If you are looking for frugal ways to substitute meat into your meals, there is no easier or more accessible way than beans.
The Math {via Central Bean Co.}
- A pound of beans measures about 2 cups.
- Beans triple in volume when soaked and cooked.
- A cup of dry beans yields 3 cups cooked.
- A pound of dry beans yields 6 cups cooked.
- Use 3 cups of water per cup of dry beans for soaking.
- Simmer each pound of beans 2 hours after soaking.
- A pound of dry beans makes about 9 servings of baked beans.
- A pound of dry beans makes about 12 servings of bean soup.
- A one-pound can of cooked beans measures about 2 cups.
Cooking Tips/Facts: {via Belly Bytes}
- Snap beans are found in green and yellow varieties.
- Purple wax beans turn green when cooked.
- Haricot verts are also called French Beans.
- Chinese long beans may be up to 18 inches long.
- Cooked beans will stay fresh in the refrigerator for approximately five days.
- For a different taste, add celery soup to the green beans.
- Boiling whole green beans instead of cut up ones will retain 50 percent more of the nutrients.
- Chickpeas have the most calories; however, beans for the most part are low in calories and contain hardly any fat. The only exception is soybeans which are high in polyunsaturated fat.
- Beans contain 22 percent protein. Beef contains only 18 percent and eggs 13 percent protein.
- To prevent beans from becoming mushy, try adding a small amount of baking soda to the water while they are cooking.
- Cooked beans will store for up to six months in the freezer, but only four to six days in the refrigerator.
- If beans get too salty, try using a small amount of brown sugar.
- To eliminate gas in beans, try using Beano. It really works! It neutralizes the sugar in the beans that cause gas production in your body.
- You can also eliminate gas producing from beans by adding a teaspoon of fennel seed to the water you soak the beans in.
{image and more recipes via BeanPlate}
