Gluten Free can become quite costly, especially if you are like our family and like to buy local, grass-fed, antibiotic free meats.  So, in thinking over how we can cut costs we came across beans.  Beans are very cost-friendly and very tasty.  Here are some quick facts about legumes from the everyday health website:

~ Eating one daily serving (3/4 cup) of legumes was shown to reduce LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol levels by 5 percent

~ And a 2012 study of people with type 2 diabetes found that eating one cup of legumes daily for three months lowered blood sugar and blood pressure.

~ Just one cup of beans delivers 14 to 20 grams of fiber. That’s more fiber than the average American eats in an entire day. Adding a serving of beans to one meal most days of the week can go a long way towards helping you get the 25 to 38 grams of fiber your body needs to function at its best. That’s because fiber helps to lower cholesterol by whisking cholesterol compounds out of your system.

So, I went on a search for some good bean recipes.  I have created a “habit” of soaking my beans overnight on Sunday, then they are ready to use Monday when I’m ready to cook.

Our first Meatless Monday consisted of Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili, Beans & Rice, Jamacian style and a loaf of Einkorn Cranberry Pecan Quick Bread.  Sound scrumptious?

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili

1 T olive oil or you can use Nutiva Medium Heat Sunflower & Red Palm Oil

Red palm oil contains the highest amounts of vitamins A and E of any plant- based oil. Its dark red color comes from carotenes, such as alpha-carotene and beta-carotene (vitamin A) nutrients that provide color to fruits and vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes. Red palm also contains at least ten other carotenes, including the antioxidants, tocopherols and tocotrienols (vitamin E).

2 medium sweet potatos, peeled and diced

1 large onion, diced                       2 cups of soaked black beans or pinto beans

4 cloves garlic, minced                                    1 – 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes

2 T chili powder                                                 4 t lemon juice

4 t. cumin

1/4 t sea salt

2  cups water

1/2 cup beef or chicken broth

Heat oil in large pot, add sweet potatos and onions and cook until onions are tender.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and salt and cook for 30 seconds, add water and bring to simmer.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 – 12 mins.  Add beans, tomatos and lemon juice, bring to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook till liquid is slightly reduced.  Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Beans & Rice, Jamaican Style

1 cup beans, kidney, pinto, or black-eyed peas, soaked overnight

1 can of coconut milk

1 onion

3 cloves garlic, mashed

2 t dried thyme

2 t sea salt

1 cup brown basmati rice, soaked a couple hours

Drain and rinse beans and place in pot.  Add enough water to cover beans, bring to a boil and skim.  Add remaining ingredients except rice.  Cover and simmer for about 6 – 8 hours.  Drain rice and add to the pot with enough water to cover beans and rice about 1/2 inch.  Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until liquid has reduced to level of beans and rice.  Cover and cook on low for about 30 min.

Einkorn Cranberry Walnut Quick Bread

1/2 c softened butter                   1 heaping cup Jovial Organic Einkorn Flour

1/2 cup raw cane sugar                                     1/2 t sea salt

2 large eggs                                                            2 t baking powder

1/2 cup plain yogurt                                          1/2 t baking soda

2 t vanilla                                                                1/4 t ground ginger

lemon zest from 1 lemon                                 1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 – 1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a loaf pan.  In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugar together, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs one at at time, while the mixer is running, add the yogurt, vanilla extract and lemon zest and mix until combined.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and ginger.  Add the dry ingredients slowly to the bowl, mixing with a spatula until blended.  Fold in the cranberries and walnuts and spoon into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake for 40 – 45 minutes and it springs back slightly when pressed.  Cool for 20 minutes then invert on cooking rack.

Why Jovial Einkorn flour you ask?

Jovial Foods is proud to offer you einkorn, the world’s most ancient wheat,
and the only wheat that’s never been hybridized. Einkorn is a delicious, healthy alternative to modern, mass market wheat and can be an excellent solution for those with gluten sensitivity.

Einkorn has 30% more protein and 30% less starch than regular wheat, plus abundant B Vitamins and trace minerals like Iron. Those extra nutrients translate directly to more energy and a greater feeling of wellness, not empty calories.

The gluten in einkorn lacks the high molecular weight proteins that many people can’t digest. If you are sensitive to modern wheat, einkorn can provide a delicious alternative. Please note that einkorn does contain gluten and is therefore not ok for those with Celiac Disease.

taken from www.jovialfoods.com