It's time beans got their due credit! Not only are they rich in fiber and protein, but are a low glycemic food that provides an array of minerals and phytonutrients as well.

The vast family of legumes - a class of vegetables which contain edible seeds inside pods that grow after the plant flowers- beans - includes aduki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, garbanzo beans, great northerns, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, peanuts, green beans, green peas, pinto beans, soybeans, and many others.

See individual beans for more information.

Dried beans must usually be soaked in water for several hours or overnight to rehydrate them before cooking. Beans labeled "quick-cooking" have been presoaked and redried before packaging; they require no presoaking and take considerably less time to prepare. The texture of these "quick" beans, however, is not as firm to the bite as regular dried beans. Store dried beans in an airtight container for up to a year.