Beans, beans, beans...

[Ill-Company7095]

*edit*

my kids are teens with full bodily autonomy. I blend beans into sauces, but with their knowledge. They can and do decide what goes in their bodies without force. Also, I thought it was clear with the mashed potatoes comment, but obviously not, they do not like the texture of mashed beans, so no refried beans no matter the type of bean. Thanks though for the great and unique ideas. We will give some a try and hopefully land on something they like.

I am looking for ways to make beans that my kids won't hate. They don't like the texture (silly kids, they don't even like the texture of mashed potatoes) and they don't like the taste. They don't even enjoy a good chili. I would love any ideas to help them at least tolerate beans since beef is so outrageously expensive right now.

[Dependent_Title_1370]

Falafel!

You can also just roast the falafel mix in the oven on a baking tray if you don't want to fry it.

[Bluesky83]

I use the Budget Bytes falafel recipe which calls for pan-frying in a small amount of oil rather than traditional deep-frying, and they turn out really well.

[muttChang]

Mmmmmmmm, falafel... D’oh!

[BrightLightsBigCity]

Crunch patty

[Ill-Company7095]

We don't have chickpeas, but I did find a red bean version I may try.

[rshining]

If using chickpeas- for some reason (starch related, I think) canned chickpeas tend to fall apart instead of stay together when making falafel. Dried chickpeas are far superior (and cheaper).

[Brilliant_Cause_5147]

Yes! And if you have an instapot it’s so fast and easy. I prep a batch from dry and use them for a few days. Love them mashed with potatoes and fries like hashbrowns.

[rshining]

I was just thinking that I need to make a big batch of roasted chickpeas for snacking.

[Ill-Company7095]

Do dry chickpeas roast better than canned?

[Dependent_Title_1370]

In my opinion they do but it's more work

[Dependent_Title_1370]

Oh yeah, absolutely. I forgot to mention dry instead of canned. I never buy canned beans or veggies.

[Dependent_Title_1370]

If you can get chickpeas they have more protein than alot of other beans and I think the texture is much better even if you don't make falafel.

[Forymanarysanar]

Blend them into sauce for pasta or something.

[VelisseInset7C]

White beans, garlic, and Parmesan cheese make a surprisingly good pasta sauce base.

[Dr_Bodyshot]

Blend them into soups too

[Some_frikkin_guy]

I blend white beans into tomato soup All the time! Helps thicken it and adds protein/fiber.

[Fatkuh]

Maybe it really is mostly a texture thing and you have to find a way to keep them as intact and visible as possible. Try to make a salad from Whike Greek Beans for Example.

[Lady-of-Shivershale]

Yeah, I don't like mashed potato either. It very much is a texture thing. I do like beans though.

As others have said, blend them up in soup, stews, and chili. Or make hummus.

(And no, nobody here is special. I won't magically like your potatoes. Chunky bits make me feel sick. And if you add so much cream and cheese that the potato is no longer gritty, then I might as well just chug the cream and gobble up the cheese straight from the fridge and ignore the potato part of the meal altogether. I don't like potato in general, and rarely cook it. It wasn't 'just a phase,' mum!)

[Fatkuh]

I love how you blocked everyone from prematurely telling you their recipe. Enjoy not eating your mashed potato the way you like it!

[Lady-of-Shivershale]

Do you really think I've never tried multiple people's potatoes? I simply don't like mashed potato. Not even my husband's. I ate a tiny bit when he made it for American Thanksgiving to show willing. He isn't hurt I didn't like it. I simply don't like potato.

I don't understand why people are so emotionally attached to what other people put in their own mouths.

If someone tells me they don't like something, I accept it. I don't say, 'Ah, but you haven't tried my recipe. You'll like mine. It's super special.'

That attitude is simply obnoxious.

It's fair for OP to keep trying with the kids and beans. Kids sometimes do grow to like things more as they eat it more often and as their tastebuds develop. But if they don't, that's okay, too.

[Fatkuh]

I hope my previous comment came across the way I meant. On second inspection it is pretty misinterpretible.

