Cool Beans; The Ultimate Guide to Cooking With the World's Most Versatile Plant-

From the James Beard Award-winning food writer who is also the food and dining editor of the Washington Post comes this imaginative and attractive collection of bean dishes. It features familiar stalwarts such as chickpeas, lentils, and  red beans and also happily, confidently introduces you to the likes of ayocote beans, lady cream peas, and a range of other legumes from around the world. Rest assured, though: for almost any dish that calls for something unusual, the author suggest familiar substitutions Yonan has wide-ranging tastes. He clearly knows and respects the traditions from which he borrows, but he's bringing his own creativity to the dishes he presents. Cool Beans will definitely not feel familiar to long-time bean cooks. For instance, a corn-and chickpea hummus topped with spicy corn relish; winter salad of cranberry beans, acorn squash, wild rice, and pomegrante; Nigerian stewed black-eyed peas with plantains. There are even bean desserts, such as a coconut cream bean pie; cardamom, lime, and white bean bundt cake; and red bean ice cream. If you're a bean person, this one's for you. Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.