Beans; Spicy Ethiopian Red Lentil Dip; Chickpea Aioli, and a Salty Margarita Sour, (and plenty of info on aquafaba).Some others worth noting, that I’d like to try before Spring arrives: Ratatouille Cassoulet and Root Vegetable, White Bean and Mushroom Cassoulet. There’s even a Chickpea and Quinoa Chorizo for those who strictly avoid meat.I am very grateful to have this book now. There are not many good bean cook books out there, you know? And oftentimes—while I can make some pretty mouthwatering bean dishes with my usual basics (Working with great beans, how can you not make a great bean-based or one-bowl dinner?)—it still gets to be same old, same old. This book helps me out of that rut.
Ispahan –
Stellar book featuring my favorite ingredient!
Every recipe I have tried has been delightful! I hope Joe Yonan continues to write vegan (or easily veganizable) cookbooks.
boris8 –
Great with one drawback
This is in most respects a fab book. It’s well-written by an obvious enthusiast, and has excellent information about many kinds of beans. Quite up-to-date as well, with innovative suggestions such as using dried seaweed. The recipes are plentiful; sources are given in the back. The design is easy to use. All of this is great. The drawback is that it’s a vegetarian book. If you want to learn about classics such as New England pork & beans, West Texas chili con carne, or Asturian Fabada, sorry. You will have to look elsewhere.
DEBORAH BATES –
Winner, winner!!
Creative, well written recipes- each one is a keeper and many make me think of beans in a new way.
L –
‘COOL BEANS’ = BEST! There aren’t enough meals in a week; I want to cook from this book every day!
Cool beans! Yesss! (This is the best title, btw ;D — for the BEST book, ever!) I’m soooo excited! How can I get so excited about a book? Seriously, we don’t even know what recipe to choose next; it is so packed with amazing and healthy creations (and a seemingly endless variety)! The photos of the food are stunning, and recipes are explained so perfectly (meticulously!), that even a ‘non-cook’ type like myself can understand and prepare the dishes.The author hit a home run (again!). I initially ordered 2 copies (one for me, and one for a gift), because I loved Yonan’s previous books. I just logged in to Amazon to order additional copies! I’m giving the gift of this book to everyone (it feels like ;D). (I’m invited for dinner at a friend’s house… my ‘hostess gift’ — you guessed it, ‘Cool Beans’! ‘My friend’s birthday gift… yep — ‘Cool Beans’… You get the idea. :D)COOL BEANS PARTY: I am hosting a ‘Cool Beans’ potluck gathering, as it’s taking too long to get through the recipes, with just my family. How fun for each guest to come with a recipe(s) to share from this book!BTW, I’m not sure how the publisher did this, as the book is bound beautifully and solid, but when preparing the recipes, the book even lays open really nicely, so I can read/prepare easily.I love this book — and you will, too; it’s beautiful! Happy reading & cooking!
MCG –
So many dog-eared to try
This cookbook is exactly what I hoped for. I like to cook a basic rotation of simple, nutritious foods but it’s easy to get in a rut with olive oil, lemon and garlic (my favorite combo). This book keeps to my same staples (beans, whole grains, veg) but jazzes them up with new seasonings that can be tracked down at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and co-ops. Cooking with miso is new for me and I dig it as an alternative to vegetable broth. It was wonderful in the Orrechiete with Bitter Greens and Lemony Breadcrumbs. We’ve loved the two cauliflower recipes—the roasted whole head with hummus, and Morrocan ful with sumac-rubbed grilled cauli.I find Yonan’s baseline of veganism perfectly suitable in this book (and I’m neither vegan nor vegetarian). Vegan recipes can be daunting when they call for substitutes or alternative ingredients. But with the simple bean as the canvas, you don’t have to venture too deeply into the health food store (unless that’s your jam!). Likewise, these recipes don’t leave me with the sensation that anything is lacking—most of them can make a one-dish meal in themselves; where the recipes would be complimented by cheese or yogurt, it is stated; and meat-eaters can grill their favorites to accompany any recipe.The recipes are portioned out reasonably for a single meal (2-3 people), but not for leftovers or a crowd. Again, we are one-dish meal people, so will double accordingly in the future!
Jillian –
As a former bean hater, this has been a great cookbook to change my mind. Wide range of recipes that use every type of bean you can think of.
LL –
Given English language recipe books are sold internationally publishers really should insist that they include metric units for measures. This book is only in American cooking units which is frustrating. Also, some of the recipes lack clarity forcing you to guess what the writer means.
juso94 –
Se nota que es un gran libro, pero esperaba más de un libro de cocina. Es bastante teórico.
Lolamon –
If you’re vegan, looking for inspiration, and love all kinds of legumes, this is for you. Worth every penny. Going to try growing my own beans this year, just so I can try some of the recipes. If you are based in Europe or UK, there are quite a few exotic ingredients,(coconut aminos, peppers in adobe, dried ancho chillies, etc.), but many of these can be found in the bigger supermarkets now, health food shops, or on Amazon. There is a vital page in the first chapter that shows the categories of beans, and their substitutions. If you live in the US, it will be a lot easier to get many of the ingredients, I think. Still a brilliant book, from a brilliant writer, who generously credits many other chefs when he uses their recipes for inspiration.
Jan –
Happy with the recipes so farWell written and full of good information