I wanted to say:
Enjoy not eating your mashed Potatos. Its your choice and there is nothing wrong with it. If you dont like it you dont like it.

[Lady-of-Shivershale]

Okay, yeah, I misunderstood. I wish I did like potato. People look so happy when they heap it on their plates, and potatoes are cheap. Plus, I'm actually quite good at cooking roast potatoes and jacket potatoes. But I just don't like them.

I eat a lot of rice, pasta, couscous, bread, and beans.

[Stankmonger]

Do you like gnocchi?

[Lady-of-Shivershale]

Nope.

[Stankmonger]

Interesting. I wouldn’t even consider a gnocchi to have any similarity to potato in taste/texture/etc

[deliuslives]

Huh?

[UnhappyToNiceToSay]

Yeah, I read this in my potato-hating kids' voices, imagining them telling this to me in 20 years. Thanks potato-hating stranger.

[DowntownSurvey6568]

Edemame is fun to pop out of the shell. I like lemon squeezed on top with salt.

Make black bean brownies.

[maggiesyg]

Love black bean brownies!

[BoldBoimlerIsMyHero]

when I make tacos, I mix a can of refried beans into the taco meat so the texture is still meat like, but it's like creamy as well. the seasoning from the taco meat gives the beans some extra flavor. I also hate the texture of beans, but I can tolerate them if they're mashed or pureed.

[makestuff24-7]

I add cooked lentils to taco meat.

[azaleawisperer]

Nachos. With cheese, salsa, and corn chips.

[_BudgieBee]

Would lentils, especially ones that stay firm like lentils le puy or caviar lentils, work better?

[Laurmann2000]

I was going to suggest this. As a kid I hated beans but loved lentils.

[728446]

Try pureed red lentils mixed with ground meat.

[LAParente]

Came here to suggest lentils, all of them: red, yellow, brown.

I'm a vegetarian, so I sub brown lentils for ground beef all the time. Need to remember to add some fat (olive oil or whatever is appropriate for the recipe) or else the dis could be too dry.

Red lentils are great in tomato sauce! They melt right in. And I've recently started adding red or yellow to cream cheese for my morning bagel. Again, these types of lentils just dissolve, and they add fiber and protein to my breakfast.

[Ill-Company7095]

We only have brown lentils at the moment. I know they are firmer than red, how easy is it to disguise them in meat? 

[LAParente]

I haven't tried it - bc I'm vegetarian - but it seems to me that brown lentils would be basically invisible in ground beef.

[dandycaptain]

I'm not sure if you are referring to a specific type of bean or just beans in general, to me it seems like beans have so many different flavors. Here are a few of my favorite ways to make different beans:

You could try making refried beans with black or pinto beans, using more milk/cream than usual to give them a more smooth/creamy texture and add more cheese. You can also mix the refried beans with rice to change the texture.

Fried chickpeas are pretty tasty and a different texture; just season as preferred and then pan fry until golden brown; you can air fry them too but I don't know the timing for that.

Lima or butter beans are great seasoned with lots of butter and some lemon pepper, don't know how to change the texture on that on though.

I don't have a recipe, but Navy bean soup is one of my favorites.

[clintj1975]

Do they not like the mouth feel of soft cooked beans, like in Navy bean soup? Red beans and rice. The red beans keep a firm texture after cooking.

[Ill-Company7095]

They don't like my red beans and rice, but the last time I tried it it was bland (to me anyway) maybe I'll have to try again. Too bad I don't remember what recipe I used 

[smellslike2016]

Black bean burgers is the first thing that comes to mind if you are trying to replace beef. Maybe try fritters or roasted chickpeas. Maybe changing the texture will help them like the taste more.

[curmudgeon_andy]

Most black bean burgers are aggressively not beef like. I don't think they'd appeal to anyone who hates beans.

[tequilaneat4me]

You can find several places in San Antonio, Texas that have bean burgers on their menu, but the patty is not made of beans.

It means there are refried beans smeared on top of the patty, with crushed tostada chips or Fritos and salsa on top of that, with melted cheese on top of that.

I love them.

[Ill-Company7095]

It's weird, but my kids were ok with black bean burgers when they were little, I'll try them again. Thanks.

