Everyone talks about beans being a great value source of protein, but not everyone knows how to get them on the table easily. In this podcast, we asked nutritionist and natural foods chef Alana Sugar to demystify the process of cooking dried beans. Listen in to find out how and if you want more details, check out our Beans 101.  Once your beans are cooked, you can freeze them and use in any recipe calling for canned beans. Here are a few of our favorite bean-based recipes. What are yours?

• Refried Beans with Roasted Salsa and Monterey Jack
• Bread Salad with Pinto Beans and Queso Fresco
• White Bean Soup