More on soybeans

[dianeseattle]

In an earlier post, I was communicating with a vegetarian here and suggested soyburgers. I want to expand on that.

I really love dried beans of all kinds. Toss pinto beans into a pot with a hamhock or saltpork, put them on the stove and cook for a few hours, or on low heat all day. Served over rice with a green salad and it's fine dining.

Dried lima beans can be cooked the same way. Red beans can be cooked, sweetened and folded into little dough balls and fried. They are fabulous. To quote the Mayo Clinic,

Dried beans may not be a glamorous ingredient, but they're rock stars when making healthy meals. Although they're small and mild-tasting, dried beans can take center stage, such as in black bean burgers or a supporting role like chili. Beans can be served hot or cold; added to soups, stews, salads and sides; mashed for dips or spreads; and seasoned with flavors from global cuisines.​

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It's not just their versatility that makes dried beans shine in healthy meals — it's their nutrition benefits. Dried beans are packed with protein, zinc and iron. They're also high in soluble and fermentable fiber. Soluble fiber promotes bowel regularity and gives you a sense of fullness, while fermentable fiber is a source of prebiotics to feed your gut biome.​

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Not only do dried beans promote gut health, but they also can improve blood glucose and cholesterol levels, as well as prevent some types of cancer.​

My recipe for soyburgers is easy.

• Take the cooked beans (canned or homemade), pour through a colander (but save the juice in case you need to thin the mix later) and mash them with a potato masher until they look like refried beans. You can do this in a food processor too.
• Then, in the mashed beans in a bowl, add some finely chopped onion and garlic, if you like that and mix well.
• Add one egg and mix in. You can skip the egg if you want but you'll probably need some of the liquid from the can if you do. Or you can use EggBeaters, which is only egg whites with yellow food coloring in them.
• Now you have something that looks like a wet batter. Add some kind of grain-oats, cracked wheat, etc and thicken the batter. You can also add diced green peppers or anything else you might like in a burger. I like to add flaked yeast and wheat germ, just sprinkled over it.
• Mix it well and your burger "meat" is ready.
• Use an ice cream scoop to portion it out onto a baking sheet and smash them, or on a plate where you can put them next to a deep fryer where you can drop them in after you flatten them.
• Cooking time will vary depending on your method, but it's really a quick process.

A bag of beans costs less than 2 dollars, and if you're a committed vegetarian, a big 20 pound bag is even cheaper per ounce.

I got a really bad cholesterol reading at my last doctor exam and though it upset me, I remembered back in the day when I was a vegetarian and my total cholesterol was something like 163. I'm thrilled about that because I've been wanting to get back to that delicious, healthy diet.

 

[JustMe]

Thank you, Diane! I, too, love beans of all kinds! I love beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, veggies, and fruits. Will I still be able to enjoy these once I'm back to real meals post-op? I don't mind throwing most of those into smoothies! I eat unsalted and no added sugar foods. Thank you.

 

[dianeseattle]

Thank you, Diane! I, too, love beans of all kinds! I love beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, veggies, and fruits. Will I still be able to enjoy these once I'm back to real meals post-op? I don't mind throwing most of those into smoothies! I eat unsalted and no added sugar foods. Thank you.

All good, except for peanuts. They are really high in calories and don't add that much nutritionally. However, one thing I left out of my soybean list is that you can soak soybeans in (salted) water and then roast them on a cookie sheet and they make a great crunchy snack with all those wonderful health benefits.

I eat all the things you listed with no trouble. I swear, I couldn't exist without cooked beans!

 

[JustMe]

I'll try that! I love soybeans, too! Thank you so much!

 

[JustMe]

I tend to have too much sodium in my blood, so I just have to be mindful about it.

 

[JustMe]

I'm one of those people who doesn't mind at all eating leftovers. I love them! I often make homemade soup, stir fry, or a healthy casserole, and then eat it each day until it's gone. Nowadays, my adult daughters and sons-in-law make soups that are all blended together. They're good. I eat them. But I'm more like my mom. I love homemade soups with all the chunks and morsels in them!

Here is a soup that I make in the crockpot often...

Ingredients...
Water
Cut up potatoes (any kind)
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Peas
Carrots
A small amount of ginger and paprika
Black pepper
Garlic (of course!)
Cut up onions
Cut up extra firm tofu
Lentils or quinoa (or both)
And once it's almost done cooking, I add in a can of 100% pumpkin

Mmmmmmmm

I don't add in any veggie broth or bouillon. I love spicy foods, but I'm also very content with homemade savory soup without extra flavoring. Other people may certainly want to add in some salt, broth, bullion, or substitute the tofu for meat. If I make lots, which I usually do, I then use my food containers to make several servings that can be frozen. I keep enough in the fridge for what I plan to eat that week. Yummy!