Beans, Glorious Beans

The sad truth is, I hate beans.

Always have, and probably always will.

I was the kid picking them out of my chili.

I have since tried baked beans (can't stand them), refried beans (ick), and bean soups and salads (ew!) There is something about the texture of beans--the way they leave you with a mouth of stringy fiber mixed with a starchy mush.

However...

A little while ago, I came across a list of foods that are rich in phytoestrogens. And these foods are good for women of a... certain level of maturity... who are going through the gradual process of aging wherein their natural hormones may... lag a little bit. Because of these lower hormone levels, these women may experience a list of symptoms such as insomnia, breast tenderness, weight gain, hair loss, crushing fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, paralysis, homicidal tendencies, and death.

And of this list of wonder-working phytoestrogen-rich foods, a good 80 percent or so of them are (insert drum roll) You got it--BEANS.

So, I decided to try to get on the bean bandwagon for a few days. I mean, what's worse, a mouthful of mush or staying awake all night plotting a murder? And what do you know? They actually work. I've had four good nights of sleep after a few months of chronic insomnia, and a lot of my other symptoms are waning.

Okay, a few days ago, I posted a recipe for black bean burritos, and then a link to a recipe for black bean brownies.

The brownies were decent, but they got me thinking, what else could you hide beans in? So I've been pulling all the phytoestrogen-rich foods (including the beans) out of my cabinets and concocting recipes. Some need a little more work, like the cherry muffins with kidney beans. Others, like one I just made for Banana-Butter Bean Bread, are almost ready to be posted.

So get ready for some nutritious, but delicious, original recipes. Same bean time, same bean channel.