By Arritta Morris
Register Columnist
MADISON COUNTY —
The need for fiber in our diet in this country is a major concern.
How do we know if we have enough fiber in our daily meal plan? I hate to sound gross but if your poop floats — you get the message.
Where do we get the most fiber? If you read the labels on the beans you will find a lot of fiber in most canned products.
Beans as well as lentils act as an anti-diabetes and weight-loss food because they are digested slowly, which stabilizes blood sugar, reducing hunger. The fiber in beans reduce the total number of calories absorbed (about a third of the carbohydrate calories contained in beans do not get absorbed).
If you have trouble getting your family to enjoy these great products, I have a suggestion for you. Do the magic recipes I have listed below:
Chocolate-chip bars
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans (1 can rinsed and drained)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup of brown sugar (you can use the brown sugar blend that has Splenda blended in)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup peanut butter
Directions:
Preheat oven-350 degrees.
Blend all ingredients (except chips) until very smooth in a food processor, not a blender. If you do not have a processor, I would use a mixer.
Mix in the chips and scoop onto a greased pan. Bake for around 30 minutes. They may looked undercooked but do firm up as they cool.
Kari’s baked beans
My daughter Kari made up a great baked bean recipe.
Directions:
2 cans of pork and beans (drained)
2-3 strips of bacon lightly fried and cut into pieces
1 cup of brown sugar (I again use the brown sugar blend to reduce the sugar.)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce. (Kari likes to use a honey-type sauce.)
She bakes it very slowly at 275-300 degrees for about an hour. She states that the slower you cook it, the better the dish.
Magic brownies
(no flour)
I know my many friends wonder sometimes what I do to the dishes I take to potlucks. So here is my secret recipe for bean brownies. I had to rework my recipe and this one seems to be the best one.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup black beans (one 15 oz can, drained and rinsed well)
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp sugar or sugar substitute
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup to 1 cup of chocolate chips.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine all ingredients except chips and blend in food processor or mixer till completely smooth. A blender can be used but the processor mixes the beans better.
Stir in the chips and pour into a 8x8-inch pan. Sprinkle extra chips on top and bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool before cutting into squares.
My favorite fiber bean is black-eyed peas. It may fall into the pea family, but I still like to use it as a fiber product. I could not find fresh black-eyed peas anywhere in the local markets. I was raised on black eyed peas with snaps. (They are in the canned variety.)
I looked for the seeds to plant and could not find any. My brain had a senior moment as I thought I could just go to the store and buy a bag of black-eyed peas and plant them in the garden. I thought I had better plant about six rolls in case I got about half a crop. Guess what, I got the whole enchilada. The bean pod grows as long as your arm. I had so many black eye peas that I have them frozen for all year. So I will leave you with my favorite black-eyed pea recipe:
Black-eyed pea salad
Ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
3 Tbsp Cider Vinaigrettes (see below) below)
Directions:
Stir all ingredient together and refrigerate till served
Cider viniaigrette recipe
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove finely minced
5-10 drops of hot pepper sauce.
Whisk all ingredients together. Makes about 3 tablespoons.
I hate to leave good company but Christmas shopping calls me. I want to leave you with these words of wisdom in case some of my crazy recipes blow your mind.
I didn’t have potatoes, so I substituted rice
Didn’t have paprika, so I used another spice
I didn’t have tomato sauce, so I used tomato paste
A whole can, not a half can — I do not believe in waste
My friend gave me the recipe — She said you couldn’t beat it
There must be something wrong with her.
I COULDN’T EVEN EAT IT!
Arritta Morris has a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Eastern Kentucky University and a master’s degree in counseling. She is a certified as a Food Service Specialist by the School and Nutrition Association.
