Try it Tuesday: Kidney Beans
I’ve always hated beans.
And I mean hated.
Just the thought of them made me gag.
But they are sooooo good for you.
How good?
Well here are some of the benefits:
- They are a greast source of fiber which helps prevent your blood sugar from rising to rapidly after a meal.
- Kidney beans are an excellent source of the trace mineral, molybdenum, an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites. Just one cup of cooked kidney beans supplies 177.0% of the daily value for molybdenum. (source)
- A good source of iron
- One serving (1c) contains about 15 grams of protein
- A great source of folate (folic acid) containing almost 230 mcgs per cup
- High in omega-3 fatty acids (source – Nourishing Traditions) (from what I could find the amount could be anywhere between 200 and 1000 milligrams per serving)
- CHEAP!
I knew all of this information. I made my kid eat them, I made them for my husband (though I wasn’t very good at it! Since I wouldn’t test them, they were either over or undercooked. Poor guy) but just couldn’t get myself to choke them down. But a couple weeks ago, I finally got over myself and decided that if I could try organ meats at Wise Traditions, I should totally be able to try kidney beans right? And so it was that I made chili that very next day.
I made my chili with more meat than beans (essential for my texture issues when trying new things!) so that I could kind of sneak them in here and there and not end up with a whole bite of just beans.
And I also made mashed potatoes.
For me, potatoes are my go to food to hide new things!
So there I sat and ate my bowl of chili over mashed potatoes. And you know what? I lived! They didn’t kill me, and I have to say the potatoes covered the texture extremely well.
For me, this opens a whole new world of cheaper cooking as beans are both nutritional and cheap. I can toss them into so many dishes as fillers without compromising nutrition. Plus now I don’t have to make different dinners when I make chili or soup for my husband!
So what have you tried lately?
If I can try new things – so can you!!
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Donielle, I am so glad I found your blog. I have never met someone else who has the same texture issues I do! Beans aren’t one of my problems, but so many more of them are the same! Thanks for being honest! Maybe I’ll have the courage to try some of my “problem foods” here in the near future.
BTW, I love beans, for just the reasons you stated above, but most of all, because they’re cheap!!!! Oh, and I found a way to use the nasty soybeans that I had purchased over 2 years ago to make my own soymilk for my oldest who has a caesin allergy (only in pasturized homogenized milk). I poured a bunch into a basin and my kids are going crazy playing with them! A perfect alternative for being outside in our wonderfully cold Michigan Winter!
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Good Job for going out of your comfort zone. My 5 year old has always been Mr. Picky and we don’t cook separate meals here, so if he wouldn’t eat what we were having (which was a lot of the time) I would just give him some lunchmeats (we get good quality without all the garbage in them at a smokehouse in Detroit, MI) or something left over from another meal or once in a great while scramble him and egg (I really didn’t want to cook separate for him, but I also need him to eat enough protein).
I LOVE beans but of the ones that are a staple to me, Kidney are the least favorite. When I make Chili I use pinto and black beans. Just a different thing to maybe try!!
Love your blog!!
Lisa
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I’ve always loved beans, but organ meats? I *know* I should give them a try, but I just can’t get past the idea.
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I’m so glad you posted this. I love beans of all kinds, and have the most delicious, wonderful, and nourishing baked beans recipe, that I can’t make, because my husband HATES BEANS. He will eat them in chili, but that’s it. He won’t even eat refried beans or hummus, because he says “it just makes the texture worse!” Please post more ideas for “hiding” beans. Your blog is fantastic; I love it!
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donielle Reply:
January 12th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
@Jenny, I must have your baked bean recipe. It’s something my husband wants me to make and I know my 3yo used to love back when I bought stuff out of cans! I plan on trying to use beans more – so recipes coming!
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Jenny Reply:
January 12th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
@donielle, Donielle, I’ll email it to you! Blessings!
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Since we live way down here in Louisiana, eating beans is a BIG part of our culture.. We eat red beans and rice usually three days a week and rotate that out every other week. I, of course, use a half of a pound of natural smoked Cajun sausage, just to flavor it, but usually just that.
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I’m using kidney bean this week too…making a dip for our care group. I think the ingredients are mashed up white kidney beans, garlic, a bit of oil and roasted peppers….or something like that. I had it at a friend’s house and it was really good! Serving with those rice crackers that I like so much.
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Fermented foods…. I can only bring myself to try water kefir. Can’t do the rest. Next on my list is sprouted flour. Something about “fermented” just seems weird to me…. By the way, do you know anything about kefir and yeast? Would the yeast in the kefir make yeast problems worse or would the probiotics make it better? Does anyone know?
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I hate beans but my husband loves them. So whenever possible — chili and soups, mostly — I mash them in a food processor first. He gets the taste of beans, I get a little taste (which isn’t so bad) but none of the texture (which is), and we both get the extra nutritional value. Worked really well in a turkey chili I improvised last week!
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