cootie Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 o.k. What do you do if everyone in your larger-sized family (except for toddler, surprisingly) can't stand to eat beans. I try to slip them into soup / stew, tried to bake "bean bread" where the beans are undetectable, tried sprouts, etc. I just can't get them to eat them. Beans are just such a high-quality way to get protien and nutrition into my family in a way that stores well and is inexpensive. I don't want to give up on beans. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can prepare beans to help my family to like them? Help!!!!!!!!! Cootie Link to comment
CrabGrassAcres Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Do the beans taste bitter to them? I can only eat beans if I deactivate the enzyme that causes them to taste bitter or "beany". I do this by bringing water to a boil and dropping the beans in and bringing it back to a boil then cover, turn off and let soak about an hour. Drain and cover with boiling water. Some beans I have to do the soak drain two times before cooking. Putting them in bread just ruins the bread for me because I can taste the bitter beany flavor. Link to comment
JCK88 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Cootie, go to this page http://americanbean.org/ and you will find recipes for bean desserts! I got my family used to beans by making pots of Boston Baked beans. The sweetness in that recipe makes it a favorite. At the above link, there are links to some really good bean dishes--from soup to desserts, to bean bars--just about anything you can make. I never thought my family would come around, but they have. I make bean "burgers" they really enjoy. Link to comment
Clovis Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 If I make soup beans I soak them over night and try to change the water at least once during the night. Be sure to drain off all the water and rinse again before you cook them. It helps a lot with the bitterness. Also I guess I'm just a meanie, but I have always fixed what I have, can afford and if they get hungry enough they'll at least try it. Don't fix anything else. I haven't had anyone starve yet. Link to comment
Grubby Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 My family is the same way. If I make chili there will be a pile of beans left in the bowl. I don't dare make bean soup. The last time they went off and made something else. I was thinking about taking some beans and blending them up then adding them to the chili. Potato soup with blended navy beans. Only add 1/2 a can or 1 cup to whatever you are adding them to. Let's start small then work our way up. I'm going to look for that brownie recipe! Link to comment
HSmom Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Do they like anything with beans? Even store-bought chili or baked beans or pork-n-beans? Link to comment
GoatLady Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I'm not crazy about beans either, neither is hubby I do like to make homemade refried beans and use in burritos with lots of salsa, guacamole & what not, I LOVE hummus witha burning passion LOL, that's made of garbonzo beans, and I have a KILLER bean salad recipe that even I can't enough of! The recipe is on my cooking blog here http://flavorsofhome.blogspot.com/ Link to comment
whiterock Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I use a lot of pinto beans. I will soak them overnight, drain off the soak water, put in fresh water and skim the foam as they begin to boil, later I will sometimes drain and use fresh water to finish cooking them. Sometimes I will put a ham bone in, sometimes tomatoes/rotel, sometimes I add cumin. Salt in the early stages of cooking toughens the beans. I make a big pot, after about half of it is gone, I'll add carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, and chicken broth to make soup. My son won't eat them this way, but he loves what we call cowboy stew. Take about 2 # ground meat and brown with a large chopped onion, add two large cans of Ranchstyle beans, large can of rotel tomatoes, 2 cans of corn. That is what he wanted as soon as he got home from Iraq. Funny thing is he doesn't like pintos and ranchstyle are seasoned pintos. As for green beans, if you have to use store bought canned green beans, drain and rinse them, add 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp vinegar, and some fat, bacon is good or even butter, to each can and simmer for a while and they will taste almost like fresh green beans. Ed Link to comment
westbrook Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 dang, now Ed had me craving green beans! just saw some in the store yesterday.. I looked at them and walked by... now I may need to pick some up today! Link to comment
Abigail Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I'm one of those former bean-haters. For me, it's been a slowly acquired taste. I found them to have a "grainy" consistency that I didn't like. I like the firmer ones much better. The only thing I can see to do is to use small amounts of pureed beans or bean flour and gradually add more until someone notices something is "off" about the recipe. Using them in "sweeter" recipes may help too...like BBQ beans. I did always like green beans, but they're totally different. Does your family dislike green beans too? I have a homegrown green bean casserole recipe that my kids all love. It's basically cans of seasoned French-style green beans with cream of celery soup, sour cream, bread crumbs, sauteed onions, and shredded cheese. I just play with it until the casserole takes on the consistency that seems right...then bake at 350 until bubbly and the cheese melts. Just find ways to "hide" it until your family "acquires" a taste for them...I'll be honest, I'm still struggling to "acquire" the taste. They simply aren't my favorite food. Link to comment
