Beans and Grain Recipes

Garlicky falafel from soaked dried chickpeas, ground with onion, potato, and four cloves of garlic. The traditional Middle Eastern street food technique with a crisp exterior and fluffy interior.

Tex-Mex beans with cornmeal dumplings simmered in a skillet. Chickpeas and kidney beans in chili-spiced tomato sauce topped with fluffy cornmeal drop dumplings.

Orange meringue pie, a sunny twist on lemon meringue with a silky fresh-orange custard, a flaky blind-baked crust, and a cloud of glossy toasted meringue. A splash of grenadine gives the filling its rosy glow.

Crispy Japanese shrimp and vegetable tempura fried in a light, lacy cake flour batter. Served with a homemade tentsuyu dipping sauce with grated daikon, this is the real deal from scratch.

Jalapeno chicken white chili goes creamy, built on a roux-and-cream base loaded with chicken, great northern beans, and corn. Fresh and pickled jalapenos bring double the heat. Top with Jack cheese.

Poached eggs with smoky chipotle cream sauce over cornbread. A Mexican brunch plate that swaps hollandaise for rehydrated chipotle chiles simmered in sage and thyme cream.

Pork chili with artichoke hearts and white beans: a Mediterranean-leaning chili with cumin, oregano, white wine, and roma tomatoes. Lemon juice and cilantro hit at the end for brightness.

Macaroni and bean soup with white beans, salt pork, elbow pasta, and a tomato-beef broth base. An Italian-American pasta e fagioli cousin with a hearty two-hour simmer for deep flavor.

Flaky pastry tart crust made with grapefruit soda instead of water. A 4-ingredient shortening crust that blind bakes golden in 20 minutes. The carbonation keeps the dough light and tender.

A two-meat chili with cubed pork and beef, pinto beans, green chiles, jalapenos, cumin, and red wine. Simmered low and slow in a Dutch oven, thickened with tortilla flour for serious body.

Pinto bean burgers made from scratch with dried beans, oats, green chiles, and ketchup, dredged in cornmeal and pan-fried crispy. A Southwestern-style vegetarian burger that holds together.

Hearty Russian beet soup (borscht) loaded with beef, bacon, kielbasa, cabbage, potatoes, and navy beans in a sweet-sour broth. A slow-simmered weekend project topped with sour cream.

Foolproof frying batter with flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and water. No eggs needed. Crispy, light, and works on any vegetable, fish, or seafood.

Grilled black bean and tofu burgers with Thai-inspired flavors like ginger, garlic, and soy, topped with a tangy peanut cilantro sauce and cucumber slices.

Chicken and beef burgoo, the hearty Kentucky stew that simmers two meats with corn, lima beans, potatoes, okra, and tomatoes, thickened with a bacon-drippings roux. A big-batch Southern crowd-pleaser.

Browned chicken breasts baked in a creamy rosemary sauce with artichoke hearts and green beans. A hearty casserole that feeds six with California flair.