WHY DRIED BEANS SHOULD BE A STAPLE IN YOUR CUPBOARD.

They may not look very exciting, but beans or legumes really are a magical food.  Well, for your body at least.  Low in calories and high in fibre, these complex carbohydrates will fill you up faster, help lower cholesterol and can also aid in weight loss, when included regularly in your diet.  

When it comes to buying them, it's easy to gravitate towards the canned beans as they are quick to open and easy to use.  However, for just a little extra effort, dried beans can offer you more savings in your wallet, as well as better nutritional value.

Dried beans can be bought off the shelf at the grocery store, in bulk bins, and often at your local market.  Not only is a bag of dried beans much lighter than cans in your grocery bag, but it will also last you a lot longer.  A can will yield about 1 or 2 cups of beans, and then it's on your grocery list again for the next week.  For close to the same price, a bag of dried beans will hold about 4 or 5 cups of beans, which when cooked will double in size giving you about 10 cups of good eating.

The ingredients list on dried beans is also fantastic - it's just beans!  Unfortunately in canned varieties, you'll always find a lot of added salt, even in the reduced salt brands.  Occasionally, there will even be additional ingredients added, such as sugar.  Plus, since the dried beans don't go through a canning process, they are usually higher in nutritional value.  All in all, your body will definitely like the dried stuff better.

Dried beans do require a bit more planning, but it's not hard as long as you are prepared.  Most varieties require overnight soaking, so I simply use the same large pot that I plan to cook them in, fill it up with a cup of beans, fill with cold water and leave it sitting on the stove.  Then the next day, I drain and rinse the beans.  Sometimes I leave them sitting like that for the whole day, until I get a chance to cook them.  After soaking, most beans will cook in about 1-1.5 hours.  Most types need to be brought to a boil first, then reduced to a simmer for the hour.  Just follow the directions on the bag.

Then your beans are ready to be eaten!  Throw some chickpeas in a salad, add black beans and kidney beans to a pot of chili or stew, or chop up some veggies and mix with dressing for a quick and fresh bean salad.  If you like making your own soups, you can actually include the bean cooking time into your soup recipe, and the dried beans will soak up all the flavour of your broth while they are cooking.  Or use them to make your own yummy dips.

With hundreds of varieties of beans, the possibilities are endless, and each bean can give you a new variation on your favorite recipes.  Plus, you'll fill up your belly while giving it lots of good nutrients.  Sometimes, a little extra effort can go a long way.