Grubby Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 We aren't talking about green beans Westie! Although my kids don't like peas either. Link to comment
Leah Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 http://www.cooksrecipes.com/candy/bills_be...dge_recipe.html Bill's Bean Fudge Makes 24 pieces. 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter 1 2/3 cups mashed pinto beans 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 pounds powdered sugar 1. Melt together unsweetened baking cocoa and butter. Mix in thoroughly drained and mashed pinto beans, vanilla, and powdered sugar. 2. Place in a large, buttered, shallow baking pan with sides and chill until firm. - http://www.northarvestbean.org/html/consumer.cfm Many recipes including : Black Bean Brownies 1/2 cup cocoa 1/2 cup butter or margarine 2 cups white sugar 1 cup cooked black bean puree 4 eggs 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder PREPARATION: Mix cocoa, butter, sugar, black bean puree and eggs together in a bowl until well blended. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into wet mixture. Grease a 9 x13 inch pan with cooking spray and pour the batter into the pan. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees or until done. Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting. Link to comment
cootie Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 Thanks everyone, for the tips, websites and recipies, I will try anything! Yes, my family likes green beans but I wanted to store a lot of dried beans too. I appreciate all the help. Blessings, Cootie Link to comment
serendipity Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Wow, Leah, amazing recipes!! Thanks for those! Link to comment
Pixie Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 I have a few great bean recipes...lemme dig em up! Link to comment
Pixie Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 http://www.jfolse.com/recipes/soups/vegetable25.htm Cuban Black Bean and Ham Soup Prep Time: 1 ½ Hours Yields: 6-8 Servings Comment: Beans are a naturally low-fat food and they contain many essential nutrients, such as fiber and iron. In this recipe, we have combined beans with great tasting herbs and vegetables, creating a wonderful soup that has less than 3 grams of fat per serving. Ingredients: 3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, undrained 1 pound lean or low-fat cubed ham 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup diced onions ¾ cup diced red bell peppers 2 tbsps minced garlic ½ tsp ground cumin 3 tbsps chopped fresh cilantro ¼ tsp dried thyme 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel tomatoes 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 2 quarts fat-free chicken stock salt and black pepper to taste low-fat or fat-free sour cream cilantro for garnish Method: In a 5-quart stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, red bell peppers and garlic. Sauté vegetables for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Stir in ham and cook 2-3 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. Season with cumin, cilantro and thyme. Sauté for 1 minute to allow spices to toast. Blend in Rotel and tomato paste. Add chicken stock and black beans. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If a thicker, smoother soup is desired, purée half of the soup in a blender or with a hand mixer. Serve hot with a dollop of low-fat or fat-free sour cream and a sprig of cilantro. Tomato lentil soup here is the original recipe. 4tbs unsalted butter 2 cups chopped onions 2 cups chopped celery 2 cans of italian plumb tomatos(with thier juice) 6 cups chicken stock 1/2 cup dried lentils 1 cup chopped italian fresh parsly 1/2 cup dry red wine 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp ground cloves melt butter in large soup pot add onions and celery, stiring until veggies are wilted. puree tomatos with thier juice in blender, add to wilted veggies. add chicken stock and lentils, bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer , un covered stirring occationally for 20 minutes add half the parsly wine and spicess stir well, and simmer another 25 minutes add remaining parsly and simmer for another 5 minutes, serve immediately. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~```` Also I make a salad with white and purple cabbage(shreded) and carrot(grated, diced apple, SLivered mushrooms, 1 can of romano beans the dressing is made of sour cream, plain yogurt and lemon juice. let it sit for an hour so its tender and serve! You can add or take away what you wish. Link to comment
cootie Posted March 3, 2008 Author Share Posted March 3, 2008 Thanks again everyone! I appreciate the help and the recipies. Cootie Link to comment
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