Bean Lovers Here?

[johnrk]

I first gave up eating meat at 18 as a freshman in college. As I also wasn't wealthy, I quickly learned that beans and whole wheat bread made a complete protein (we were really, really into protein combining 40 years ago). I learned to love beans even more than I had growing up.

These days, I keep pintos, Great Northerns, blackeyed peas, black beans, red kidney beans, three different lentils, baby and big limas, and more--I keep them in 1/2 gallon Mason jars, vacuum sealed, in my kitchen. Oh--and green split peas. Even though I eat meat these days, and often will season beans and/or chili with meat, I can just as easily enjoy them vegetarian.

Are others here also fans of beans? I made an amazing little recipe tonight and did it in my little Hawkins 1.5 litre pressure cooker:

1 cup Great Northern
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's
1/4 onion, diced any size

And that's it! Dump those beans in your tiny pressure cooker with about 1 1/2 cups of water, not precise. Cook them for 15 minutes from dry, quick pressure release. Drain most water off, add 1/2 cup approx. of BBQ sauce and onions. I also added a few red pepper flakes and a tiny amount of Liquid Smoke/pecan. Keep about 1/2 in. of water above the beans, at least. PC for 15 minutes and that's it! Just perfect--no need to add any other ingredients. Of course, it could be duplicated in my Instant Pot or any larger pc.

I've owned the tiny 1.5 litre Hawkins pc for many years; this size is popular in India where they're made because it works so well for their complicated cuisine.

I don't recall ever finding a bean I didn't like--and I forgot the amazing Mayacoba beans, so buttery and easy to cook. To me, they're just a blessing, and such an economical meal, still.

 

[lordkenmore]

I'm not sure I'd say I love beans...but I certainly regularly eat them, and appreciate the practical advantages of them as a low cost protein source. Currently, I am trying to have a diet that's plant based...but some days seem to work better for that than others... I have a long history of having periods of low or even zero meat consumption. This goes back to when I was growing up, even--my mother made vegetarian meals at least somewhat regularly in the 1980s.

 

Cost has always been a huge selling point for plant based diets. But such diets are argued to be healthier, better for the planet, and better for animal welfare.

 

I have typically used common beans, and it seems like I've been mostly using canned recently. I think preparing them from scratch would be better...but canned is so convenient. (I don't have a pressure cooker to help speed things up.)

 

I have been curious to "someday" try heirloom varieties. I learned of a company specializing in them, but haven't ever tried them. (Right now, I have a seriously limited budget...which doesn't help...)

 

https://www.ranchogordo.com/collections/heirloom-beans

 

[johnrk]

Lord Kenmore-

Heirloom beans are nothing special. There's a real movement for preserving heirloom foods; I own a 3 lb coffee can of heirloom seeds in my prepping stuff.

And I applaud your awareness of the impact of flesh-eating on our planet. The world's largest source of destructive methane gas is that given off by farm animals raised for meat.

And, of course, it does take a minimum of 16 pounds of plant protein to produce just 1 pound of animal protein.

I think that the time is coming when meat will be as it was for our ancestors. A hundred years ago, even in a rural society, the consumption of meat annually was only a fraction of what it is now. Chicken, that is almost free now, was expensive enough that it caused the 'chicken in every pot' political slogan. The cost of meat will prevent people from munching away on it without a thought. The cost of fish, due to overfishing of the oceans, will probably strike first.

I've always said, having learned it nearly a half century ago, that being a vegeterian is like sitting on a 3-legged stool: the more 'legs' to which you subscribe, the more firm will be your commitment. 1) health reasons. No thinking individual in today's world could pretend or insist that meat is necessary for life; nearly half of the world's population is partially or completely vegetarian as it has been for many, many centuries. No thinking person who knows health stats would deny that vegetarians have lower cholesterol, fewer instances of stomach and colon cancer, fewer instances of heart disease, etc. 2) ethical reasons. I don't believe that our Lord intended for us to raise animals in dark, smelly, cramped cages and stalls where they never see the light of day, where their feet/hooves never touch His earth. I belonged for many years to the ALF-the Animal Liberation Front-and I still support its descendents. 3) spiritual reasons. There are many, many vegetarian religions, usually connected to a spirit of nonviolence. Funny thing is, and this has been well documented, that the average person who gives up animal flesh becomes more mellow, more peaceful. Don't ask me why, it's just science.

And no, LK, I'm certainly not evangelizing here--just explaining. Everyone has to take their own path. I eat some, not a lot, of meat now due to some health reasons. I make certain I never, ever waste it. I try to be wise with my meat choices, not only for content but also origin. For example, I'd never buy those shitty cheap eggs from chickens grown in those 'ranches' where they don't even get to stand on cages with solid floors, and where their beaks are cut off to keep them from pecking themselves or other to death.

You know what always makes me hoot? When some dumb ass will ask, "What do you eat if you don't eat meat? I ask them to name the varieties of meat they eat: beef, pork, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, various poultry. Then I can simply point to the produce section in any grocery store with its dozens of choices.

Eating beans is honorable, LK, and if you are financially constrained you can revel in the fact that there are hundreds of delicious ways to eat them. I've always loved not-meat loaf in various varieties. I've made seitan--wheat meat--for 40+ years as a meat substitute. I've used TVP, though not in huge quantities. But, as most vegetarians learn after a while, they don't have to constantly be eating tofu hot dogs, or vegetarian roast, or any of that. Not necessary.

And as always, please feel free to PM me if you wish to discuss more...

 

[gusherb]

I'm not a huge bean eater. I mainly like them in my chili and refried beans. I'm a meat eater through and through but I'm not big on seafood, partly because I don't live near a coast where it can be had fresh easily, and I also don't like crustaceans, shellfish etc. Not a big fan of pork either unless it's bacon, won't even go near lamb. 

Some lifestyle changes have led to me eating less meat, and eating lighter in general which has been a nice change of pace for me. 

 

I have full respect for anyones dietary choices as long as they don't try to impose them on me, and any other person or animal.