Cool Beans

Unlock the possibilities of beans, chickpeas, lentils, pulses, and more with 125 fresh, modern recipes for globally inspired vegetarian mains, snacks, soups, and desserts, from a James Beard Award-winning food writer

“This is the bean bible we need.”—Bon Appétit 

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Food Network • NPR • Forbes • Smithsonian Magazine • Wired

After being overlooked for too long in the culinary world, beans are emerging for what they truly are: a delicious, versatile, and environmentally friendly protein. In fact, with a little ingenuity, this nutritious and hearty staple is guaranteed to liven up your kitchen.

Joe Yonan, food editor of the Washington Post,provides a master base recipe for cooking any sort of bean in any sort of appliance—Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop—as well as creative recipes for using beans in daily life, from Harissa-Roasted Carrot and White Bean Dip to Crunchy Spiced Chickpeas to Smoky Black Bean and Plantain Chili. Drawing on the culinary traditions of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Africa, South America, Asia, and the American South, and with beautiful photography throughout, this book has recipes for everyone. With fresh flavors, vibrant spices, and clever techniques, Yonan shows how beans can make for thrillingdinners, lunches, breakfasts—and even desserts!

Joe Yonan is the two-time James Beard Award-winning food and dining editor of The Washington Post. He is the author of Eat Your Vegetables, which was named among the best cookbooks of 2013 by The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, and NPR's Here and Now, and Serve Yourself, which Serious Eats, David Lebovitz, and the San Francisco Chronicle named to their best-of-the-year lists. Joe was a food writer and travel section editor at The Boston Globe before moving to Washington in 2006 to edit the Post's food section. He writes the Post's "Weeknight Vegetarian" column and for five years wrote the "Cooking for One" column, both of which have won honors from the Association of Food Journalists.