Fat-Free Bean Butter Substitute

Someone told me once that you could used mashed beans as a butter substitute.  So far I think this is the best and cheapest butter substitute I have tried. 

I always use white beans (Great Northern) because of the color—dark beans may change your expected color outcome.

All you do is cook the beans until they are soft.  Boiling them on medium heat for about an hour does the trick.  Just be sure to check them often to make sure they do not burn.

I use a hand mixer to mash them and add water till they reach the consistency of a spreadable butter. 

Beans will get moldy after a couple weeks, so don’t cook to many at a time.

Smart Squeeze

I have heard that real butter is better for you than margarine because it is all natural.  I am not sure if this is “more healthy” that either of the two.  But it is a Fat-Free substitute.  It is not meant for baking.  I have had luck in a couple recipes, but mostly not. I like it on baked potatoes and I use it in Macaroni and Cheese.  Really, it’s one of those things that you have to try for yourself and decide what you like.

No-Salt Salt

This is a sodium-free salt substitute that we use in all of our baking.

I personally do not like it on popcorn or watermelon, or other things that just need that salty flavor.  My husband likes it though, so it is a personal choice.

Reese’s Chewy Chocolate Cookies

2 cups wheat flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon No-Salt Salt
1 cup fat-free-bean butter substitute
1/4 cup Smart Squeeze
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 package Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.

2. Beat fat-free-bean butter substitute, Smart Squeeze and sugar in large bowl with mixer. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet sprayed with Fat Free PAM.

3. Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not over bake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies.

PAN RECIPE:

Spread batter in greased 15-1/2x10-1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350°F 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut into bars. About 4 dozen bars.

*this recipe is originally from the back of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Chip’s bag

Changes we made to make these cookies more healthy:

• used wheat flour
• used No-Salt Salt
• used a fat-free butter substitute (you can use 1 1/4 cup fat-free-bean butter substitute and no Smart Squeeze, I think the flavor is a little better using some Smart Squeeze, since it has a butter flavor. If you use all Smart Sqeeze and no fat-free-bean butter substitute than the cookies still taste cook, but are sticky.
• reduced the amount of sugar by 1/2 cup
• used 4 egg whites instead of 2 eggs (you can use an egg substitute, they turn out more cake-like.)
• cut the amount of Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips in half. (this is a personal preference. Growing up we always used less chocolate chips than the recipe called for and it always seemed like plenty.)

I am usually not a fan of “healthy” cookies, because when you want a cookie, you want a cookie, but I really like these cookies. They are healthier and they satisfy that craving.

Mixed Beans

I generally use mixed beans for every recipe that calls for beans.  Even if it calls for only pinto or only kidney, we use mixed beans.  These ratios do not need to be exact and we don’t always use the same ones.  We always use the following three:

2 scoops – Large Lima Beans
2 scoops – Kidney Beans
2 scoops – Pinto Beans

Of the following we usually pick two:

1 scoop – Baby Lima Beans
1 scoop – Great Northern American
1 scoop – Black Beans (these are not my favorite because of the color)
1 scoop – Black-eyed Peas

To cook the beans needed for the recipe figure that the beans will at least double (almost triple) as they cook.  So if the recipe calls for 6 cups of beans you only need to cook about 2 1/2 cups.

Boil the beans for about an hour on medium heat, until tender.  Until you get used to how much water you need for your pot check them often to make sure they do not burn. (trust me, burnt bean smell it not good.)  I would set a timer to check every 20 minutes and add water to the pot as needed.

After cooking you can drain the water and store in the fridge until needed or use right away.  (I’m not sure how long they last in the fridge.)

We like to start them boiling first thing in the morning and let them boil while we shower and get ready. (whether or not I am cooking with beans that day, my husband likes to eat beans most every night—so this is a daily routine.)