They are healthy, nutrition-packed, and can be the building blocks to some pretty delicious, yet hearty meals. There is perhaps no food quite so convenient, versatile, and humble--finding a home in even the tightest of food budgets. What is this miracle food of which we speak? Beans! They come in so many different varieties, and the meal possibilities are endless. A kitchen without beans is like a day without sunshine. Beans are versatile, delicious, nutritious, and they add an endless array of recipe possibilities to meals, snacks, and desserts. I use them all the time in my everyday cooking, and so does Joe Yonan, author of the new cookbook, Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein. If you've been cooking more and more and more these days at home, then you'll love the recipes, kitchen wisdom, and cooking advice from Joe Yonan. He's the Food and Dining Editor for The Washington Post, and as you'll discover on this week's show, he's also the master of cool bean cookery. Oh, and wait till you hear about his recipe for Harissa Roasted Carrots and White Bean Dip and Julia's Deep, Dark Chocolate Mousse. Let’s get cooking with Joe! Show Highlights: Get to know Joe better How Joe became interested in food shopping and meal prep at eight years of age How the coronavirus crisis has affected the restaurant industry and food journalism The new website geared to novice cooks with recipes, tips, and guidance for beginning cooks: Voraciously The silver lining to the pandemic: more people are interested in cooking at home, and family dinners have made a comeback How Joe became fascinated by beans as a vegetarian for the past eight years Benefits of beans: incredible nutrition, packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, versatile, shelf-stable, and affordable How beans are a common denominator in “blue zones,” places across the globe where people live longer than average Benefits of dried beans over canned: they are cheap and include many different varieties that aren’t canned; also, you have more control in the cooking process and texture and have the cooking liquid that can be added to dishes for extra flavor Joe’s rules for cooking dried beans and his take on the “to soak or not to soak” question How kombu (dried seaweed) helps digest beans to reduce flatulence and soften the beans Joe’s favorite recipe in Cool Beans, Lalo’s Cacahuate Beans Joe’s recipe for Harissa Roasted Carrot and White Bean Dip, which uses harissa (a North African chili paste); toss the carrots with harissa and roast them at high heat (chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be substituted) and puree them with a can of white beans with mint and lemon juice Where Joe’s inspiration for recipes comes from The adaptability of beans in many recipes, since they are a vegetable AND a protein that’s starchy Gateway recipes for beans include hummus, chili, and purees to use in soups and pasta Joe’s recipes for Julia’s Deep, Dark Chocolate Mousse and Black Bean Brownies   Resources: Photos by Aubrie Pick, food styling by Lillian Kang, courtesy Ten Speed Press.  Joe Yonan Food and Dining Editor, The Washington Post Cool Beans: The Ultimate Guide to Cooking With the World's Most Versatile Plant-Based Protein is out NOW from Ten Speed Press. Find Joe on social media! Instagram Twitter Facebook Read more on my website!