I'm bored. Bored, bored, bored. I came very close to eating an enchilada the other day, that is how bored I am. Dogs and cats are happy eating the same things every day. Their little digestive systems get upset if you change up their food all the time. Humans are different. We like variety. Without variety, depression sets in, then you eat an enchilada and that's all she wrote. So, what do we do about boredom? We find something new!
Beans. Do they have carbs? Yes... BUT they are really high in fiber (13g per cup - which can be very beneficial for someone who is eating a high protein diet), high in protein (15g per cup), are naturally low in fat and packed with beneficial healthy stuff like antioxidants, folic acid, vitamin B6, potassium and magnesium. (Prevention.com). Even though they are higher in carbohydrates than the other more common sources of low fat protein, beans are not a bad thing when eaten in moderation. And they help keep me sane in terms of varying my food intake so I don't succumb to boredom (read: eat enchiladas).
Canned beans are supposedly as good for you as dried beans. Granted, they are convenient because they don't need to be soaked and cooked for a long time to make them edible... but, most brands add a lot of salt (I am now a rabid label reader) and I am sorry but the mucous-y looking goo in the can is not appetizing. They can be rinsed and all that but it is also rinsing away some of the nutritional value. My new habit is to prepare a 1lb bag every week, which lasts me all week. That way I only need to go through the whole soaking and cooking thing once a week.
The cooked beans are delicious in all kinds of ways... I mix them with cooked turkey meat and serve over shredded cabbage with pico de gallo for taco salad. I add a scoop to soups or stews for flavor, protein and texture. Sometimes for breakfast I heat up a small bowl of it, add some chipotle sauce and a little shredded 2% cheese and serve with an over-easy fried egg on top. Mmm, breakfasty goodness. If you're concerned about gas, either take some Beano before you eat or chew a couple of Papaya enzyme pills afterward. Works like a charm. Believe me, I had to learn the hard way. No one needs that, even for the superior health benefits of beans.
My recipe was derived from the one posted by Rancho Gordo, an excellent source for dried heirloom beans (Rancho Gordo New World Specialty Foods).
Beans, Delicious Beans
1 lb. dried beans (pinto, kidney, black or almost any other variety)
Chicken stock - low sodium or homemade (amount varies)
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, de-ribbed, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
Spice of choice (optional)
Pour the bag of beans into a sieve or colander. Rinse well and pick through the beans in case there are any small pebbles or other foreign matter that doesn't belong. Pour the rinsed beans into a large bowl. Cover with chicken stock until the stock covers the beans by 1 inch. Cover, put in the refrigerator and leave 4-6 hours or overnight.
Next day, in a large soup pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat until a bead of water skips across the surface and the oil shimmers. Start to saute the vegetables... onions first until they start to get translucent, adding each vegetable one at a time until all are incorporated. Finally, add the minced garlic and toss with the vegetables until you can start to smell the garlic aroma.
Pour in the beans AND the chicken stock to the vegetables. Conventional wisdom used to say to discard the soaking liquid but now the thought is that we might be discarding some of the nutrient value down the drain. That is why the beans are thoroughly rinsed and picked through before the soaking process begins. Add more stock to ensure that the beans and vegetables are still covered by about an inch of liquid. Bring the beans to a boil then cover and put on the lowest temperature possible while still maintaining a simmer for at least 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste or any other seasoning like cumin or curry powder. Test the beans at that point and add more stock if it seems low. Beans should be slightly soupy as they will continue to absorb liquid. Continue cooking at the low simmer until you deem them perfect.
I also add sauteed greens, more sauteed vegetables and experiment with different spices to keep the flavors interesting. Black beans take really well to Mexican type spices, cannellini are especially good with Italian spices and lots of garlic. They can be left whole, partially mashed or creamed completely for a satisfying vegetable dip. Beans help keep those boredom blues away.
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