Re: Re: Beans - Recipe: Topper's Bean Brittle and Bean Burgers

October 27, 2004

Beans are good... Lima beans are not so good... Soy beans are BAAADDDD

I do a lot of beans... They are high in fiber, taste good, inexpensive and high in protein...

I'll share my preparation 'trick' with you... I even 'invented' a new recipe...

Oh my gosh.. I don't believe I still had a copy of this!!!

hehehehe

I save WAY too much stuff... I now fill muffin tins.. but here's my recipe for beans and how I used to do Bean Brittle, following that is the 'invention' Bean Burgers:

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Don't freak.... these have come in really handy. I make them in largebatches and then spread them out like peanut brittle on cookie sheets tofreeze. When they are solid I break them into chunks and put them in abag and back into the freezer. I can take out just what I need as a sidedish or to use with meats (one of my favorites is something I called BeanBurger - A recipe that I came up with that balances protein and carbs ina way to stretch the meat for budget safety that is also high in fiber) But, first the beans.

This won't look like a conventional recipe, I want to explain the reasonsfor the odd steps.....

I use the dry pinto beans that I buy in bulk. I use a gallon sized potand I put two cups of dry beans in the pot... I add cool tap water torinse.. when the water drains off clear I add room temperature wateruntil the pot is about 3/4 full. I leave it on the counter.... the beanswill start soaking up water...

You want to rinse the beans three or four times a day with fresh roomtemperature tap water. You rinse the beans to keep them fresh andoxygenated... left in old water they will die and go nasty. Room tempkeeps the beans from going dormant from the cold or dying from the heat.

The beans will plump up a lot and you'll see why I use a large pot foronly two cups of beans.

The beans are sill alive, adding water and keeping them rinsed and freshfor 2 to 4 days we are watching for just the tiniest sprout to come. Itwill be just a small white point. When you see some of the beans startingit's time. The warmer the room the faster this goes. In the summer I'llstart them Thursday to cook Saturday or Sunday.. in the winter I'll startthem Tuesday to cook Saturday or Sunday, whenever they are ready.

Why? As a dry bean that has only soaked up water and is cooked the bean has a higher carb/starch content. By letting the bean go to just thepoint where that sprout is barely visible the bean has used up it'sexcess starches and carbs to trigger that growth. You now have a verytender bean with a nice skin that is higher in protein and lower in carbsthan a quick cooked bean. They hold their shape when cooking and have anice satisfying texture when you eat them, they are not all smushy...It's a great way to prepare them that allows you to still eat beans as abudget food item while still reducing the carbs that you are putting intoyour body. You are also getting all the good nutrients out of the beansthat this 'pre-plant' stage offers.

Rinse the beans one last time and then fill with fresh tap water, thebeans should have about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch of water over them. Put on thestove over a medium to high heat. You'll be bringing them to a boil andthen turning the heat as low as it will go.

Plan on them simmering a good 6 to 8 hours, that's why I plan for dayswhen I have time.

What to add. Adding a bone that you've saved from a roast or steak orsomething is really good. You can take bones left over from a meal andbag them and freeze them. Then drop the bones into the pot. The heat of the cooking will take care of any 'people germs'. What you will get from the bone is a lot of trace minerals and other 'goodies' as the bonesimmers with the beans. You'll also get a deeper, richer flavor to thebeans from the bone and from the traces of meat. You can also use soupbones and stuff that you may find at the store. Get into the practice ofwatching for and saving odd ingredients like this. I've gone to the storeand seen beef and pork bones that are sold as dog bones that work greatin beans, soups and stews.

A really nice touch. Add a bit of brown sugar (a scant 1/4 cup) or acouple of tablespoons of molasses to the pot. It brings out a really nicebackground flavor to the juices that become the sauce/gravy for thebeans.

