The Little Bean Book

from the foreword:
My own style of cooking has been greatly influenced by having lived as a child in seven southeastern states. Most of the time our family was blessed with a cook in the kitchen, so I had firsthand knowledge of Cajun food in Louisiana, the Tex-Mex of Oklahoma and Texas, and the wonderful creamy flavors of the Deep South. In later years I have experienced food from my travels across the United States and Europe. A few years ago I began to enter cooking competitions and have been fortunate to have cooked in five national events. Creating original recipes is an adventure in itself, This involvement and interest in food finally evolved to this book. But why the bean book? When a high cholesterol count led me to a change in diet, I became interested in this wonder food, the bean. After three months of menus filled with oats and beans, my count dropped to a safe level and I became a real believer in this nutritional sleeping giant! It is truly the food of the '90s because of its remarkable health benefits. I hope this collection of bean recipes will encourage you to include beans on your shopping list as often as you do potatoes.