Gail Ingram Photography

Blake and I stopped by my mom and dad’s house around lunchtime last weekend and we were both starving. We headed straight for the fridge only to find it basically bare. However, mom insisted she could make us a meal if we gave her 5-minutes. My son shot me over the “this isn’t going to turn out good” look. But we waited anyway. We didn’t have great expectations and I’m not going to say we were totally patient, but we waited…

Beans: A “Clean Eating” Pantry Staple

Mom headed straight to the pantry and whipped out the canned black beans. For as long as I can remember dried and canned beans have been a staple in mom’s pantry. Growing up, mom was always doing something with beans; soaking dried ones, dumping cans of them in my chili, cooking them in a crock pot, pressure cooking them, mixing them in salads, etc. I really don’t know why she was so into beans because I don’t think she even realized how healthy they were. Still, beans were just one of those foods I assumed every family ate lots of.

I still recall stocking the pantry of my first apartment and one of the first things I did was add a whole bunch of beans…black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, red kidney beans, cannelloni beans, etc. Back then I had no clue what I was going to do with all of those beans since I didn’t really know how to cook, but I thought beans were a pantry must-have so I made sure to have a ton on hand. To this day, I still have a wide assortment of beans squatting on my pantry shelf. Over the years I’ve learned a lot about beans though. Somewhere along the way I also learned to cook…and now I find myself acting a bit like mom, dumping beans in this and that. But, these days I don’t just eat beans because my mom did and I don’t just do so for convenience; a big reason I’m into beans is because I know how nutrient-rich and healthy they are.

Beans, this Way & That

I can tell you one thing, nothing fills you up faster than a serving of fiber-rich, protein packed beans. Not only are beans super filling, they’re loaded with nutrients, including anti-aging antioxidants and phytochemicals. Did you know a half a cup of red beans has more antioxidant power than an entire cup of blueberries? Beans also deliver an excellent source of plant-based protein minus the artery-clogging and fattening saturated fat that comes inconveniently packaged with animal foods. Packed with micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) beans help curb food cravings. And, because beans are slowly digested, they deliver a steady stream of zip, pep and go for hours and hours. They are good for your heart and fabulous for your waistline. Best of all, beans can go this way and that. From my all-time favorite Black & White Bean Soup (one of the first recipes I created for our Gold Coast Cure book) to Caribbean Mango, Avocado & Black Bean Salsa, Tex-Mex Bean Burgers, to my mom’s Black Bean & Sprouted Corn Tortilla creation in the recipe below, proves how versatile beans really are (which reminds me, I’ll have to post my chocolate chip cookies made with white beans and my black bean brownie recipe SOON!)

5-Minute Healthy Lunch:

“Eat Clean” Black Bean & Sprouted Corn Tortilla Stacks

Note: Recipe Serves 1

• 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• Sea salt, to taste
• Cumin, to taste
• Tabasco, to taste (or other hot sauce)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (such as Costco’s Kirkland brand)
• 2 sprouted corn tortillas (such as Food for Life)
• 3 tablespoons organic, grass-fed shredded cheddar cheese
• Bibb lettuce
• 2-3 tomato slices

1. Season the beans with salt, cumin and Tabasco to taste. Set aside.
2. Wipe a large cast iron skillet with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil; heat skillet over medium-high. When skillet is hot, add the tortillas; heat the tortillas for 30 seconds. Flip tortillas and sprinkle with the shredded cheese; remove the tortillas from the skillet when the cheese melts. Transfer warmed tortillas to a plate.
3. Add lettuce and sliced tomato to one tortilla. Stack the other tortilla on top and repeat. Serve with fresh salsa or pico de gallo.

Photo Credit: Gail Ingram