Cooking with Dried Beans, Lentils, and Peas

I found this very well-written info on the Whole Foods website and am re-posting here for my readers

Dried beans, peas and lentils a.k.a. legumes or pulses are a vital food source and one of the world’s oldest cultivated crops. Evidence of cultivation goes back more than 7,000 years in some parts of the world. That’s a heck of a long time!

An excellent source of protein, dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates, legumes and pulses are flavorful, nutritionally dense, inexpensive and versatile.

Cooking Dried Beans:

For Peas and Lentils: Sort and rinse dried peas and lentils as you would dried beans (see above). Then simply bring 1½ cups water or stock to a boil for each cup of dried lentils or peas. Once the liquid is boiling add the lentils or peas, return to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until tender, 30 to 45 minutes.

Cooking Tip: Uncooked dried peas and lentils can be added directly to soups and stews, too. Just be sure there’s enough liquid in the pot (about 1½ cups of liquid for every 1 cup of lentils or peas).