Beans, Beans the Magical Food: Better Health for Your Family

Beans, beans, fun to say and fun to eat. On my quest to cook more heart-healthy foods for my entire family, I've turned to beans. Beans are filling, they have plenty of fiber and they're a good source of protein and iron. Some beans, like black beans also provide the body with omega 3-fatty acids. For anyone who can't or won't eat fish but still wants to get their omega-3s, black beans are one good way. The amount of omega-3s in "one cup of black beans roughly equal to the amount in one ounce of a cold water fish like halibut" according to World's Healthiest Foods.

I've baked and cooked with these recipe tricks using beans. My family, so far, has not fired me as head chef at home.

Kidney Bean Tacos

ÃÆ''Ã'Ã'½ pound ground chicken or turkey, 93% lean
ÃÆ''Ã'Ã'½ pound ground beef, 90% lean
1 can low-sodium kidney beans, rinsed
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning

1. Cook the ground chicken and ground beef until completely cooked. There shouldn't be any excess fat to drain from the pan.

2. Add one cup of water and the taco seasoning.

3. Mix in one can of kidney beans.

4. Simmer until the sauce thickens.

5. Serve with whole wheat flour tortillas, heft amounts of fresh spinach or Romaine lettuce, and low-fat cheese.

6. Healthy condiments to serve include homemade or all natural salsa, plain sliced tomatoes and Fat-free Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.

Black Bean Brownies

Stick with this recipe until you taste the results. It's easy and convenient to make and your family will never believe you snuck them some fiber.

One can low-sodium black beans, rinsed
One box brownie mix

1. Drain and rinse the black beans. Add the beans to a blender or food processor with one half cup of water. Beware, because the mixture will not smell pleasant while blending. You can add a little more water if the beans are not blending in your appliance.

2. Pour the dry brownie mix into a bowl. Do not add any ingredients from the box's instructions including the water, egg or oil.

3. Add the pureed beans to the brownie mix and stir. You can use a hand-held beater or beat it by hand.

4. Pour the mixture into a cake pan and cook according to the box's directions.

5. Remove from oven, slice and enjoy. They don't taste exactly like regular brownies, but your family will taste the chocolate and not the beans.

Sources
Personal Experience
World's Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=72