6 Ways to Use Beans
Beans are not just a popular topping for toast. They’re so versatile in their usage and there are so many varieties of beans, each with their own special benefits and usages. Organic beans contain more nutrients than processed beans and beans in general are known to help reduce cancer, are one of the top choices for a good source of protein, and can improve bone growth.
Here’s a simple list of ideas to implement and incorporate beans into your diet. Choose your favorite beans and go hard on adding beans to your favorite meals.
Red Kidney Beans
As a salad ingredient
Beans are a great addition to your favorite salad. You can add as many different types of beans as you like to create a colorful blend of different textures as well.
Have you heard of “Cowboy Caviar”? Mix lots of beans with corn, peppers, onions, and tomatoes with your favorite dressing for a beautiful and healthy bean salad. Eating with chips adds a nice crunch and makes eating salads fun and enjoyable.
Airfrying your favorite beans with a dash of salt or your favorite dry seasoning can add a great natural crunch from the typical crouton or fried onions. Different textures in a salad can really make a difference.
Cowboy Caviar
A great protein substitute or add-on
It’s not hard to find vegan or vegetarian options that use beans to substitute meat options. You can buy your favorite tofu or vegan/vegetarian meat substitute at your local grocery store, or you can make your own. Some of the more popular meat substitute options may not be as healthy as you think so take precautions and check your labels for added sugar, salt, fats, and preservatives that could make your substitute just as worse as eating processed junk foods.
You don’t need to completely substitute your favorite meats with beans, but you can reduce your red meat servings and add a side of beans to maintain that protein packed diet. Sometimes you don’t need to take away what you love to be healthier and you shouldn’t feel the need to force yourself to stop eating what you love. Including healthier options in your diet here and there allows your body to adapt and make you feel good about what you eat. A healthy diet shouldn’t be something that constricts you but makes you feel good and your body feel good.
Add flavor and texture to a stew or soup
Beans are already a popular ingredient in a Texan’s favorite chili, but you can add beans to really any soup or stew that you like. Beans are generally cooked slow and low so they are a great ingredient to use in a stew or soup since all of the ingredients are cooked for a long time with great care. You can blend cooked beans to make your soups thicker if you don’t typically enjoy the texture of certain beans.
You should try all sorts of beans to find the ones that you like and try different cooking methods and techniques to find the ways that you can enjoy beans. Mixing different sizes and types of beans can add a variety of textures to a stew or soup and adds a little splash of color here and there.
Rice and quinoa
A part of mixed grains
Grains are an essential part of many cultures if not a part of all cultures’ diets. Rice, in particular, is eaten for almost all three meals of the day in many cultures’ diets. Adding a cup of your favorite beans while cooking rice is a great way to add protein and nutrients to your diet without feeling the need to substitute or think of ways to add beans to your main dish.
Not only beans but mixing different grains and lentils into a simple pot of rice can elevate not only the taste but also the nutritional value of a simple side. Red or black rice is a popular rice blend of rice, beans, and other grains that Koreans enjoy. The white rice cooks in the same water as the beans and other added grains and becomes a beautiful red color. So pretty!
Make your own protein powder
Dehydrate or buy dried beans and blend up them up to create your own protein powder that can be used everywhere. Add seeds, lentils and other ingredients to make your protein powder a bit more special than your average protein powder.
Blend into a dip or milk
Hummus is a well known dip in the Mediterranean diet made with a blend of chickpeas and tahini. But you can create your own bean dip by blending your favorite cooked beans and other ingredients to make something truly special. Add some oil and your favorite seasonings to really elevate your tastebuds to another level.
Blending beans can also be made into a drink. Soymilk is already a popular choice of beverage in Southeast Asian countries and is steadily gaining popularity as a great milk substitute in the US too. The pulp from the soymilk process can be used as fertilizer and can also be eaten as a meat substitute. None of the bean will be wasted!
Soymilk