Let's Do Lunch Community

Hi all,

I just prepared my first ever pot of soy beans.  Brought them to a boil and let them sit overnight. Drained and added fresh water and cooked until done then drained again and rinsed thoroughly.

Question:  How much do I add to my fruit smoothies in the morning.  Don't want to fly from the high octane all day....

Also, how long do they keep in the refrigerator?

thanks,
Jan

Hi Jan. I've never prepared dried soy beans this way, only the frozen form, so maybe Niki or one of the others can say how long they last once cooked. I would guess at not more than a few days if they haven't been added to a soup or some sauteed veggies, etc. I find that beans get kind of slimey very quickly as leftovers, unfortunately.  If you're not used to eating beans, I would start out with a Tbl. in your smoothie and then build up to maybe 1/2 a cup in a serving or tossed onto your salad, etc. They really are terrific and your body will adjust quickly to adding loads of them into your food plan. Good luck! ........nyKath

Jan,

I've prepared them that way, and I can tell you that you don't want to keep them in the fridge more that a few days - as Kathy said, they become slimy quickly. 

The good news is, you can freeze them!  I would take the dried beans and measure them (maybe a cup or cup and a half) and put them in baggies, make them kind of flat & freeze them in a stack.  Works great!

Carolyn

Hi Carolyn,

Thanks for the suggestion.  I'll put them in snack baggies and freeze them.  I hate to see them go bad as I can't use a large quantity all at once.

good idea
Jan

honestly...if i cook beans that aren't for soup,i freeze them right away in a gallon freezer bag kept flat...and if i remember,i play with it to separate the beans as they freeze to make it easier to use a little at a time....i keep enough soup in the fridge for a few days.....i haven't managed to freeze any in a while...either my brother comes over(he's not on ldl...but even greeks not on let's do lunch like beans)..or i'm sending soup home to my father..now that i'm going to be off,i'll make homemade bean soups more often so i'll freeze some when i make another pot of something else.....tonight i made black bean soup with eggplant which came out great.......
  sorry to ramble on....i think somewhere there i answered your question about freezing beans,but i just get carried away when talking about beans.............
                                  regards from....the bean queen 

Hi again,

Wanted to report that I added about 1/4 cup of frozen soy beans to my smoothie yesterday morning.  Couldn't taste any difference.  But..........I wasn't hungry all day!!!!!  I wasn't able to eat until late in the afternoon as I was helping my daughter move.  Both daughters offered to share their huge sub sandwiches with me at lunch time but I declined.  Watched them eat and wasn't even tempted!!!  Hooray!!!!   

Jan

yay jan....you're right on track.keep up the good work...niki

I guess I'm going to have to try this...  I really can't imagine that you can't taste them...

Carolyn

Really, Carolyn, you can't! Beans w/o seasoning are actually very bland. I've had the edamame, small white beans, cannellini beans, and white kidney beans in my smoothies. With enough ripe fruits in there, especially bananas and mangos, they just add a nice thickness to your smoothie. And if you look at some of the 'diet' aids out there, more and more they're made from bean derivatives because of their ability to be filling and to keep the blood sugar under control. If you can do that naturally with real food, all the better for you! Wishing you healthy chug-a-lugging... ....nyKath

OK, Kathy - I'm going to try it tomorrow - I'll let you know!

Carolyn

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!  I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!  I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!

I didn't have any cooked soybeans, so I opened a can of northern beans, drained and rinsed them thoroughly and tossed a couple of (small) handfuls into the blender.  NO BEANY TASTE!

And I'm full - REALLY FULL, well, I'm always full when I drink my smoothie, but this is different.  Many times I don't make it until lunch without some popcorn or something, so that will be the test.  I'll let you know.

Thank you Mary and Kathy for encouraging me to do this - without you your "prodding" I would've never done this...

Carolyn

Glad you worked up your nerve to test it out yourself, Carolyn! Hoping it lasts a good long time, and now you have leftover beans for tomorrow's smoothie or to toss into some soup or salad later. Enjoy! .......nyKath