Photo c/o jewishjournal.com
You bet. Even in an emergency you can feed your kids healthy, but scrumptious desserts! Beans are incredibly versatile. As you know they are also an excellent source of protein and Vitamin B, folic acid, niacin, and thiamine. The human body even thrives when this particular food is relied upon. It’s great for aiding digestive problems (ergo the creation of “Beano”), circulation, diabetes, and weight control. But if the thought of having beans and rice for a year makes you ill and longing to die before “Armageddon”, you’ll be happy to note that there are PLENTY of uses for beans that you may never have imagined—even desserts, and there are a number of ways you can doctor up beans to a completely different kind of main dish that you would not have thought of previously. How about a fudge made delicious with the addition of beans? Or a really good pie? How about adding peach jam and a few other treats to your cans of pork and beans? So give this awesome food a try. And be sure to add split peas, pinto, garbanzo, navy, Great Northern and kidney beans to your food storage and then experiment with these great recipes! They are a winner every time I serve them. Enjoy!
Bean Puree
Put beans and liquid in a blender. Blend on medium speed until smooth; stop occasionally to scrape down the sides and stir beans up from the bottom. Your puree should be a smooth consistency. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze in an airtight container up to 6 weeks. (This will thicken as it cools.)
Pinto Bean Wheat Bread
1 cup bean puree made with pinto beans (you can also use reconstituted refried beans for this recipe) 1 cup lukewarm water 1 T. honey 1 pkg. active dry yeast 2 T. vegetable oil 1 t. salt 3 cups whole wheat flour ¾ to 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour In a large bowl combine water and honey, stirring to mix together completely. Dissolve the yeast in the honey/water mixture. Let stand until mixture appears foamy. Stir in bean puree, oil, and salt. Gradually add whole wheat flour, stirring occasionally. Add all-purpose flour the same way. Mix until dough is stiff. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. (I presently do this recipe in my Bosch or Kitchen Aid mixer for about 7 to 8 minutes knead time.) Return dough to bowl. Spray non-stick spray on a piece of plastic wrap big enough to cover the bowl. Place plastic wrap with the non-stick side facing down to prevent the dough from drying as it rises. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size. Form loaf, place it in your bread pan, and let it rise again to double in size. (Still cover it with the sprayed plastic wrap.) Once it’s risen, bake it at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately remove from bread pan and allow it to cool on its side. (Note: if you cook this in a solar oven it will not get “golden brown” but you can use the “hollow thump test” to ensure doneness. Cooking time will take approximately 2 hours in a solar oven.)
Navy Bean Bundt Cake
1 2/3 cup navy beans, cooked and drained 1 cup sugar 1 T. vanilla 2 cups flour 1 t. baking soda 1 t. cinnamon 1/3 cup water (or you can use liquid from the cooked beans) 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 1 cup softened butter ½ cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 ½ t. baking powder 1 ½ t. nutmeg 1/3 cup evaporated milk ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts Puree beans in a blender or mash thoroughly with a potato masher or a fork. Set aside. In a large bowl combine butter, sugars, and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Add eggs and mix at high speed until well blended. Then add milk and water and mix thoroughly. Stir in bean puree and set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir half of the dry ingredients into the bean mixture until well blended. Add the nuts and the coconut and blend completely. Then add the remaining flour mixture. Blend well. Pour into a greased Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. You can also just pour this into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch greased pan and bake for 25-30 minutes at the same temperature Enjoy a most hearty Bundt cake!
Surprise Bean Pudding Cake
(it’s a surprise because no one will guess it has beans in it, and there’s no “pudding” in it either) Cream together: ½ cup butter or margarine 2 t. vanilla 1 egg Add: 1 2/3 cup of mashed, cooked, drained pinto beans (you can use drained cans of beans as well) ½ cup applesauce Mix until well blended then add: ¾ cup sugar 1 cup flour 1 t. cinnamon ½ t. salt ½ t. cloves ½ t. allspice 1 t. baking soda Pour into a greased 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.
