Creamy cannellinis, meaty garbanzos, sweet adzuki, tender pintos, and so many more—beans are one of the most powerful, nutrient-dense plant foods around. 

Consider this: Beans are packed with tons of fiber, as well as plenty of iron and protein. They are rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients. They are low in calories. 

Plus, studies have found them to lower risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. 

What To Do With Beans

Many people avoid beans because they just don’t know what to do with them. Are you one of them? Keep reading:

• Toss beans and diced veggies (such as celery, shallots, red peppers) with vinaigrette for a quick bean salad.
• Blend cooked beans with tomatoes, onions, and your favorite seasonings to create a yummy bean soup. 
• Top a green salad with 1/3 cup of your favorite bean.
• Puree beans with a bit of olive oil, a garlic clove, salt, and your favorite seasonings. Voila! A fast dip or sandwich spread.
• Include 1/3 cup of beans with your other favorite toppings next time you make stuffed baked potatoes or sweet potatoes.
• Add 1/4 cup pureed beans to your favorite pancake, waffle, muffin, or cake recipe. You’ll be surprised at how moist and springy baked goods are when baked with beans.

If you’re new to cooking with beans, try these tips for delicious and well-cooked beans.

​

• Be sure to wash and clean the beans first.
• Soak dried beans for 8-12 hours before cooking (hint: cut a bean in half; if the center is still opaque, keep soaking).
• After soaking, rinse, fill pot with fresh water, bring to a boil, then skim off the foam.
• To aid digestion, add kombu, bay leaf, cumin, anise, or fennel to the water
• Cover and simmer for the suggested time.
• Remember: Only add salt at the end of cooking (about 10 minutes before the beans are done) or it will interfere with the cooking process.
• Quick tips: For speedier prep, boil dried beans for 5 minutes, then soak for 2-4 hours. Or use canned beans instead (some people find them even easier to digest!).  Be sure to avoid canned beans with added salt or preservatives and rinse thoroughly once removed from the can.

Beans are a great way to add plant-based, high quality protein into your diet.  My only recommendation to you on the subject of beans however is to not get caught up in the amount of carbohydrates they have.  These are the good carbs!  They're also high in iron, B vitamins and fiber.  

Dry beans are going to stay fresher for a longer period of time, although discard any beans stored more than a year.  Not only is the nutrient content and digestibility lower, they also will not soften, even with thorough cooking.  

If you are using canned beans, make sure to choose the low sodium or unsalted ones, and be sure to drain and rinse them in a colander.  Avoid beans with seasonings or sauces in the cans, like chili beans or Mexican seasoned beans.  These will have a ton of sodium in them.  Instead, go for plain beans and season them yourself.

If you are using dried beans:

Digestibility of Beans

Some people may experience difficulty digesting beans and legumes.  Symptoms may include gas, bloating, foggy brain, irritability and intestinal problems.

If this is you, or even if it isn't, here are a few techniques that will alleviate most of these issues:

How To: Making a Pot of Beans

In our house, we love to add beans, primarily black beans, to our breakfast burritos, added on top of a salad at lunch, or in enchiladas or pureed into a soup.  They are cheap to make too, with up to 12 servings costing barely $5.00 total for all the ingredients when using a bag of dried beans.

STEP 1:  Soak the beans

Pour 1 bag of beans (in this case back beans) in a pot and fill with enough water to cover the beans with an extra 2 inches of water over the top.  This will be about 12 cups of water.  Cover the pot and let the beans soak for 24 hours.

Step 2:  Drain the beans

Drain the liquid from the beans in a large colander and rinse beans under cold water.  Add the beans back in, then fill the pot with another 12 cups of water and put the pot over medium-high heat to get to a low boil.  You will start to notice a foam forming at the top. Using a spoon or strainer spoon, gently remove the top layer of foam.  You may have to do this several times.  Continue until the water is clear and there is no more foam.  This step should take you about 1 hour.  **You may have to add more water if too much evaporates - always make sure you have about 2 inches of water above the beans while they cook**

Step 3:  Add the ingredients/seasonings

Once the beans have cooked down, you can drain out about 1/2 of the cooking liquid if none steamed out during the cooking process.  Add in 1 TBS oil, 1 onion that has been diced, 4 cloves of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 2 TBS salt and 1 TBS pepper.  You can also add in a seeded and diced jalapeño for added flavor.  Bring everything back to a low boil and cook again for another hour or so uncovered.  The beans are done when they are soft and the water has cooked out.

Step 4:  Cool and store

Store beans in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the fridge.  You can mash them into bean cakes or make refried beans, use them for burrito bowls or add them to salads.

Recipe:  Simple 3 Bean Salad

This recipe is great as a side dish to simple fish and chicken dishes, added into lettuce wraps, on top of salads or served with whole grain GF crackers as an app.

Ingredients:

1/2 large red onion, diced

1 english cucumber, diced

1 15oz can each of - chickpeas, kidney beans, and cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 C good olive oil

2-4 TBS fresh lemon juice (start with 2 and add more for desired flavor)

Directions:

Add everything together in a bowl and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.