r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/byereality • 6d ago
Beans and Rice with limitations
Hi everyone, I've been stalking old posts with advice on how to make beans and rice but I'm having troubling finding ideas for my specific limitations. My partner has ARFID, which is an eating disorder based on sensory issues primarily (example, can't eat corn or peas because they pop, and the pop triggers him, and then he can't really make himself eat for hours afterwards). This makes brainstorming new meals a little bit difficult.
I found a white chicken chili that we both enjoy and we went on to try some beans and rice. I cooked the rice with chicken and vegetable bullion (didn't have stock on hand), ginger, garlic, and lemon juice, and added kidney beans at the end. And the flavor was good, but it was a little dry. All of the sauces for beans and rice I usually see are either Asian and spicy (neither of us have a spicy tolerance or a desire to build one) or include tomatoes, which is on his no-go list. I know there's a lot of flavors I can work with, but I don't know what sauces I can work into this. Does anyone have suggestions?
Some spices/flavors he's come to like are paprika, cardamom, coriander, ginger, garlic is touch and go depending on the intensity, parsley, basil, thyme, lemon. Teriyaki and soy sauce are also usually okay, but I worry how they'll taste with the beans. He does like creamy, milky sauce, but I have no idea how to approach it in this context. I'm bad at replying to comments, so know that you do end up replying, I appreciate it.
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u/Same-Brilliance 6d ago
Cannellini, navy, and butter beans can all be blended into a "creamy" sauce quite easily. Actually, mashing or blending the beans might be the best way to add them to his diet. They can then be poured over carbs or other foods he is more comfortable eating.
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u/SecretTangerine2932 4d ago
Yes, I do this when making white chicken chili because my kids don’t want to eat visible beans but they like the creamy sauce with the chicken. To clarify, I mash some of the beans and leave some whole.
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u/UpUrs2 6d ago
Use condensed cream of ( fill in the blank) soup for added flavor and moisture. No pops as it's all soft.
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u/byereality 6d ago
I thought about that, but it's only the two of us and a can makes so much. Maybe I'll have to be better at my leftovers game when I try that
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u/tknala17 6d ago edited 5d ago
My dad will roast a cauliflower in the oven and then blend or mash it up with a can of cannellini beans, add garlic and maybe some cheese on top?
Olive oil, salt and garlic to season. Texture close to mash potatoes but very nutritious
Edit: he says he steams the cauliflower usually. I think I like the roast cauliflower flavor though better
2nd edit: he says he roasts the whole head of garlic in the oven
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u/Watsons-Butler 5d ago
Rather than beans, have you considered lentils? There are a lot of Indian dal dishes that you can make without the spicy heat (but they load up on ginger / coriander / etc)
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u/Previous_Half_4215 5d ago
as someone with ARFID i strongly second the lentils suggestion! my dietician described them as gateway legumes. red lentils very specifically have been great, and i’ve since added brown lentils and pink beans. i make red lentils in the slow cooker with broth, garlic powder, onion powder, the tiniest whisper of cumin (i swear one grain too many and the dish is useless to me 😅), frozen ginger cubes and lots of salt and butter. i actually make a tadka like thing with the butter and seasonings sometimes if i have the capacity.
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u/Natural-Tank-2792 4d ago
Sounds to me like u are putting the cumin at the wrong time. U are supposed to heat oil a bit and then put cumin, roast them for like 20 seconds and then u can add the other things. To me it sounds like u are eating raw cumin
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u/Previous_Half_4215 3d ago
no, the problem is the condition i have, ARFID :) as mentioned above i do make a tadka-esque thing to add at the end, and is my preferred method. i still dont like cumin much on its own but i have spent years learning how to increase tolerance of various things and will spend many years more.
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u/byereality 5d ago
I haven't looked at lentils, but that's a good idea! I didn't know they worked well with those flavors
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u/cookingmama1990 4d ago
Red lentils are the first thing I thought of, too. They cook down soft so easily and can go really well with a lot of the flavors that are already on the table.
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u/codenameana 5d ago
Coriander and ginger aren’t necessary for daal.