Pilgrim Bean Pie
½ cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar, packed 2 eggs beaten ½ cup butter, softened 1 generous cup of mashed, cooked pinto beans (drained) (Note: you can substitute reconstituted dry beans, but be sure it’s a generous cup) ½ cup grated coconut (optional) ½ t. pumpkin pie spice (optional) 1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell Whipped topping (which you can easily make from powdered milk or a powdered whipped topping packet) Beat together the sugars, eggs, and butter until creamy. Add coconut and pumpkin pie spice (optional). Add pinto beans and blend well. Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve with whipped topping.
Bean Fudge
1 cup cooked, mashed pinto beans; drained (you can also use reconstituted refried beans) ¼ cup milk (Yes, powdered milk is fine in this recipe) 1 T. vanilla 1 t. almond extract 2 pounds powdered sugar 6 oz. unsweetened chocolate 6 T. butter or margarine ½ cup of chopped nuts (optional) In a large bowl mix together the beans and milk. This should resemble a mashed potato consistency. Stir in vanilla and almond extract. Melt chocolate and butter and then stir into the bean mixture. Add nuts. Gradually stiff in the powdered sugar. Make sure it’s well blended. Spread onto a light buttered 9 inch baking dish. Chill 1 to 2 hours. Cut into pieces and refrigerate to prevent melting. (Although melted, this makes a yummy topping on pudding or homemade ice cream!)
Peachy Pork and Beans
5 (15 oz) cans of pork and beans-undrained ¼ cup brown sugar 1 16 ounce can of tomato sauce 1 t. mustard (not dry) ½ cup of diced ham or “Real Bacon Bits” 8 ounces of peach jam ½ cup catsup Water as needed Mix together all ingredients, adding water to the desired consistency. Warm through on medium/high heat. Serve. (Serves about 15 and is GREAT for a potluck) (My parents used to make this when I was growing up, and I craved it on warm bread. But after I moved out of the house I asked them for the recipe and they couldn’t remember it. So I’ve struggled over the years to make my own version of this heavenly spread. This is as close as I could come.)
Bean Dip or Tortilla or Bread Spread
½ cups of dehydrated refried beans 1 2/3 cups boiling water 1 T. taco seasoning ¼ cup dehydrated onions 2 T. dehydrated garlic
Place all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and add the boiling water. Stir to moisten. Let stand 25 minutes. You can add salsa or some more water to thin it to your desired consistency. Use on corn or flour tortillas, homemade bread, or hamburger buns. Treat it just as you would a ham or beef spread and serve with desired condiments. (Note: you can make this with dried or canned ingredients as well. Just cut back on your water to only about 1 cup boiling water.)
Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter here To see our upcoming event schedule, click here Check out our inhome-course programs Subscribe to Preparedness Pro today and never miss a thing!
For any questions or comments on this article, please leave a comment on the blog site so that everyone can benefit!
Copyright Protected 2009, Preparedness Pro and Kellene. All Rights Reserved. No portion of any content on this site may be duplicated, transferred, copied, or published without written permission from the author. However, you are welcome to provide a link to the content on your site or in your written works.
6 Comments
Lorie · May 14, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I used to make a Pinto Bean Pie and it was just like your Pilgram pie. Nobody every knew it was made of beans it was that good. It tasted a lot like pecan pie.
Lorie · May 14, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I used to make a Pinto Bean Pie and it was just like your Pilgram pie. Nobody every knew it was made of beans it was that good. It tasted a lot like pecan pie.
dairyfreemom · May 16, 2009 at 2:36 am
I’ve never tried the beans-as-part-of-dessert thing, but it’s totally on my list. Thanks, to, for stopping by my blog!
dairyfreemom · May 16, 2009 at 2:36 am
I’ve never tried the beans-as-part-of-dessert thing, but it’s totally on my list. Thanks, to, for stopping by my blog!
Comments are closed.