Spices... Here it's to your taste. I've cheated and poured in BBQ sauce(any flavor or brand that you like) and just left it at that. Or I'lljust toss in a half can of tomato paste or sauce then add pepper, halfthe salt that you think it should have (that way you can salt at thetable if you like to without having a ton of salt already in the food, abit of salt acts as a preservative when you freeze but try to keep itdown.), mustard, cayenne, paprika, chile powder, sage, rosemary, thyme,garlic, onion.. just let your taste buds and imagination go. stir the potup good. Folding the beans from the outside to the inside works the best,leaving the beans nice and plump and not smashed.

Put the cover on, make sure that the heat is as low as it will go....Peek every 1/2 hour or hour to see that the liquid isn't cooking down..The beans should have water over them for the first two or three hours,if the level is going down add a bit more water to cover, stir and thenput on the lid.

You can grab a spoon and scoop up a couple of beans to check fordoneness... the longer you cook the softer they get. Cook too long, ifyou forget them, they'll go to mush.

When the beans are just about soft enough for your liking leave the lidoff the pot. You'll be watching closer now to stir the beans as theliquid cooks down... When the beans are a bit runnier than you'd like buta lot of the water has cooked off... Remove the bones and push the beans to the side and tilt the pot a bit so that you have a pool of juice, add a bit of cornstarch (a quick sprinkle out of the box) to thicken up thejuices to make the gravy. If you sprinkle the cornstarch in your puddleand stir there for a minute or two until that thickens you can set thepot level again and the stir up the whole pot. Let them rest on thecounter for 10 or 15 minutes and then stir them up again.

You can quick cool the pot in a sink of cold water. Just make sure thatwhen you set the pot in the sink that the water doesn't come up over thesides and water down your beans. With the pot in the cold water stir thebeans, moving them from the outside toward the middle. I usually letmine cool on the counter top with the lid off until the pot is coolenough to put into the fridge without cracking the glass shelves.

Now.. grab a cookie sheet scoop out a cup or two of beans, depending onthe size of your sheet, and spread them just one bean layer thick. If yougo thicker than that it's really hard to break into chunks after it'sfrozen. Set the sheet in the freezer and let freeze solid. Usually acouple of hours. Then bust it up like peanut brittle, I call it beanbrittle. These chunks can then be put in bags and kept in the freezer.Keep doing that until you've got it all frozen into bean brittle. Now youcan grab just enough for one or more folks for a side dish or grab a cupor two to use for bean burgers.

If you are using left over meat bones rather than buying (adding bonesisn't necessary.... but it does add to the flavor and nutrition) and bulkbeans - the whole pot costs maybe 50 cents, with 20 cents of that beingthe canned tomato. If your food budget is dry this is a pretty good mealin itself..... Still high in protein but less carbs that regular beans.Oh.. I've found out that this is REALLY high in folic acid... somethingmy body seemed to be craving.

Topper's Bean Brittle

2 cups dry bean (pinto, navy, or other) washed and soaked until a fewstart sprouting (wash several times a day with room temp water usuallytakes 2 to 4 days)

Take sprouting beans and put in pot with water to cover the beans by 1/2to 3/4 inch

Add bones (soup bones from store or saved from steaks or roasts) -optional

Sweetening - optional - scant 1/4 cup of brown sugar or a coupletablespoons of molasses

Easy seasoning - use your favorite BBQ sauce - about a cup of sauce forthe pot

OR

Scratch seasoning - Pepper, salt (sparingly), sage, cayenne, mustard,paprika, chile powder, rosemary, thyme, cumin... whatever you have andlike and would taste good.

Cook for several hours until beans are tender. Do not let them go dry,add water to cover, if needed, during first few hours.

Thicken juice with a sprinkle (tablespoon or two) of cornstarch

Let rest on counter for 10 or 15 minutes to allow juices to continuethickening

Cool until workable. So you dont' burn yourself.

Spread one bean layer thick on cookie sheet, freeze solid, break intochunks, bag and store in freezer. Keep bean pot in fridge while freezingthe sheets of beans for safety.

