Black Beans

I have a slow cooker/pressure cooker in one, so when I need beans, I can just make them on the spot. Takes 22-25 minutes on the pressure cooker!

Although pre-soak them overnight if you value your friendships

Soup! I put them all in soups and chilis. That way I get a decent serving of them but the rest of the soup is all pretty low calorie.

I have to admit to trying the black bean brownie recipe http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/02/amazing-flour-less-brownies.html. They are super tasty, but the texture of mine wasn't what I expect from a brownie.

I need to start using black beans. I like them, but never bother making them. Every other bean I cook with freezes beautifully, though.

Yes I love cooking a big batch of beans (usually 1lb at a time) and freezing them, usually in 1 cup portions. That's enough for either a side for the two of us or I pull down more if I'm doing a vegetarian/bean dish.

My routine for black beans (and most beans really) are soak them overnight, then rinse and toss in the crockpot the next morning, put them on low and go about my day. By night they are tender and ready to go. I tend to ignore them so they end up being very soft, which is what I like, but if you prefer firmer texture you'd just need to taste them after a while and see how they're going.

You can season them in the crockpot but I don't bother. I figure I'm going to end up seasoning them when I use them anyway and it takes a lot of seasoning to get flavor in that big crockpot.

I much prefer crockpot over traditional stovetop cooking...I can cook beans on the stovetop but it takes time and I hate trying to keep a simmer with an electric range. Makes me miss my gas range so much haha.

Highjack!


4 Ingredients Edit Recipe

1.00 container (3 cups ea.), Whole Peeled Tomatoes (In Can)
14.00 oz, Ham Steak
1.00 container (8 cup cookeds ea.), 15 Bean Soup
8.00 Cup, Low Sodium Chicken Stock

soak beans overnight
crush tomatoes and add
cube ham steak, add
add chicken stock

The 15 bean soup bag of beans comes with a flavor packet. I don't use it because it is too salty. I like to throw the ham in instead. You could also use a smoked turkey leg in place of ham.

I also generally add celery, onoins and carrots to this, but they weren't in my saved recipe.

Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 321
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2 g 3 %
Saturated Fat 0 g 1 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 12 mg 4 %
Sodium 633 mg 26 %
Potassium 940 mg 27 %
Total Carbohydrate 46 g 15 %
Dietary Fiber 20 g 78 %
Sugars 6 g
Protein 27 g 54 %
Vitamin A 8 %
Vitamin C 8 %
Calcium 10 %
Iron 30 %

* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

I LOVE to cropck pot giant batches of beans and freeze! My favorite to do with black beans is use in a Mexican casserole (hot for winter - cold for summer) with chicken breast and other veggies. I can't derail with recipes because I tend to make up as I go but both options invariably include cheese and salsa.

I will also offer up that I freeze mine portioned out in the Ziploc Perfect Portions bags and place those inside a giant freezer bag so they are all together and I can see at a glance when I might need to make more! Before I did that I was burned so many times by thinking I had some ready when I didn't.

I also make huge batches of crockpot beans (black and pinto--which I mash for "refried" beans). I freeze them in 1 lb cottage cheese containers. I rarely ever buy cans of black or refried beans. Less sodium and they taste sooooooo much better!

earlnabby wrote: »

rand486 wrote: »

I've been trying to find a place for beans, lentils & chickpeas in my diet as well. They're filling & fibrous, while a good source of protein! Just can't seem to fit them into a low-calorie solution for the day

Perhaps we need to start a second thread?

Or we could derail this thread into recipes and ideas

Here is a stew I made with black beans:

Ancho Chile beef and black beans

1 tbl, Spices - Paprika (I use 2 tsp regular and 1 tsp smoked)
1 tbl, Spices - Chili powder
1 tsp, Ground Cumin
1 tsp, Spices - Oregano, dried
1 tsp, Spices - Pepper, black
2 cups, Goya Black Beans Dry (soaked)
1 large Onions - Raw (chopped)
8 cloves, Garlic - Raw
2 whole bay leaves
2 dried chile, Ancho (or one fresh poblano)
4 cups, Beef Broth, Low Sodium & Fat Free
1.50 lb, Beef Roast, Raw and cut into bite size pieces

If using the anchos, remove as many seeds as possible and cut into a couple of large pieces. If using a poblano, seed and dice. Place the cut up meat into a crock pot. Drain and rinse the beans that have been soaking and add to the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for about 8 hours. Remove bay leaves and anchos (leave poblano in if used).

Makes 4 large servings at 460 calories, 60 g carb, 9 g fat, 60g protein, 563mg sodium, 32 g fiber

This looks fabulous!