Everyday Food Storage Recipes-Food Storage & Recipe Blog

As we come to a close on the Food Storage Back to Basics Series, learn my top secret tips for getting (and finding time) to get dinner on the table!

More great food storage recipes!

See how easy it is to add beans to your brownies-or really anything with oil! It’s the same idea as subbing in applesauce except with beans you’re not adding in a bunch of sugar but instead a lot of fiber and protein…so you’ll actually be full after one serving! A food storage diet in the making!

Adding bean puree to brownies or cake (or really anything calling for oil!): Simply use the same amount of bean puree that your recipe calls for oil. For example, if your brownie recipe calls for 1/3 c. oil, you would instead use 1/3 c. bean puree. Try to pick a color that will match what you are doing (so, you could do white beans and black beans in a chocolate cake but I wouldn’t do black beans in a white cake=make sense? Good!)

Bean Puree

This is really easy to make.

Home Cooked Beans: Take cooked beans (reserve the cooking water) and blend in your blender with enough water to create a thick paste. (Basically enough water to make all the beans turn into a puree. If you need to see how to cook beans, read below.

Canned Beans: Dump entire contents of can (beans and water) into a blender and blend until it is a thick paste.

Learn my top secret tips for finding time and getting dinner on the table!

Tired of beans being, literally, an all day process? Well see how FAST and EASY it is to cook them-with out soaking- in a pressure cooker in under ONE HOUR!

Don’t have a pressure cooker and still want to cook beans?
Cooking your DRY Beans: Dry beans need to be soaked before they can be cooked.
Quick Soaking – For each pound of beans, add 10 cups hot water; heat to boiling and let boil 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for at least 1 hour.
Overnight Soak – For each pound (2 cups) dry-packaged beans, add 10 cups cold water, then let soak overnight, or at least 8 hours.
Cooking Beans
Once your beans have soaked and tripled in size, it’s time to cook them. The most important step in this process is to drain off the soaking water and rinse the beans before cooking to help decrease the gas side effect. Depending on the bean variety, it will take 30 minutes to 2 hours to cook. Make sure and check the package for more specific directions. You’ll know the beans are done when they are tender, but not overcooked. If your beans have been sitting in your food storage for a long time you will need to cook them for a longer period of time. Cool the beans in their cooking liquid if you are not adding them to another liquid, like a soup, when they are done cooking.
Storing Freshly Cooked Beans
Because cooking beans can be a process, you may want to cook more than you need and store them for next time to save you time (and you’re only making one mess!). Store cooked beans tightly covered in the fridge up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Learn how to use beans in place of oil in brownies and cakes. I’m not kidding! It tastes great in cakes and brownies, saves you some calories, and adds all of that great fiber and protein you’re missing in your diet!

Learn more about the basics of beans and some of the great things you can do with them!

I love the green chilis and southwestern flavor and the fact that it’s done in a slow cooker! Make sure you serve it with some great corn bread.

Southwestern White Chili

1 C. Chopped Onion (1/4 C. dehydrated onions)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried oregano, crushed
1/4 t. ground red pepper
3 15 1/2-ounce cans great northern (white) beans, drained and rinsed (1 lb. (2-1/2 C.) dried white beans, cooked and rinsed)
2 4-ounce cans diced green chile peppers
4 C. chicken broth
3 C. chopped cooked chicken (3 10 oz. cans of chicken-you can also use the water from the can as part of your chicken broth)
2 C. shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8ounces)
Sour Cream

1. In a 3 1/2 to 6-quart slow cooker place the onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, red pepper, beans 2 cns chile peppers, broth and cooked chicken. Stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Sitr in the cheese until melted.
3. Ladle the chili into 8 bowls. If desired, top with sour cream and sprinkle with additional chile peppers or chives.

Tired of beans being, literally, an all day process? Well see how FAST and EASY it is to cook them-with out soaking- in a pressure cooker in under ONE HOUR!