This is a quick and easy recipe for refried beans that my family loves. At least a couple times a month I get a request to make "Mama's Yummy Beans!"

This piece illustrates my memories of being a kid and interacting with my dad's making of his refried pinto beans. Medium is pen and colored pencil.

Since I can remember, my family has enjoyed black eyed peas and other savory side dishes on New Year's Day to symbolize the good luck and fortune we want to invite into our new year. This illustration depicts our recipe (with a few modern updates) and shows a family enjoying the tradition. As I was finalizing this illustration I found some old stationery my late mother had written some recipes on. It was such a treat to be able to include it in this drawing about family traditions.

Beans Around the World

This is a dish I concocted one evening as I was rummaging through my cupboards fancying something beany with a smoky flavour which would also use up a random carrot and a few tomatoes. I'm always delighted when these dishes turn out well and this one has become a favourite of mine. You can have it with rice, in fajitas or with (my favourite), baked sweet potato. The combination of the smoky beans with the sweetness of sweet potato is a total delight, nom! Happy beaning!

This illustration is about my father-in-law's family recipe of Caribbean kidney beans. These are great as a side dish and have been a great way for me to bond with my in-laws, teaching me how to cook and making me part of the family. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Scarlet Runner Bean Salad is a very typical styrian (Austria) dish.

Beans around the World...Ahoy Matey! This recipe is said to be from the mid 1800’s, from a staple of “Yankee” real cooking, Durgin-Park in Boston, sadly now closed, but I have the recipe from a visit a few years ago. The Best baked beans ever, deep brown, and delicious! The key is, you have to keep them moist over the six hours of baking, adding water slowly, as the recipe says, “you can’t just let the pot sit in the oven’...and don’t flood the beans! You can leave the pork out, I never use it and half the sugar...you won’t be disappointed! A simple & perfect comfort dish on damp, grey days to warm your soul, and hey, they are “Navy” beans after all😝

It’s BEAN in the Family for Generations competition entry by Sara Theuerkauf:

Nothing beats a warm, comforting meal on a cold winter's night. This illustration is inspired by winters spent growing up in Nova Scotia. We had many cold, snowy nights and this simple, flavourful meal was a favourite and one we continue to return to each winter season. We'd slather mom's brown porridge bread with butter and use it to sop up the leftover sauce. The recipe is based on a recipe in the book by Marie Nightingale titled "Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens".

- Sara Theuerkauf

My illustration is aimed at encouraging people to use dry beans in recipes, by presenting the easy method of cooking them. I love the variety of dry beans available, so I've illustrated a few of the different shapes colours and sizes (from adzuki to black eyed peas, from pinto beans to black beans). As many middle eastern recipes use pulses in the cooking I have decorated the page with appropriate patterns and warm terracotta colours.

I'm a fan of the quick soak method for preparing dried beans--usually because I don't plan far enough ahead for the overnight method--so I thought I'd visualize the steps!

A simple and wholesome warming vegan curry. For the I’ve BEAN around the World category of Beans around the World contest. #vegan #curry #kidneybean #afghan #beansaroundtheworld

Sundal is a common evening snack consumed with relish throughout South India.It is made with Garbanzo beans also known as chick peas.It is common man's protein rich diet.This is distributed in places of worship,in beaches where during summer's they are garnished with raw mango pieces to give a tangy effect and during festivals in India.It is easy to make and tastes really yummy!!

AZÚCAR!, as Cuban artist Celia Cruz would sing, is the secret to this Christmas dish I look forward to every holiday. My grandma, and now my mom have been cooking it up for our gatherings for years ever since I could remember. Served over white rice with a side of Yuca, as well as a choice of meat (typically pork from /la caja china/ for my family), the subtle sweetness of these beans paired with the savory notes of the rest of the sides is unlike any other. Full recipe coming to my website, alyssamariag.com, soon; add a little sugar and enjoy!

One of my favorite Korean side dishes or 'ban chan' (반찬) is a big bowl of braised black beans! I don't have a huge tolerance for most spicy foods, so I quickly became attached to the sweet and savory flavor of braised black beans (검은콩조림). This dish is delicious fresh and hot, but it is a secret pleasure to eat them chilled from the refrigerator as a late night snack. Although it is traditionally a side dish exclusively, they can be added to most rice dishes or even as a sweet topper for grilled fish! There are so many ways to enjoy this style of beans.