Beans

What are beans:

Beans are legume vegetables that carry plant protein and fiber. They are versatile and commonly eaten in many different ways.  They are easy to prepare and great to store. There are many different types and uses for them and they provide great nutritional value. 

Nutrition:

They are low in fat and high in fiber, high in protein, rich in vitamins and minerals. To meet the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans it is said we should eat 3 cups of beans each week. It will help our body fight against obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Types:

Black beans, black-eyed peas, cannellini, chick peas, great northern beans, kidney, lima, pinto, and navy.

Storage:

Beans can be stored in many different ways. Dry beans will last the longest and you get more for your money.  They can last 1 or more years in the bag from the store. To store longer, package them in #10 cans with oxygen absorbers. Doing so will allow them to last 30 or more years. 

For more information on this visit. (Usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/dry-beans.org.) Type beans. Grocery stores have canned beans that will last 1 year. Once cooked, beans can also be stored in the freezer. Defrost and use as needed. Pureed beans can also freeze well.

Cooking:

All beans require rinsing, soaking, and cooking.  It is important to do each step to help your body digest them better. The older the bean is, the longer it will require to re-hydrate and cook. If they do not re-hydrate use them for bean flour. Just grind in a wheat grinder. While rinsing, make sure you look for rocks and broken parts to discard. Put beans in a large enough saucepan because the beans will expand 3 times larger.

1 c. of dry beans to 3 c. water.

One 15 oz can= 1 1/2 c. cooked beans

One cup of dry beans = 3 c. cooked beans, drained

1 lb. dry beans=6 c. cooked beans, drained

Follow recommended cooking on the back of the package. Or follow these simple instructions:  http://www.theleangreenbean.com/how-to-cook-and-freeze-beans/

Uses:

Dry beans can be ground into flour to add to baked goods.

Cooked beans can go in many different styles of recipes. 

Puree beans to add to baked goods for extra fiber, and protein. Pureed beans will replace oil and some of the eggs. Using pureed beans, I like to use navy or great northern. They hide in every recipe. You can use pinto or black beans for darker colored recipes such as banana bread or chocolate cake. The pinto beans would hide well in the bread and the black beans would hide in the chocolate cake.

Recipes:

Chickpea Stuffed Shells

18 cooked jumbo pasta shells                                          1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 can(15 oz) garbanzo beans                                            1 small onion

2 egg whites                                                                         1 garlic clove, minced

1 carton (15) oz ricotta cheese                                          1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce

1/2 c minced fresh parsley                                                 1 1/2 c. Mozerella cheese

In food processor, combine beans and egg whites until smooth. Add ricotta, parsley Parmesan cheese, onion, and garlic. Blend. Pour 1 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce in 9x13 greased pan. Stuff the shells with bean mixture and place on top of spaghetti sauce. Once all shells are stuffed, cover with remaining spaghetti sauce. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 min. Sprinkle with cheese and bake an additional 5-10 min until cheese is melted and bubbly.

 Quesadilla Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (8 3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can (4 1/2 ounces) chopped green chiles, undrained

2 teaspoons McCormick® Chili Powder

1 teaspoon McCormick® Cumin, Ground

1 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic, Minced

1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Oregano Leaves

1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Red Pepper, Crushed

6 flour tortillas, (8-inch)

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn and green chiles; mix well. Stir in all of the seasonings. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup of the beef mixture on bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top with 3 of the tortillas, overlapping as needed. Layer with 1/2 of the remaining beef mixture and 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas, beef mixture, and cheese. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Zucchini Brownies

1/4 c. oil

3 c. sugar

4 eggs

1/2 c. black beans, pureed

1/2 c. applesauce

1/2 c. cocoa powder

3 t. vanilla

2 t. salt

3 t. baking soda

2 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. white flour

4 c. zucchini, grated

2 c. melted milk and semi chocolate chips

Mix oil, sugar, eggs, beans, applesauce, cocoa, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. In another bowl, combine flours and baking soda, combine with liquid mixture.  Add zucchini, and melted chocolate chips until combined. Pour in large sprayed cookie sheet till desired thickness. There is usually extra so I put some in a 9x9 pan to bake. Bake 350° 30-40 min.  They are done when a tooth pick comes out clean.