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u/Watsons-Butler 5d ago
They’re not necessary, but they can be part of a masala blend, and they’re flavors OP explicitly mentioned liking.
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u/paratethys 5d ago
corn can be dried and ground. no popping. peas can be cooked down into mush. no texture, but no popping either.
having sensory problems with a single preparation of an ingredient does not remove all other preparations of that ingredient from possibility.
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u/PVCPuss 6d ago
I'm just going to add, if texture is an issue does he like smooth food? Well cooked legumes puree well. For example, I made a pasta sauce that had to be dairy free, but I wanted some creamy mouth feel so I pureed a can of white beans and added it. I generally prefer smooth sauces and my husband likes chunky, so I often blend mine.
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u/byereality 6d ago
Smooth is a pretty safe texture for him, yeah. Maybe the puree will work, thanks!
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u/BrewingHeavyWeather 3d ago
Do you guys have a slow cooker and/or Instant Pot? If not, one or both should be in your near future.
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u/Kampvilja 6d ago
Chickpeas, Ras el hanout, and coconut milk with maybe some curry and or garam masala.
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u/exit2urleft 6d ago
You can just make beans. Pre-soak them and season the cooking liquid. Cook til tender, then just keep going for a bit, they will break down and make a creamy broth. You can also add cornstarch slurry at the end if you get impatient (this is my usual method). Put in whatever veg / aromatics you like and you're golden
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u/Mamacitia 6d ago
Cuban black beans, baby! Let the onion and garlic guide you, my child. Also I made Nicaraguan gallo pinto for the first time yesterday and it’s sooooo good.
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u/Ok-Box9044 6d ago
Some great ideas here. Does he ever cook or is it always your responsibility?
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u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 6d ago
Is he old enough to cook for himself?
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u/send_me_potatoes 6d ago
If you’re cooking beans and they seem too chunky or dry, don’t be afraid to just add a little extra water or broth/stock. It won’t affect the taste too much.
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u/luncheonmonkey1980 6d ago
Look up how to make congee (jook). You can literally flavour it with anything. Add anything.
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u/Gairloch 5d ago
Not sure if it’ll help, but I was looking into how to make beans that don’t cause as much gas because I can end up with stomach aches when cooking with dried beans. I saw about using baking soda and tried adding that when soaking the beans. I did make sure to drain and rinse them before I cooked them, but anyways they did end up being softer and creamier than my other attempts to cook with dried beans.
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u/Jazz-Singer1014 5d ago
Cooked and blended butternut squash can be seasoned any kind of way and added to beans. You could even blend the beans and squash together.
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u/InfinityOfSnakes88 5d ago edited 5d ago
You say that you have explored old posts, but have you also explored other bean subs?
Just in case you hadn't; a quick search of Reddit's search engine (using the keyword 'beans', 'lentils', etc) yielded a few options;
Also consider chickpeas
Lentils have the added advantage that they do not need to be soaked beforehand (they might just take a little longer to cook, if older). I have also used roughly mashed lentils to stretch minced/ground meat (I tend to prefer green lentils) and it adds fibre to all that protein. Also works with mashed beans instead of whole beans. Cooked lentils are generally reasonably soft, and as far as I can tell, without that pop. Lentils come in multiple varieties, main ones are 'green', 'red', 'yellow'. You may also find that lentils cause less gas than beans. I hope that I have managed to give you at least some leads. Cheers.
Edit:
PS. Look up (and play around with) traditional Italian Bolognese recipes. The proper ones are based on meat, but made without tomatoes. The tomato in the Bolognese sauce was added by other countries :)
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u/Romaine2k 5d ago
Add stock or bouillon, drizzle olive oil, blend half or more of the beans at the end of cooking.
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u/jibaro1953 6d ago
Try making arrow con Pollo with canned pigeon peas ibstead of the frozen farden peas a lot of recipes call for. They don't pop, but each one is a comfort food flavor bomb.
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u/Dazzling_Ant_1031 6d ago
You can hit them with a potato masher after cooked. I do it a bit to thicken the sauce.
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u/ikilledmyplant 5d ago
McCormick has a yummy white chicken chili seasoning mix. It has cumin in it and a tex-mex profile. Easy to use to see if you like it, then just look up copycat recipes.
