10 Creative (and Healthy) Things You Can Do With Beans

Whip up a bean-based smoothie

Drinking beans? Really? “Absolutely,” says Richard Sandoval, the chef behind the Latin restaurant group Richard Sandoval Hospitality. He likes mixing them into smoothies because they add a creamy, almost milkshake-like texture and boost of protein without altering whatever flavor he’s going for. One of his favorites: blending cooked black beans with unsweetened cacao powder, almond milk, dates, and a touch of cinnamon. You get “a luscious, chocolatey smoothie with a Latin twist,” he says.