One of the upsides of the current economy is that, in an effort to trim down the grocery bills, many families are returning to basic staples, like the humble bean, simply because they’re so cheap. See the bean reference chart in Real Answers for more information about their nutritional impact and S.A.D. healing powers. You’ll also find a chart there with guidelines for cooking many different types of dried beans from scratch.

Once you’ve prepared that fresh pot of plain beans on a Sunday afternoon, what are you going to do with it? See our list of ideas below and look for more actual recipes to come. Got a great use for pre-cooked beans? Please jot it down here ~ we’d love to see it!

 Ideas for Pre-Cooked Beans:

• Use them plain and warm the first night after cooking. Offer a selection of condiments to accompany so your kids can ‘customize’ them for their own tastes: ketchup, applesauce, salt, red pepper flakes, tamari (soy sauce), Dr. Braggs (liquid aminos ~ tastes similar to soy sauce but more nutritious), toasted sesame seeds, etc.
• Toss them onto salads or canned/homemade soup throughout the week to beef up the protein and fiber content.
• Add them to sandwich wraps.
• Spice them up anew, as with “Fake Baked Beans“, or Mexi-beans.
• Smash them into refried beans.
• Smash them into patties.
• Make hummus (see recipe below).

Basic Hummus

• 1/4 cup sesame tahini
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 C pre­cooked garbanzo beans (chick peas) or 1 (15-oz) can beans
• 1 T olive oil

In a blender or food processor, blend together tahini, cold water, lemon juice, cumin, and garlic. Set aside in a bowl.

Purée the garbanzo beans and process until smooth, adding a little cook­ing liquid or water if too thick.

Add the tahini mixture and process until mixed.

Put in serving bowl, add olive oil, and mix.

Serve with carrot and red pepper sticks, any other raw or blanched veggies, or piled into the middle of a bed of lettuce and garnished with tomatoes.

• 1 bunch broccoli florets and stems, peeled and sliced (or 1 bag frozen broccoli, thawed)
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, soaked in water until used
• 10 ounces Tinkyada penne brown rice pasta (or other whole grain pasta)
• 1 ½ cup low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 15 oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans, no salt added, drained and rinsed (we like Eden)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste, optional

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Follow package directions to cook pasta.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes until light brown.
Reduce heat to low and add broccoli florets and stems, stirring to coat with olive oil.
Add vegetable broth, cover, and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Add beans and sun-dried tomatoes, stirring to combine.
Add pasta and stir to combine.
Add cheese, and salt and pepper to season.

Yield: about 5 cups

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small sweet onion, diced fine (or 2 tablespoons granulated onion)
• 4 small garlic cloves, minced (or 2 teaspoons granulated garlic)
• 1 lb ground turkey or ultra-lean ground beef
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 ounces whole grain mini-pasta (mini shells, ziti, elbows, etc)
• 1 30 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, pulsed in blender or food processor until smooth (about 7 seconds in a processor)
• 1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup red wine
• ½ teaspoon Sucanat (or sugar)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• ¼-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, to taste
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over medium heat.

Add onion and sauté until softened, 5-7 minutes.

Add garlic and stir, cooking about 1 minute.

Add ground meat, salt, pepper, and break apart, cooking through until no pink is showing, 5-7 minutes. (If you didn’t use the leanest ground meat, pour off the liquid oils at this point to reduce saturated fat.)

Pour dried pasta over the meat, and cover all with processed tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Stir in tomato paste, wine, Sucanat, oregano, basil and pepper.

Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a low boil.

Cover, adjust the heat to maintain a good simmer, and cook, checking simmer for 10-15 minutes or until pasta is al dente ~ stir occasionally, scraping up bottom of the pan and turning pasta to make sure all the noodles are covered with liquid.

Remove from heat and sprinkle the mozzarella and the Parmesan over the top.

Cover again for about 3 minutes until cheese is melted, and serve.

 Yield: about 8 cups

Notes

• If you’re using turkey, it’s fine to use the whole 1.3 lb package.
• The tomato paste and wine add additional liquid and body, but if you don’t have them on hand, it’s fine to leave them out.
• I tried this with whole wheat egg noodles. They only took about 9 minutes of heavy simmering to soften and made a very creamy final dish ~ great for kids who are sensitive to the graininess of other whole wheat pastas.
• If you have the time, you can veg this sauce up a bit pretty painlessly. When you process the tomatoes, try adding in an extra cup of shredded carrots, rough-chopped zuchini/summer squash, or even red bell pepper. If your kids are picky, the short cooking time may not be adequate to cook the veggies down enough for them, but for everyone else it makes a flavorful and nutritious addition. For the finicky eaters, you can add pre-cooked veggie purees, or just add a jar of baby food (carrots or zuchini).

Prep time: 10 minutes, then marinate for 4-6 hours (or overnight)
Cook time: 10-15 minutes

• 1 ½ lb wild Alaskan salmon fillet cut into 4 equal portions, or 4 6 oz salmon steaks
• ½ t olive oil

Marinade:

• 1/3 C high quality white wine, drier as in a Chardonnay works well, or medium sweet, as in a Riesling
• 2 T low sodium tamari
• 1/3 C orange juice (to squeeze fresh, use 1 large juicy orange)
• 3 T peeled and finely grated ginger
• ¼ C finely chopped scallions
• 1 t honey

Rinse salmon gently in water and pat to dry.
Combine marinade ingredients and whisk to combine well.
Place fish into shallow glass baking pan, skin side down if fillet, and pour marinade evenly over all.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight, tipping dish occasionally to re-coat fish.

Preheat oven broiler.
Lift the pieces out of the dish and remove any ginger or scallions to prevent burning.
Rub olive oil on skin/bottom side of fish and place on broiling pan, oiled side down.
Broil under high heat for 10-15 minutes until the fish flakes easily with the fork and the flesh inside is firm and light pink.
The top should lightly brown and caramelize. If it browns too quickly (within the first 5 minutes) then move the fish down 1 rack in your oven.

Yield: 4 6-ounce portions

• 1 pound shrimp, cleaned and de-veined
• 2 1/2 cups bok choy
• 5 scallion bottoms, chopped 
• 1 large red pepper, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon high heat oil, such as peanut

Sauce

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or low sodium tamari
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon kudzu root (dissolved in 2 T water)
• 2 tablespoons water

In a small bowl, add all sauce ingredients and mix well.
Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high heat for 30-60 seconds.
Add 1/2 the oil and spread to coat the wok.
Add garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds.
Add ginger root and shrimp and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Remove shrimp from wok and put in a small bowl.
Add remaining sunflower oil and red pepper to the wok and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add bok choy and cook until wilted, about 1-3 minutes.
Add scallions and shrimp mixture and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until pink and center is opaque.
Add sauce mixture, stir and cook until mixture thickens, about 1-3 minutes.
Serve over a whole grain such as brown rice or whole grain noodles.

Yield: 6 cups

Notes
This is a terrific, quick meal that is delicious served over a whole grain such as brown rice or udon noodles. Shrimp is low in fat and high in cholesterol ~ studies show that shrimp raises HDL (good) cholesterol ratios and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol ratios. Many other veggies are also delicious stir-fried with shrimp: try broccoli, water chestnuts, or snow peas. For ease and speed, you can also try frozen stir fry veggies or pre-cut julienned veggies.
Make sure all of your ingredients are prepared and measured before starting to cook.