Use as side dish or in Bean Burgers

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Topper's Bean Burgers (or meatballs)

Now for the burgers.. This was an experiment one day to stretch meat in way that would be higher protein and less carbs than using bread crumbs or cornflakes crumbs....

2 lbs frozen ground turkey (thawed)

4 cups bean brittle

1 cup rolled oats

2 eggs

seasonings to taste.... (salt, pepper, sage, thyme, marjoram, paprika, whatever your taste buds desire - experiment)

After the bean brittle has thawed (or thaw in microwave) mash with potato masher and put in large mixing bowl. Add turkey burger and remaining ingredients. Run mixer on low, or mix with hands until evenly blended. Put back in the fridge for an hour or so or overnight to chill and firm up the gooey stuff so that it is easier to handle.

Use a hamburger press, or shape by hand to form 15 burger patties.

Use a cookie scoop, or shape by hand, to make 100 meat balls.

Cook the patties on the stove. Medium heat, in small amount of shortening or olive oil. Don't flip them until you can see that the bottom is a browning and the sides show they are cooking. They tend to be a bit fragile until cooked and may break if you flip too early.

The meat balls are dropped from the scoop onto a greased cookie sheet and then put in a 400 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. If you want, turn the meat balls over about half way through the cooking time to brown on all sides.

Both burgers and meat balls are allowed to cool, there is no grease to drain, and then placed on a clean cookie sheet, single layer, and then frozen.. once they are frozen they can be bulk bagged and put back into the freezer.

Both burgers and meat balls heat nicely in microwave or by dropping them in hot gravy and allowing to simmer.. They are great reheated on the grill outside... the meatballs work great in stews, casseroles, spaghetti... and meatball sandwiches (I've come up with a bread recipe that works well for me, satisfying but doesn't trigger a carb binge)!!!!

You can use the burgers plain, in place of chops or roast, as a meat loaf substitute in dishes. Grilled and topped with melted cheese and a slice of tomato or thinly sliced cucumber you'll never miss fast food burgers.

I also use the meatballs, reheated, as a snack food. Instead of chips or other junk when having a bit of a munchy attack. A dozen meatballs makes a great snack that doesn't act as a carb trigger for me, add a sprinkle of garlic salt to get rid of the salty craving too.

The whole batch costs about 2 bucks to make.. that comes out to 2 cents a meatball or 14 cents for a bean burger. (the burgers are about the size of a 1/3 pound beef burger)

Topper ()

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 14:28:14 -0700 Gipsi_Moon writes:

Beans are bad for thyroid function? Are you talking about soy beans?The following is from thyroid.about.comBeans are ESSENTIAL!! If I'm not eating beans at least 4-6 times per week, I don't lose as quickly. I've always needed more protein to feel better, but I think what's helping me lose is eating beans instead of meats. Beans are also fairly low calorie (unlike many meats), high fiber (meat is not), they're low fat (unlike most meats). So if you're eating more protein in your diet, consider trying to make a fair percentage of it beans (and soybean/tofu products) instead of meat, poultry or fish.

For fun, you can try some of the great new meatless products that have now become staples in my house, such as: Morningstar Farms Breakfast Patties, Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Patties and Boca Burgers!!! My husband really loves the Boca Burgers, and I love all these things, and I used to be QUEEN OF BEEF!

I also ALWAYS have a big bowl of bean salad in my fridge and use it all week long. The way I make it is very simple:

's Easy Bean Salad

1 can of Goya black beans1 can of Progresso cannelinni (white beans)1 can of Progresso Chick peas (garbanzos, ceci)1 can of green beans ( I Like French cut)1 chopped onionA fat free, low carbohydrate, low-cal vinagrette dressingMix together, let sit. Good for at least a week. I eat it plain, as a side dish so I can have less meat with a meal, or in a whole wheat tortilla alone as meal accompanied by a side salad.

October 27, 2004