Dried Chick Peas

i have been scared of dried beans since forever, there's all that soaking and waiting and planning ahead and waiting, i didn't want to deal with it at all!  i looked on the interwebs and found this: speed soaking method  (thank you frugal living nw!)

I don't have a picture of the beans before soaking but i have many of them after.  I really liked the speed soaking, the beans were ready to eat in about 2 1/2 hours or so; there was some waiting but it was ok, i was making red sauce anyways!  This was not intimidating at all and super simple, i don't think i ever want to soak beans overnight.  i have read complaints about the beans being to hard or tough but i like that bite to my bean, the canned ones are so mushy and have no flavor, i will not buy canned beans again!! it's dried all the way and the speed soaking method!  i have many things in my brain about what i want to do with these beans: hummus, falafel, chana masala, so many many things... oh man, i do have like 2 pounds of cooked beans to work with. it looks like it's gonna be a beanie week!

1. Sort 2-3 cups of beans on a rimmed baking sheet and rinse the beans in the cold water.
2. I didn’t want to soak these overnight so I switched to the Speed Soaking Method. Brilliant.You can do this with any bean to speed up the soaking time. Here’s how it works: Place the beans in a pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the beans soak in the warm water for 1 hour. Drain the water and rinse the beans.
3. Dump the beans back in the pot and cover with several inches of cold water. Bring the water to a boil. Let simmer on medium heat, covered, for an hour or until tender.
4. Remove from the heat and stir in salt, if desired. Let the beans cool in the water, absorbing the salt as they cool.
5. After half an hour or so, drain the beans and cool completely.  Use them immediately or store in the fridge for several days, the freezer for several months.