Beans are:
- High in protein (Eat with a grain such as rice,
barley, tortillas, pasta, cornbread, or bread.)
- High in fiber
- Low in fat
- Less expensive than meat or other protein foods
- Easy to prepare
If you are not a bean eater, you
might want to start off slowly.
- You can add a can of rinsed and drained beans to
your favorite spaghetti, stew, soup, or casserole. If
the recipe has meat, you can replace some or all of the
meat with the beans.
- Add some canned chickpeas or kidney beans to your
favorite salad.
- Puree cooked lentils and add to spaghetti sauce,
other sauces, or meatloaf.
Here are some recipes to try:
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Lentil Chili
1½ cups dry lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups water
1 15-oz can chopped or crushed tomatoes
¼ cup uncooked brown rice
½ cup shredded carrots
1½ tablespoons chili powder
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Boil water, lentils, salt. Reduce heat, cover
and simmer for 30 minutes. Add rest of
ingredients and cook 30 minutes more or until
chili is done. Makes 6 servings. |
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Split Pea Soup
1½ cups dry green split peas, sorted and rinsed
1 small ham hock or ham bone (optional)
1 medium onion, chopped
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon instant chicken bouillon granules
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup shredded carrots
¼ cup uncooked pearled barley
6 cups water
Boil all ingredients in a large pot. Reduce
heat, cover and simmer 1½ hours or until done.
Remove bone from soup. Makes 6 servings. |
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Easy
Black Beans & Rice
3 cups cooked rice
2 cloves garlic, minced or ¼ teaspoon garlic
powder
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 16-oz jar salsa
shredded cheese (optional)
In a pot or microwavable container, mix
together cooked rice, garlic, black beans, and
salsa. Heat mixture on stove or in microwave
until heated through. Stir after heating. Serve
with a topping of shredded cheese, if desired.
Makes 6 servings. |
Babies & Toddlers Love Beans
When your baby is about 8 months or older, offer him or
her a small amount of cooked, mashed beans, peas, or
lentils.
At about 12 months of age, you can offer whole, cooked
beans. It can be a fun finger food.
Important
information about beans:
- 1 pound (2 cups)
dry beans will give you 5 to 6 cups of
cooked beans.
- One can of beans
(14 to 15 oz can size) will give you 12⁄3
cup of cooked beans. Make sure to drain the
liquid from the can.
- When sorting and
rinsing dry beans, peas or lentils, remove
any stems, stones, or wrinkled beans.
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Links:
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