Freezer to Crockpot Mexican Sweet Pork with Beans

It is difficult to photograph the filling in a tortilla - that said, this is so tasty! I cooked up a large pork roast and shredded it as the recipe below describes. I wanted to stretch it and use it for a few meals so I decided to throw some beans in the mix. I am so glad I did. The beans added a nice texture and everyone loved it. 

To prepare this for the freezer, place the pulled pork in a ziplock freezer bag. You need about 4 cups of pork. Add the salsa and brown sugar. Throw in 2 cans of kidney, pinto, or white beans, drained. (You could also cook dry beans and use them. You need about 3 cups.) Label and freeze. To eat, thaw and heat through in the crockpot or microwave. Wrap in a tortilla and add cheese and lettuce. (You can see some purple cabbage and a carrot in the photo because we just used a lettuce salad mix to make it easy.) This recipe was enough for two meals. You can choose to divide it into additional freezer bags before freezing or just know you'll have leftovers or enough to share with company.

Mexican Sweet Pork
This becomes a speedy dinner if you already have pulled pork cooked and frozen in the freezer.
1 pork picnic roast	1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup medium salsa	½ cup chicken broth, optional
Place pork roast in a crockpot and cook on low for 12–15 hours. I usually put the roast in just before going to bed. Test the pork by stabbing it with a fork and twisting. If the meat shreds easily, it is ready. Remove from the crockpot and place on a baking sheet. Using two forks, pull the pork apart and separate out all the visible fat and bone pieces. It pulls apart more easily when it is still warm. Combine 4 cups of the shredded pork with the salsa, and brown sugar. Add a small amount of pork juices or chicken broth if the mixture seems too dry. Return this all to the crockpot. Heat through and serve wrapped in tortillas or top a taco salad with it.

Dried Beans – The How To’s of Preparing, Cooking and Storing

How To Store Dried Beans

Dry beans should be stored at room temperature in covered containers. They will keep almost indefinitely. Do not keep dry beans in the refrigerator. The plastic bags beans are packaged in are good for storage if they are airtight. Once opened, the bag may be reclosed with a twist tie. For the longest storage life, keep beans in a glass or plastic container with a tight fitting lids.

Rinsing

Do not rinse beans until you are ready to soak or cook them. Even then you do not have to rinse beans if you’re going to soak them. Any field dust will be removed and discarded with the soak water. If you cook the beans without soaking, rinse them after sorting.  

Soaking

The purpose of soaking is to begin rehydration before cooking, thereby reducing cooking time. Unsoaked beans take longer to cook and require more attention so they won’t cook dry. During soaking, beans make up their lost water, increasing up to twice their dried size. Enough water must be used to keep the beans covered while soaking. Once rehydrated, beans cook in 1 to 3 hours, depending on the type of bean.

There are basically two methods for soaking: long-soak and quick-soak. Both work equally well and differ only in the amount of time required to rehydrate the beans. Choose the one which best suits your time and schedule.

Long-soaking takes time and some advance planning, but needs very little effort. First, cover the beans with water at room temperature. Soak them overnight or for 8 to 10 hours. Keep the beans covered by water while soaking. Be sure the soak water is at room temperature. Hot water may cause the beans to sour. Cold water slows rehydration and the beans will take longer to cook. Cooking time will also be longer if beans are not soaked long enough – at least 8 hours. Beans soaked longer than 12 hours can absorb too much water and lose their characteristic texture and flavor. If you plan to cook beans for dinner and you want to use the long-soak method, start soaking in the morning. To cook beans for lunch, you’ll have to soak them overnight.

