illinois....I can't stand kidney beans either, so I puree them. I still get the flavour and fibre etc but you can't tell they are there. They mix right in. I also use beans in tomato sauce, instead of pork and beans and saute sweet peppers with onions and celery to add to the ground beef before adding the chili mix (I like French's) to the ground beef. I also add a couple of tbsp of tomato paste to punch up the flavour of canned tomatoes.
Watson