Many people report that beans make them gassy, but people who eat beans fairly regularly aren't affected as their digestive system's flora and fauna have adapted to break down the types of fiber in the beans. This has truly been the case for me- I wouldn't feel good enjoying beans if I was going to be offending people.
It's true that beans don't offer a full set of amino acids to make up a complete protein. By combining your beans with a bit of grain (corn, wheat, rice) or nuts, you'll get the full set of amino acids. Beans have a low glycemic index score, most scoring 20-40 (under 55 is considered low), so they won't trigger a spike and then rapid drop in blood sugar after you eat them. They're high in fiber, so they're good for digestive and cardiovascular health, as well.
Additional advantages:
- An excellent environmental choice- a very efficient use of land to grow
- Flexible- can be eaten hot, cold in salads, in soups, and with many different flavors
- Can freeze well
- Inexpensive
- Buy dried beans. There are often additional choices in the ethnic section of the grocery store, or go to a Mexican or Indian grocery store for great choices. I love all kinds- black, red, pinto, navy, chickpeas, great northern, etc. I like to keep a variety on hand- they can easily keep for months.
- Rinse the beans and look for little stones. I always wondered why this step was always listed in the standard directions until I found a little stone just the other day. You don't want to break a tooth.
- Soak the beans for about 6-8 hours in your slow cooker (power off), then dump the soaking water, cover the beans with fresh water by at least 2 inches and turn the slow cooker on to high for about 3 hours. Start testing the beans after 3 hours or so. You want the beans to be soft but not mushy. Many times I find the beans are good after 3 hours, some times they need a bit longer. I put the beans to soak in the morning before work, then I turn the heat on when I get home in the evening. The beans are done before bedtime. This cooking method comes from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann. This cookbook has an excellent section on beans.
- You can cook the beans with herbs (rosemary, bay leaves), onion, peppers, ham bone, or other ingredients, or you can cook them plain and add other ingredients after they are cooked.
- Once the beans are cooked, if you want to cool them, put them in the fridge with their liquor (cooking liquid). You can drain the liquid later, or if you're using them for soup, some or all of the liquor can be added to the soup.
- I divide finished beans into glass food containers, then freeze them. In the morning, I'll pull one out of the freezer for lunch. The quickest lunch packing ever! They're easy to heat in a microwave at work.
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| Black beans with an added sofrito of onion, garlic and pepper |
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| A combination of white and read beans soaking |
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| Tuscan white beans with rosemary and olive oil |
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| Red beans, New Orleans style |
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| White beans simmered in tomatoes with kale |
Ranch style beans
Ingredients:
16 oz. of dried pinto beans
6 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed (I used 2-3 Tbsp chili powder)
6 cloves of garlic, minced (I used 3)
1 onion, diced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 cup of water
6 cups of beef broth
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Soak the beans covered in water—either overnight or the quick soak method in which you place the beans in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat and let sit for one hour.
Drain the soaked beans.
In a cast-iron skillet heated up to medium high, cook the anchos on each side for a couple of minutes (or until they start to bubble and pop), turn off the heat and fill the skillet with warm water. Let them sit until soft and rehydrated, which should happen after half an hour or so.
In the pot you’ll be cooking your beans, heat up a teaspoon of canola oil and cook the onions for ten minutes on medium. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Throw the cooked onions and garlic in a blender and add the tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, paprika, cumin, oregano, water and hydrated ancho chiles. Puree until smooth.
Add the pinto beans and beef broth to the pot and stir in the chile puree. On high, bring the pot to a boil and then cover; turn the heat down to low and simmer for two and a half hours, stirring occasionally. At this point, I check my beans for tenderness as depending on the freshness of the beans I find that the cooking time can be as short as two and a half hours and as long as four hours. When you're satisfied that the beans are done, salt and pepper to taste.
Feeds four to six.
Notes: If you can’t find dried ancho chiles, you can substitute either ancho chile powder or regular chili powder. I’d use 1/4 of a cup. These are not fiery beans, but if you want a bit more heat I'd throw in a bit of Cayenne. And I always add a pinch of baking soda to my soaking beans to help with digestion issues. You may do the same.
16 oz. of dried pinto beans
6 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed (I used 2-3 Tbsp chili powder)
6 cloves of garlic, minced (I used 3)
1 onion, diced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 cup of water
6 cups of beef broth
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method:
Soak the beans covered in water—either overnight or the quick soak method in which you place the beans in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat and let sit for one hour.
Drain the soaked beans.
In a cast-iron skillet heated up to medium high, cook the anchos on each side for a couple of minutes (or until they start to bubble and pop), turn off the heat and fill the skillet with warm water. Let them sit until soft and rehydrated, which should happen after half an hour or so.
In the pot you’ll be cooking your beans, heat up a teaspoon of canola oil and cook the onions for ten minutes on medium. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Throw the cooked onions and garlic in a blender and add the tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, paprika, cumin, oregano, water and hydrated ancho chiles. Puree until smooth.
Add the pinto beans and beef broth to the pot and stir in the chile puree. On high, bring the pot to a boil and then cover; turn the heat down to low and simmer for two and a half hours, stirring occasionally. At this point, I check my beans for tenderness as depending on the freshness of the beans I find that the cooking time can be as short as two and a half hours and as long as four hours. When you're satisfied that the beans are done, salt and pepper to taste.
Feeds four to six.
Notes: If you can’t find dried ancho chiles, you can substitute either ancho chile powder or regular chili powder. I’d use 1/4 of a cup. These are not fiery beans, but if you want a bit more heat I'd throw in a bit of Cayenne. And I always add a pinch of baking soda to my soaking beans to help with digestion issues. You may do the same.
Soak beans 6-8 hours. Cook in crockpot on high until tender about 3 hours. Eliminate beef broth from recipe. Saute onion and garlic, then put in blender with rest of sauce ingredients (can halve water to 1/2 C for a thicker sauce). Add sauce to drained hot beans and cook in crock on low for 2-3 hours.
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| Yummy ranch beans, with a little rice |
