For many years, the "c" word struck fear in the hearts of many of us; My sense is we have become so used to people getting cancer that we have become numb to the fact that it is a clear and present danger to our health. So, in my quest to encourage you to stay vigilant and safeguard your own health and the health of the people you care about, here are some good reasons to incorporate beans into your diet/recipes at least twice per week!
According to realage. Com, "Beans not only taste good and satisfy, but also they appear to lower your risk of several types of digestive tract cancers -- including stomach cancer.
Gut-Loving Legumes
And you don’t have to eat a ton of beans to get the cancer-protection benefit. In a study, people who ate just two small servings per week enjoyed a significantly lower risk for gut cancer, compared to folks who ate fewer of the pulses. Here’s the list of cancers that beans appeared to defend against in addition to stomach cancer: mouth, esophagus, rectum, and kidney."
This article not only tells us the value of beans, but includes several appealing recipes:
http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/9300
And, here is a delicious and healthy recipe I developed over the last month utilizing beans:
1 package of whole what pasta (my favorite: Trader Joe's organic whole wheat rotelle pasta - outstanding texture/flavor!)
2 bags or 1 15/16oz container organic spinach
1/2 cup of your favorite olive oil (I love Santini/Trader Joes)
2 to 4 large cloves of garlic - your choice
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of cannelini beans
Salt, pepper to taste
Parmesan/Romano grated cheese for non vegans
After you start heating up a large pot of salted water for your pasta, take a very large bowl - put in the bowl chopped, grated or minced garlic; pour over the garlic 1/2 cup of the olive oil.
After the water comes to a boil, pour in the bag of pasta, stir periodically for about 5 minutes; add spinach to pasta pot, stirring until covered with water for another 2 minutes. Take out a piece of pasta, taste – should be perfect (time will depend on which pasta you buy). When al dente, pour into colander, then into bowl with olive oil/garlic. Stir until coated.
Drain one can of cannelini beans, rinse. Add beans, diced tomatoes to pasta; salt, pepper to taste.
Add grated parmesan/romano cheese to non vegan plates. Enjoy!