I buy canned black beans, drain and rinse them and add them to salads with corn, tomato and red pepper to make a nice Santa Fe type salad.
I like canned garbanzo beans on salads. I've also seen some recipes here where you take canned garbanzo beans and toss them with some spices and then bake them for a snack.
I add navy beans or kidney beans to soups.
I make my own refried beans (lower in fat than canned).
I put beans in my ww tortillas for a great burrito (sometimes I even leave out the meat!)
I just made chili with organic kidney beans and buffalo sirloin roast.
I also love Amy's Kitchen ready made soups: Lentil, Split pea.
Make a 3 bean salad skip the sugar.
1. Chickpeas. I like to make home-made hummus with 2 cans of chickpeas, drain and reserve the liquid. Put in food processor with a package of sun dried tomatoes, a little lemon juice, garlic (whatever else you want). Slowly blend and add the reserved liquid until the desired consistency. A little heart healthy olive oil can be good too. They are also good roasted.
2. Sugar snap peas. Delicious. Raw, in stir fries, I love them.
3. Soup. I make a fabulous chickpea, spinach, tomato, leek soup. I also make a white bean/kale soup that I really like. PM for recipes, if interested. Chili, lentil soup are good too.
4. Grean beans. I like to roast them in a big pan with other vegetables (tomatoes, onion, garlic, sweet potato, pepper). I add a little stir fry sauce (or lemon juice or whatever I'm in the mood for) and eat it over rice/couscous/quinoa or wrap it on a whole wheat tortilla. They are also great just steamed or added to stir fries or vegetable soups.
5. Black beans. Add them to tons of things. I have a great recipe for black bean, sweet potato, quinoa quesadillas. PM for recipe, if interested.
6. Any bean added to a salad tastes pretty good to me, particularly kidney beans or chickpeas.
I cook a lot of Indian-inspired dishes that incorporate vegetables and beans/lentils. I add them to Mexican-style dishes. I also eat hummus, which uses chickpeas/garbanzo beans as a base.
1. Stretch your taco meat by adding black beans in place of half of the meat. This cuts down on cost (beef is more expensive then beans) and adds fiber.
2. Make hummus! You can do SO many things with hummus and it's so easy to make. A basic recipe would be:
1 clove of garlic
1 can of garbanzo beans (reserve some of the juice)
juice of 1-2 lemons (maybe 3-4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons tahini (I use raw tahini)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Throw all these in a blender or food processer and process until smooth. Use the reserved juice to get the right consistency. Use this as a veggie dip or dip ww pita chips in it. You can even use it as a sandwich spread with some other veggies. The great thing about hummus is you can flavor it however you want. Make roasted red pepper hummus by throwing in some roasted red peppers too! Add extra garlic for a garlic hummus. Seriously, use your imagination with this. It's a great dip!
3. Tuscan Bean and Turkey "Skillet"
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1.5 cups cooked turkey (use a turkey breast or cutlets or even thick cut turkey lunch meat from your deli)
1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/3 cup black olives sliced
2 cans (16 oz.) Great Northern Beans (rinsed and drained)
Throw all ingredients in a large skillet and cook until heated through. The recipe calls this a "skillet" but I mash up the beans and make it more of a thick soup. It's so good and the beans make it very filling. According to the recipe, this serves 4 and is 319 calories.
4. Along the same lines of the hummus, you can use black beans to make a yummy dip. I blend black beans with taco seasoning or cumin and garlic and maybe throw in some cilantro or onion or whatever I have on hand. Some olive oil or water will help to thin it enough to blend into a dip.
5. Black beans as a side dish. Just simmer with garlic and onion and maybe some red or green peppers (chopped small) and this is a great side dish to chicken (kind of like they serve at Chili's restaurant) or any Mexican type meal.
6. Red beans and rice. This is one of my all time favorite meals! Sautee a chopped green pepper, 2 stalks of chopped celery, a small chopped onion (whatever kind you like), and a few cloves of chopped garlic in a small amount of olive oil or cooking spray. Once they start to become tender add in two LARGE cans of kidney beans. I use one dark and one light kidney beans just to get a prettier dish. Throw in some cajun seasoning or chili powder and a shot of hot sauce until it's seasoned to your liking. Simmer 30 minutes or so to let the flavors meld. Or throw this all in the crock pot on low for the day. It's good like this or you can buy a turkey keilbasa sausage and cut it up and throw it in there as well. Serve over brown rice. This can be a sodium nightmare and calorie nightmare (with the rice) if you are not careful but it's so filling that you don't need much at all. Rice and beans will fill you up!
7. Side dish using butter beans (this is a Rachel Ray recipe):
2 cans (15 oz each) butter beans, drained
1 cup tomato sauce
handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
olive oil
salt pepper
In small caserol dish mix beans, tomato sauce, parsley and oregano. Add a touch of olive oil for flavor and salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Bake in 450 degree oven 10-15 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and beans are heated through.
