They’re not just the “musical fruit” but a great source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and protein! They’re extraordinarily versatile.

I’ve lined my kitchen with canning jars full of staples—around the back wall of the countertop that I can’t reach anyhow (I’m vertically challenged). This way I can always see what I have on hand. Pasta, black beans, split peas, orange peas, lentils, garbanzo beans, whatever. Some days it’s like dinner roulette—I grab a jar and set beans to soak, and just make up a meal around them.

Today I soaked about 2 cups of garbanzo beans, which I ended up boiling with whole-wheat pasta and turning into a fabulous cold pasta salad with veggies and a home-made vinaigrette.

If you’re like me, your prior experience with beans might be limited to split-pea soup and refried beans. Take some time to explore bean recipes from other cultures.

At the Ethiopian market I discovered a powdered garbanzo bean product that is spiced. It’s called “shiro” and when re-hydrated and boiled in hot water becomes this wonderful sticky, savory paste. You can also make home-made hummus with garbanzo beans or fava beans. Another wonderful Ethiopian food is a spice called “berebere” (only buy this at an authentic ethnic market, or you’ll get completely the wrong thing). Mixing berebere with baby lentils tastes a lot like ground beef. Consider the diets of vegetarian or fasting or vegetarian ethnic groups (Ethiopian Orthodox people fast on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, which means no meat—hence, lots of beans for protein). It’s my understanding that hindus and budhists are often vegetarians also. Take a look at the diets of these cultures.

Many beans are good hot or cold, but here’s my rule of thumb: Beans should only be served cold if they’re smaller than a peanut. If they’re bigger than that, they tend to have too much of that pasty-bean texture that is just so bland.

This post is part of a series I’ve entitled “Frugal August” and is inspired by (though not copied from) the book The Complete Tightwad Gazetteby Amy Dacyczyn. My tips are meant to build on hers, but generally are not duplications.