How do you cook beans..I want to eat more fiber ...?!


Question:

How do you cook beans..I want to eat more fiber ...?

I like beans..and I need more fiber and need to know how to make beans..are beans in a can any good..thanks..


Answers:
I love beans. Almost all (pinto, red kidney, pink kidney, navy, black, great northern) are cooked the same basic way.
Rinse and sort out foreign matter (pebbles, etc). Soak beans 8-10 hours in water, water level about 2" above them.
Drain, rinse. Fill water 2" above beans again. Bring to a full but gentle boil (a "roiling" boil too long will break the skins). Reduce heat to simmer (tiny bit boiling). Total stove top cook time around 2 hours. During cooking...important to add salt around halfway through cook time. 1/2 to 1 tablespoon per pound. I don't use meat at all in beans (I do eat meat). They last longer meatless, less fat, "cleaner" flavor.
Nothing wrong with salt in moderation. Commercial prepared food has a ton of sodium to flavor and preserve worthless products. Homemade completely different; we need salt to live. In history people have waged wars over salt access. Beans taste like dirt without it.
Prepared and cooked properly beans do not cause gas (flatulence). If they do, soak time was too short or cooked too fast.
Experiment with other seasonings after your basic skills are honed. One of my favorites is a 50/50 red kidney bean and pinto. When I add salt, I add chili powder and garlic. Chili powder on it's own is not hot to the tongue. Or add chopped onion, your favorite leaf spice (basil, thyme, etc to white beans). Prepare the same for crockpot, cook on low all day.
Beans eaten with rice in the same meal provide nearly the same amino acids (protiens) as meat. And your concern for fiber is very valid. The US has a ridiculous colon cancer rate. In most countries of Asia and Africa it is nearly non-existent.
Thank our food hustlers working hand in glove with our government (Nestle, General Foods, Kraft, on and on). The profit on processed phony food 10 to 100 times higher than fresh or basic foods.
A little planning and practice, we can eat whole heathy food from scratch. Prepare ahead, reheat when when ready. Put those bums out of business. They are worse liars and scammers than the tobacco industry, believe me. Everyone knows ill effects of tobacco; and less than 16% of us use it. How many people eat (including children overdosing on sugar, fat, sodium) ? Hmmm, almost 100% wouldn't you say?

you put them in a pan and turn on the stove....takes like 5 min for them to get done...very easy

Beans in a can are fantastic.

Put them in a small saucepan on your stove and wait for them to boil (let them bubble). Let them boil for 2 minutes on medium/high heat

then done!

MAKE SURE you turn off all appliances afterwards.

first you don't MAKE beans, you can add beer to yo pot a beans. I started to git a can of great northerns early this morning, but just let it ride instead.''

If you want the most nutrition you should use bagged dry beans but it is time consuming. You need to soak the in water overnight and rinse them off the next day. You also need to look through them because sometimes pebbles are let in by the machines they use to sort the beans. After that, you put them into a pot and add enough water to cover them by 1/2 inch. Simmer for about an hour and then start checking them by squeezing 1 bean and when it can be squeezed between 2 fingers and crush easily then they are done. At this point you can add them to soup, make them into baked beans, or chill the and make a salad.
If you choose the canned beans then just follow the instructions on the can and they are still a very good source of fiber.

Dried beans take a loooong time to cook, so you'd be better to buy them in a can. Baked beans or pork & beans are good just heated up & eaten...other beans are not seasoned & usually get put in a casserole or something.

Make chili and other soups with them, or bean dips...
Black beans in a can are nice & spicy, add them to some taco meat for enchiladas or burritoes.
Black beans are also great if you throw them into a salad--which is also high in fiber, by the way.

If you can get Mexican cans, get "La Coste?a" .
If you want cook natural beans, the best are black, bayo, May flower.
Put them in water all the night , the next day put half water in the express poat, half onion, a spoon of oil, sal (in Spanish, sorry) cook them.

Dried Beans Wash, and drain. cover beans in about 3 inches water in a big pot. Bring to boil. turn off let sit for about an hour . Reheat and simmer until beans are tender several hours. (IMHO beans are bettter the longer they cook)
Season with 1) leftover ham bone 2) salt pork 3) smoked pork neck. Omit if you are vegan.
Cut up an onion, carrots, chopped garlic a hot pepper to add to the beans when you turn them back on.
I find it best not to ad any of the herbs or spice until about the last hour of cooking.. you may want to add , pepper, onion powder, thyme, Italian seasoning, a bit of sage or poultry seasoning. garlic powder. You may want to salt if you are not using pork bones.

Once you have the basics down get creative, you will find just the right pot of beans for your taste.

Canned beans or Peas (not green sweet peas)
add 1/2 onion and a half can of diced tomatoes. Season to taste (pepper, garlic, thyme, oragano) heat till boiling..

beans in a can are good but can be loaded with sodium. when i use plain canned beans for anything, i rinse them in a colander a few times before adding them to anything. cooking dried beans is a better bet because you can control the sodium. here's the basic way i cook most of my beans:

empty a one pound sack of dried beans of your choice (black, pinto, red, kidney, great northern) into a container large enough to hold them and add enough cold water to cover. let soak overnight. OR cover with hot water and let soak for a few hours. drain just before adding to veggie saute below.

saute some celery, bellpepper, and onion in a large dutch oven style pot. when they are just about done, add some minced garlic. cook a few minutes to bring out the flavor. add whatever seasonings and herbs you like for a certain flavor. stir well to distribute. add the soaked, drained beans. stir and add enough water to cover. turn heat up and bring to a rapid boil. turn heat down, cover, and cook until beans are firm yet tender. use a potato masher to mash a little of the beans in the pot to help thicken or if you choose mash them all for a refried bean style.

u should steam them coz then they will retain there texture

ya bush's baked beans are good, also you can make refried beans with mexican food or you can make chili with beans and meat etc.... good luck!




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