Often familiar cereals and legumes become a real find when new interesting recipes appear in a cookbook. Even ordinary beans can become the basis for delicious dishes that your family will definitely love. This representative of legumes goes well with vegetables and sauces, various spices and herbs. It makes delicious rich soups, hearty salads and snacks. Some housewives even manage to make desserts from beans. Let's remember the beneficial properties of beans. It contains a large amount of easily digestible proteins, which is why it is often called a plant-based analogue of meat. This legume also contains B vitamins, copper, zinc and potassium, and a number of other useful elements necessary for our body. If you haven't already included beans in your diet, now is the time to get inspired by new recipes. See the selection from the editors of “Eating at Home” and cook with us!
Preparing an original snack
The onion is peeled and cut into small cubes. Fry it until transparent in a frying pan with vegetable oil. Stir occasionally. Add spices.
Garlic is cut into slices, chili pepper is cut into rings. If you want it spicier, you can leave the seeds. Add these ingredients to the onion and lightly fry. Remove the skin from the tomato and cut the pulp into cubes.
Reduce heat and simmer the tomatoes and onions for another five minutes. Add ketchup. As a result, the excess liquid should evaporate. Add boiled beans, mix everything and cool. Before serving, garnish with parsley.
How to cook beans correctly: the benefits of beans and the best recipes
Beans contain only about 1% fat, but this does not prevent it from providing our body with vital vitamins and microelements. Beans are rich in magnesium, calcium, vitamins K and B, iron, and fiber.
This valuable product is not completely digested by the intestines, thanks to which it rids it of everything unnecessary. Regular consumption of beans prevents premature aging, strengthens the heart and blood vessels, and improves immunity. The amino acid tryptophan contained in beans promotes the production of serotonin. By including beans in your daily diet, you will forever forget about your bad mood, sleepless nights and depression.
Now you know how to cook beans correctly. Now it’s time to consider recipes for preparing the most delicious, satisfying and healthy dishes with boiled beans.
Types of beans
In modern cooking, more than 200 varieties of beans are used, which differ in appearance and taste.
According to the method of use, beans are divided into:
- grain - only ripened grains are eaten;
- vegetable - not only the grains are edible, but also the pods.
Bean grains vary in color, and each type has its own characteristics. Red beans are a leader in the content of antioxidants, which slow down age-related changes in cells and prevent many diseases. White beans are no less healthy; they are rich in magnesium and folic acid, and also have a high fiber content.
Green beans are of particular value for dietary nutrition. Of all the types of beans, green beans are the least high in calories and have absolutely no contraindications. Both grains and green pods are eaten.
“Spicy” appetizer with chili pepper
For this snack, take the following products:
- 200 grams of green beans;
- onion head;
- a couple of cloves of garlic;
- a quarter of chili pepper;
- a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- half a teaspoon of ground coriander;
- a teaspoon of ketchup;
- one ripe tomato;
- a sprig of parsley;
- a pinch of sugar and saffron;
- a teaspoon of your favorite spices.
Boil green beans in water for about seven minutes (until tender). Then transfer it to ice water for another five minutes so that it does not lose color.
Green beans: snack options
This simple green bean snack will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator. Moreover, it tastes even better the next day as it continues to marinate. To prepare the dish you need to take:
- kilogram of beans;
- 40 grams of fresh herbs;
- four tablespoons of vinegar;
- three cloves of garlic;
- a little salt.
To begin with, remove the stems from the beans and cut them into arbitrary pieces. Boil until tender in salted water, set aside to cool. Then place the ingredient in a deep bowl. The greens are finely chopped. Garlic is passed through a press. Everything is sent to the beans, seasoned with vinegar, stirred and allowed to brew. The green bean appetizer is served cold.
Secrets of cooking beans from the chef
Beans are a capricious product, but you can easily find a common language with them if you know some culinary subtleties. So, how to quickly and tasty cook beans to get maximum benefit and pleasure?
- To combat flatulence, add thyme and mint to the beans before cooking - they will relieve the intestines of gases and give the dish a fragrant aroma.
- If you want the overt bean taste to go away from the beans, be sure to soak them for 8-12 hours before cooking. After this, it is recommended to drain the water and cook the beans in new water, otherwise the cooking time will stretch to infinity, and the beans will lose their delicate nutty notes.
- Take your time, cook the beans over low heat. After boiling, experienced housewives change the water again and add a little vegetable oil to it to soften the taste.
- Salt the beans only at the end of cooking, otherwise they will turn out too tough.
- To make the beans cook faster, add 1 tbsp to them every 10 minutes. spoon of cold water.
- Do not cover the beans with a lid when cooking, and then they will retain their bright, rich color.
During the time of Cleopatra, beauties used ground and dried beans as powder, as it made the skin youthful and velvety. Modern women use beans exclusively internally, but the effect is the same!
Crispy snack: recipe description
This is a very nice green bean appetizer. They cook it quickly, and it turns out no worse than store-bought chips. Have to take:
- a couple of pinches of your favorite dried herbs, such as basil or dill;
- 40 grams of breadcrumbs;
- a little salt and pepper;
- three hundred grams of beans;
- 40 ml vegetable oil.
The beans are poured with cold water and cooked after the water boils for seven minutes, add some salt. The finished beans are sprinkled with herbs. It should be noted that it is better to take young pods.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the beans for five minutes. Pour in crackers, mix and fry for the same amount of time. Place the finished dish on napkins to drain off excess oil. Serve cold.
