Cooking, eating and enjoying beans and rice

There are lots of colorful beans available. Well, I buy lots of them simply because they look pretty in clear glass jars on my kitchen shelves. But, they do have their distinct uses.

Black beans - small dark beans that are great in Mexican dishes.
Navy beans - small white beans that are great in soups. Try making your favorite potato salad with Navy beans instead of potatoes.
Kidney beans - burgundy kidney shaped beans that are often used in chili or with pasts
Garbanzo beans -these round buff colored beans, often called chickpeas, can be mashed and then prepared like tuna salad.
Cranberry beans - beans- these medium sized beans are mottled with burgundy and buff colors.
Mung beans - very small green beans used in Asian recipes.
Adzuki - little red beans often uses in Asian confections. They are masked and combined with a sweetener.
Black Eyed Peas - small buff colored beans with a small black spot over the germ?

Learn more about different types of beans at Lynne's Country Kitchen.

(Bean photo by Zsuzsanna Sebok of stock.xchng)

There are lots of tasty rices available, too, so don't just stick with white. Rices are either converted (parboiled), long grain, short grain, wild or brown.

Arborio - this short grained rice is very creamy when cooked and is used principally in risotto.
Brown rice - very nutritious! The bran and germ is left on and so it takes much longer to cook, but it is worth the wait. It has an earthy nutty taste.
Batsami rice - A long grained rice that cooks up to a delicate fluff.
Jasmine rice - Pleasant smelling long grained rice that is often used in Thai dishes.
White rice - this short grained rice is the most commonly available but the least nutritious.

For more information about rice see this rice guide on the Pickles and Spices web page.

(Rice photo by Davide Guglielmo of Stock.xchng)

In order to be healthy you need foods that form the correct types of amino acid chains in your body. Plant foods such as, say, beans and rice, contain some of the amino acids that you need but not all. Meat does, and that is why it is called a complete protein. To make a complete food out of plant foods combine a grain and a legume.

Now scientists believe that you don't have to eat complimentary proteins in the same meal to benefit from them. But, it is a good practice to pair them so you know you are getting the nutrition you need.

Grains
Rice
Noodles
Crackers
Wheat germ
Bread
Grits
Oatmeal

Legumes
All beans
Peanuts
Tofu or other products made from soy beans
Peas
lentils

(Red lentils photo by Jules/stonesoup of Wikimedia Commons)

Both beans and rice can be excellent in cold salads though rice is prone to drying out in the refrigerator. Cooked beans can just be thrown into any tossed salad. Try tossing cooked beans with the salad dressing of your choice and adding vegetables that you like, or even a little bit of pasta.

Tips for Cooking Beans and Rice

1.) Dried beans are cheaper. Canned beans can be convenient but rinse them after you open the can to reduce the sodium.

2.) If you don't have time to cook beans, get a small crock pot and allow them to slowly cook while you are out or doing other things.

3.) Cook a big batch of dried beans at once and freeze them for later. You can portion them out in meal sized containers. Or, you can spread them on a cookie sheet and let them freeze individually or in small clumps. After they freeze put them in a plastic container and then back in the freezer. You can shake them out as needed.

4.) Rice can also be cooked in a crock pot, but will do better in a rice cooker. You just put in the required measurements of rice and water, put on the lid and press the button. The little cooker will assure that you have perfect rice.

5.) Rice can also be frozen in meal sized portions.

(Black eyed peas photo by Leonardo Borlot Valentim)

Do you remember eating beans at summer camp and everyone making jokes about beans and passing gas? Unfortunately, this may deter people from wanting to eat more beans. But, there are a few tips that can help reduce gas.

1.) Buy and use Beano. This enzyme is available over the counter at many drug stores. Take it according to the package directions just before you eat.
2.) Dried beans are said to produce less gas due to the process of drying and rehydrating.
3.) Vegetarians often cook beans with a piece of kombu, which is seaweed. It can be found in many Asian supermarkets.

(Kombu photo by Alice Wiegand of Wikimedia Commons)