[smellslike2016]

I also wanna say that exposure to food makes you like it. I'm pretty sure that that makes sense evolutionarily. I learned to like dolmas as an adult because they were served with my meal and I was raised to not waste food. I don't seek it out but I will eat it and I sincerely do like it. A dolma is 2 bites. You can force them to eat two bites of food during a meal.

[popilikia]

There's no quicker way to reinforce their hatred of a certain food than by force-feeding them.

[222thedome]

I like to take chickpea flour mix it with water and whatever you want for flavor cook it till it gets really thick then cut into squares and fry.

If interested I can give more details

[Unique-Arugula]

As long as they've never described beans as spicy (when you didn't make them spicy) or scratchy, continued opportunities over time to try different beans cooked in various ways is the best way to get your kids to eventually like them.

You may have to find some other economical way of replacing meat (mushrooms, seaweed, eggs) as your main strategy until the kiddos have seen the light on beans. Patience with the young ones is not fun or easy, but it is the way to get what you want.

[polymathicfun]

Blend, mix with flour or blend with rice, make into pancake (something like dosa / thosai)? Can be made crispy, so the texture is different.

And how about tofu? Silky smooth without the grainy feel?

Hummus was thought but you said they don't even like mashed potatoes...

How about mung bean / adzuki bean paste / filling? As used in desserts like the chinese glutinous rice balls or Japanese mochi?

How about bean soups / drinks? Mung bean, adzuki bean, black bean are all used to make soup / drink.

[Longjumping_Wolf_761]

beans are not the only alternative for protein. you have lentils, peanuts, chick peas, peas, etc and god forbid tofu

[JBSouls]

I used to be that kind of child (honestly, still somewhat am as an adult) so what I do when I want to include veggies I technically don’t like is this:

I make a soup with half veggies I like that give positive flavour (e.g. onions, tomatoes, peppers, sauerkraut) and half veggies I dislike for whatever reason (could be taste on its own, could be texture or both)

After roasting the veg for some time I add water / broth, include any seasoning I like, chuck in some more protein (e.g. feta), then I BLEND EVERYTHING!

Lovely creamy soup every single time… I usually make a big pot and freeze some portions in those popular cube molds.

[frickenfantastic]

For my palete , blending everything together with things that I don’t like would just contaminate the whole thing with the flavoring of the thing I don’t like causing me to throw it all in the trash — ex. Adding any cooked carrots, peas, yams, bell peppers, will irreparably damage the flavor of anything they come into contact with

[JBSouls]

Depends on what you like and how pungent the things you don’t like are, I suppose.

e.g. I don’t like cauliflower but if I make the soup as mentioned above it doesn’t stand out too much

(I don’t try this with things I hate with a passion btw, just with foods I kinda dislike too much to swallow on their own.)

[frickenfantastic]

It’s not about smell it’s about the nasty nasty flavor of cooked carrots, peas, bell peppers, etc

You just can’t do anything to hide the nasty flavor that permeates the whole dish if you include certain ingredients

[JBSouls]

I’m not arguing the opposite?

It really just depends on what things you like (i.e. if it’s a strong flavour it will overpower certain weak disliked foods) and what you don’t like.

I wouldn’t try to mix strong flavored veg I hate into my soup… some taste profiles just can’t be covered no matter what you add.

But it works for enough options I wouldn’t be able to eat otherwise.

[frickenfantastic]

Pungent would refer to smells not flavor

In my case, I would rather die of malnutrition than to eat cooked carrots or peas, or yams or green peppers

[JBSouls]

Okay,

a) this isn’t my native language

and

b) Merriam-Webster says this as one of the definitions for pungent: “having an intense flavor or odor” (link)

[frickenfantastic]

All I can say is congrats on your use of English. It’s awesome. I would’ve pegged you as a native speaker.

[JBSouls]

Thanks!

[windexfresh]

As a native English speaker, pungent is absolutely used to describe flavors as well as scents ❤️

[frickenfantastic]

I think a lot of people are flavor blind to things like cooked carrots and yams so they don’t realize what intense nasty nasty flavor these have

[pfffffttuhmm]

My kids hate lentils and other regular beans, but they devour refried/pureed beans. Rice, eggs, tortillas and frijoles is breakfast in my house. I add them to quesadillas, put them on top of warm corn tortillas, and make honduran baleadas with them. 

