You can puree them and add them to soups and stews. It acts as a nice thickening agent. My favorite was the old weight watchers 5 can soup . . . killer on sodium though. 1 can fat free refried beans (or pureed beans of your choice), 1 can rotel tomatoes with green chilies, 1 can chicken broth, 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, 1 can of chunk chicken breast ( I always preferred cooked chicken breast and not the canned stuff, texture was odd to me) We liked tortilla pizzas too . . . refried beans spread on tortilla, sprinkled with cheese, and nuked for a bit. They are nice baked too - definitely a winter treat to heat up the stove though.

My girls are eating beans but the really love lentils, or better said lentil soup.
I roast some onions with carrots and potatoes, then add red split lentils and lots of cumin. Let it cook and then put it in a blender. If you like you can add some lemon juice at the end.

Oh, yummy! That sounds fantastic. Do you put in the crock pot or the stove?

I already know that just a mashed version won't help, but the soup thickener concept might disguise them enough! Maybe that's an option even in chili....hmmmm....

I have some lentils that I think I tried once before, but I didn't put them in a blender for the soup, I'll have to try that recipe Noor, thanks! I'm slightly confused though..Roasting to me has no added water....do you add any water to that?

Sorry, didn't make that clear. Sometimes it sucks when English isn't your native language lol
So yes, you just roast or fry them in some kind of fat (I like butter) and then of course you add water.

Ok, so I LOVE beans...all beans, and they are soooo good for added protein, but getting my family to eat them is like trying staple jello to a tree. :explode:

I'm talking about things like kidney beans and black beans etc. They don't like the texture. I've tried them in soups, chili, etc. Does anyone else have this problem? Have you found any good recipes that disguise the beans??

Time to tell them to cook for themselves!

One question, how are you cooking them? What texture do they come out as? Are they hard, or mushy?

My kids LOVE roasted chickpeas.

We usually do beans in chili, or daal with Indian food.

I know it sounds crazy, but I actually eat a can of black beans on my own every morning. Thorough rinsing, a bit of seasoning, and a tiny bit of olive oil, a zap in the microwave, and they are almost the perfect meal all by themselves as far as nutritional completeness. Very satisfying, and I don't have to push beans on any other family members.

I also put kidney beans in my Spanish rice and Tortilla Soup recipes.