Showing posts with label beans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beans. Show all posts
Friday, March 13, 2015
Recipe for Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms Balsamic and Parmesan
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| Roasting brings out amazing flavors in fresh green beans and mushrooms! |
(Todays pick for A Month of Daily Phase One Recipes is these delicious Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan. You might think of green beans as a summertime vegetable, but I first made these in January 2009, and since then this has become the most-pinned recipe from my blog on Pinterest. Apparently a lot of people like green beans! And these beans are so delicious, you won't even think about Phase One while you're eating them.)
Back in the days when most of my exposure to green beans meant the ones that came from a can, I wasn't too much of a green bean fan. Then Costco started carrying these lovely thin French beans, and I fell in love with green beans. They're expensive compared to most vegetables, so this is definitely something to make for a special dinner at my house, although the day I roasted the beans for this recipe I ate a big plate of green beans for lunch!
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Thursday, March 12, 2015
Slow Cooker Vegan Brown Rice Mexican Bowl with Black Beans Bell Peppers and Poblano Avocado Salsa
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| Slow Cooker Brown Rice Mexican Bowls have a vibrant combination of flavors, with just enough spicy heat to keep it interesting! |
I don't remember my mother cooking black beans when I was a kid, but sometime after I left home she must have started using them, because they became my father's favorite type of bean, and any dish that had black beans was something he would enjoy. I was thinking about that as I missed him on Father's day, and remembered all the black bean salads I made for him the last few years of his life when he was in an assisted living center where I'd visit twice a week and cook lunch. My dad could be a picky customer when it came to trying new dishes, and I doubt he ever heard of vegan food, but I'm betting he would have enjoyed these Slow Cooker Vegan Brown Rice Mexican Bowls with Black Beans, Bell Peppers, and Poblano-Avocado Salsa, if only because of the black beans, rice and avocados; three foods he always loved. Using the slow cooker to cook the rice and then heat together the chopped peppers, green chiles, and black beans kept the house cool, and I thought one of these Mexican bowls made a perfect Slow Cooker Summer Dinner.
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Julienned Zucchini Vegan Mexican Bowl with Black Beans Avocado Tomato Poblano and Lime
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| This Vegan Mexican Bowl with barely-cooked zucchini is perfect when it's really too hot to cook. |
In Utah it's expected to hit 104F this week, and it seems likely we're going to set a record this summer for the most days above 100F. I hear some people lose their appetite when the weather is extra hot, but that never happens to me; in fact when summer produce is abundant I'm always thinking up new ways to use it. My latest experiment was this Julienned Zucchini Vegan Mexican Bowl with Black Beans, Avocado, Tomato, Poblano, and Lime, and the fact that the only cooking involved was 2-3 minutes to quickly saute the julienned zucchini made this a great hot-weather dish. If you like zucchini and you're looking for a light summer meal where you don't need to heat up the kitchen, I bet you might enjoy this as much as I did.
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Saturday, March 7, 2015
Anasazi Beans With Kombu How To Make Beans More Digestible And Nutritious!
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| Beans are the perfect substitute for meat and very important in vegetarian and vegan diets. Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK ! |
The Importance of Beans
Beans are an essential food in anyones diet but they are particularly important to those who consume little or no animal products. They are truly nutritional powerhouses and are:
* High in protein, dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates
* Low in calories, fat, sodium and are free of cholesterol
* Rich in vitamins and minerals
* A very inexpensive, nutrient dense food source
Just One Cup of Beans
For example, lets take pinto beans. They are easy to find and very inexpensive.
One cup of cooked pinto beans is only 245 calories and 1 gram of fat yet it provides:
* 15 g or 31% of the daily value (DV) of protein.
* 15 g or 62% DV of dietary fiber.
* At least 20% DV of Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium and 39% Manganese.
* 74% DV of Folate and at least 20% DV of Thiamin and Vitamin B6
* Provides over 200 mg of omega-3 fatty acid.
Lots of Variety
There are many varieties to choose from. Here are a few to try:
Aduki Bean - commonly eaten in Asian cuisine.
Anasazi Bean - unhybridized and indigenous to North America.
Black Bean or Turtle Bean - native to Mexico.
Black-eyed peas - also known as cowpeas and used in Southern cuisine.
Pink Bean - used in Hispanic and American Indian cultures.
Fava Bean - also known as broad bean, these have become more popular in North American cuisine.
Garbanzo Bean or Chickpea - a very versatile bean used in many different types of cuisine.
Great Northern, Cannellini and Navy Beans - types of white beans.
Kidney Beans - found as red or white kidney beans.
Lentils - come in many colors and sizes and eaten all over the world. They cook faster than other beans.
Lima Bean - Also known as "butter beans", they are a favorite in South America.
Soy Bean - also eaten as tofu, tempeh and miso. Very high in protein.
