EVERYDAY FOOD STORAGE » beans

How to use Food Storage Beans for Butter and/or Oil

Crystal — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:23:12 +0000

FEBRUARY IS “LET THEM EAT (FOOD STORAGE) CAKE!” MONTH!

We’ve started this month right with the Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. Mmmm….it makes my mouth water just thinking about it! Remember, I’m doing this because there is more out there than just cake mixes people! L-O-T-S! And when you are cooking more from scratch you a) have more control over the ingredients and b) you have more opportunities to use your food storage and c) can do it for a lot cheaper!

But I realized that I have gotten a little ahead of myself because you know I’ll be using a lot of beans in place of butter and oil. Why? Well beans are CHEAP, from your dry beans you can make the equivalent of a can of beans (which is about a pound) for under 20 cents! Has anyone seen what a pound of butter costs these days? Last time I checked it was around $3 a pound-good grief. Plus, beans are virtually fat free, full of protein and fiber which means less calories and they make you feel full! No joke! I can eat one piece of cake made with beans instead of oil and feel FULL. Before I could eat 2 (or 3 or 4) and not feel satisfied. Plus, beans make a very moist product and I promise there is no bean taste! And just because I know you’re wondering, I don’t use powdered butter or shortening because for the most part it isn’t cheaper than using fresh plus it lacks the protein and fiber of beans. So, I want to make sure you all understand how to use the beans and how to be successful at it because I’m BIG on YOU figuring out how to do this with YOUR recipes.

TIPS FOR USING BEANS FOR OIL AND BUTTER

If your recipe calls for oil, you are going to use a bean puree. What is a bean puree you ask? It’s simply cooked beans with enough water to whirl in your blender. If you want a simple way to try this, take a can of beans (the entire can) and dump it in the blender and blend it. Done.
If your recipe calls for butter, you are going to use cooked, drained beans.
For substituting beans for both butter and/or oil you are going to use a 1:1 ration. That means if your recipe calls for 3/4 C. oil, you are going to use 3/4 C. bean puree. If your recipe calls for 1 C. butter you are going to use 1 C. beans. You’ll use the same measurements for beans as your original recipe says to use for either the oil and/or butter.
When wondering which beans to use-you are going to match color for color. If it is a chocolate cake, use black beans. If it is a spice cake, use pinto beans. If it is a white cake, use white beans. Now, here is the tricky part…you can also use white beans in chocolate cake but you can’t use black beans in your white cake. Your family will wonder what all of those black specks are. To be safe, you can use white beans in almost anything.
Now, you’re going to add the beans however your recipe says to use the butter and/or oil. So, if your recipe says to cream the butter with the sugar-you’re going to cream the beans with the sugar. If your recipe says to add the oil to the dry ingredients, you’re going to add the bean puree to the dry ingredients.
If you are using beans in something like brownies or cookies that are supposed to be chewy, the beans will not make it chewy-it will be cake like. So if you’re family is big on chewy that doesn’t mean you have an excuse not to use beans. It just means you need to use half oil/butter and half beans. It will still be chewy and you’ll still be saving money and adding fiber and protein! Remember, I’m not big into all or nothing-even a little or half is better than nothing and it’s important that your family likes what you make!

Use beans for breakfast, dinner and dessert with my Everyday Bean E-Cookbook!

Help Spread the Word!

I love it when you share my tips and recipes for food storage! Do me a quick favor, if you like what you see please share it on facebook, pinterest, or blog about it! And make sure if you link to me, either use the word “food storage” or “Everyday Food Storage” to link back to me. Thanks-it makes all the hard work worth it!

Chili Dogs in a Blanket-Food Storage Recipe

Crystal — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:00:05 +0000

Okay, whether you’re routing for the Packers or the Giants-this weekend is a great excuse to use some food storage! If you know me, I love chili dogs-it’s one of those guilty pleasures I have. The only problem with chili dogs is that they are SO messy! (And anyone who knows me, also knows I have a problem with messy foods…in that I tend to make them messier!) So I thought, how perfect to encase the chili like a pig in a blanket type idea….and it worked out wonderfully! I think this is a PERFECT dish for any football parties you may be having this weekend…or any basketball games you may be watching plus it uses food storage!

