Have You Had Beans Lately?

by Susanne M.


Now is the perfect time to give beans and other legumes
another try. They are convenient, inexpensive and provide
your body with plenty of protein. If you're not yet tempted
to put a pot of beans on the stove, keep reading for some
good reasons why cooking with beans, dry peas, and lentils
is a good idea.

They Are Cheap

Here's my favorite reason to cook with beans... it is really
inexpensive to do. I can buy enough beans to cook three
meals for my family for under two dollars. I like to buy
beans at my local costco or a mexican supermarket by the
way. They are usually quite a bit cheaper and I get a larger
variety than what my regular grocery store has to offer.

You really don't need to fix meat for every dinner. Try
replacing one or two meals that you would traditionally
serve meat with hearty bean dishes instead. Some ideas are
to add cooked beans to pasta sauces instead of ground beef
and to make a big pot of chili or bean soup. Of course it's
OK to add a little meat for flavoring. I like to add some
leftover ham to my bean soups and stews for example. Using
less meat each week will save you quite a bit at the grocery
store.

Reason 2 - It's Healthy

One of the big health benefits from eating beans is the fact
that the soluble fiber in them helps the body remove a
certain kind of cholesterol - the one that's bad for your
heart from your body. I guess that's where the old saying
"Beans Beans Good For Your Heart" comes from.

If you are diabetic, you definitely want to make beans a
regular feature on your meal plan since they have shown to
increase the insulin receptor sites in your body. But that's
not the only reason beans are a health super food. These
little legumes have even been shown to prevent cancer.

Reason 3 - It's Yummy

You can make all kinds of different dishes with beans since
they lend themselves to different flavors. You can make
spicy chili dishes or mild beans and rice. Then there's
beans soups that taste almost sweet, smoky black beans with
cumin and exotic dahl dishes made with middle eastern
spices. Add some lentils or beans to your pasta sauce
sometime for a yummy dish that's also good for your waist
line.

My favorite thing to do with leftover beans, lentils or
chick peas is to turn them into a dip. Since they are
already cooked, I just add them along with a little bit of
liquid and some seasonings to my food processor and process
until I have a creamy smooth dip. Serve alongside some
veggies, bread or chips. Even my kids love these dips and I
feel much better giving this to my family than some other
fat-laden dip.

Reason 4 - It's Fast and Simple

Let me explain why I think beans are quick and easy. Yes,
you do have to cook some of them for quite some time (don't
bother with the pre-soaking by the way. They will cook just
fine without), but the good thing is that you don't have to
hang around. Just let them simmer at the back of your stove.
You can also cook them in your slow cooker. I like to start
mine in the morning on low. By dinner time they are nice and
tender and ready to eat.

What makes beans super convenient for me is that I can cook
them in large batches and then freeze them. If I use them
within the next couple of days, I just put them in the
fridge of course. Everything else is frozen for later use.
You don't even have to thaw them, just heat and serve those
beans or use them in your dishes.

If you're not a big bean fan yet, I hope this article has
given you enough reasons to give these versatile veggies
another try. Pick a couple of recipes and try them this
week. I'm sure you'll find a new dish you and your family
will really like.

Two hardy and filling bean dishes are this
(http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/sausagebeanskillet.htm)
sausage and bean skillet and of course everybody's favorite
(http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/chili.htm) homemade
chili.