Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
From the time that I was a little girl my mother cooked all types of beans. I learned early on how to prepare pinto beans, lentils, fava beans, navy beans, black beans and many other legumes. Sometimes though you forget the things you’ve learned and get stuck in a rut. That happens to me often. Especially when times are tight financially it’s sometimes frustrating to find more ways to cut back after you’ve factored in the bills you need to pay. Food is a necessity, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive.
Where we tend to get ourselves into trouble is not buying on sale, buying expensive cuts of meat, using processed foods and not cooking from scratch. True you lose the convenience factor, but how much is your time worth if you learn to use it effectively. Learning to cook with beans is a great way to stretch your food budget without diminishing the flavor, amount or nutritious value of your family’s meals. As a matter of fact:
Pinto beans, garbanzo, lentils and black, beans of all types are a frugal and nutritious ingredient for any dish.
Beans are low in fat, high in protein and vitamin C. They give you a great big nutritional bang for a little tiny monetary buck. They’re also packed with fiber which helps you keep a healthy digestive track.
Unfortunately, they can also sometimes be a little boring. Check out Cooking with Beans for some easy, frugal and very tasty recipes to take the boring out of beans. These family friendly meals will also turn your kids onto the goodness of beans.
I had the privilege to review this ebook. Some of the recipes and instructions looked familiar to me, but there were some like Pinto Bean Pie and Gluten Free Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake that I NEVER, EVER would have come up with on my own in a million years. Since my daughter is gluten intolerant having these recipes will allow me to produce treats for her that she otherwise would just miss out on. I don’t need to have fancy flours or thickeners. It’s pretty neat actually.
The cookbook inspired me to cook some pinto beans. We eat a lot of pinto beans in our house. And it doesn’t take a lot. I got a 4 lb. bag of beans from Meijer and my 5 year old helped me sort them. She had a lot of fun and it kept her occupied and quiet while her older sister rested, sick with the flu. When she was done I rinsed the beans a couple times and then set them to soak overnight in just enough water to cover them by a couple inches. By morning the beans had doubled in size and consumed most of the water. I’d never cooked a big bag like that all at once but we were clean out of canned or frozen beans so I had to do something. Fingers crossed I went for it. One quarter of them went into the slow cooker for 3 hours and the rest into my large pot with 6 quarts of water for 2 hours on medium heat. One thing I’d never done before is preheat the water before adding the beans. This time I did. Glad for it too because it cut down the cooking time compared to my previous experiences. After 1 1/2 the beans were almost done so I added in some salt to taste and allowed them to cook for the last 30 minutes. Now I have plenty to use for refried beans, chili, breakfast casseroles and even Pinto Bean Pie!
I have yet to try the Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Cake, but I’m meaning to do that yet today if I don’t get sidetracked, again. Hubs had to pick up a can of chickpeas for me at the store since that’s not one I typically keep in the house. Now don’t be intimidated. You aren’t expected to have gobs of cooked beans on hand in your freezer. The recipes are adapted to canned beans too. I like to keep frozen beans on hand because I have the space and it’s convenient for me. There’s recipes for lentils, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, baked beans and black beans. There is also a non bean bonus recipe at the end I think you’ll all enjoy. Basically, if you are willing to make a little effort and work in advance you can have nutritious, low fat, fiber filled meals every day of the weak without spending a lot on groceries.
Cooking with Beans (Frugal Living Academy) By Rihana Jones is available on Amazon for Kindle devices or the Kindle reading app for non Kindles. At only $.99 it is a real bargain that will fit into your grocery budget for less than the cost of a pack of sugar-free gum. Also, if you are a member of Amazon Prime you can borrow the book for free on a Kindle Reading Device.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Firstly, I’m a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.
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