The Nutritious Bean:
Hot, Corny Bean Casserole Recipe
Beans are low in calories – about 31 calories to a cup (cooked) – and contain vitamins A, B, C, calcium, phosphorus and some iron, in addition to protein and fiber. The fiber, which is good for you, can sometimes cause problems if you eat raw beans in large quantities because it may not be easy to digest. The amino acids, broken down from protein during digestion, truly are the “building blocks” of the body, and folacin, or folic acid, contributes to cell growth and the formation of red blood cells, as well as digestion and the nervous system.
You simply cannot go wrong when you eat beans, and you do not need to relegate them to be the side dish of dinner. Try main-dish ideas, such as green bean soup, casseroles and colorful mixed salads with green, yellow and purple beans. If you plan to freeze beans, mix some purple beans in with the green when you blanch them: The purple in beans is water soluble; after two minutes of boiling, the beans lose that color and turn green – a built-in indicator for the correct blanching time.
Here is a delicious recipe for using dried beans.
Hot Corny Beans
2-½ cups uncooked navy or romano beans
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1-½ cups tomato sauce
½ cup hot banana peppers
½ cup cheese, grated (or nutritional yeast)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Soak beans overnight, and cook them on the stove in a covered pot for four to five hours (or pressure cook them).
Add 1 cup tomato sauce, hot peppers and spices to bean pot. Simmer gently ten to fifteen minutes.
Pour beans into a casserole dish. Layer corn on top, and top with remaining ½ cup tomato sauce.
Cover with yeast/cheese. Bake in 350F oven until cheese melts (10 to 15 minutes).
Serve with a green salad of leafy garden greens and, of course, some chopped fresh beans. Serves four.
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