Cooking beans: Black-eyed peas, lima beans, small white/navy beans and aduki beans can be cooked together with rice in the same pot since they have similar cooking times. Just add more water.

Pressure cooking reduces the time to about one half of the above, but be careful not to cook lentils and split peas in a pressure cooker since they may clog the escape valve and cause the pressure cooker to explode.

Always salt your beans at the end, about 10 minutes before they are done. This is important since adding salt at the beginning will cause the beans to remain tough. If you prefer not to use salt, remember that beans cooked with no salt at all tend to disintegrate. This may be okay for soups and stews, but not if you are making a bean salad.

Beans, like grains, can be slow cooked in an oven or crockpot. Place beans and water (add additional cup of water per additional cup of beans) in ovenproof bean pot or casserole dish. Put covered dish in oven and cook overnight or all Day at low setting, 200°–220°. The beans will be more tasty, tender, and thicker than if you use the quicker cooking method.

For more flavorful, spicy beans, cook with lightly sautéed onion and garlic. Dice a large onion and a few cloves of garlic and lightly sauté with 2 teaspoons of canola or other light oil in the cooking pot. Add 2 cups of beans and about 6 cups of water, and simmer until the beans are tender. Optionally, to avoid the oil sauté, just add all the ingredients to the pot and cook.

To enhance and vary the flavor of beans, a variety of herbs and spices can be added to the cooking pot at the start or midway. If beginning with 2 cups of beans, try one or more of the following at your inspiration and taste:

Cleaning vegetables: If you buy your root vegetables, such as carrots, radishes, turnips, etc. from organic sources there is no need to peel them; just scrub them with a stiff brush. Vegetables from commercial sources most of the time have been treated with chemical pesticides and waxed and therefore need peeling.

To peel tomatoes, drop them in boiling water for 10–15 seconds. Allow to cool and the skin will come off very easily.

To peel garlic, place your knife flat on the garlic clove and whack with your other hand. The covering will burst open and the clove can be easily removed.

For leafy greens, cut off the root end and plunge into a sink full of cold water. Swirl around a few times and let sit for awhile. The sand, dirt, and other debris will settle to the bottom, and the leaves will float to the top and can be removed. Repeat the procedure if the greens such as spinach are very dirty.

Some tips about fish: When buying a whole fish, make sure it has firm flesh, red gills, and bright eyes. Steaks or fillets should be moist and not flaky. Also it is a good idea to get your fish from a dependable source, not a supermarket, since it is often dipped in a solution of nitrites and nitrates to cover up any smell. Also many stores use paper that is saturated with chemicals to lay the fish on so as to preserve the color. Before cooking it is best to rinse the fish under cold running water. Also do not use a wooden cutting board for chopping up fish or meat, since the wood absorbs the juices and becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.

Seasoning: By seasoning I don't mean just salt, even if that is a very important ingredient. I like to use sea salt, which is free of additives, and use it only in cooking, not at the table.