Category: Beans

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Hummus Crunch Salad – The First Mess

Here’s another post in my nearly world famous Electronic Sticky Note series.

Posting the link here as summer is starting soon and I need better salads than the prepacked kits I tend to buy and eat.

Click for the recipe https://thefirstmess.com/2023/05/24/hummus-crunch-salad/

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30 Recipes with a Can of Chickpeas

The link – https://feelgoodfoodie.net/chickpeas-recipes/

Another electronic sticky note. I am always on the hunt for new recipes to try AND a method to remember where the hell I filed those recipes. Hence, the electronic sticky note series of blog posts. I also use https://getpocket.com/en/ to save webpages for reading later or to save source material for my posts.

Beans on the shelf in my pantry.

Although I prefer to use dried beans for my dishes I can’t ignore the ease of opening a few cans and having a meal on the table in less than an hour.

Are Canned Beans as Healthy as Home-Cooked dried beans? Yes, but watch the sodium content. https://nutritionfacts.org/2014/09/25/are-canned-beans-as-healthy-as-home-cooked/

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Hummus – The Update

2 garlic cloves
1 15 oz can organic chickpeas, drained, rinsed
Salt to taste
1/2 cup organic tahini (sesame paste)
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
 
 
Directions
 
  1. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, drop the garlic cloves and process until minced.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until the hummus is smoothly pureed. 
  3. Serve with fresh whole wheat pita bread wedges or pita chips.
 
2018 Update
 
Two cloves of garlic and the juice from 1.5 lemons.
 
2022 Update
 
The original post for my Hummus was in 2013.  Five years after that I updated the recipe.  Well, time for another five year update.  The changes?  More tahini and more lemon juice.
 
That’s it.
 
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I’ve checked the original cookbook version.

I’m gradually moving into the three lemon version.

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Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew – the 2022 Revision

Yes, I’m messing with the spice mix. So far I like the changes. Changes from the first version Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew are in bold. In this revision I used dried chickpeas instead of canned. The night before rinse one cup of dried chickpeas with 2-3 changes of water. Then add enough fresh water to cover the beans and soak overnight. (These little guys will approximately double in size so make sure you add enough soaking water). Before cooking, drain well, rinse and toss into a pot. Add enough water to cover, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Add some garlic and onion powders and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours.

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp minced fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ginger powder)
  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • crushed red or cayenne pepper to taste
  • 3 cups cooked chickpea
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 15oz. can no salt diced tomatoes
  • 4 cups MOL vegetable broth (MOL= more or less)
  • salt and pepper, to taste

  • Add the onion, garlic, and ginger (fresh if you have some, powder if not) to a soup pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat Add the green pepper and saute for another few minutes.
  • After a few minutes toss in the chili powder, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, cumin, cinnamon, thyme, and red pepper flakes or cayenne. Keep sautéing for another few minutes.
  • Add the potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and chickpeas to the pot. Pour enough vegetable broth into the pot to cover the ingredients by an inch.
  • Turn the heat up and bring to a boil.
    After boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer for about an hour, lid on partially covered. Stir occasionally. Add more broth/cooking liquid as the stew thickens.
  • After an hour taste and adjust your seasonings. The amounts of seasonings I used results in a very mild stew.
  • Serve over rice (or not).

Confessions

This revision has been sitting in my unpublished drafts for a long time. It was time to revisit, cook and taste again to see if it was worth keeping around. I had a half bag of frozen carrots and a third bag of frozen corn. They got tossed into the pool. The corn is a nice addition, bringing in a little sweetness.

The dried cup of chickpeas makes approximately 3 cups cooked. I used the cooking liquid and less vegetable broth.

I’m flying solo this week. At least I have breakfasts and lunches ready to go.

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It’s Struggle Meal Time

Photo by Dayvison de Oliveira Silva on Pexels.com

Rice and beans may be a struggle meal, but there’s a reason so many gravitate to this humble dish. It’s filling, it’s nutritious, and it’s cheap. Given the right preparation and a few seasonings, rice and beans can also be delicious and satisfying. Beans are basic, but also infinitely versatile.

Which Beans Have the Most Protein? – https://vegnews.com/2022/8/bean-protein-guide

I’ve known for quite some time that beans are a poor person’s meal. But in all of my years on the planet this is the first time I’ve heard of beans referred to as a struggle meal. Well struggling or not everyone should be eating more beans for the health benefits.

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Start-up of the month: non-HFSS cereals (Brave) — The Food Science Addict

Are you looking for a better understanding of non-HFSS foods? Do you want to know which brand is thriving? Brave is a UK plant-based snack brand. They have recently developed a grain-free, sugar-free breakfast cereal product made from chickpeas and peas. This product is known as Super Hoops (available in Original and Cinnamon flavours) and,…

Start-up of the month: non-HFSS cereals (Brave) — The Food Science Addict

HFSS = (High in Fat, Sugar, and Salt).

