Though kale, quinoa and chia may be the most buzzed-about super foods, there’s another secret (and inexpensive) item you’re probably not cooking with enough: Beans. A longtime staple of many cuisines worldwide, beans are a nutritional powerhouse that can — and should! — find a way into your weeknight meals.
Take a look what our conversation with the registered dietician Vandana Sheth uncovered about BEANS!
What Makes Beans So Healthy?
Loaded with fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium and folic acid, beans play a pivotal role in a healthy diet, with one cup of cooked beans providing approximately 14 to 18 grams of protein, said Vandana Sheth, a CDE, registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Beans are also rich in lignans (a group of chemical compounds found in plants) which are known to play an important role in helping with heart disease, osteoporosis and preventing some types of cancers. While all beans are nutritious, Sheth’s top picks include garbanzo, black and kidney beans.
Want to learn more about the Beans?
Please Read On & RETWEET!
Beans add #fiber & #protein to your daily #diet. Check Out Several #Recipes 4 Your Taste Buds http://t.co/QLko5wuMf7 pic.twitter.com/jcrozEOaOJ
— Celebrate Woman (@DiscoverSelf) June 29, 2015
How to Cook with Beans
Dried beans can be purchased in bulk bins from your local grocery store then soaked in water overnight and prepared on the stovetop in a pot, in a pressure cooker or on a slow cooker (Sheth prefers using her pressure cooker, as it speeds up the process).
You can also cook with canned beans by simply draining and rinsing the beans before cooking. To make things easy, consider preparing a large batch of cooked beans then varying the ways you use them.
“Cooked garbanzo beans can be made into hummus, added to a soup, or tossed with herbs and vegetables in a salad,” Sheth says. “You can also make garbanzo bean burgers.”
Ideas for Cooking with Beans
Beans can be enjoyed in a variety of ways and can easily be incorporated into your diet. Use beans whole in salads, soups or casseroles; puree them into dips, such as hummus, or spreads for wraps and sandwiches. Even combining them with your favorite Tomato Sauce to create a plethora of delicious chili recipes and sauces!
Sheth’s favorite bean-centered recipes include vegetarian chili, bean burgers and bean burritos — all completely different from each other with one central ingredient!
Here are some more of our favorites we tested and tried. Yumm!
- Two-Bean Vegetable Chili — this easy chili uses canned beans and Diced Tomatoes with Sweet Onion as a base for an easy, and hearty, dinner.
- Southwestern Breakfast Burritos — combine black beans, Petite Diced Tomatoes and cilantro with scrambled eggs and cheese for a breakfast wrap with a kick.
- Stuffed Peppers — use a large bell pepper in lieu of a tortilla and fill it with your favorite burrito ingredients, like beans, brown rice, corn and Tomato Sauce.
- White Bean Minestrone Soup — this recipe uses white beans, kale and pasta as ingredients for a classic and comforting soup in just 30-minutes.
18 thoughts on “Add Beans Into Food Recipes! Fiber, Protein and More.”
We love beans at our home.Beans are not only healthy but also make a great delicious dish.I cook from curries to snacks using different beans!
That looks sooo yummm… I wanna have it right away 😀
Looks yum! My other half has started adding beans to a few dishes and I must say I love them now. I used to hate beans coz we had lots of them at boarding school, lol. Thanks for this post!
I recently soaked some beans and then made a veggie and rice mixture with them. I still have it as it has lasted quite a long time! And I still have more beans to soak. They are definitely great to cook with. Thanks for the ideas.
I cook with beans all of the time. Being a vegetarian they are one of my major sources for protein, for sure. 🙂
We often add beans to our meals and it really does add good proteins and make it more filling. I love chickpeas and butter beans the most.
Those are some great recipes and great ways to incorporate more beans into your diet. I really need to eat some more beans I am sure.
Coincidentally, I came across this post while eating my dinner with boiled beans and salad 🙂 I’ll tell my mom about these dishes – she really needs to change the menu, I’m so sick of boiled beans! Thanks for recommendation!
I came across your post just at the right time – I’ve just been thinking about some new veggie dinners and ways to use beans now autumn is coming. There are some great ideas here – thanks!
We eat a ton of chili and other recipes to include them. Like you said lots of extra protein & fiber!
We eat a lot of beans here. I should say I cook a lot of beans here. I have gotten better at it the last couple years. I make them in main dishes as well as hide them in dessert.
beans are so good and filling! for someone like me who has a busy schedule, beans keep me fueled up throughout the day! http://www.crayonized.com
I never though of beans to be honest. My meals aren’t really elaborate. My lunch box for work is always filled with pasta and sauce but I could switch for some veggies and beans! thanks for sharing
Beans are always a good add-on! I love the recipe ideas! Vegetable chili & soup sounds terrific!! 🙂
I love adding beans to dishes too! It’s such a healthy and inexpensive item to include. Your recipes look and sound amazing! I’m going to try the Southwest Breakfast Burritos first. 🙂 I think my husband and kids will LOVE them!
I love all kinds of beans! Since we have been doing “whole foods” I almost always have beans soaking. I add them to a lot of dishes I never thought would go with beans—turns out the go with almost everything
I really like eating beans. Great to know you can use them in recipes.
I love beans. I’ve never thought of putting beans in anything. I’ve just always ate them as beans.