All About Black Beans

Black beans

Beans are a very inexpensive form of good protein, & they have become popular in many cultures throughout the world. With a rich flavor, black beans have a velvety texture while holding their shape well during cooking. Black beans are my favorite legume, right next to peanut butter. A stash of cooked beans in my fridge offers me lots of menu choices for the week, and is a great way to save time, money and get health benefits for my whole family.

Save money! About 15 cents per serving…Replace expensive red meat in your menus while enjoying the health & rich taste of black beans. Black beans are a good source of protein, and when combined with a whole grain such as whole wheat pasta or brown rice, provide protein comparable to that of meat or dairy foods without the high calories or saturated fat found in these foods. And, when you get your protein from black beans, you also get the blood sugar stabilizing and heart health benefits of quality soluble fiber. A cup of black beans will provide you with 15.2 grams of protein (30.5% of daily protein requirement), plus 74.8% of the daily value for fiber. All this for a cost of about 15 cents, only 227 calories with virtually no fat. (vs a 2oz hamburger meat serving cost more than $.50)

Health Benefits – Protein, Fiber - Reduces Cholesterol, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Cancer

Black beans are a very good source of dietary & cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, black beans’ high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans a great choice for anyone with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as brown rice, black beans provide high quality protein.

Antioxidants -When researchers analyzed different types of beans, they found that, the darker the bean’s seed coat, the higher its level of antioxidant activity. Gram for gram, black beans were found to have the most antioxidant activity, followed in descending order by red, brown, yellow, and white beans. Overall, the level of antioxidants found in black beans in this study is approximately 10 times that found in an equivalent amount of oranges, and comparable to that found in an equivalent amount of grapes or cranberries.

Fiber - A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirms that eating high fiber foods, such as black beans, helps prevent heart disease. Want to literally keep your heart happy? Eat black beans. A cup of black beans will provide you with 30.1% of the DV for magnesium.

Cancer Fighter - A study published in Food Chemistry and Toxicology suggests not only that black beans may help protect against cancer, but that whole foods naturally contain an array of compounds that work together for our benefit.

How to Select and Store

Whether purchasing black beans in bulk or in packaged containers, make sure that there is no evidence of moisture or insect damage and that they are whole and not cracked.

Store dried beans in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place, they will keep up to 12 months or many years. They dry over time and become harder to cook. If you purchase black beans at different times, store them separately since they may feature varying stages of dryness and therefore will require different cooking times. Cooked black beans will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about three days in a covered container.

How to Prepare Cooked Black Beans:

1- Check & Wash - Before washing black beans, spread them out on a light colored plate or cooking surface to check for, and remove, small stones, debris or damaged beans. After this process, place the beans in a strainer, rinsing them thoroughly under cool running water.

2- Soak & soften - To shorten their cooking time and make them easier to digest, black beans should be presoaked. There are two basic methods for presoaking. For each you should start by placing the beans in a saucepan & add two to three cups of water per cup of beans.

1- boil the beans for two minutes, take the pan off the heat, cover and allow to stand for two hours.

2- soak the beans in water for eight hours or overnight, placing the pan in the refrigerator so that the beans will not ferment. Before cooking the beans, always drain the soaking liquid and rinse beans with clean water.

3- Cook - To cook the beans, you can cook them on the stovetop, in a crock pot, solar oven or use a pressure cooker. For the stovetop method, add three cups of fresh water or broth for each cup of dried beans. The liquid should be about one to two inches above the top of the beans. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, partially covering the pot. If any foam develops, you can skim it off during the simmering process. Black beans generally take about one and one-half hours to become tender using this method. They can also be cooked in a pressure cooker where they take about one-half hour to prepare. Crock pot cooking will require 4-6 hours at low heat. I generally add veggies & seasonings after they are soft and then cook until done. Regardless of cooking method, do not add any salt or seasonings that are salty or acidic until after the beans have been softened since adding them earlier will make the beans tough and greatly increase the cooking time.

Nutritional Profile

Black beans are low in fat, high in protein & are a good source of dietary fiber and folate, manganese, protein, magnesium, thiamin (vitamin B1), phosphorus, molybdenum and iron. A one cup serving of cooked black beans provides about one third of a day’s protein requirement. (vs 2oz meat cost $.50)

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

~ Stuffed baked potato or topping.

~ Black bean soup or chili

~ Refried bean replacements in burritos or other Mexican dishes.

~ Cuban inspired meal of black beans and rice.

~ Layered Dip – In a serving bowl, layer black beans, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, diced onions and cilantro to make a delicious layered dip.