Bean... beans... good for your heart.. the more you eat...

I have to admit… before LDL, we ate beans, but not nearly enough of them. I really didn’t know how to cook them…so when I bought them, I bought them canned.

We ate lots of green beans, and the only kind I would buy were the “refried” kind in the can and black beans… OH… and we liked three bean salad in the huge jar at Costco.

When I started LDL, {Let’s Do Lunch) I noticed the amount of beans eaten were pretty high… I was intrigued, so I started researching them… HOLY COW!!! I’ve really been missing out! They are a real powerhouse of nutrients… fiber…protein, minerals and just about everything else!!! I mean.. I knew this… but it never REALLY sank in…

Now? I’m a total Bean Conniseur. I’ve graduated from cans of beans, to bags of beans… lots and lots and lots of beans… {nothing wrong with canned… they just take up a lot of room, and there are more varietys of dry beans} I don’t think there is one recipe I don’t add them to at least twice a day. I have one pot dedicated to making beans… My Mom can’t believe it.

Every soup contains beans… every stirfry I make… has beans… when a recipe calls for Milk or cream… I just puree up some beans and it “liquor” and an instant creamy texture is done… without added fat, and with TONS of fiber. I even add puree’d beans to my burgers and meatballs now…

I made homemade refried beans the other day… and HOLY COW… were they superior to that canned stuff I used to buy… my boys DEVOURED them as SNACKS!!!

My favorite method for cooking a plain pot of beans… came with a lot of trial and error…

Here goes my way…

1 bag of beans

1 large stock pot

water

1 bowl more water

Sort beans and discard rocks and inferior beans place in large bowl and SOAK OVERNIGHT with tap water, about 4 inches above the beans
The next day, drain the water (most of the gas producing elements should go right down the drain with the water)and place them into the stock pot, and cover with more water to cover 3 inches over, ADD A PINCH OF BAKING SODA (if you live in CA and have hard water like I do) (the baking soda softens the water and helps the bean shells to soften)

DO NOT ADD SALT… JUST KEEP IT WATER AND BEANS…

Cook on high until a good boil comes, then reduce to a simmer, put the cover on loosely, and cook for about 1-2 hours, checking for doneness after 1 hour.

When they are done, I put them into Lock and Lock with it’s “liquor” (juice) and let it come to room temperature, them put the lid on, and refrigerate until I’m ready to use them.

I make 2 lbs at a time so they last all week… I don’t add salt so I can control the salt for each dish I add them to.

Eat your beans… they are great for lowering cholesterol, adding fiber, protein rich…and they TASTE REALLY GOOD!

Enjoy!