April 8, 2008
Beans
Growing up, I rarely ate beans. Now that I cook for my own family, I found that beans are really good and can be used as part of a quick meal. Not only do beans have a lot of good nutrition by being good sources of fiber, protein, and B vitamins like folate, they are also low in fat.
Most beans can be found dry or canned. If you are using the dried version and are not familiar with how to cook them, you can follow this fact sheet on Cooking Dry Beans.
I encourage you to add more beans to your meals. The Dietary Guidelines recommend eating 3 cups of beans each week.
Here is one of my favorite recipes. It is perfect as a side dish or a snack.
Bean Salad
(makes 8 servings)
1 can (15 oz.) black beans or 2 cups cooked dried beans
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans or 2 cups cooked dried beans
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1 cup corn (drained canned)
1/2 cup zesty Italian dressing – low fat
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
Directions:
1. Drain and rinse beans (you can substitute bean types).
2. Mix all ingredients together and chill.
3. Add other combinations like mandarin oranges and broccoli florets.
Nutrition Facts (per serving): calories 140 ~ calories from fat 15 ~ total fat 2g ~ cholesterol 0mg ~sodium 470mg ~ carbohydrates 23g ~ protein 7g ~ fiber 7g
Posted by Jennifer McCaffrey at 3:30 PM |
