The Musical Fruit

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                                        ♬ Beans, beans the musical fruit, ♬
                                    ♬The more you eat, the more you toot ♬
                                 ♬ The more you toot the better you’ll feel, ♬
                                            ♬ So eat your beans at every meal  ♬
Does that little ditty remind you of your childhood? Growing up with five brothers they needed no excuse to “let one fly” followed by those sing-songy words. Each time I hear (ah, or smell) expelled gas, those little words come to mind.

We all know beans are a great protein and filled with fiber, but, how do you cook beans so your family and friends won’t be permeating the air for the next twenty-four hours? Years ago I found this recipe in a Woman’s Day magazine - I’m guessing it was about twenty-five years ago or so, but it is our favorite way to cook dried pinto beans.

Pot o’ Beans

• 2# dried pinto beans
• water

Pick over the beans, rinse, and put in a large pot; add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil for five minutes.
Remove from heat, cover. Let stand for one hour. Drain. Stir in:

• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Cover with water; bring to boil; cover and simmer for one hour. Drain, if necessary.

Makes 12 cups.

So, now that you have the beans what can you do with them. First of all, you have a lovely bean that’s low sodium and second, the options are endless. You can freeze them. You can add them to salads, casseroles, and chili. So, speaking of chili, how about some chili beans?

Using 8 cups of your cooked pinto beans, add:

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt (watch your salt if you need to)
• 2 cans of tomato sauce (again, use low salt, if necessary)

Mix together and that’s it. You can freeze them up to three months or cover and simmer for thirty minutes. You can serve them over brown rice, over pasta or a baked potato, over some homemade baked whole wheat tortilla chips, rolled in a whole wheat tortilla or just eat them in a bowl with a bit of allowed cheese/sour cream. Don’t forget to pile whatever you decide to do with some fresh tomatoes, fresh spinach, a diced avocado, diced peppers! And, here’s a little hint ... squeeze a bit of fresh lime over your dish for a real WOW factor!