The more you eat, the more you ____
The more you ____, the better you feel
So let's have beans for every meal! ♪
*When I was growing up, fart was the "f" word so I had to bleep it out. But seriously, beans are so good for you! And they're cheap! We should eat them for every meal...or at least once or twice a week!
A lot of people seem intimidated by the dry bean. Don't be. Buying dry beans is economical and they are easy to store. Using them just involves a little planning. First, sort and rinse the beans in a colander so that any dirt or pebbles are removed. Now comes the soaking...
Cover beans in water to soak overnight, allowing for beans to expand 2-3 times their size while still being covered. Soaking beans helps them cook faster and it dissolve the starches that cause the "f" word issue mentioned above.
The next morning, drain and rinse soaked beans and then put them in your crockpot. Cover with water or chicken broth and throw in the ham bone from your leftover ham. Add spices to your taste- salt, pepper, brown sugar, garlic, onion salt, peppers...be creative! I like to throw in a few bay leaves, too.
Cook on high for about 8 hours. Bake some GFCF cornbread for a real down home comfort meal. Enjoy!
We dont do the soaking and surpringly enough, it doesnt take as long as you think it might. It doesnt prevent the f word you speak of but thus is life. I generally sort them and put the in the crock pot in the morning and they are usually done by 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Just in time to make whatever i need them for supper. Only downfall of dry beans is remembering to start the eary!
ReplyDeleteMy three girls have decided to be Mary, Laura, and Carrie Ingalls for Halloween (continuing our new literature trend!) and so I decided we were going to have a pioneer dinner to go along with it! I.e. Beans! I was originally thinking I would attempt frying corn meal mush in bacon fat, but now friends are joining us, and I don't want to make something I don't know is going to taste good. ; ) So now it is beans and cornbread. : )
ReplyDeleteOh Blessed,
ReplyDeleteYou need to make a trip to our neck of the woods! Walnut Grove is a short drive away and there is a Laura Ingalls festival every year. I love that you are making the dress up experience more realistic by having a pioneer meal! ~Kari
That looks so good. When I was growing up the word that you left out of the song was toot. I need to get one of mine to eat more beans so I can pull our grocery bill down.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Dawn
Beans and cornbread is one of my favorite dinners. Looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteKari, a couple of years ago we did an amazing road trip with my parents from IL back to CA via Pioneer country! I am sure we went very near you--did not actually stop to see anything in MN, though, but we made a point of going to the Ingalls homestead outside of DeSmet--SO MUCH FUN. Here is the link to the story in my blog, in case you want to see! (Next time we do such an adventure and are anywhere near Walnut Grove I will let you know in case you and Java want to come hang with the rest of us prairie girls! : )
ReplyDeletehttp://oblesseday.blogspot.com/2009/07/little-girls-on-prairie.html