Beans, beans, the magical fruit!

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iwannawearatutu
iwannawearatutu Posts: 150 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Ok, ok, we all know how the rest of the rhyme goes. (If you don't, ask the nearest 8 year old.) Seriously though, the more I think about it the more I'm convinced that beans are a MAJOR key to healthy weight loss. They're high in fiber and a good source of protein, naturally fat free (I think?), so they are a great way to fill up and stay full. Plus they are one of the best non-dairy sources of calcium, which is very helpful in flushing fat. How can you go wrong?!

Sooooo, tell me you favorite ways to eat beans! I want more ideas. I have fat free refried beans at least 5 times a week, they are DELISH and super easy - just heat and eat. Roasted chickpeas are a bit of work but OH so yummy, especially good when you want something snacky.

How to you eat beans??

Replies

  • KarenWantsABikini
    KarenWantsABikini Posts: 67
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    Hi there iwannawearatutu, gosh i love your name !!

    I am too a true lover of beans, i have just taken meat out of my diet in the past four weeks and i have discovered how much i love beans !! i have chick peas in my soup, white beans on my roasted veg pizza, red kidney beans in a meat free tortilla burrito, baked beans on toast topped with a poached egg, lentils - OMG dont get me started on lentils, i love them, i have a spicy lentil stuffed capsicum, yummmmm. Roasted chick peas?? How do you do that? Do you make them yourself???

    Yes beans beans beans, the more you eat....
  • julia_toler
    julia_toler Posts: 1
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    Black Beans and rice are great! Add a little salsa, roll it all up in a tortilla! I love the combo of Black beans and corn in a salad too! You can put a little taco seasoning on them and roast in the oven. Check out allrecipes.com for lots more idea's.
  • countrygirlsoul
    countrygirlsoul Posts: 67
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    Oooh, I can't wait to hear all the good ideas, I want to eat more beans but I'm just not sure how to add them to my diet.
  • bethany_jurries
    bethany_jurries Posts: 169 Member
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    We have all different types of beans in our garden we eat them fresh or have a 5-12 bean chili! :-)
  • Crysta1976
    Crysta1976 Posts: 184 Member
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    Black beans, ground turkey, corn and zucchini with some fajita spices...started off as enchilada filling, but I liked it better just by itself! I'm just learning to like beans. I have a texture issue with them. But getting better about it. I do LOVE letil soup though!!!
  • kgalea
    kgalea Posts: 156 Member
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    1 can northern beans, rinsed
    1 can diced tomatoes (w/italian seasonings if you like)
    balsamic vinegar (to taste)
    oregano/basil (to taste)

    Mix together and heat up! YUMMY!!!
  • Ryhenblue
    Ryhenblue Posts: 390 Member
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    I buy the beans in bags because the canned ones are very salty. One of my favorite things to make with beans is quinoa, black bean, and cheese burrito. I use pepper jack cheese, low fat flour tortilla, and add a little hot sauce. It is really good. White bean and vegetable soup is good. I use salt free canned tomato like Muir Glen or Pomi.
  • goro2533
    goro2533 Posts: 5 Member
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    Saute 1/2 of a diced onion, 1/2 of a bell pepper, and 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil for a few minutes. Add a ~15oz can of black beans. If you want it creamy, you can mash half of the black beans. You can eat this by itself or grill a chicken breast and serve it over a bed of the black beans. I've also done this with red beans.
  • kickitlarson
    kickitlarson Posts: 204 Member
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    To avoid the "effect" of beans be sure to prepare them properly because they are very hard to digest and that is why the results sometimes aren't the greatest. If you have dried beans soak them overnight and then rinse a couple times before preparing them. If you are using canned make sure to rinse them very well to get rid of the gas causing compound. Try taking a digestive enzyme before eating and probiotics work well also!!

    Here are 500+ wonderful bean filled low fat recipes sorted by most popular!!:

    http://www.food.com/recipe-finder/beans,vegan,low-fat?excl=301&Ns=recipe_mostpopular|1
  • lilay
    lilay Posts: 122
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    I love pureeing white beans and adding them to things (chicken salad, grilled cheese (make with shredded cheese so it mixes), macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, burgers, dips, potato soup, etc.).

    I also love black beans!!!

    1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
    2/3 corn frozen corn (thawed)
    ½ a chopped tomato
    ½ a chopped pepper
    Some chopped onion
    A little garlic
    Mix and microwave until warm. Drain, top with ½ c fat free shredded Mozzarella cheese and microwave until melted. Top with fresh cilantro.

    Other Yummies …
    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-And-Corn-Salad-II/Detail.aspx
    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-and-Rice-Enchiladas/Detail.aspx
    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southwest-Chicken/Detail.aspx
    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Chicken-Taco-Soup/Detail.aspx
  • greenteadaily
    greenteadaily Posts: 17
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    On my To Do list today was find some bean recipes and make something new. Thanks!
  • heebiejeebie
    heebiejeebie Posts: 32 Member
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    mmm... bean dip.

    1 can whatever kind of bean you like, drained & rinsed
    roast garlic
    olive oil & lemon juice
    fresh herbs if you have them handy
    salt & pepper to taste

    Puree in food processor. Use olive oil to adjust consistency.
  • 4myheartnsoul
    4myheartnsoul Posts: 97
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    black beans, chopped onion, red pepper and any other veggie you want, the more the merrier, Add some diced chicken, olive oil, fresh lime juice. Mix and let flavors blend overnight in refridge. Put it in tortilla, with lettuce, cracker topper, tortilla chips anything
  • PLUMSGRL
    PLUMSGRL Posts: 1,134 Member
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    how funny to see this post today- I'm making a "15 bean" cajun soup. It's by Hurst's Hambeens (no animal product).
    I like pork so today I'm sauting some lean cuts (could use chicken or turkey) of pork (they suggest sausage), onion, garlic fiire roasted toms, cilantro, beet greens and spinach. the package seasoning is only 100 mg sodium per serving, so the only other sodium is from the toms...all done in the slow cooker (soaked the beans last night)... can't wait:bigsmile:
  • Alleghany
    Alleghany Posts: 200
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    Black bean brownies! If you google this, there are tons of recipes. The one I use is:

    http://happyherbivore.com/2009/05/vegan-blackbean-brownies/

    I use a bit of apple sauce as well while cutting down on the banana since I don't like bananas that much. If I have enough cals, I mix a bit of almond butter with agave and use it as frosting.

    I don't eat eggs but if you do, you could try Dr. Oz's recipe since I've heard several people rave about it:

    http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/kims-midnight-brownies-recipe
  • becky123456
    becky123456 Posts: 75 Member
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    My teenage son and I have been vegetarian for several years but my husband and teenage daughter eat meat. Yes, dinnertime is kind of tricky at our house! Since my husband does most of the cooking for all 4 of us, he tries to find creative ways to prepare meals for Chris and I.. One of my favorites is mashed beans (great Northern beans, black beans, chick peas, whatever else he can find at the Food Lion) rinsed well and mixed with chopped onion, chopped green pepper, and some bread crumbs, made into a patty and fried in a little olive oil.. It's good with a little salt and pepper as well. It's true - I have found that if you prepare the beans correctly and really rinse them well, you don't end up with that terrible gas several hours later! He has made us a quiche tonight with black beans, egg, onion, fresh green beans and cheese. Should be yummy.. :happy:

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