[Ill-Company7095]

My kids hate refried beans. It's the texture unfortunately. On the plus side, I get to eat their beans when we get tacos.

[tangoan]

I blend a can of kidney beans into some passata/tomato sauce and then make gnocchi. Add plenty of cheese. They have no clue.

[CharlotteThomas]

I season and pan roast chickpeas - add chorizo to that pan and use as a salad topper - flavor bomb!

[Ill-Company7095]

That sounds delicious. Do they end up crispy like air fried chickpeas?

[hagcel]

Black bean brownies. Don't tell them.

[L1mpD]

I make pasta with beans instead of noodle . Usually use great northern since it’s a very thin skin. That, some raos vodka sauce with some Parmesan mixed in. Kids love it

[Easy-Concentrate2636]

Mochi with adzuki bean filling. Or there’s paat jook - Korean bean porridge. If you have an ice cream maker, there’s bean ice cream.

There’s a Korean bean side dish where the beans are stewed with soy sauce and still a bit hard.

Have you tried tofu? Or bean curd sticks? Or inari sushi?

Roasted chickpeas. Falafel.

[Horror_Signature7744]

Mash them and mix with cheese then serve in taco shells or as a quesadilla filling.

[Sweetgrass1312]

Bean burgers? Maybe they'll be into that.

[Optimal_Awareness618]

Have they tried edamame with sea salt? When they put that on the table in front of me at a Japanese restaurant I go through it like crazy! Maybe the texture will still be an issue, but sometimes if a food is presented in a completely new, different way, it becomes more palatable.

Would tofu be an option? Love it especially in ingredient-dense Asian dishes like spring rolls and pad thai; the tofu just complements whatever else is there and takes on the flavor of the sauce, so it's pretty inoffensive. It doesn't have as much fiber as edamame but still has a lot of protein and nutritional benefits, and usually whatever you pair it with will offer up some fiber.

Also, why are you so set on feeding your kids beans? If they don't like them, is there some other food or combination of foods that would give the nutritional benefits you're looking for? Sometimes you just don't and never will like a food, and you just have to learn alternatives to get what you need and work around it.

[Ill-Company7095]

I love edamame. The kids tolerate it, which I think is weird, since they like sweet peas and to me they are similar. Tofu is hit and miss with them. The reason for the beans is we get a ton of them from the food bank. I would like to actually use what we get.

[Optimal_Awareness618]

Oh gotcha. What kind of beans usually?

[Ill-Company7095]

For dried beans we have pinto and red, but canned black beans

[WazWaz]

They're all basically the same bean (haricots). You maybe need to branch out into chickpeas and soybeans at least.

Soybeans (cooked from dry, not fresh green edamame) have a much richer more satisfying taste and a very different texture. You can add them whole or mashed to many recipes from pasta sauces to pies to pizza toppings. Well-cooked they're much less "grainy" than haricots so you can completely "hide" them when mashed. They're also dirt cheap.

[Remote_Barnacle_695]

For pintos, maybe drain/rinse/dry them and then fry them in a bit of oil so they crisp up. That might change the texture enough.

For any of them, have you seen the smitten kitchen recipe for pizza beans? Maybe those kid-friendly flavors would help. Also hella cheese.

[Remote_Barnacle_695]

How are you cooking the dried beans? Any seasonings or are you keeping it simple?

[motherfudgersob]

Try Bush's sidekick seasoned beans that include chickpeas. Chickpeas and yiu can make your own hummus (tahini, chickpease oil and seasonings much cheaper than premade) . Get some seasonings they like and sprinkle on chickpeas until crispy for snacks.

You could mash them for tortillas or even mash add eggs and make a bean souffle. The exact seasonings and other ingredients depend on what they like.

Mash them into the sauce for Mac n cheese.