It would be easily served with Tator Tots or potato chips and then a vegetable tray where they can pick their own veggies. (Notice I filled half my plate with them to try and make up for my chili dog creation!

Chili Dogs in a Blanket
1 can Chili (or homemade chili)
2 T. dehydrated onion
1/2 C. Shredded Cheese (optional)
2 oz. Cream Cheese (optional)
4-6 Hot Dogs (cut into thirds-lenth wise)
EZ Bread Dough (Click HERE for the recipe)

Mix bread dough according to directions and let rise until doubled. In the mean time, combine chili, dehydrated onion, and cream cheese and heat until the cream cheese is melted. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick and using something circular (about 5 inches in diameter), cut out circles from dough. Keep rolling dough out and cutting until dough is gone (like you would for biscuits). Put a thin layer of chili mixture on dough circles, followed by cheese, and a hot dog piece. Fold side pieces together and pinch all edges together. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Saturday Food Storage Show-off: Pioneer Brownies

Crystal — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:46:06 +0000

Who doesn’t love a good brownie recipe that also includes food storage? I was so happy to receive this recipe for all of us to try. It has beans, wheat, and honey. Sounds great! This recipe is from Sade and she says…

“Hey Crystal,
You inspired me to try these and I’m so glad you did!! These little morsels of heaven were fantastic!! And as you said we wouldn’t be able to taste the beans at all! Thanks so much, I’ll send along the picture and the recipe in case anyone else would like to make these, they are truly food storage brownies!!”

Food Storage Pioneer Brownies: Food Storage Dessert Recipe

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

This is truly a food storage brownie!

Ingredients

1/2 c. butter (1/4 C. black bean puree and ¼ c. oil)
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. honey
2 Lg. Eggs ( I used powdered)
1/2 C. wheat flour
1/2 C. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

Mix all ingredients and mix well. Put in 9×9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for
-30 min.

Notes

**Tip** Cut brownies with a plastic knife and they cut nicer…I have NO
idea why but it does work!

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SHARE WITH US!

Do you have a great idea, recipe or food storage tip you’d love to share?! Email me at efsshowoffs(at)gmail(dot)com! We’d all love to hear from you!

The Everyday Bean e-Cookbook Sneak Peek!

Crystal — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:02:20 +0000

I’m so excited! I have a new e-cookbook coming out this week, The Everyday Bean Cookbook. It will have 90+ recipes for breakfasts, sides & salads, dinners, and DESSERTS all with no added fats…just good ol’ beans from your food storage. Don’t worry the recipes aren’t scary, the recipes cover pancakes, waffles, muffins, quick breads, salads, soups, chilis, cookies, brownies, cakes, etc…see that isn’t scary! To get you excited (and convinced), I’m giving a sneak peek of one of my most favorite BEAN recipes, the Low-Fat Ultimate Death by Chocolate Sandwich Cookie. (Make sure you scroll to the bottom to see how you can enter to win a FREE copy of my new e-cookbook when it is released this week!)

Low-Fat Ultimate Death by Chocolate Cookie

Recipe type: Desserts

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 9

This recipe is awesome, easy, looks gourmet and NO ONE will guess you used beans instead of butter in it! If you love it, make sure you check out my NEW Everyday Beans e-Cookbook with over 90 recipes that will incorporate beans into your breakfasts, sides & salads, dinners and DESSERTS!

Ingredients

1 Devils Food Chocolate Cake mix (must be Devil’s food)
1/2 C. bean puree (you can use either black or white beans)
2 eggs (2 T. dry powdered eggs + 1/4 water)
1 t. vanilla
1 tub Fat-Free Cool Whip
1/2 pkg. dark chocolate chocolate chips, melted
chocolate covered strawberries, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine half of the Devils Food Cake Mix with the bean puree, eggs and vanilla in electric mixer for 2 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Add in second half of cake mix and mix until combined. Drop rounded balls of cookie dough on GREASED cookie sheet. Cook 10-12 minutes or until done. Take out of oven and with a glass with a flat bottom, flatten cookies and allow to cool.
Mix together Cool Whip and melted chocolate to form mousse. Place mousse in between two cookies. Place a little mousse on top of cookie sandwich and place chocolate covered strawberry on top.

Notes

Make bean puree by dumping a can of beans in your blender and blending until it is the consistency of a thick smoothie.

