Ham hock n Beans

[BigOlChiefsfan]

I eat a lot of beans as they're fairly good for my blood sugar issues. So here's some tips. I like great northern (GN)beans, butter beans or pintos w/ham but make a lot of beans with no meat. I just add a lot of olive oil to those recipes. The olive oil serves the same job that 'ham fat' does, you'll be surprised how well it works to give them the same 'creamy' texture that hamfat/ham bone does. Cold beans won't absorb the oil, so be sure you add it while they're cooking or still warm.

Soak pintos/GN in plenty of water to cover - put in the 'fridge to soak if there's room. If not, change the water every 2 hours or so (the beans ferment when they soak at room temp, the water is full of what will become 'methane' - so pour it off and re-soak). Most beans will benefit from soaking, most lentils don't require it. Chana dal (a mini-chick pea) doesn't seem to be affected so I always just cook chana by itself in a small crockpot, overnight (diabetics take note - chana has almost a zero glycemic response. Try chana hummus for a guilt free snack.) Regular chick peas, kidney beans, butter beans, etc...really benefit from the soaking.

Dry beans 'last' for years, but the fresher they are the faster they'll cook. It pays to buy them someplace that has good turnover (walmart) and eat this years crop if you can.

Salt makes the skin on beans tough. I never salt the beans/broth until they're done. I don't add canned broth until the beans have cooked thru. Home made broth is fine.
Ham and sausage can be pretty salty, but what are ya gonna do? Fuhgedaboudit.

When the beans are done cooking, I always fry a few tablespoons of chopped garlic in a healthy dose of olive oil, and add a tablespoon or more of cumin seed. You can throw in fresh or dried chiles, mustard seed, curry powder, onion at this stage depending on what beans you're cooking. For instance, if I'm cooking chana dal or red lentils I'll put in the garlic, cumin seed, mustard seed, chile, diced onion and curry and cook the curry into the onions for 5 minutes or so. If it's pinto beans, just the garlic and cumin seed and green chile for 2 minutes. Saute', pour the spiced oil w/spices into the beans and stir. Serve. This final step is called 'tempering' the beans (dal) in many recipes. Some of the dal recipes call for a dollop of yogurt or watered down yogurt. It's better than it sounds. Or you can add coconut milk.

Beans require another protein to combine with for complete protein/nutrition. Cornbread provides one way to go, rice or hominy is another option. Rice deserves it's own thread, so I'll just give my cornbread trick here. I'm not claiming this is the healthiest cornbread, just that I think it's good.
Turn the oven on to 400, put in a greased cast iron skillet. Drink a beer. Combine 1 box 'jiffy mix' cornbread w/1 box jiffy mix yellow cake. Add a can of green chile, 2 eggs, milk as called for in the recipe, bake per package instructions in a pre-heated, greased cast iron skillet until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes back clean. If I don't have green chile, I add dill seed instead. I really like dill cornbread, but be careful making it around womenfolk. You never know what they'll do with a dill dough.

If you eat a lot of beans, your gut will contain an enzyme that helps break them down (there are some undigestible elements) and you won't find yourself farting all the time. If you don't eat a lot of beans, that enzyme can be replaced by eating a Beano tablet before dinner. Your friends/family/Al Gore will thank you.

I eat a lot of canned beans for quick dinners. I'll rinse a can of kidney beans or great northerns (rinse 4 or 5 times until no more 'bubbles' appear as you rinse). Throw in a large bowl, microwave for 40 seconds or so just until warm. Pour on your favorite vinegar and oil vinaigrette. Warm beans will suck up the oil, cold beans won't. Toss well. Then I add a can of olive-oil packed tuna or olive oil packed sardines and 1/3 red onion, pinch of italian seasoning, toss well and dump this over a bed of baby spinach or other greens. Good, cheap, fast, really good for you.

[MVChiefFan]

Originally Posted by BigOlChiefsfan

I eat a lot of beans as they're fairly good for my blood sugar issues. So here's some tips. I like great northern (GN)beans, butter beans or pintos w/ham but make a lot of beans with no meat. I just add a lot of olive oil to those recipes. The olive oil serves the same job that 'ham fat' does, you'll be surprised how well it works to give them the same 'creamy' texture that hamfat/ham bone does. Cold beans won't absorb the oil, so be sure you add it while they're cooking or still warm.

Soak pintos/GN in plenty of water to cover - put in the 'fridge to soak if there's room. If not, change the water every 2 hours or so (the beans ferment when they soak at room temp, the water is full of what will become 'methane' - so pour it off and re-soak). Most beans will benefit from soaking, most lentils don't require it. Chana dal (a mini-chick pea) doesn't seem to be affected so I always just cook chana by itself in a small crockpot, overnight (diabetics take note - chana has almost a zero glycemic response. Try chana hummus for a guilt free snack.) Regular chick peas, kidney beans, butter beans, etc...really benefit from the soaking.

Dry beans 'last' for years, but the fresher they are the faster they'll cook. It pays to buy them someplace that has good turnover (walmart) and eat this years crop if you can.

Salt makes the skin on beans tough. I never salt the beans/broth until they're done. I don't add canned broth until the beans have cooked thru. Home made broth is fine.
Ham and sausage can be pretty salty, but what are ya gonna do? Fuhgedaboudit.

When the beans are done cooking, I always fry a few tablespoons of chopped garlic in a healthy dose of olive oil, and add a tablespoon or more of cumin seed. You can throw in fresh or dried chiles, mustard seed, curry powder, onion at this stage depending on what beans you're cooking. For instance, if I'm cooking chana dal or red lentils I'll put in the garlic, cumin seed, mustard seed, chile, diced onion and curry and cook the curry into the onions for 5 minutes or so. If it's pinto beans, just the garlic and cumin seed and green chile for 2 minutes. Saute', pour the spiced oil w/spices into the beans and stir. Serve. This final step is called 'tempering' the beans (dal) in many recipes. Some of the dal recipes call for a dollop of yogurt or watered down yogurt. It's better than it sounds. Or you can add coconut milk.

Beans require another protein to combine with for complete protein/nutrition. Cornbread provides one way to go, rice or hominy is another option. Rice deserves it's own thread, so I'll just give my cornbread trick here. I'm not claiming this is the healthiest cornbread, just that I think it's good.
Turn the oven on to 400, put in a greased cast iron skillet. Drink a beer. Combine 1 box 'jiffy mix' cornbread w/1 box jiffy mix yellow cake. Add a can of green chile, 2 eggs, milk as called for in the recipe, bake per package instructions in a pre-heated, greased cast iron skillet until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes back clean. If I don't have green chile, I add dill seed instead. I really like dill cornbread, but be careful making it around womenfolk. You never know what they'll do with a dill dough.

If you eat a lot of beans, your gut will contain an enzyme that helps break them down (there are some undigestible elements) and you won't find yourself farting all the time. If you don't eat a lot of beans, that enzyme can be replaced by eating a Beano tablet before dinner. Your friends/family/Al Gore will thank you.

I eat a lot of canned beans for quick dinners. I'll rinse a can of kidney beans or great northerns (rinse 4 or 5 times until no more 'bubbles' appear as you rinse). Throw in a large bowl, microwave for 40 seconds or so just until warm. Pour on your favorite vinegar and oil vinaigrette. Warm beans will suck up the oil, cold beans won't. Toss well. Then I add a can of olive-oil packed tuna or olive oil packed sardines and 1/3 red onion, pinch of italian seasoning, toss well and dump this over a bed of baby spinach or other greens. Good, cheap, fast, really good for you.

I now crown you KING OF THE BEAN!!!