Quick-soaking rehydrates dried beans in little more than 1 hour. For most cooks, this is the most convenient method. Bring the beans and water for soaking to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the heat and cover the pot. Let the beans stand in the soak water for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, discard the soak water and cook the beans.

Hot-soak. The Preferred Hot Soak is the newest method for soaking beans. Instructions for the Preferred Hot Soak are as follows:

After sorting and rinsing the beans, in a large pot add 10 cups of water for each pound (2 cups) of dry beans. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 or 3 minutes, remove from heat, cover and stand at least 1 hour (quick-soak method), but preferably 4 hours or more; maximum 24 hours. (The longer soaking time is recommended to allow a greater amount of sugar to dissolve, thus helping the beans to be more easily digested.) Whether you soak the beans for one hour or several, discard soak water; rinse beans and pan. Return beans to pan, add fresh cold water to fully cover the beans, 1-2 teaspoons oil or shortening and 2 teaspoons salt, if desired. Simmer the beans gently with the lid tilted until they are tender, to avoid breaking the skins. If you wish to further season your cooked beans, adding vegetables and spices to the cooking water will enhance their flavor.

Bean Arithmetic

• A pound of beans measures about 2 cups.
• Beans triple in volume when soaked and cooked.
• A cup of dry beans yields 3 cups cooked.
• A pound of dry beans yields 6 cups cooked.
• Use 3 cups of water per cup of dry beans for soaking.
• Simmer each pound of beans 2 hours after soaking.
• A pound of dry beans makes about 9 servings of baked beans.
• A pound of dry beans makes about 12 servings of bean soup.
• A one-pound can of cooked beans measures about 2 c.

Freezing Cooked Beans

If you plan to freeze all of the beans you cook, it’s a good idea to undercook them. This usually means cooking about 30 minutes less than the suggested cooking times. If you cook beans in your pressure cooker, reduce the cooking time by 1 to 1½ minutes. Undercooking will help the beans maintain their shape and texture as they thaw and reheat. Freeze beans in 1 to 2 cup portions so they’ll be easy to thaw and use. Freezer containers should be airtight and moisture proof. Leave enough space at the top of the container for expansion of the beans. Fill the container to 1 to 1½ inches from the top, making sure the beans are covered with liquid so they won’t dry out. Cooked beans will keep in the freezer 2 to 3 months. After that time their flavor and texture will begin to deteriorate.

 Thawing and Reheating Frozen Beans

Beans maintain their shape better if they are thawed slowly. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, for several hours at room temperature, or for about an hour in a pan of warm water. When the beans can be removed from their freezer container, put them in a saucepan to reheat and finish cooking

Source: www.countryconsultant.com/blogspot/?p=383

If you are interested in recipes that use dry beans, do a google search for "bean commission recipes" You will find quite a few states that have collected impressive lists of recipes.

Whole Wheat Brownies

I experimented (as I am becoming famous for doing) on a whole wheat brownie recipe using bean puree. Knowing I was serving it to company, I played it a bit safe and didn't remove all the eggs and the fat. What I came up with is much more healthy than your everyday, average, run-of-the mill brownie from a mix. All the kids who were over devoured them and came back for seconds and thirds so I think I can count it a success. My kids didn't even warn them too loudly that I am always experimenting when company is coming over so be careful. (I did decide that next time I will cook it in two 9X13 pans instead of a jelly roll pan. It ran over the edge a little.)

Whole Wheat Brownies

4 cups whole wheat flour

4 cups sugar

1 cup cocoa

2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

4 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

1 cup black or white bean puree

3/4 cup oil

3/4 cup water

Mix all the ingredients until well blended and smooth. Pour batter into 2 greased 9x13 pans and spread evenly. Sprinkle mini-chocolate chips and English toffee bits on top. You could also sprinkle nuts, if desired. One of the kids who came over has a nut allergy so we left them off. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done when tested with a toothpick.

