Page 37 - Robeson Living

drained (can also use turkey or chicken) Adding salt only at the very end of cooking will help them
• Corn or whole-wheat tortillas get soft faster. Canned beans need to be rinsed well. Cook-
ing them in fresh water will soften them even more.
Directions:
1. Chop the mushrooms finely. This can be done in a food A delicious way to make beans your protein in a meal is
processor. Black Sean Soup.
2. Cook the chopped mushrooms in a hot skillet over me-
dium-high heat until well done and no moisture remains, Serves 6
approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from Cook Time: 10 minutes
the pan and set aside. Serving Size: 1 cup
3. Heat the oil in the skillet and add the onions. Cook for Total Time: 30 minutes
1-2 minutes stirring frequently. Prep Time: 20 minutes
4. Add the taco seasoning and the tomato paste. Stir to
combine. Ingredients:
5. Add the cooked mushrooms and the cooked and well- • 1 teaspoon olive oil
drained meat. • 1 medium onion, chopped
6. Add a little water if needed for everything to be well • 1 tablespoon ground cumin or chili powder (or combi-
combined. nation)
7. Serve on corn or whole wheat tortillas. • 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups chicken broth or water
Another way to change your protein is to limit or elimi- • Salt and pepper to taste
nate highly processed meats, such as bacon and luncheon • Plain yogurt or low-fat sour cream for topping
meats. As unhealthy as it is, bacon packs a lot of flavor in
one slice and is something I really missed as a vegetarian. Directions:
Using less bacon in your recipes will still give that nice 1. Sauté the onion in olive oil in a large pot over medi-
smoky flavor that most of us enjoy, yet you will get less um-high heat.
saturated fat. Lay out the entire pack of bacon in a single 2. After 2 minutes, add the cumin or chili powder.
layer on parchment paper. Roll it up and freeze in a zip top 3. Add one can of beans and broth or water. Cook for 4-5
bag. You can easily unroll one piece of bacon at a time. minutes on medium heat, stir occasionally.
You will use less and your pack of bacon will last much 4. Remove from heat and use a hand blender to puree in-
longer. gredients or transfer to a blender and puree.
5. Add the second can of beans to the pot and cook over
Choose white meat poultry several times per week. Cook medium heat 3-4 minutes or until bubbly.
a lot of chicken or turkey at one time and freeze it to use 6. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
throughout the week. Cook once – eat several times. 7. Serve topped with yogurt or low-fat sour cream.

If possible, eat fish and seafood 2-3 times per week. Try Both of the recipes in this article, along with other recipes
to dedicate one day per week to eat a high-fat fish, such as to help change your protein, can be found at http://medin-
salmon. You can even give it a name like Salmon Satur- steadofmeds.com/category/recipes/.
day to help you remember to eat salmon. Try to avoid fried
fish. Canned fish provide the same health benefits yet can For improved health, try adding beans, nuts, fish, and white-
cost a little less. meat poultry to your diet. For more information on chang-
ing your protein, contact Janice Fields, Extension Family
Another way to change your protein is to include more and Consumer Sciences Agent with North Carolina Coop-
plant protein in the form of beans and nuts. When making erative Extension, Robeson County Center, at (910) 671-
beans, make a big pot and use them in multiple recipes. 3276, by E-mail at [email protected], or visit our
Quinoa Pinto Bean Burgers freeze well. Make hummus website at http://robeson.ces.ncsu.edu/. NC State Univer-
and use it as a dip or in place of mayonnaise on a sandwich. sity and N.C. A&T State University are collectively com-
Use either canned beans or dried beans. Lentils are a good mitted to positive action to secure equal opportunity and
bean to cook with, because they don’t require soaking and prohibit discrimination and harassment regardless of age,
cook fairly quickly. Dried beans can be slow-cooked or color, disability, family and marital status, gender identity,
pressure-cooked. A good 48-hour soaking, along with genetic information, national origin, political beliefs, race,
rinsing several times and cooking the beans until they are religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and
soft, will reduce the gas and digestive issues caused by veteran status. NC State, N.C. A&T, U.S. Department of
beans. Adding ginger or cumin also helps with digestion. Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.