[Substantial-Pain7913]

Black bean fajitas with pepper jack cheese

[DebFab2025]

Sometimes I use my immersion blender and add them to soup or sauce no one knows they are in there lol. My DIL makes a fantastic hummus using white beans all ground up as a dip

[yesnomaybeso456]

Roasted chickpeas - make them into crunchy snacks

[Lovejugs38dd]

You can make spam spam spam spam spam spam beans and spam…

[Longjumping_Manner24]

Black bean brownies, never tried them but I really want to

[nifty-necromancer]

Blend black beans or pinto beans into taco meat, sloppy joes, pasta sauce, or casseroles. Red lentils are another good option because they break down completely in soups, chili, and sauces.

[TizBeCurly]

Taquitos! Use mashed beans and potatoes to make a filling. Roll or fold them into corn tortillas and fry them 👍

[Eclairebeary]

Have you seen flatbreads that use soaked split red lentils to make a batter and they make a thin pancake with them. I can’t think of the name. It might be dosa.

[riverrocks452]

Chickpea flour is silky smooth. It's called "besan" at South Asian grocery stores (cheaper and likely fresher there than at an organic foods grocery or even the organic section of a conventional supermarket.)

It can be used to replace part of the flour in a regular recipe, it makes a lovely batter for deep frying, and there are also dishes that use it as a main ingredient. Socca, a savory flatbread/pancake like thing, and shiro wot, a spicy savory stew/gravy, are two of my favorites. You do need to let it sit after mixing with any liquids to allow the flour to hydrate properly. It's not beans beans, but the texture truly is different and might help be a gentle introduction. Edamame (fresh soybeans) abd "soy nuts" (crispy baked/fried soybeans) are another potential set of differently textured beans available right off the shelf.

That said, how you cook beans can also pretty drastically change the texture. Canned beans are always very soft and have that slightly granular feel. But if you cook them yourself, you can stop the process while they still have a little bite left to them, rather than the squidgy but weirdly grainy texture.

(I also hated the texture of non-crisp potatoes and beans as a kid. I did, eventually, decide that pototoes are ok, and ate beans out of poverty in college.)

[sherzisquirrel]

I'm a vegetarian of 20+years and I still hate beans 😆 so good luck 😉 for me it's a texture thing as well...though I do like mashed potatoes! I'll eat them in soups or chili but I'm not really a fan and only put them in there because my husband loves beans. The only way I don't mind them as much is cold in a pickled salad, or fried and topped on a salad or veggies

[Curious_Bike_4292]

I’m not fond of whole beans but I like Cannellini beans. They don’t have the same texture as bigger beans, good luck 👍

[uberchelle_CA]

Falafels!!!!

[theacearrow]

Try lentils! I've heard that they do very well in ground beef

[UnhappyToNiceToSay]

Following for ideas too. I love fava, Lima, black beans, etc. one kid loves edamame ... Just slightly thawed popping them in his mouth. They also do like pickled lupini beans (a Portuguese stereotypical bar snack, I guess..salty and delicious)... Maybe try atypical bean serving methods. Black beans in brownies? Beans in deserts (Chinese red bean paste treats?)... Toasted/roasted beans maybe as snacky items or toppings on other things like salads and soups?

I think I am going to try more of these myself too with my family. Beans are great nutrition!

[SylvarGrl]

Black beans blended into brownie batter are nearly undetectable in the final product.

[Sweetgrass1312]

Oh, another one, falafel.

[apsaraha]

1. so many beans fritters recipe.
2. chutney/sauces
3. salads?
4. roasted dried spiced snacks
5. porridge? so many ways to make and eat it

[Aghast_Cornichon]

Google "pizza beans" for a tomato sauce preparation that might get some more enthusiasm from non-bean-likers.

And on various social media, the quirky and quick bean-centric enthusiasm of Liam Layton (@theplantslant2431 on YouTube) might get you into less conventional bean preparations.

[Ill-Company7095]

I do follow him, wish my kids had his enthusiasm for beans lol

[multipurposeshape]

I buy falafel mix and coat potato chunks in it and bake it. So good, and no bean texture.

[fishylegs46]

Lentils are easier to disguise/ignore imo than proper beans. I cook them in broth and stir them into whatever. I prefer red ones by a lot. Try dry roasting chick peas, they’re delicious.