8. Cold side dish. This is one of those just "toss together whatever amounts you want" type sides but use a can of canellini or butter beans. Rinse and drain. Add chopped red onion and chopped green pepper. Maybe add a clove or two of chopped garlic. Toss with a couple teaspoons of olive oil and ground cumin. Serve cold. This is a yummy smokey side dish.
Hope that gives someone some good ideas! These are just some quick ideas off the top of my head!
I ADMIT IT..I'M SCARED OF BEANS!! All I can think of is these mushy blah tasting mush. I have to try some of these though. I just have to try something.
I do, however, love snap peas and snow peas - but I thought these were peas.. not beans
Garbanzo bean salad - Garbanzo beans, maybe some kidney beans, chopped cucumbers, chopped tomatoes, maybe some chopped red onions, a little lemon juice, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. It is pretty good.
Easy beans for dinner - A can of black beans, a can of kidney beans and a can of diced tomatoes. Rinse the beans really well, add the beans and can of tomatoes to a sauce pan. Add a little water but don't cover the beans with water. Add some diced onions and some garlic. Simmer, occassionally stirring, for 20 minutes, let beans dry out a little but don't burn them.
I add beans to more and more recipes. Today I make a chicken and lentil soup...
Black bean salad with cumin dressing recipe (really good in summer!)
2 - 15 1/2-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
150 g (1 cup) frozen corn kernels
130 g Colorful bell peppers: esp orange, yellow, red (more pepper with less tomato)
100 g tomato
30 g (2?) scallions
5-10 g (1/3 cup?) fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Pour the beans into a colander. Pour the frozen corn on top of the beans. Rinse the vegetables with cool tap water. Drain well. Pour the beans and corn into a 3-quart or larger bowl.
Seed and finely dice the bell pepper and add it to the bowl.
Finely chop the scallions, using all of the whites and enough green tops to make 1/2 cup. Add them to the bowl. Using kitchen shears or a knife, chop the cilantro and add it to the bowl.
CUMIN DRESSING:
• 20 g (1/4 cup) fresh lime juice
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2.5 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (could use a bit less, but some will stay in the bowl at the end...)
Whisk together the ingredients of the CUMIN DRESSING. Pour over vegetables and toss well. Best to make a day ahead, cover and refrigerate until next day.
It's a good side salad, but you can also put it in a tortilla - -with or without brown rice!
Here is another recipe that I've done before with garbanzo beans:
Chickpea Broccoli Casserole
3-16 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 onion, quartered and thinly sliced
3 large carrots, grated
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
2 tbsp thinly sliced chives
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I cut up a piece of whole wheat bread)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup vegetable broth (I recommend a good flavorful broth for this)
1 tsp salt (I didn't add salt and it was still good)
Preheat oven to 350.
Mash the chickpeas really good with a masher, I don't think you want complete mush but just slightly mushed chickpeas.
Stir in vegetables, then bread crumbs, then oil. Add the vegetable broth and mix well.
Put in a 9x13 inch casserole dish and press the mixture firmly into the dish. Bake for 45 minutes covered with foil. Bake 15 minutes uncovered. And then you have a delicious and healthy casserole
Cannellini = white kidney beans. Italians use them a lot. Here is a versatile recipe for them. You can also use them to do a white chili, with chicken instead of beef or turkey.
pasta e fagioli
small shell noodles
broccoli, COOKED
olive oil, small amt!
garlic
1 can white kidney beans, drained & rinsed off
parmesan cheese, just a touch!
Cook noodles like it says to on directions. Meanwhile, put olive oil in a skillet/frying pan & add a clove or two of garlic. (smash it on the counter with your knife & peel off skin & add to pan like that.) Let it brown nicely, then fish it back out. Or if you want to be fancy, buy the garlic infused olive oil. At this point, add broccoli and beans to oil & saute for a bit (about 5 min, you want them to be warmed through). Then add hot drained pasta. Stir so everything is coated nicely.
Meat-eaters can add a can of tuna to this recipe. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan & cracked black pepper to taste.
Alternative if you do not like broccoli, substitute a can of diced tomatoes & their juices. (I always get the salt free kind) I don't think I would do tomatoes & tuna though.
Last edited by SuchAPrettyFace; 02-02-2007 at 02:51 PM.
Reason: edited for content. formatted to fit your screen. :p
Beans are such a staple at my house. You can't beat the price! Lots of protein and fiber, too. Great meat substitute, which helps the arteries and pocketbook!
I add chickpeas to soups. I picked up stuff for chicken noodle soup today, and there will be chickpeas involved.
I second black beans....great with ground turkey and some salsa with a small sprinkling of cheese and tons of lettuce, tomato, onions, small amts of olives, avocado and low-fat sour cream.
Pinto beans...in a bowl with an over-easy egg on top and some red or green chile....mmmmmmm.....in green chile chicken stew....if I have some beans I have a meal!
OMG ladies... these recipes have me drooling all over myself! I've been in the mood for beans in the past few days but didn't want to eat them straight out of the can Thanks so much for the ideas! This is a great thread.
Beans..what to do with them and how to incorporate them in your diet
Thanks so much for the ideas! This is a great thread.