Adjusting to Beans
Some people have a problem digesting beans, especially if they arent used to eating them and they currently are on a highly processed, low fiber diet. Beans should be introduced to the diet gradually as consuming too many, too quickly can cause gas and intestinal problems. Gas is caused by indigestible sugars (oligosaccharides) contained on their outer coating. But there are things you can do when preparing the beans that will make them more digestible.
Techniques to Improve Texture and Digestibility of Beans
1. Slow soak - Cover the beans with water and soak for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Change the water once or twice if possible. Soaking helps eliminate the indigestible sugars that cause gas as well as the phytates that bind with important minerals making them unavailable. By rehydrating the beans, they will also cook more evenly and not split open. Soaked beans also cook much faster retaining more of their nutrient value.
2. Boil the first 20 minutes - When you start to cook the beans, boil uncovered for the first 15 to 20 minutes, scooping off and discarding any foam.
3. Add a strip of Kombu to the pot while cooking.
Kombu is a sea vegetable that expedites cooking, improves digestibility of the beans and reduces issues with gas. It also adds iodine, a very critical mineral that is lacking in our diets. Kombu also reduces the need for salt.
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| 1 gram of kombu provides 2,353 micrograms of iodine! |
4. Cook with herbs like cumin or fennel. Mexicans also use "epazote" or "wormseed leaf" while cooking to reduce gas in beans.
Anasazi Beans
I love anasazis. They are also known as "New Mexico cave beans" after being discovered in a cave once inhabited by Native Americans. This beautiful and colorful unhybridized bean has been cultivated for more than 1,000 years. They are sweet and contain far less of the gas-causing sugars than other beans. I made them for lunch yesterday and they were wonderful.
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| Anasazi beans are sweet, have a delicate texture and cook much faster than most other beans. 1/4 cup Bobs Red mills dry Anasazi beans (~2/3 cup) provides: 150 calories 0.5 g fat zero cholesterol and saturated fat 27 g complex carbohydrates 9 grams dietary fiber 10 g protein |
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 2 1/2 cups cooked beans]
1 cup anasazi beans
water
4 inch strip kombu
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
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| Place rehydrated beans in a Dutch oven with 4 cups of water and a strip of kombu. |
Sort through the beans removing clumps of dirt. Rinse well under cold water.
Place beans in a large pot and cover with 4 cups of water.
Soak for 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Change soak water once or twice if possible.
Rinse again and cover with 4 cups of water and a 4 inch strip of kombu.
Bring to a low boil and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
Remove foam that forms on top of water.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are almost done (1 hour more or less).
Add cumin and salt to taste and cook an additional 15 minutes or until beans reach desired texture.
Remove kombu, slice into thin pieces and return to pot.
Drain or cook off excess water and serve or use in any recipe that calls for cooked beans.
For a simple and satisfying meat free meal, serve over rice with a side of your favorite greens.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Garden Fresh Green Beans with Garlic Lemon and Dill
Bush beans are prolific and do not require a trellis.
Fresh dill is easy to grow.
I planted bush beans this year instead of pole beans and Im really surprised just how many beautiful, large beans come from each little plant. So many, in fact, that I really need to come up with some clever ways to prepare them. Ive never really liked to can beans since canning makes them lose their snap and frozen beans just dont compare to fresh. So I guess well have to eat them all!
Heres my favorite way to prepare green beans. Its quick and easy and a perfect dish for entertaining since it can be served at room temperature. This dish can be made an hour or so before a meal and you dont have to worry about warming it. Im lucky to have almost all of these ingredients from my garden - beans, dill, garlic and lemons.
Green beans are great in any weight loss program. They are low in calories, high in fiber and are a very good source of vitamin A (through its content of beta-carotene), C, K, folate, iron, potassium and manganese. Green beans are also a good source of protein, the B vitamins Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2) and Niacin (B3) as well as important minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and copper. With its vitamin and mineral content, especially that of calcium and iron, its an important vegetable for vegans and vegetarians. It is even a good vegetarian source of omega 3 fatty acids.
As a vegan or vegetarian main dish, serve over brown rice. These green beans also make a great ingredient when building a vegetarian antipasto (see my June 22, 2009 post). They make a great side dish, especially when paired with omega 3 rich grilled salmon.
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Fresh Green Beans with Garlic, Lemon and Dill [serves 6]
4 cups whole green beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan or sea salt (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon dried or 1/4 teaspoon fresh dill (more or less to taste)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper
Steam green beans until fork tender (do not over cook). Mix together olive oil, salt, dill, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour over cooked green beans and gently toss. Top with freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Per serving: 43.5 calories, 2.3 g fat, .3 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 1.3 g protein, 5.7 g carbohydrates, 2.7 g fiber, 44 mg omega 3 and 236 g of omega 6 fatty acids.
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