This is a good time of year to check out what you have in your pantry and use it up. Every now and again check the dates on your cans of things.

For some strange reason I have been on a white bean kick. Usually, I have three or four cans of great northern white beans in stock. Aside from using them in my favorite Dill Bean Salad, they are perfect in a meat soup with kale and carrots. They are an essential part of ‘white chili’ or any recipe calling for beans.

The other kinds of beans I like to keep around are baked navy pea beans, dark and light red kidney beans and black beans. It is also good to have dried beans around for recipes or just because they keep so well in tight storage. We seem to like our lima beans frozen, or better still, fresh.

Beans are healthy food, one of the best for lowering cholesterol. They contain soluble fiber which traps cholesterol in the body and does not let it be absorbed. Beans are also filling, so the theory is that if you eat enough of them you will have less of an appetite for other foods that are fatty. Beans are good for sugar levels in diabetes because they are rich in complex carbohydrates. Beans are high in protein and light in fat.

Dried beans or canned beans? It doesn’t matter, the canned ones are just as good as the dried ones, but, they contain more sodium which you can rinse off. Some studies suggest that summer savory and a bit of ground ginger can reduce some of the gas-producing effects of beans. Do not add salt or sugar when cooking dried beans. This tends to keep them hard. If you must, add these things after the beans are done cooking and soft.

Beans have been a Native staple about as long as corn. Some of the varieties of beans grown and used in Native cooking are Anazasi, Adzuki, Black Turtle, butter, Fava, green, yellow, kidney, lima, Mung, pinto, navy and great northern. I bet there are some I left out, let me know.

Algonquin Three Bean Bake

1/2 lb. dried navy beans

1/2 lb. dried lima beans

1/2 lb. dried light red kidney

beans

1 large onion, chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, mined

1/2 cup tomato puree

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

3 strips of bacon

Water, salt and pepper

Put the dried beans in a large pot and fill the pot halfway up with water. Boil the beans for 10-15 minutes and then simmer for about a half hour. Drain the beans and return them to the pot. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add to the beans the onion, garlic, puree, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard. Combine gently and pour this bean mixture into a large casserole. Lay the bacon strips on top.

Bake for 60 minutes, lightly covered, remove cover and bake another 30 minutes uncovered. Serve hot from oven.

Quick Three Bean Salad

1 8-oz. can kidney beans

1 8-oz. can Garbanzo

(chick-peas)

1 8-oz. can cut green beans

1 red onion, sliced very thin

1 green bell pepper, sliced

Chopped cilantro (optional)

Dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire

sauce

1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cloves of garlic

Put dressing ingredients in a jar. Shake well and remove the garlic cloves. Pour dressing over beans, onion and pepper. Toss to blend. Put in the fridge for at least three hours.

Dill Bean Salad

1 19-oz. can white kidney beans

1 teaspoon snipped fresh dillweed or 2 teaspoons dried

2 stalks celery, chopped fine

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 stalks scallion, sliced fine, use green too

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup good olive oil

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Drain the beans and rinse lightly. In a large mixing bowl, combine everything but the beans and whisk well to emulsify. Add the beans to this and toss to coat with the dressing. Serve at room temperature or chill.

Notes & Tips

oBeans are a great source of protein and fiber. They are very versatile and can be used with – or in place of – rice, potatoes, pasta or other grain foods.

oI keep a to-do list as many people do. It helps me to prioritize and to do the hardest items first. Then I can section off the rest by what I have to do, and what I want to do. By doing the hardest things first, the rest comes easier and more gets done.

oNext time you make a chili, try using a variety of bean types ? three or more. For example: kidney, pinto and white northern or pink adobe, navy pea and black beans.

oGood e-mail quotes

“My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.” Erma Bombeck.

“My mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, ‘Mom, they weren’t trying to teach you how to swim.’” Paula Poundstone

“As we slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.” Aho.