No, I’m not talking about the mystery dish Aunt Ethyl always brought to Christmas dinner that everyone was always too afraid to try.
When I was growing up, I hated the beans my mother bought for us. The beans were gross, whatever they were packed in was almost sweet (not a taste I think should be associated with beans, that’s for sure), and the beans were really small. I avoided beans at all costs unless it involved a burrito (that my mother didn’t make).
When I started on the South Beach diet, I saw that I could have beans. Kidney beans, butter beans, chickpeas, soy beans, etc. Seeing as I could obviously well and truly indulge in the bean side of things, I decided I would give them another go. After all, since coming to Australia I have tried a lot of things I ‘didn’t like’ only to find I like them a lot. (Broccoli, mushrooms, pumpkin…)
There are cans of ‘three bean mix’ that I get for less than a dollar a can at Aldi’s and they are fantastic! (Well, as fantastic as beans go, anyway.) A little bit of soy sauce or sesame oil can give me a bit more flavor if I want it. I can add in mushrooms to bulk it up a bit or even melt cheese on top.
I now absolutely love beans and it’s such a good thing!
Beans are great for a number of reasons:
*Low GI
*High protein (which makes them excellent for vegetarians)
*High iron
*High calcium
…and oodles of other things.
So even if you didn’t/don’t like beans, I urge you to try some different kinds. They’re great!
I like beans, I just don’t know many ways to cook them and so we don’t eat them as often as we should.
Do you have access to sesame oil? A smidge of that tossed in with a pan of beans adds a lovely flavour as well as brings out the flavour of the beans.
I love beans! A quick lunch for me would be a can of lentils or beans with mashed avocado, balsamic vinegar and a dash of herbal seasoning.
Mmm. That sounds yum.