Storable Dinner - Taco Filling

Taco filling is a very easy meal to make with items that store.  For dinner tonight, I mixed cooked rice, black beans, corn, diced tomatoes and leftover pot roast together in the crockpot.  I had the pot roast, cooked rice and black beans in the freezer just waiting to be used.  I then added a can of corn (drained) and a can of diced tomatoes.  To spice it up, I added a packet of fajita seasoning mix and some dehydrated peppers and onions.  I then added about 1/2 cup of water and mixed it all together.  I warmed it through which took about 2 hours on high and then dinner was ready.  We will serve it with tortillas and corn chips so my kids have a choice.  I always make a large batch because any leftovers freeze well for another day. Add lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream for a delicious and easy storable meal.

Dehydrated onions and peppers with a little water

Rehydrated peppers and onions - just microwave for 30 seconds to one minute to rehydrate

Seasoning packets are a good way to store quite a few flavoring options.

Here is the completed taco filling.

Store bought tortillas and corn chips have quite a long shelf-life so I always try to keep some on hand.  If we are out though, we love to make homemade tortillas.  I keep shredded cheese in the freezer and you can use homemade yogurt in place of the sour cream.  These are the changes I take into account as I plan the ingredients to store so I could serve tacos any day of the year!

Using Dry Beans

All this great information on using dry beans was shared by Terri Williamson in the Edinburgh Ward. 


The church leaders have asked us to store 5 lbs of dry beans per month per person as part of our long-term storage. This means that for a year supply, you should have 60 lbs of beans per person in your household.  This info will help you learn how to use all the beans you are storing.


Bean Information

Beans are an extremely beneficial component in all diets because they are high in complex carbohydrates, protein and dietary fiber, low in fat, calories and sodium, and completely cholesterol-free.  They are found in two places in the Food Guide Pyramid – with high protein foods such as meat, eggs, poultry and fish, and also with the vitamin-rich vegetables. Beans have the best type of carbohydrates – those considered to be low or moderate glycemic index carbohydrates and are absorbed more slowly so beans satisfy hunger for longer periods of time.

Beans are an excellent and inexpensive source of protein, dry beans average about 22% protein, the highest content of any seed crop. They contain all essential amino acids, except methionine. Complete proteins are animal proteins like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk and milk products. They contain all the essential amino acids that your body needs. Incomplete proteins are plant proteins like dried beans, peas, lentils, nuts and grains.  Each of these lack one or more of the essential amino acids. For a complete protein, pair beans with rice, corn or meat.

Varieties Include:

Baby Lima: milk flavored, serve as a vegetable or in casseroles, soup

Light Red Kidney: excellent in any recipe calling for cooked beans

Black-eye Peas: type of pea, good aroma, creamy texture, cook with pork or chicken

Navy: medium-sized white pea bean, great for baked beans and soup, salad, chowders

Dark Red Kidney: colorful salad bean, chili, soup

Pink: great barbeque style or cooked with other spicy seasonings, chili, refried beans

Turtle or Black Bean: a favorite in Mexican cooking, great with rice, dips, salads

Garbanzo or Chick Pea: nut-like flavor, ideal for salads and appetizers

Pinto: popular in chili, refried beans, and other Mexican dishes

Great Northern: larger than small white or navy beans, good for baking, casseroles, soups

Small Red: similar to red kidney, good for soups, salad, and chili

Large Lima: rich buttery flavor, cook with smoked meat or cheese

Flageolet: small light green, holds up well in cooking, use in salads, stews, casseroles

Cannellini: smooth texture, nutty flavor, good for soups and salads

Storage and Shelf Life:

Like most stored foods, beans are best stored in the absence of oxygen and light. Oxygen can lead to rancidity of the bean oils and light can fade the bean color. Oxygen absorbers should be used to remove oxygen from the packages to extend shelf life and minimize off-flavors. Beans in normal food-grade bags have a shelf life of 1 year or more. Like most stored foods, colder storage temperatures will increase shelf life. When packaged in #10 cans or Mylar-type bags, with the oxygen removed, they have a shelf life of 10 or more years (A BYU study indicated that pinto beans that had been stored up to 30 years had a greater than 80% acceptance by a consumer taste panel for emergency food use.) Vitamin degradation occurs after 2-3 years, especially in warm temperatures. Older beans will require longer soaking and cooking times. At some point, the seeds will no longer rehydrate and in that case must be ground as bean flour. Dry legumes must be cooked completely before eating. For this reason it is not recommended to grind dry beans and then simply mix with hot water to make instant refried beans. Canned beans are a great convenience since they are already presoaked and precooked. Always drain and thoroughly rinse before adding them to a recipe. Canned beans will absorb flavors from other ingredients since their skins are completely permeable.

Preparing to Eat:

1. Sort through dry beans or peas and discard any that are discolored or shriveled.

2. Rinse the beans and drain well.

3. Soak the beans using one of the following methods (Lentils and split peas do not require soaking):

a. Overnight soak: Soak beans at room temperature or in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight in a pan containing approximately 6-8 cups of water for each pound of beans. Do not salt soaking liquid. Drain and discard the water. Beans soaked using this method will keep their shape better, have a more uniform texture, and cook more quickly than those prepared by the quick soak method.

b. Quick soak: Bring 1 pound of beans and 6-8 cups of water to a gentle boil. Boil 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand 1 hour. Drain, discarding the soaking water. Beans may prematurely break up with a quick soak method. Use the overnight method for dishes where the beans should stay whole. NOTE: It is important that beans are not allowed to stand for more than 1-2 hours. The heat can activate bacterial spores and the warm temperatures during cooling can favor their growth causing the potential for food-borne illnesses.

4. Cook your re-hydrated beans using one of the following methods:

*Stove top: Place the soaked beans in a large pot, cover with hot water, add 1 TB of oil and simmer with the lid slightly ajar until the beans are tender. The oil will cut down on the amount of foam produced during cooking. Do not bring to a rolling boil or stir frequently as this will cause the bean skins to break. Add additional water if needed. Most beans will tenderize within 2 hours; however, beans which have been stored for long periods will require a longer cooking time. Beans are done when they can be easily mashed between two fingers or with a fork.

*Pressure cooker: A pressure cooker will save time and energy when cooking beans. Never fill the cooker more than 1/3 full to allow for expansion of the beans. Add water and oil and cook according to your pressure cooker instructions.

*Slow cooker: Since crock-pots can vary in terms of wattage, follow your manufacturer’s instructions for cooking beans. In general, you will cover your beans with 3 times their volume of unsalted water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes, reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer until tender. Discard water after cooking.

Bean Conversion:

2 cups dry beans = 1 pound dry beans

1 pound dry beans = 6 cups cooked beans, drained

1 c. dry beans = 3 cups cooked beans, drained

One 15 oz. can beans = 1 ½ c. cooked beans, drained

Suggestions for Using Beans Include:

Appetizers: hummus, relishes, spreads, snacks, and dips: puree some beans and add other ingredients to your liking, like salsa, garlic, chopped tomato, avocado, green onion, green pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and cayenne pepper.

Snacks: roast chickpeas in oven and sprinkle with salt or spices, top nachos with refried or black beans.

Eggs: just add a handful of beans as you’re scrambling them – perfect for breakfast burritos, eat baked beans with omelets.

Main Dishes: chili, casseroles, stir-fry, meatloaf, pastas, tacos, burritos, and pizza: use the ingredients for tacos, including beans, as pizza toppings.

Soups and stews: add beans to almost any soup, try chickpeas.

Salads: top salads with cooked beans, or take beans, a bit of olive oil, whatever veggies you have on hand diced up, and a bit of lemon juice and vinegar for a cold salad.

Vegetable Sides: refried beans, bean patties, mix beans and salsa, top with some cheese of your choice and bake until cheese is melted.