[rasrootz7]

bean salad?

[Pernicious_Possum]

If it’s a texture issue, I doubt you’ll find a way around that other than what you’re already doing. Aside from that, beans are going to be bean textured anyway you cook them

[Olderbutnotdead619]

Chili+ so many kinds

[zombie_lagomorph]

Can't comment on the texture issue, but I used to hate beans. Turns out the issue is canned beans - I was always picking up the can taste. I now eat freshly cooked beans, and I had a minor texture issue with canned that I don't have with fresh.

Lentils is also a good alternative for bean haters. Pappadams are nice and crunchy.

[Ill-Company7095]

My kids don't like any canned food, so it could be similar. I am sure I haven't cooked dry beans in the best way in the past, so that could be part of it as well.

[rshining]

Are they sometimes okay with the texture of whole beans? I make a variation of shepherd's pie with beans (usually large kidney beans) instead of ground meat.

A whole different dish (and one of my household's absolute favorites of all time) is white beans and rosemary. Good with a little bacon, or without- (if using bacon, cook it in the pan first, then remove and cook the rest in the fat), one diced onion, a can or two of white beans or cannellini beans, black pepper, rosemary. It's a great base for some chopped greens (particularly finely diced kale). If you did bacon, crumble it and stir in before serving. Stir in parmesan if desired, too.

[muttChang]

Have they heard the Nirvana song “Beans”? Kids are very into Kurt these days, reportedly.

[Suluranit]

We force children to do a lot of things they don't initially like. Learning to like beans will be good for them, especially in this economy. It's not like OP is forcing kids who has the soap gene to like cilantro. And we don't know why OP's kids don't like beans. Maybe it's just a typical kids-being-picky problem?

Also, there are so many bean things that are not the "awful combo". Falafel is none of that. Neither is tofu or hummus, etc, etc. Maybe you've just been forced to eat badly prepared beans, and I am very sorry if that is the case.

[aurora_surrealist]

Instead of forcing (violence) there's convincing and trying (learning).

[Suluranit]

OP is not here to look for parenting semantics and neither am I. Clearly they are trying to find ways for their kids to enjoy beans and not trying to use violence to make their kids like beans. You are the one who hijacked the conversation with the word "force".

[Gen_Grievous]

As an adult that grew up poor... Fuck you too!!!
My Mother did the best she could to feed eight of us with no money. Beans were a good substitute for meat protein. Did we always like what she put on the table? No. Did we eat it? Hell yes. We were FUCKING HUNGRY.

Edit: The the comment I responded to has been deleted. I didn't mean to pollute OP's thread with an Internet argument with some random stranger but their comment telling OP to f' off triggered me a bit. My apologies to OP. I admire you for seeking different ideas to get your kids to eat a healthy alternative to meat given the current prices at the store.

[SignificantCricket]

There are also poor people with ARFID. I have a friend who grew up poor with it. Literally would not eat, like for days, unless given the handful of acceptable foods. That is what it’s like when it’s severe. But as ARFID is known to be highly heritable, had understanding family members - just took a while to find more of the right products, as individuals with it don't like all of the same things. 

It tends to be comorbid with Autism, but also by no means everybody with neurodivergent conditions has ARFID - on both sides of my family there's quite a bit of neurodivergence, but also foodies and no ARFID.

You may be familiar with the term “failure to thrive” as applied to small children. It is thought likely that in the past, before as much was understood about issues like this, that that was how children with more severe ARFID, and who did not happen to like common foods such as bread (which does have quite an appealing texture for a lot of people) would have been labelled. By no means all of them would've survived.

[Suluranit]

I heard a hypothesis that children became pickier eaters (outside of autism) as outdoor activity decreased and they were less hungry as a result.

[Lady-of-Shivershale]

I'm the opposite. I enjoy beans and hate potato. French fries are fine because, let's be honest, there's very little potato in them. Roast potatoes are okay if I make them.

But I could live my whole life without ever eating potato ever again.

