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Beans & Cornbread & Other Low Calorie Recipes Using Beans

Beans are a good source of protein and dietary fiber and hold impressive satiety powers....

Want to be less hungry while dieting and wait longer between meals before you are pressed by hunger pains to eat? Then look for foods that are good sources of fiber and protein - like beans, lentils and many commercial cereals.

On that note, here are a few of our favorite recipes using beans as a main ingredient.

Bean & Cheese Nachos

Purchase 1 container of Fritoe Bean Dip at the market. Spread onto fresh tortilla chips - about 1/2 teaspoon on each chip. Place a slice of pickled jalapeno pepper on top of the bean dip. You can top the nacho with Tostitos Queso or shredded low fat cheese. Or, you can simply use reduced fat cheese, cutting into four small squares and using one square per nacho.

The queso is a bit more zippy but it compliments the bean dip very well. Also, the queso is reasonable in caloric content - about 45 per generous serving size of 2 Tablespoons.

Once the chips are loaded with the ingredients, transfer them to the oven and bake until the cheese melts - or until the queso is hot and bubbly. Remove and serve with light, fat reduced whip cream. A side of Mexican rice will add whole grain goodness to the meal. Enjoy 1/2 cup and up to 300 calories worth of the nachos. Also enjoy a side salad of finely-chopped lettuce, tomato and cilantro.

To calculate the caloric content, check the ingredients. The chips generally contain about 10 calories each. Let's allow 100 calories for the chips. Let's also plan to enjoy 40 calories worth of the sour cream with our nachos. The bean dip contains 40 calories per two Tablespoons - so let's enjoy 80 calories worth. Let's allow another 150 calories for the peppers, the salad and the cheese. With 100 calories for the 1/2 cup of rice, the total calories for 10 nachos, the salad - and the Mexican rice equal about 470. And that's a lot of food.

Tortillas & Beans, a Quick and Easy Recipe

If you're looking for foods that go together very quickly, try this recipe. You'll need one can of pinto or black beans. Drain the liquid and add your favorite salsa to the beans. Heat thoroughly on the stove top. Add 1 slice of reduced fat cheese. Colby-Jack is a great choice and it melts well. Serve the beans with either steamed corn or flour tortillas.

Kick the Beans & Cornbread Recipe

This recipe is ultra easy and can be prepared in a flash. Grab a can of your favorite canned beans. While beans are heating, grab a corn kit packet and prepare according to package instructions.  

In a non-stick skillet, cook cornbread using cooking spray. Enjoy 1 corn cake with a serving of beans. Use Parkay butter spray (no calories) for corn cake.

Cornbread generally contains 160 calories per serving and the beans, about 120 per 1/2 cup serving. To put some heat in the beans, add chili powder and chopped jalapeno peppers.