Learning the Basics:
Dried Beans - Don't be scared!
Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you...
Sometimes it's nice to just revisit the basics. Although current diet trends may be anti-bean, they are a base of the Mediterranean diet, which is one of the healthiest diets studied to date. It's okay if you buy them from a can, but we recommend you try preparing them from scratch (just once!) to taste the difference. Although they take longer to prepare, dried beans are more nutritious, contain less sodium, and are less mushy than canned beans. Dried beans can be cooked in a saucepan or pot on the stovetop or in a crockpot. The basic principles remain the same no matter which method you use.
Three ingredients are required:
Water or other liquid to soften the beans as they cook (3 cups of water for each cup of beans)
Oil or other fat to prevent the water from boiling over and to add flavor (1-2 tbsp)
Salt to give the beans flavor (1 tsp of sea salt for each cup of beans)
Step 1 - Rinse and drain the beans and discard any damaged beans
Step 2 - Soak the beans
Quick hot soak - cover beans with water and boil for two minutes, cover pot and soak for three hours
Overnight cold soak - cover beans with room temperature water (three cups of water to one cup of beans), allow to soak overnight (12 hours or more), then rinse with fresh water
Step 3 - Cook the beans
Stovetop - Combine soaked beans, oil or fat, water or liquid, and salt in a pot (stainless steel or cast iron is ideal). Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are tender (1 1/2 to 3 hours...timing will vary depending on bean variety and age of the beans...taste often!). If water has evaporated, add more so that all of the beans are covered.
Crockpot - Combine soaked beans, oil/fat, water/liquid, and salt in the crockpot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, making sure the beans are constantly covered by liquid. Reduce heat to low and let cook 6-8 hours.
Step 4 - Add to your favorite recipe
Here's one of ours!
Butter Bean Salad w/ Sun-dried Tomatoes, Olives, & Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
3.5 cups cooked butter beans (or any type of white bean)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
1/3 cup basil vinaigrette (see below for recipe)
2 -3 T chopped fresh basil (optional)
Directions:
Dried Beans - Don't be scared!
Beans, beans, the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you...
Sometimes it's nice to just revisit the basics. Although current diet trends may be anti-bean, they are a base of the Mediterranean diet, which is one of the healthiest diets studied to date. It's okay if you buy them from a can, but we recommend you try preparing them from scratch (just once!) to taste the difference. Although they take longer to prepare, dried beans are more nutritious, contain less sodium, and are less mushy than canned beans. Dried beans can be cooked in a saucepan or pot on the stovetop or in a crockpot. The basic principles remain the same no matter which method you use.
Three ingredients are required:
Water or other liquid to soften the beans as they cook (3 cups of water for each cup of beans)
Oil or other fat to prevent the water from boiling over and to add flavor (1-2 tbsp)
Salt to give the beans flavor (1 tsp of sea salt for each cup of beans)
Step 1 - Rinse and drain the beans and discard any damaged beans
Step 2 - Soak the beans
Quick hot soak - cover beans with water and boil for two minutes, cover pot and soak for three hours
Overnight cold soak - cover beans with room temperature water (three cups of water to one cup of beans), allow to soak overnight (12 hours or more), then rinse with fresh water
Step 3 - Cook the beans
Stovetop - Combine soaked beans, oil or fat, water or liquid, and salt in a pot (stainless steel or cast iron is ideal). Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are tender (1 1/2 to 3 hours...timing will vary depending on bean variety and age of the beans...taste often!). If water has evaporated, add more so that all of the beans are covered.
Crockpot - Combine soaked beans, oil/fat, water/liquid, and salt in the crockpot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, making sure the beans are constantly covered by liquid. Reduce heat to low and let cook 6-8 hours.
Step 4 - Add to your favorite recipe
Here's one of ours!
Butter Bean Salad w/ Sun-dried Tomatoes, Olives, & Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
3.5 cups cooked butter beans (or any type of white bean)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
1/3 cup basil vinaigrette (see below for recipe)
2 -3 T chopped fresh basil (optional)
Directions:
Rinse beans with cold water, then blot dry with a paper towel and put the beans in a medium-sized salad bowl. Add about half the basil vinaigrette and mix into beans, then let them marinate while you prep other ingredients. Drain sun-dried tomatoes to remove the oil, then coarsely chop them. Cut Kalamata olives in half. Mix together the marinated beans, sun-dried tomatoes, and kalamata olives. Add the rest of the dressing, or as much as you need to moisten the ingredients. Then gently mix in the additional chopped basil if using.
For a quick homemade basil vinaigrette, combine the following ingredients in a food processor:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup roughly chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Recipe adapted from
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/09/recipe-for-butter-bean-salad-with-sun.html
More About Beans:
Dried beans should to be stored at room temperature in a covered container (up to 12 months)
Soaking is NOT an essential step in bean prep but it will greatly reduce cooking time
Discard the soak water to avoid digestive discomfort (hallelujah!)
A cup of dry beans yields three cups cooked
Ever heard of tapping and the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)? If you are interested, an awesome tapping workshop around food and weight is being held at Soma Vida in July by tapping practitioner Joni Gilton. Check out the details!
Feeling frustrated, stressed and struggling around losing weight? Tired of dieting and working hard to lose weight only to gain it back? If you’d like to get to the bottom of what’s behind eating problems and retaining excess weight, this is the class for you! You may have heard about the success of using Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) tapping to achieve long-term weight loss goals. More on EFT at http://www.tappingintodreams.com/eft/
Achieving Weight Loss using EFT is a 3-part hands-on class for women and men. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) tapping will be applied to release inner resistance, emotions and limiting beliefs that stand in the way of losing weight. EFT is a meridian energy balancing method that combines the principles of acupressure and modern psychology. No prior experience with EFT is necessary. The class will be facilitated by Joni Gilton, a certified EFT practitioner. More on Joni and EFT at http://www.tappingintodreams.com/
Tues, July 8, 6:30pm-8:00pm - Food cravings and triggering situations
Tues, July 15, 6:30pm-8:00pm - Inhibiting factors
Tues, July 29, 6:30pm-8:00pm - Limiting beliefs
The cost is $60 (includes all three classes), paid in advance. Limited to ten participants. Location is Soma Vida conference room.
To begin the end of your struggle, register at http://www.tappingintodreams.com/eft-class-on-achieving-weight-loss/
To begin the end of your struggle, register at http://www.tappingintodreams.com/eft-class-on-achieving-weight-loss/