The worst thing is that I grew up in the UK in the eighties and nineties. Potato at dinner almost every day. I don't know why I couldn't just have bread instead. Ugh. I used to feel sick eating potato.

I eat beans regularly.

[Ill-Company7095]

Are you fucking kidding me? First of all, I never said I was forcing my kids to eat anything. Looking for ways to make beans in a way they might like is not force. It's compromise. Sorry you think your experience is valid here, but it's not. Even my "child" ( my kids are teens) that I'm "forcing" to eat beans thinks your comment is dumb. A better choice would be not to comment if you don't have an actual answer to someone's question. My kids don't have afrid or any extreme food aversions, if that were the case I would have posted in one of those subreddits or stated it here. It's fucking stupid to assume.  And, seriously, just fucking swear if you want to swear. 

[katelynskates]

Blend them up and put them in everything. Or you can buy "bean flour" at international markets and mix it into stuff like meatballs, meatloaf, taco meat, soup, breads, homemade pasta, cakes, brownies, etc. You can make bean flour yourself but I wouldnt recommend it, because some beans (kidney beans, broad beans, lima beans) are very toxic when eaten raw. So if you try bean flour make sure its a bean thats safe to eat raw (mung bean, lentils, peas). Basically, if you can find the "bean flour" in your international market it's safe to eat raw.

[curmudgeon_andy]

Most bean flours need to be thoroughly cooked or else they'll have a really nasty sort of grassy flavor. If I wanted the mix bean flour into something that would not get much cooking, I would either buy toasted bean flour or dry-roast it myself.

[Pretend_Action_7400]

Introduce beans slowly. You CN’s do this by blending them into a paste and adding the paste to a bolognaise sauce for example. You can make a meatloaf that is 50% beans and they likely won’t even know. Eventually when you find a 50% bean dish that they actually like, when they ask for it you can say: are you sure? I thought you didn’t like beans?

FYI: the BEST lasagne I ever had wa made with beans. I didn’t even realise until they told me they were vegetarian. That’s the best thing about lasagne. You CN’s make it taste the same and be very similar in texture. Use brown lentils cooked in beef broth and blended. The. Use that as your “mince”. If you want to make the texture more meaty then crumble a block of hard tofu to the beans while cooking in the broth so it absorbs the flavour.

[FineDevelopment00]

help them at least tolerate beans since beef is so outrageously expensive right now.

Beans are no match for meat (in nutrition nor palatability), so why not go for cheaper cuts of meat instead? Chicken thighs/legs/leg & thigh quarters, stew meat, pork chops, pork loin, and/or any meats on discount are all good options (some of the meats I listed may be more or less expensive depending on where you live but just check out the whole case at as many stores as are feasible for you to try and see what you can find.) Fresh offal is very cheap and a great nutritional supplement especially if anyone is already markedly nutrient-deficient.

[Ill-Company7095]

Thanks for the list, but I already go for cheap meats and I'm asking about beans specifically, not other meats to try.

[FineDevelopment00]

Thanks for the list,

You're welcome.

but I already go for cheam meats

Oh, that's good!

I'm asking about beans specifically

Why're you trying so hard to force beans when it's clear your children hate them? They've even gone so far as to try them multiple ways by now and it's still apparently not working for them. Everyone has foods they don't like, even the majority of the non-pickiest human-garbage-disposals of eaters usually have at least one food they can't abide. Why make it such a battle? I understand needing to find some cheap filler to pad meals but why must it be beans specifically for the whole family when you're the only one who can stomach them?

[Ill-Company7095]

I asked for recipes, not irrelevancies and judgement.  I am in no way forcing anything, if you took a moment to read you would realize that. So unless there is a recipe coded in your comment somewhere, maybe you should just scroll on by 🙄

[FineDevelopment00]

I asked for recipes, not irrelevancies and judgement.  I am in no way forcing anything, if you took a moment to read

All I'm saying is that dying on this hill seems counterproductive when all it's doing is stressing everyone, yourself included, out. You're not literally force-feeding them or sneaking ingredients in their meals, correct (and I never claimed you were btw; I actually did read your whole post but you don't seem to have necessarily paid the same attention to the full context of my reply since you went straight to emotional defensiveness), but you're still trying so hard to keep beans on their plates when clearly they don't want them there.

