Who Said NO BEANS?

While there are many delicious foods we enjoy on a lowcarb woe, beans aren’t generally one of them. After a few weeks of lowcarbing, many people really begin missing some of their favorite carby comfort foods and start looking for substitutes. In general, the lowcarb world has done a pretty good job at “subbing” many carby items but old fashioned goodies like “Navy” Bean Soup and Cheesy Bean Dip have all but disappeared.

I’m here to tell you that you can. Can what? Have beans! You can have bean soup, chili, and yummy mexican style beans dripping with cheese. How? With Eden Foods, of course! For the amount of praise I'm about to give these Eden Black Soybeans, I wish I owned company stock. I can’t say enough good things about them. They DO NOT taste like soy anything and they look just like any other type of bean you would find in a can or dry. The big difference is, they are only 1 carb (ECC) per serving. They are also a great source of fiber at 7 grams per serving. Doesn't that sound alot better than downing a glass of psyllium husks?

The price is also reasonable. They run about $1.99 a can at places like WholeFoods Market or you can order them online, for about $1.40 a can.

"OK, Marcie. That sounds great but what do I do after I get them?" I’m glad you asked! Here’s what I did…

Beefy Bean Chili

• (2) 15 oz cans Eden Black Soybeans
• (2) 15 oz cans chopped tomatoes
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 lb ground beef
• 1 can condensed chicken broth
• 2 cans water (chicken broth cans)
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 T mild chili powder
• 1 tsp hot Indian chili powder (or more!)
• 2 T garlic powder
• 1 T onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp corriander powder
• 3 packets Splenda
• Salt and pepper as desired

Brown ground beef and set aside. Lightly saute onions and bell pepper in meat drippings for about 5 mintues. Add cooked beef and all other ingredients and stir well. Simmer for an hour or so until it starts thickening. The longer it simmers, the thicker it gets and it's best the next day! Total carbs = 94 with 6-8 servings at 12 - 15 carbs each. You can knock 20 carbs off the total by eliminating the fresh onion. That will get you 10-12 carbs per serving. Knock off another 10 carbs by nixing 1 can of tomatoes.

Cheesy Bean Dip 

• 1 can Eden Black Soybeans (drained)
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 T lard or bacon fat
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp corriander powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 T hot sauce (I love the Cholula brand)
• 3-4 cups shredded jack and cheddar cheese
• Lime wedge

Cook onion and garlic in fat for 3-4 minutes. Add spices and cook for 1 more minute. Put into blender or food processor with 2/3 of the beans and hot sauce. Blend until smooth. If you have problems with it being too thick to move, add a tablespoon or two of the bean liquid or water. Add back to pan with remaining whole beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Add cheese and large squeeze of lime. Stir until melted and mixed. Taste and add salt, pepper or more hot sauce as needed. Cook for another 5-8 minutes until thoroughly heated and serve immediately with chips and garnish.

For chips, cut La Tortilla Factory tortillas into triangles and fry in butter until golden. They don't get real crunchy like normal chips but they're still good. (DH doesn't like those tortillas but I do. I've gotten used to the slight soy taste and they're great fried in butter!)

Yummy garnishes for this include guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, cilantro, jalapenos, lime wedges, etc. You could even add skirt steak or ground beef! The list goes on.

Carbs for just the dip total 40. Per serving would be 10-20 depending. No, this isn't for induction but it sure is good!

"Navy Bean" & Bacon Soup

• 15 oz can Black soy beans
• 10 oz can Condensed chicken broth
• 5 oz Water
• 8 oz Tomato sauce
• 5 slices bacon
• 2 tsp onion powder
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Place 1/3 of beans in a blender with all other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Pour into pan and add remaining beans. Simmer for 20 minutes and serve. For extra richness and flavor, you can add 2 tablespoons of bacon grease or butter. Total carbs = 16. About 2 hearty servings at 8 carbs each.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did.

Bon Appetit!