Beans are not only a base for salads or side dishes. It makes a great snack. So, based on red or white beans, you can prepare tender pates that are served with crispy bread. And green beans are often seasoned with vinegar so that they infuse during the process and become more and more pleasant to the taste. Many people also combine hot peppers and beans. This is truly an appetizing snack. And crispy green beans are a great alternative to the usual snacks for a foamy drink.
Delicious winter preparation
Recipes for snacks with beans for the winter are quite varied. However, this one contains some very tasty ingredients. The advantage of this cooking method is that it is very pleasant to open such a snack in winter. To prepare the dish you need to take:
- three kilograms of tomatoes;
- three glasses of beans;
- kilogram of bell pepper;
- the same amount of onions and carrots;
- 1.5 cups sugar;
- two tablespoons of salt;
- 1.5 cups odorless vegetable oil;
- 80 ml vinegar.
The beans are soaked overnight in water. Then pour in a new one and boil for about thirty minutes.
The tomatoes are washed and cut into pieces for a meat grinder, and rolled through it. The pepper is peeled from seeds and stems, cut into small cubes. Onions and carrots are cut into small pieces. Place peppers, tomatoes, beans, onions and carrots into the pan. Add sugar, salt and butter. Cook the appetizer with beans for the winter for about an hour. Five minutes before it’s ready, add vinegar and mix all the ingredients. The salad is placed in sterile jars, closed and left in a warm place. The salad can be eaten within a day.
How to cook delicious beans?
Begin by washing the beans and soaking them in cold water for at least three hours. Drain the liquid, add fresh water to the beans and cook over medium heat. It will be ready in about 40-50 minutes. It all depends on the size of the legumes, as well as their variety. For this reason, you need to periodically check the dish for readiness.
Peel the onion and finely chop it. The garlic is also peeled and chopped into cubes. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and add chopped onion. Fry until it turns golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove the cooked onion from the heat and cool.
Boiled beans are crushed using a blender. For a more uniform consistency, pour in a little broth from cooking the beans. Add about two-thirds of the fried onion to the mixture. Season with garlic and spices. Beat all ingredients again.
Place the bean appetizer in a bowl. Top with remaining fried onions. Separately place a dish with bread.
Appetizer with bell peppers and beans
This option is more piquant in taste. Have to take:
- two hundred grams of green beans;
- one hundred grams of bell pepper;
- several stalks of leeks;
- salt to taste;
- garlic clove;
- two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
The bean pods are washed and the stems and ends are removed. If the pods are rough, then they also remove the veins. Boil the beans for ten minutes in salted water. The water from the beans is poured out. However, if necessary, you can cook vegetable soup with it.
Boiled pods are poured with cold but boiled water so that they do not soften.
Bell peppers are peeled from seeds and cut into thin strips. The garlic is passed through a press, and the leeks are finely chopped. Combine pepper, garlic and onion, add salt and pour vinegar over it. Add beans and mix everything again. Cover the snack with cling film and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.
Winter snack
An ordinary option for preparing for the winter, which can be eaten immediately after preparation.
Products:
- beans – 500 g;
- sweet pepper, Yalta onion, carrots - 700 g each;
- tomatoes – 2 kg;
- sugar – 300 g;
- vinegar - 3 tbsp. l.;
- basil – 3 sprigs;
- vegetable oil – 1 cup.
Cooking process:
- Pour water over the beans and leave for 10 hours, drain, add fresh liquid, and cook for 25 minutes.
- Wash all vegetables, remove seeds, peels, and cores.
- Cut vegetables into medium slices, greens finely.
- Grind the tomatoes in a blender, pour into a saucepan, add oil.
- Place all ingredients into tomato puree, add salt and season with spices as desired.
- Cook over moderate heat for 60 minutes, add vinegar three minutes before the end of cooking.
- Place the finished mixture in pasteurized jars, screw on, and turn the lid down. Leave them wrapped for a day, then put them in the closet.
Calorie content
It ranges from 90 to 115 kcal per serving of one hundred grams of boiled product and depends on the type of beans and the method of their preparation. In terms of energy value, it contains proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the proportion of 22-1-50 g.
Useful qualities and harm to the body
Thanks to the included vitamins, amino acids, metal ions, organic acids and microelements, its composition is close to animal protein. Including it in your diet once a week can reduce blood glucose levels, stabilize intestinal function, get rid of constipation and eliminate the risk of developing cancer. It helps slow down the aging of the body, normalize metabolic processes and speed up metabolism.
Children under three years of age should not eat beans during periods of exacerbation of chronic intestinal diseases, gout, or those with a tendency to bloat. Also strictly control the serving size in case of diseases of the liver, gall bladder, especially in the presence of stones.
What to cook with beans?
Bean recipes cannot be called quick, although all of them, as a rule, are unpretentious and simple.
- All kinds of soups with the addition of legumes are tasty, rich and nutritious.
- For a side dish, you can cook beans with vegetables or cook a hearty porridge.
- Among appetizers, everyone's favorite lobio, hummus, pkhali or bean paste are of particular value.
- Legumes are used to make cutlets and added to stews and salads.
- Both red bean dishes and culinary compositions with white beans or green beans are popular.