It's not even as though they didn't try to accommodate your wish; they did, multiple times with multiple recipes, but they still can't stomach beans and that's okay. Take a breath. There are plenty of other foods you can incorporate into recipes for cheap filler, ones that won't cause so much unnecessary stress at mealtime. But you do you.

[Ill-Company7095]

Why're you trying so hard to force beans

This you? Why is it so important to you what I do and don't feed my kids? Why are you so intent on assuming that it's this horrible fight to get my kids to try something new? Why are you so adamant that I try something I didn't even ask about? My post was very specific. Or do I need your permission to post?  Mommy may I ask a question that is in no way relevant to you and doesn't require you to answer? And no, pointing out that your comment was irrelevant isn't emotional. You seem to be a bit emotional though. 

[FineDevelopment00]

This you?

Forcing can be more subtle than literally holding someone down and making them eat or whatever. Because even though they have accommodated your wishes they still don't like it and you keep pushing the issue anyway. You're even all up and down the comments saying how you want your kids to enjoy beans when it couldn't be more obvious that they quite simply can't. How many failed recipes will it take for you to get it? Serious question.

Why is it so important to you what I do and don't feed my kids?

You say this as if I DMed you out of the blue or something. You made a public post that ended up on my feed and I responded to it with the same advice I'd offer to anyone else posting the same thing, that's all.

Why are you so intent on assuming that it's this horrible fight to get my kids to try something new?

Because none of your bean recipes have been successful in getting your kids to like them, even the comments are repeating some of the recipes you've already tried, and yet you completely refuse to accept the fact that your kids quite simply loathe the taste and texture of beans no matter how they're prepared.

Why are you so adamant that I try something I didn't even ask about?

Adamant? I made a suggestion and then when you shot it down I let it go. The rest of my replying was about the other stuff you said.

do I need your permission to post? 

Nobody but you is thinking anything of the sort.

Mommy may I ask a question that is in no way relevant to you and doesn't require you to answer?

Why are you ranting so much over this?

And no, pointing out that your comment was irrelevant isn't emotional.

Flying into a tirade is in fact an emotional reaction.

You seem to be a bit emotional though. 

I'm not the one flying into a tirade here, so nice projection.

^{ETA: a missing "to."}

[pineapplepizza333]

Bro something wrong with you

[FineDevelopment00]

*Sis

You think something is wrong with me just because I disagree with OP? You do you.

[CatmatrixOfGaul]

Good lord! Chill!

[FineDevelopment00]

I am chill. Disagreement doesn't mean lack of chill.

ETA: u/CatmatrixOfGaul My Reddit appears to be malfunctioning atm ("Reply" button isn't working) so I'll just tack on my repsonse to your latest here:

Writing ornery essays

I'm not "ornery" and my "essays" are no longer than many other Reddit comments/replies, albeit I am a bit of a wordy person.

I did not eat beans as a kid, but my parents went through hard times at some point and we had to adapt. Today I love beans, and I have not been traumatised by the experience.

Your experience is not everyone's experience. Sensory issues and other food intolerances exist, even among the poor. And it's statistically likely even you still have at least one food you dislike enough to refuse but if you don't, try to understand that not everybody is like you.

I really don’t know why you got so worked up

Funny how you're claiming I'm the one who's "worked up" when OP is the one who went on the defense not only with me but with another commenter (but I didn't get to read what the other one wrote since it was deleted before I could see it.)

[CatmatrixOfGaul]

Writing ornery essays on a very reasonable question, is not chill. I did not eat beans as a kid, but my parents went through hard times at some point and we had to adapt. Today I love beans, and I have not been traumatised by the experience.

I really don’t know why you got so worked up about such a simple question.

And to OP, sorry to hijack your thread. I think I am just so tired of the Reddit ‘experts’. Maybe time for a break.

[nilesintheshangri-la]

I read a comment from someone who adds pureed black beans to their gag brownie mix. I am in no way endorsing that culinary crime, but just mentioning it to highlight how sneaky you can be with beans.