Jim's Gem

I like to start with dried beans. I soak them over night, sometime longer. So far I have cooked them all up with Garlic and Onion. Depending on the bean, I will also add cilantro, or cumin, definitely need salt but near the end of cooking. Ginger has been added a few times. Sometimes I will make them "Vegan" so I can share them with a couple of friends that have decided to cut all meat out of their diets. Most of the time I add a Smoked Ham Hock to the cooking and then just throw out the Hock and skim off the fat.
Many of them I will just heat up and eat as is. Sometimes I will mix them with salsa. I have a great homemade salsa I make that I LOVE. Sometimes I will also add an avocado with the salsa. Occasionally I will top the beans with some light cheese and heat them up. Garbanzo's are great on salads and you can mix almost any kind of bean into soups. When I make "Stir Fry" I will toss in beans with the veggies and serve them up. A tostada is wonderful with beans, light cheese, onions and bell peppers, salsa or pico de gallo, lettuce, tomatoes. I usually don't eat the tortilla. (Never get a fried shell Tostada)
It is much much cheaper to cook you own beans and then freeze them is small containers. My containers mostly hold about 2 cups. Some hold 4. Right now I have 2 lbs of black eyed peas that I will cook tomorrow. I love Black Eyed Peas!!!!