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DON’T MISS IT-SIGN UP TO GET NOTIFIED OF THE OFFICIAL EVERYDAY BEAN E-COOKBOOK RELEASE!

Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter to get notified as soon as this is released! Click HERE to sign up!

WANT TO WIN A FREE COPY OF MY NEW EVERYDAY BEAN E-COOKBOOK?

I thought you might! All you need to do make sure you’re signed up for my newsletters so you’re notified of the release and help spread the word about this post and amazing recipe either in an email or on your blog, facebook, or on Twitter. E-mail me at efsgiveaways(at)gmail(dot)com telling me what you’ve done and you’ll get one entry for different thing you did! There will be 5 winners so make sure you enter to win!

Studio 5: Milk Shakes Shook Up!

Crystal — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 04:12:58 +0000

If you missed my latest appearance on Studio 5- click HERE to watch the video of how to make these delicious shakes using none other than powdered milk! (your favorite food storage item and mine!

Peanut Butter Moo’d:-makes two 8-ounce cups

Ingredients:

1/2 C. Water
3/4 C. Dry Powdered Milk
1/3 C. Chocolate Powder (like Nesquick or equivalent)
one banana cut into 1 inch slices
2 spoonfuls of peanut butter
2 C. Ice

Method:

Layer ingredients in your blender as listed and blend until smooth. Serve immediately! Spruce it up with half of a banana for fun!

Banana-Pineapple Freeze

Ingredients:

1 C. Unsweetened Pineapple Juice (you can use pineapple juice that you drain from using canned pineappe just double check that the juice you drained off is unsweetened – you could also just use crushed pineapple)
1/2 of a Medium Banana, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 T. Dry Powdered Milk (non-instant)
1 C. Ice Cubes

Method:

Place ingredients in blender jar in order listed. Place cover on blender jar. Turn blender on and use the “Crushed Ice” setting.

Mock Pecan Pie: Bean Food Storage Recipes

Crystal — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 07:13:17 +0000

Okay, so you all knew this was coming…a pie made with…BEANS! You know my love of beans in dessert and it doesn’t take a holiday on Thanksgiving! This Mock Pecan Pie gets it’s filling from PINTO BEANS! Pecan Pie is expensive to make (and ESPECIALLY to BUY). However, this recipe will be nice to your pocket book and your waistline. It tastes JUST like Pecan Pie…and you don’t have to take my word for it…well you heard that Del liked it on the videos for the Pie Crust 101 Mini-Class but I also took it to a Relief Society meeting (a church womens organization) and they ALL loved it and didn’t know I did anything to it (Of course, because I didn’t tell them and you shouldn’t tell the people you make this for…well until they proclaim how delicious it is!). In fact, some still probably don’t know! Oh, how I love to use food storage…and to see people’s faces when they realize it is DELICIOUS!

Mock Pecan Pie

1 1/2 C. cooked, drained PINTO beans (you can also use white beans if you don’t have pinto)
1 1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. butter
3 eggs, beaten (3 T. dry egg powder + 1/3 C. water)
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. sea salt if desired
1/2-3/4 C. finely chopped pecans (I used more pecans…enough to generously cover the top of the pie)

Cream sugar, butter, eggs, and beans. (If you are using powdered eggs you don’t need to mix the dry egg powder with water first-just put the dry egg powder in with creaming and add the water with the vanilla, which is the next step). Add vanilla and salt. Pour into 9 inch unbaked pie shell (If you missed the Pie Crust 101 Mini Class-check it out for GREAT tips on how to make your own delicious pie crust). Sprinkle the chopped pecans over mixture. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes more. Pie is done when knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped topping or ice cream.

Make sure you check back every day this week for new posts and fun twists on classic and not so classic pies…and yeah, and DEFINITELY enter this giveaway!

Food Storage Back to Basics: Top Secret Tips for Getting Dinner on the Table

Crystal — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:01:01 +0000

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!

Food Storage Back to Basics: Beans as a Substitute for Oil

Crystal — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 07:01:09 +0000

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!

Food Storage Back to Basics: Cooking Beans

Crystal — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:01:48 +0000

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!

Food Storage Back to Basics: Beans-That Musical Fruit!

Crystal — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:01:32 +0000

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!