A small step in the right direction. But you still have to get consumers to buy, try, and buy again. Changing habits can be very hard to do.

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WHAT? Another Website Devoted to Beans?

Yes there is. https://beaninstitute.com/

Here is another post in my world famous Beans for Breakfast AND Electronic Sticky Note series. Honestly, I’m just surfing the Internet looking for bean recipes to make when the temperature outside will be 106 degrees F and I don’t want HOT beans. Note for new visitors to this blog:

  • I do eat beans for breakfast on occasion and
  • An electronic sticky note is a Memo to Self with links to websites for recipes to try as I expand my bean recipe repertoire.

WOO HOO!

The other day I discovered 30 Recipes with a Can of Chickpeas at https://feelgoodfoodie.net/chickpeas-recipes/

I also found 15 Nutritious Vegan White Bean Recipes at https://www.thefullhelping.com/15-nutritious-vegan-white-bean-recipes/

Double WOO HOO!

My bean obsession began many years ago during my vegetarian years. I still have this cookbook as proof.

Copyright date is 1984.

In blue zones areas, we found that the longest-lived people eat a full cup of beans every day.

The World’s #1 Longevity Food — https://www.bluezones.com/2016/06/10-things-about-beans/#

Always remember what you don’t eat is as important if not more important to health and longevity than what you eat.

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Global Supplies of Chickpeas Could Dip 20% This Year

Tight supplies have helped push U.S. retail prices higher. Chickpeas on U.S. grocery shelves jumped 12% from last year, nearly 17% higher than prior to the pandemic, according to the most recent NielsenIQ data. Hummus prices have increased 6.9% since 2019.

Fewer chickpeas means cheap protein and hummus could be harder to find — https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/focus-fewer-chickpeas-means-cheap-protein-and-hummus-could-be-harder-to-find

I immediately checked the pantry. I have just two 16 ounce tins of chickpeas and approximately half a pound dried. Time to restock!

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Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Honey-Lime Cabbage Slaw

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I used to make Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw – Bon Appétit. Tonight was a good night to have black bean tacos so I pulled up my original post from nearly eight years ago Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw – (NOT) Bon Appétit

No surprises this time.  I make these tacos differently now. Time for another revision.

The Beans

  • 1 15-ounce can organic low sodium black beans, drained, rinsed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (maybe more)
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 medium size lime juiced
  • 1 large clove garlic minced
  • pinch oregano, dash celery salt (trust me on this one)

The Slaw

  • 1 14 ounce bag cabbage slaw mix
  • 1 tsp dried cilantro
  • onion and garlic powders, a dash apiece
  • salt and pepper
  • juice of 1.5 limes
  • 2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 T honey

Taco Things

  • 4 white or yellow corn tortilla shells, crispy
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (cheddar is OK too)
  • Your favorite hot sauce or salsa
  1.  Drain and rinse the black beans, set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan, saute the onion on medium flame until soft and slightly browned. Add oregano, cumin, and garlic. Saute until the spices are fragrant, about a minute or two.
  3. Add the well drained black beans.  Add juice of half a lime. Heat until warmed through.  Mash the beans with a spoon but leave some beans whole and chunky. Season with celery salt. Set aside.

The Slaw

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil and juice of 1.5 limes.  Mix in honey. Add olive oil to create a smooth dressing. Season to taste with onion/garlic powders, salt and pepper.  
  2. Add the cabbage slaw mix.  Mix well, adjust for seasoning, and set aside.

This recipe will make enough for 4-6 tacos.  If you need more servings, double the bean recipe and buy more taco shells. You will not need to double the cabbage slaw portion.  You’ll have plenty.

Construct your tacos.  

TIPS –

We recently discovered La Tiara authentic Mexican taco shells from Gladstone Missouri.  Yeah, I was thinking the same thing as you until I tried these shells.   Use bagged sliced slaw for pure convenience.  Fresh cabbage? Only if you have the time and eschew convenience. Fresh avocado would be nice. Beer is also a perfect side dish for these tacos.

Veganistas – use vegan cheese.

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Is There a Website Devoted to Beans?

Yes there is. https://usdrybeans.com/

This is another post in my world famous Beans for Breakfast series.

I post links like this to remind readers no one can possibly teach you everything. There is a ton of information on the internet to research and read to improve your food and nutrition knowledge. But you have to take the time and be motivated to find solid, good information. Avoiding fad diets would be a good thing too.

And for the conspiracy theorists out there feel free to use this information to fight back against the World Economic Forum telling us to eat bugs. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/07/good-grub-why-we-might-be-eating-insects-soon/

Eat beans instead of bugs.

Postscript –

I posted then got this:

WOO HOO!

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