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| Enjoy this spicy three bean salad without all the sugar! Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK ! |
Beans Rock!
What is there not to like about beans? OK, there's that. But nutritionally, they rock. They are a great source of protein (without the saturated fat and cholesterol) and very high in fiber. Plus, they are inexpensive!
Because of their fiber, they make you feel full so they can really help control your appetite. Their fiber also helps lower cholesterol and stabilizes your blood sugar. All around, they are great for your diet. And about that gas issue, draining and rinsing the canned beans will help.
Dragon Tongue Beans
It's fun to have a vegetable garden. You get to plant unusual veggies that you don't normally find in the grocery store. This year I planted Dragon Tongue bush beans. They grew quickly and they are really beautiful. I'm using them in today's recipe but of course, you can use any fresh green bean.
Three Bean Salad
I love three bean salad. It's so colorful and I enjoy the contrast of the sugar and vinegar. But who needs all that sugar? So I thought I'd try making it with stevia. To provide even more contrast, I threw in a fresh jalapeno to spice it up!
I get feedback occasionally from some of you who don't like stevia. For me, it's the only calorie and fructose free sweetener that I feel is safe. If you use it sparingly, it doesn't give you the bitter after taste that some complain about. For example, A typical three bean salad recipe calls for 1/3 cup of sugar or more. It only took 1/2 teaspoon of Sweetleaf stevia extract (which is equivalent to only 4 teaspoons of sugar) to give me the sweetness I liked in this recipe. If I had dumped in the equivalent of 1/3 cup of sugar before tasting it, I would have been very disappointed. So go very lightly with stevia and you will find that it's a very good sugar substitute.
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| Dragon tongue beans before and after steaming. Unfortunately, they lose their unusual markings but thankfully, not their wonderful flavor! |
Not all Jalapenos are Created Equal!
If you decide to spice up this recipe with a jalapeno, please remember that not all jalapenos have the same amount of heat. Yesterday, I made this recipe with a huge pepper and I removed the seeds. It wasn't very spicy at all. Other times, I have just added a few slices and it burned my mouth off! So be careful and try to gauge the heat of your jalapeno. Generally the smaller the pepper, the hotter it can be. And adding the seeds, of course, adds significantly to the heat too.
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| The "heat" of jalapenos can vary widely! |
Sugar Free Three Bean Salad
Vegan, Gluten Free
Makes 6 - 8 servings
1/2 cup raw, unfiltered, apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sweetleaf powdered stevia (equivalent to 4 teaspoons sugar)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
3/4 cups red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 fresh jalapeno, finely minced (with or without seeds depending on heat desired - also optional)
2 cups fresh green beans, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
In a large bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, olive oil, stevia, salt and pepper.
Stir in the red onion. Set aside for 15 minutes to partially marinate the onion.
Steam the green beans until fork tender - don't overcook. Drain and rinse in cold water.
Add jalapeno, green beans, kidney beans and garbanzo beans to the bowl and gently mix with the vinegar dressing.
Refrigerate for several hours, stirring occasionally, to allow the flavors to blend together. You can even make it the night before.
Per serving (6): 224.6 calories, 10.6 g fat, 1.3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7.2 g protein, 28.5 g carbohydrates and 8.0 g dietary fiber.
Per serving (8): 168.4 calories, 7.9 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5.4 g protein, 21.3 g carbohydrates and 6.0 g dietary fiber.
These nutrient calculations include all of the dressing. As you know, some of it stays on the bottom of the bowl, especially if you serve it with a slotted spoon. So you are probably consuming less calories than stated here.
FAQs
These streaks sadly disappear when cooked, which is something I learned while making this recipe, but that didn't stop me from being equally excited about eating them. Dragon tongue beans can be eaten raw like a snap pea or cooked like a green bean, which is exactly how I treated them here.
How many carbs are in a 3 bean salad? ›
Three bean salad, canned (0.5 cup) contains 15.5g total carbs, 12.7g net carbs, 0.3g fat, 3g protein, and 73 calories.
What do dragon tongue beans taste like? ›
If you have a young, picky eater at home who despises green beans then you ought to give Dragon Tongue Beans a whirl. The bean has a slightly sweeter, juicy flavor than your typical green bean, but that's not its only selling point.
Can you pickle dragon tongue beans? ›
Dragon Tongue beans are also perfect for pickling along with fresh herbs, spices, and other vegetables. Fresh Dragon Tongue beans can also be stir-fried, braised or battered and fried in tempura batter. When more mature Dragon Tongue beans can be shelled and their seeds utilized as a legume.
What kind of beans are dragon tongue? ›
Dragon tongue beans look similar to some varieties of cranberry beans that also have purple to red stippling or striping on the pod and uncooked beans. Both are bush-type beans with short growing seasons, but cranberry beans are a type of kidney bean whereas dragon tongue beans are closer to a romano type.
How do you know when dragon tongue beans are ready to pick? ›
The 7–8″ long, flattened, stringless pods can be picked when pods begin to turn from light green to yellow with purple streaks. You can also harvest them as a shelling bean once the pods mature.
Is it healthy to eat bean salad everyday? ›
The Bottom Line. Beans are great for your health, providing protein and fiber that can aid in weight maintenance and improve gut health. Plus, bean eaters tend to have healthier diets.
What is three bean salad made of? ›
If we're talking about a traditional American 3 bean salad, you'll typically see these three types of beans: Canned green beans, kidney beans or black beans, and garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas. I'm not a fan of canned green beans: They just feel too mushy for my taste.
What are other names for Dragon Tongue Beans? ›
Other names for this Heirloom Bush yellow wax dwarf bean include Dragon Langerie, Merveille de Piemonte and Meraviglia del Piemonte.
Can you freeze Dragon Tongue Beans? ›
One of the great things about Dragon Tongue beans is that they are such a versatile bean. They can be used much like a snap green bean. You can eat them fresh, freeze them, can them, dry them like leather britches, or even pickle them…..
They are often referred to as shelly beans by rural folks. Shell the beans and blanche them for two minutes in boiling salted water. Drain and refresh in ice water.
What are dragon beans good for? ›
Helps prevent aging In dragon beans contain 2 types of vitamin A and vitamin C, these are two vitamins that help rejuvenate the skin, anti-oxidants protect the skin from wrinkles, age spots and tanning. In addition, vitamin C in dragon beans also helps the body produce collagen to help maintain skin elasticity.
Where did Dragon Tongue Beans come from? ›
Dragon Tongue beans are an open pollinated heirloom variety originally cultivated in the late eighteenth, early nineteenth century in the Netherlands. From there it spread to France and England then eventually to the New World.
Can you eat turtle beans raw? ›
Raw beans are not safe to eat without cooking them. Raw beans contain certain compounds like lectins and phytic acid that can be harmful to our digestive system. Cooking beans helps to break down these compounds, making them safe and easier to digest.
Are there any beans you can eat raw? ›
Green beans and other legumes can be eaten in raw form, but food handlers should always consider the health risks when serving raw legumes. As mentioned, beans and other legumes are highly susceptible to foodborne pathogens and other food safety risks. As such, food businesses are advised to cook beans before serving.
Can you eat dragon tongue bean pods? ›
Dragon's Tongue bean pods can be eaten fresh like sugar snaps. The beans can also be dried for use in soups, salads, appetizers, and more. Sow directly outdoors after last frost once soil temperature reaches 60-85°F.
Are dragon tongue beans good for you? ›
Background: The dragon tongue beans are a legume belonging to the Fabaceae family, are rich in protein, starch, fiber, and other micronutrients that have numerous health-promoting benefits. Its peel commonly the waste parts also contains lots of bioactive compounds.
