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WHAT'S NEW
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20 easy bean recipes for legume lovers everywhere!
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Legumes may become your new love when you realize how easy it is to cook with beans.
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By Adrienne Robertson and the Homemakers Test Kitchen
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You might be familiar with the "musical" properties of beans, but there's more to them than anything a silly rhyme can tell you.
In fact, all kinds of beans -- black beans, white beans and all the colours in between -- boast terrific nutritional properties and beans are easy to cook.
According to the Ontario White Bean Producers, beans can help reduce the risks of developing chronic conditions and diseases like diabetes. They are high in fibre, low in fat, cholesterol-free and a great source of calcium and iron, so check out some easy bean recipes from Homemakers tonight!
Easy bean recipes: soups and stews
1. Kale and White Bean Soup
This rich-tasting nutrient-dense soup is based on the Portuguese caldo verde or "green soup." Serve it with Seeded Whole Wheat Crispbread.
2. Presto Black Bean Soup
When made with frozen or rinsed canned black beans, you can prepare this soup in about 15 minutes.
3. Autumn Vegetable Minestrone
There are as many minestrone recipes as there are Italian cooks, with every region having its own style and every season demanding a different combination of vegetables. This simple dish combines vegetables, beans, and pasta or rice to make a one-pot meal.
4. Hot and Smoky Black Bean Stew
If you're in a rush, you can use canned black beans (drained and rinsed) in this Mediterranean-style stew. But freshly cooked beans have a much better texture and taste. Serve with brown rice or whole grain bread to make a protein-rich meal.
Easy bean recipes: baked beans
5. Spanish-Style Baked Beans
These beans are a wonderful addition to a barbecue as well as a delicious vegetarian dish. Smoked paprika is a Spanish specialty available at gourmet stores; substitute sweet paprika if unavailable.
6. Moroccan Spiced Baked Beans
Although aromatic and fully flavoured, the sauce for these beans is slightly astringent and only vaguely sweet, giving this high-fibre recipe broad appeal, so even if you normally eschew baked beans, try these.
Easy bean recipes: chili
7. Hearty Vegetarian Noodle Chili
This spicy concoction will warm up the whole family.
8. Chunky Black Bean Chili
This great-tasting, stick-to-the-ribs chili is perfect for a family dinner or casual evening with friends. The combination of milder New Mexico and ancho chili peppers gives the mix unique flavouring, and the optional fresh chili peppers will satisfy any heat seekers in your group. Serve this with crusty country bread, a big green salad and robust red wine or ice cold beer.
9. Lamb and Beans in New Mexico Chili Sauce
New Mexico dried red chilies (available in many supermarkets or gourmet stores, usually under the Frida's label), or Mexican Guajillo peppers, make an unbelievably rich sauce, which is the base for many dishes in that border state. Although beans are not normally added to red chili stews in New Mexico, their addition makes a satisfying dish without too much meat. This is a good party dish; serve it with corn, wheat or sprouted grain tortillas or rice.
10. Chili Con Carne Meat Loaf
The flavours of a delicious chili con carne are all here in this meat loaf. The canned green chilies and chipotle chilies in adobo sauce are available at most grocery stores. If you can't find the green chilies, grill two or three jalapeño chilies over a flame until the skins are black; peel, seed and chop them.
Easy bean recipes: salads
11. Tuscan Broad Bean Salad
This salad is great in a lunch box or for a buffet.
12. Mexicali Rice and Black-Bean Salad
This colourful salad will please the whole crowd and it can stand as a main course for any vegetarians who come to your cookout.
13. Lima Bean and Ham Salad
You can add a little heat to this attractive salad by replacing half of the sweet pepper with a hot banana pepper, if you like.
More easy bean recipes
14. Salmon with Black Beans
Chinese fermented black beans add a wonderful, piquant hit of saltiness; buy them at Chinese grocers. If unavailable, use black bean and garlic sauce, sold at most grocery stores.
15. Spicy Herb Bean Spread
Serve on crackers, bagels and celery for a light snack.
16. Chicken with Black Beans
This is a favourite Hong Kong dish, in restaurants and in the home. Unlike the more familiar sauce made of crushed fermented black beans, the black beans in this dish (buy them at a Chinese or Southeast Asian grocery store) are steamed first and remain plump and juicy after sautéing with the chicken. For a real Chinese presentation, cut the chicken into regular serving pieces, then halve the legs, thighs and breasts and separate the two joints of the wing from the drumette.
17. Bean Queen Burger
Bean burgers are packed with high-quality protein and make a great entree for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
18. Frijoles Borrachos (Drunken Beans)
These Northern-style Mexican beans (Frijoles Borrachos) are also popular in Tex-Mex cooking. Use any leftover beans for refried beans or as a topping for tostadas or nacho chips.
19. Lamb Shanks with White Beans
Braising the lamb slowly in this easy, low-maintenance dish makes the meat fall-off-the-bone tender. Use white navy, white kidney or cannellini beans.
20. Lima Beans with Tomatoes and Sage
We like the giant dried lima beans for this saucy vegetable side dish, which can be served as a vegetarian main dish with an accompanying whole grain.
Looking for more legumes?
Try the following lentil recipes instead of beans.
21. Lentil Salad with Feta and Herbs
Perfect for lunch or as a colourful buffet offering.
22. Lentil Mushroom Moussaka
The "meaty" mushrooms in this robust, multi-textured casserole will satisfy any meat-cravers.
23. Lunchtime Lentil Soup
Get your mid-day dose of protein with this warm, creamy soup.
24. Lentil and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Basmati rice has a lower glycemic index than regular long-grain white rice, and it also has a distinct, delicious flavour. Serve these peppers with a simple green salad for a lovely meatless supper. We like to use Greek oregano to flavour the rice mixture; it's a fragrant variety with a flavour slightly sweeter than Italian oregano. The dried flower tops sold on the stems at Greek grocers are especially good.
25. Lentils with Oyster Mushrooms and Spinach
At Les Remparts, where classical French cuisine is interpreted with a Quebec twist, lentils complement grilled tuna.
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