Beans and rice: cook up some rice, mix with the beans, add almost any other vegetable (and or meat) you wish, also stir beans into rice, couscous, or other grain side dishes.

Wraps: add beans to other ingredients you put on your wrap, you can also mash them into a paste and spread it onto the tortilla or pita.

Breads: muffins, bread, brownies, cookies, and cakes: substitute bean puree for oil in cake mixes (match the color of beans with the color of the cake i.e. white beans: vanilla or yellow, pinto beans: spice, black: chocolate or devil’s food.

There are many recipes on-line that use beans, find those that will work for your family. A few good sites are: www.usdrybeans.com/recipes/, www.usu.ed/duchesne/files/uploads/FCS/cooking and www.americanbean.org.

Tips:

*Spice up beans while they cook. Seasonings such as garlic, onion, oregano, parsley or thyme can be added to the pot while beans are cooking. Add acidic ingredients, such as salt, lemon, molasses, vinegar, tomatoes or juice after the beans are fully cooked. These types of ingredients will slow the cooking process.

*To soften old beans you can cook and freeze: the freezing moisture in the bean helps to rupture the cell wall and create a more palatable product or try pressure cooking.

*Cooked beans should be refrigerated as soon as possible to keep harmful bacteria from multiplying. Cooked beans last 3-5 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to 8 months.

*Hard water may also cause hard beans. If the cooked beans still seem tough, add ¼ tsp. baking soda for each pound of beans to increase tenderness. Do no use on fresh beans as it will over-soften them.

*Gas is an undesirable side affect of eating legumes. The body lacks enzymes to digest some sugars in the beans. Since the sugars are not digested, they ferment in the digestive tract creating gas.  If you gradually increase your consumption of beans, your system will adjust and be able to digest them more easily. While some information says that the longer beans are soaked, the more sugars are dissolved into the soak water, do not let your beans sit in warm water for longer than 2 hours because of the risk of illness. There are commercial enzyme products such as Beano which help break down the complex sugars and make them easier to digest.

*Based on the recommendations from Provident Living we should store 5 lbs. of dry beans per month per adult.

Bean Flour:

Bean flour is another way to put your beans or other legumes to use. Bean flour can be added to any recipe calling for wheat flour. Replace up to ¼ of the total amount of wheat flour with bean flour. Nutrition can be added to any commercial dry mix (cakes, cookies, muffins, breads) by adding a few tablespoons of bean flour to the dry ingredients, then adding extra liquid as necessary. Combining bean and wheat flours helps form a complete protein. Add bean flour to thicken gravies and sauces. To make a creamy soup add water to bean flour and cook for 3 minutes, add pasta, vegetables or other beans.

Some grinding tips include: first sort and check for dirty beans or rocks. Place the mill in a kitchen sink and fill hopper with beans. Cover with a kitchen towel to reduce bean dust, and leave a hole to stir beans as they go into the milling chamber. Peas and lentils will not need to be stirred. Large beans like limas will need to be cracked in a blender or food grinder before grinding to flour. Clean the sponge filter after each hopper of beans.

Store bean flour in freezer bags or food storage containers and refrigerate or freeze if possible. Flours last about 6 months at room temperature. After that time a bitter aftertaste may develop.

Using Bean Flour:

Black bean flour: use as part of your baking mix for chocolate cakes and brownies, tortillas and flat breads.

Garbanzo flour: pizza dough, muffins, bread, pancakes and waffles. Since it is gluten-free, it must be combined with another flour containing gluten to rise.

Green Pea flour: add reconstituted green pea flour to guacamole, baking, thicken soups and stews.

White Bean flour: the mild-flavor of white beans makes this ideal for sauces and gravies. It can also be used to thicken soups and is ideal for baked goods (substitute ¼ of the white flour for bean flour) and homemade noodles.

Kidney and Pinto flours: have a stronger flavor and can be used for meatloaf, vegetable patties, soups, stews.