Saturday, August 13, 2016

August 2016 Emergency Preparedness - More About Beans and A Little About Sugar



More about Beans
Bean Flour
1 cup dry beans = about 1 1/8 cups flour

Dry beans can be ground to a fine flour using a hand grinder and strong muscles for small quantities, or electric mill for larger quantities.  A small amount of bean flour added to baked goods increases vitamin and mineral content and contributes towards a complete protein.  Bean flour is great to have on hand for making “instant” soups, sauces, dips, gravies and sandwich fillings, and to add to almost everything you cook or bake.  When added to boiling water, bean flours thicken in only 1 minute; cooked 3 minutes they are ready to eat.
Baby lima and small white beans have mildest taste.  Other favorites are pinto, small red and garbanzo.  Some varieties of beans require more liquid than others.  You will have to experiment.  Store flour on cool, dark shelf in an air-tight container.  Best used within 3 months.

Instant Bean Soup/Gravy

Use 2 tablespoons white bean flour per cup of liquid for thin soups. 3 tablespoons for medium-thick and 4 – 5 tablespoons for thick soups, stews or gravies.  Whisk into soup stock or boiling water with 1 teaspoons bouillon or soup base per cup.  Cook 3 – 5 minutes.

Dips and Sandwich Fillings

Stir 1 cup bean flour and 1 teaspoon salt into 2 1/2 cups boiling water.  Cook 1 minute, stirring until mixture thickens.  Reduce heat to low, cook 5 minutes.  This is fluffy; similar to refried beans.  Add spices for more flavoring.

Pinto Bean Paste

Firm Paste: 1 cup bean flour to 1 1/2 cups boiling water
Fluffy Paste: 1 cup bean flour to 2 2/3 cups boiling water

Stir bean flour into boiling water and let sit 3 minutes.  This paste can be whipped with seasoning and butter and used in place of mashed potatoes, added to patties, and casseroles.  This paste does require further cooking.  It should be added to recipes that will be cooked or baked further.  Or continue to cook 3 to 5 minutes more to eat as is.

Cream of Bean Soup

3 cups boiling water                                                    1/2 cup bean flour
1 – 2 teaspoons salt or bouillon

In a saucepan whisk bean flour into boiling water and seasoning.  Stir and cook 3 minutes.  Puree in blender for a “souper” creamy texture.  Serve over pasta or stir in cooked wheat or beans.  Use as a gravy over cooked rice.  Soup thickens as it cools, and can be refrigerated for up to one week.  Use it in place of canned soup.
Cream Sauce: Use reconstituted dry milk for part of the water and add a little oil or non-dairy creamer.


About Sugar
1 pound granulated = 2 cups
1 cup honey = 1 1/4 cups granulated plus 1/4 cup water

Sugars are carbohydrates which provide fuel for the body.  Carbohydrates account for up to 80% of the caloric intake in many countries of the world.  Simple or fast-acting carbohydrates include fruit juices, refined white bread and white rice which are digested quickly and easily by the body and provide a quick, but short-lived, burst of energy.  Complex carbohydrates which include whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables take longer to break down in the body and provide a sustained, longer-lasting energy.
Sugar plays important roles in foods for many reasons that go beyond the sweet taste they impart.  They add taste, texture, and color to baked goods and provide energy for yeast used in baking breads.  They add body to yogurt, help balance acidity in tomato sauces and salad dressings and act as preservatives. They increase the boiling point or reduce the freezing point of foods, and add bulk and density.  There are many types of sugars.  The most familiar is sucrose: common table sugar.
Table sugar can be caramelized (scorched) to give it a pleasing flavor and darkened color.

Pancake Syrup

CAUTION: Read through recipe before making.

1 Cup sugar, divided                                                  1/2 cup cold water
Dash of salt                                                                 1 teaspoon shortening
4 teaspoons white flour                                               1/2 cup hot water

Measure 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and flour into a small bowl.  Stir in 1/2 cup cold water until lump free.
Sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar evenly in the bottom of a silver pan (so you can see it change color).  Heat over medium-high heat.  As sugar melts, gently push dry sugar to the center of syrup.  When syrup is apple juice color or almost as dark as you like, remove pan from heat.  Sugar does not need to completely dissolve.  With lid in one hand and pre-measured 1/2 cup hot water in the other, quickly pour hot water over syrup and cover pan with lid.  BE CAREFUL…it will sputter and steam.  Tilt pan back and forth a few times and return to heat.  Uncover when the pan has quit steaming.  When sugar is liquefied, stir in mixture in bowl and cook until syrup is thickened.  It will thicken more as it cools.  Makes about 1 cup.  Stores in refrigerator 3 months.
NOTE:  Caramelization determines flavor and color.  Darker color = stronger burnt flavor.  To stretch the sugar, a smaller amount can be used (may need to increase flour) with a decrease in flavor occurring.