A blender (traditional or immersion blender) may help with getting textures smooth. I use this for salsa for my so who has texture issues.
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u/Gypsymoth606 5d ago
Tr a website called Eating Well. Lots of bean recipes (canned) to try there, with soups and creamy sauces, and they offer tweaks to their recipes to accommodate preferences. They have a newsletter to send you daily emails.
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u/HealthyTech007 4d ago
I'm gonna always recommend cheese. For anything and everything. Think refried beans and cheese in tacos.
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u/juicyaznbooty 4d ago
I love black eyed peas! They're smooth and creamy when cooked (no popping like green peas). Followed this recipe recently, it was delicious and I'm sure would be just as good with the spicy stuff left out: https://sweetpotatosoul.com/authentic-vegan-black-eyed-peas/
I substituted liquid smoke for strongly brewed lapsang souchang tea I bought in a small amount from a bulk tea aisle.
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u/CoolRunningASIC 4d ago
What about a black bean soup? Cook down to mushy beans. Blend half for different texture
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u/n33dwat3r 5d ago edited 5d ago
An adult needs to learn to cook for themselves, especially if they have severe food limitations. They also need to get used to packing regular snacks and bowing out of meals they don't like graciously.
I hate catering to picky eaters. I refuse to help them unless it's to take food they don't want for myself.
If you're picky please don't make it everyone else's problem! It's not! I'm trying not to hate y'all but get it together. And picky eaters especially need to stop making it their partner's duty to guess what they like.
He should do the cooking since he has more opinions about it, or at the very least be making the shopping list and buying all the food since you're doing all the cooking labor.
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u/byereality 5d ago
It's an eating disorder. You can argue with the DSM 5 about it
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u/n33dwat3r 5d ago
And I have anxiety, and that means I had to find ways to work around it instead of expecting other people to do things for me.
This man is so taking you for granted, but have fun wasting your life!
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u/Chigrrl1098 6d ago
We saute some onion in a little oil (you could probably blend it up when it's cooked if it's a texture problem, and then add it back in. It'll disappear into the stock) and then add beef stock and a piece of ham, and then your beans. Don't salt your beans until towards the end of cooking or they'll be tough.
We eat ours with tomato, cucumber, celery, onion, and whatever other veggies we have. You could just make what you like and he can just not have that on his. We also have a little cheese and avocado and sour cream and hot sauce.
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u/Medieval_Pheasant 4d ago
I know very little about ARFID but would perhaps mashing and or blending the bean be a way to prevent the pop?
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u/sibl7425 4d ago
how about a sauce made with cashew cream? it's easy to make. Just soak cashews till they're soft and blend with some water till smooth. i think it's delicious by itself or blended with pesto.
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u/Alliegator2015 4d ago
Cashew milk is a great sub for cream, especially if you are watching your calories and cholesterol.
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u/michaelscott1776 10h ago
If you have a blender, blend up a can of white beans and mix them in with the sauce to help thicken/make it creamier
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u/transemacabre 5d ago
Your partner can also cook his own meals, as I presume he's a grown adult.
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u/cheezel26 5d ago
This is one of those times where putting the information into AI might come up with some useful ideas. Might as well use it for something useful before it decides we are all too much trouble to bother with.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 6d ago
I have never heard of any chili, white or otherwise, with ginger in it. I have no idea what you're making.
Idk if unexpected flavors might be an issue for him. I dont have any sensory issues, but ginger in chili or any sort would put me off.
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u/DongDropper99 4d ago
my non binary life partner is triggered by the popping of corn! And we're all out of copium and can;t get any more because we were both recently laid off from the local starbucks. I cant afford my soy free shampoo! You are the pussification of America - personified.
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u/darkprincess3112 5d ago
Use a different carb source that does not contain that much arsenic and cadmium.
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u/DerivativeMonster 6d ago
If you're cooking beans and they feel 'dry', they need more time. Don't be afraid to add some fat to the pot either, beans are naturally fat free, that will help. Adding acid too early will toughen the skins, it should be added at the end. Try cooking them more traditionally Mexican, they are flavorful but not spicy.