{"id":1618,"date":"2013-01-06T03:03:55","date_gmt":"2013-01-06T03:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/?p=1618"},"modified":"2017-11-08T16:10:46","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T16:10:46","slug":"getting-more-beans-into-your-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/getting-more-beans-into-your-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting More Beans Into Your Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get to Know Them Gradually is Key<\/span><\/h3>\n

The last post on cooking tips for beans<\/a> got me going on a bean theme.\u00a0 So you’ll be seeing several quick posts on beans.\u00a0 The timing is actually quite good, as it’s winter here in Colorado and the cold always stirs a desire for comfort food. While most people consider things like mashed potatoes and mac ‘n cheese to be the ultimate comfort foods, beans are right up there in terms of a food that soothes, warms and comforts.<\/p>\n

\"Asparagus
Beans add delightful contrast dishes. Here, a plain asparagus puree gets highlighted with black beans.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Granted, many view beans as “desert island” food, as in, something reserved for when they are stranded on a desert island.\u00a0 But those in the know see gold in a batch of colorful beans.\u00a0 In case you’ve yet to discover this treasure, read through this series for know-how and insights to help unlock the incredible, comforting goodness hidden within the humble bean.<\/p>\n

Practical Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n

Willing to try?\u00a0 Then to begin with, don’t look at beans as a substitute for meat, especially if you’re a meat lover.\u00a0 They are two completely different foods and aren’t meant for comparison.<\/p>\n

\"Butternut
Ditto for this butternut squash and potato hash. It tasted fine without beans, but why not add a little color and extra nutrition?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next, get to know beans gradually–good advice whenever you’re getting to know a new food.\u00a0 You wouldn’t get to know a new friend by climbing in the car for a 5-day road trip.\u00a0 You’d chat at a party, go on a group hike, meet at the movies.\u00a0 Similarly, don’t make a big bean casserole as your first foray into the wonderful world of beans.\u00a0 Start instead by just throwing a few into already-familiar dishes, enhancing them with the color, texture and substance of beans.\u00a0 See the pictures for some examples.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Finally, beans don’t have to preclude a steak or any other meat.\u00a0 Go ahead and have it, but maybe not quite as big a piece.\u00a0 This hearty salad (see recipe<\/a>) on the side will make up for a smaller portion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Granted, many view beans as “desert island” food, as in, something reserved for when they are stranded on a desert island. But those in the know see gold in a batch of colorful beans. In case you’ve yet to discover this treasure, here are two key tips for getting started.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1],"tags":[64,124,472],"class_list":["post-1618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-ingredients","category-uncategorized","tag-beans-dried-beans","tag-comfort-food","tag-recipe-for-dried-beans","masonry-post","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1618"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2793,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1618\/revisions\/2793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}