1. Choosing Your Beans
There are a several varieties of red beans, including small red beans, red kidney beans and adzuki beans. Adzuki (sometimes spelled azuki or asuki) beans are easy to digest and are very flavorful, with less of a "beany" taste than other beans. Kidney beans pick up the flavors of whatever you cook them with, making them very versatile for soups, stews and chili. Small red beans are the most common, and also go by the names Mexican red bean or red chili bean. These are the beans traditionally used to make red beans and rice.
2. Protein and Iron
Beans are a healthy source of protein, and by combining them with brown rice or other complementary grains, you can create a meal with a "complete" protein, containing all the amino acids necessary for good nutrition. And unlike meat, beans are naturally low in fat and cholesterol-free. Red beans are also a good source of iron. One cup cooked kidney beans contains over 15 gm of protein and 5 mg of iron--close to 30 percent of your daily requirement for each nutrient!
3. Fiber
Beans are famous for their fiber content, and a cup of cooked kidney beans provides almost half of your daily fiber. Fiber does more than just keep you regular. The soluable fiber found in red beans also helps lower your blood cholesterol levels by helping to push cholesterol through your digestive track before your body can absorb it. The high fiber content of red beans means that they are digested very slowly, putting them low on the glycemic index and making them a healthy choice for diabetics or for anyone looking to stabilize their blood sugar levels.
4. Antioxidants
Did you know that red beans have one of the highest antioxidant rating of all foods? Researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture surveyed 100 different foods, and found that small red beans and kidney beans came out at the top of the list, surpassing the antioxidant qualities of cultivated blueberries, cranberries and cherries. Antioxidants are necessary to protect your cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, which in turn may reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and other illnesses.
5. Cooking Your Beans
Canned beans are convenient, but are also often high in sodium and other additives; to reduce sodium, rinse canned beans before cooking. Cooking dry beans from scratch takes some forethought, but it's super easy to do. First rinse your dry beans, removing any stones or damaged beans, then soak them overnight in cool, fresh water. In the morning, change the water and bring to a boil, cooking until the beans are done, usually between 15 minutes and 1 hour, depending on the type of bean. You can also boil your beans without soaking them first, but this greatly increases the cooking time, and your beans may turn out mushy. Do not add salt or acidic ingredients like tomatoes until after your beans are fully cooked, or the beans will get tough.
Member Comments