| This is page 1 of 2, Click here to go to page 2 Beans? Are you sure? �How about chili for dinner guys?� I ask my 3 boys as I walk by their latest man- made fort in my living room. I know very well that�s what they are having, since I already started cooking it. And they begin � you know how it goes: �beans, beans, they're good for your heart; the more you eat the more you�� well, you know the rest. OH, and �beans, beans the magical fruit �� You can finish singing it yourself, but don�t let the kids hear you. The reason I bring this up is that new evidence suggests that beans, and other legumes, really are good for your heart! According to a study of more than 9,600 Americans published in the November 26, 2001 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, those who ate beans at least four times a week had a 22% lower risk of developing heart disease over the 19-year study period as compared to those who ate legumes only once a week. Most legumes contain many healthy nutrients to include magnesium, calcium, potassium, folate, and lots of fiber. So what? You may be thinking �My kids hate beans�.. right? Well, try a few cooking techniques that just might change their little minds. Being raised on a Cajun diet that always included red-beans-and-rice, beans-and-wienies, and the ever popular black-eyed-pea dishes like Hoppin John, I love all sorts of beans. Especially when you add smoked meats to them while they are cooking. In Louisiana we have a meat product that is perfect for this called Tasso. It�s a highly seasoned, nearly fat-free, and well smoked piece of ham basically, that you can simply drop into a pot of beans and just let it season the beans for you. Since it�s not available here in Texas, I use bacon, turkey, and other smoked meats that I can find here, after I run out of my stash in the freezer from trips home. Now back home they use some unheard of meat �items� in their dishes littered with words like pigs feet to describe the meaty parts, but you get the idea. Whatever your palette allows is fair �game�. Serving beans dishes over white rice is a traditional way to feed your family as well as a budget stretching technique. Adding a salad and some yummy bread will round out any bean based entr�e for your family. Check out my 3 favorite bean menus and let the beany creativity begin. White Chilli Dinner with Corn on the Cob, and Fruit Jello Suprise I�ve been known to use navy beans, great northern beans, and even very large white lima beans for this recipe. Variety is the spice of life and keeps the kids guessing. 1 large white onion, diced � pound of smoked, nearly fat free ham or turkey meat � pound of dried white beans � cup chopped celery � cup fresh, chopped cilantro or parsley 1 can of fat free chicken broth salt, pepper, garlic salt, cayenne pepper Bring the beans to a boil, drain, and bring to a boil again, in a large, heavy pot nearly full of water. Turn on very low heat and let cook for about 2 hours, or until beans are soft. Remove about 1 cup of beans and water and run this through the blender until completely liquid. Pour this back in the pot to thicken the �gravy�. Now add the broth, meat, the veggies, and the seasonings. Let this cook for at least one hour on low heat and serve over white rice. If there is too much liquid, call it a bean soup and add less water the next time round. Or just wait until tomorrow to serve it, it�ll be thick by then after sitting in the fridge all night. Corn on the Cob: This goes without saying right? Open the bag of frozen corn cobs, put the cobs into boiling water and serve after a few minutes of rolling about in the pot. I season mine with Molly McButter and a dash of salt. Fruity Jello Suprise: (The surprise is that you made a dessert in the first place instead of opening a bag of cookies right?) My kids love this. Get some pretty wine or champagne glasses out and clean the dust from them. Or use coffee cups or small bowls if you don�t have wine glasses. Open one can of fruit cocktail that is packaged in water (it�s own juices), not light syrup or heavy syrup. Separate this amongst the glasses and spoon it in. Cover with the sugar-free gelatin of your choice. Refrigerate according to gelatin directions. Before serving, top with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping. Pretty simple and a very pretty dessert treat. |