Want to eat more legumes but don’t know where to start? How to choose what to buy, make sense of canned versus dried, and avoid getting stuck in the details.
I mix equal parts of canned black beans, diced tomatoes, prepared brown rice, and cooked ground beef. Then I freeze it in single-serving containers (I live alone). A simple heat-and-eat meal ( or wrap it in a flour tortilla with some cheese, then heat-and-eat).
Dr. Jones, good morning. My favorite go-to recipe is pretty simple - pinto beans - cooked with half an onion, a couple of garlic cloves and maybe a smoked ham hock or leftover ham bone - with homemade cornbread. I always soak the beans but I did not know about the 10 minute boil. Good information. Thank you!
One of my favorites (that I made up) is red lentils drenched in low-sodium veggie broth. I add tarragon, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes. Added are: sweet potatoes (cut up), carrots and parsnips (the latter when in season) (both cut up), cut up red onion, and (if in season) cut up eggplant. I call it my kitchen sink lentil stew. After it comes to a boil, I lower the temperature and cook it for about 18 minutes. I get four dinners out of it, and I love it.
That sounds delicious and easy - very quick, too. I love tarragon and have loads growing in the garden, but I’m hopeless and knowing what to do with it. Sounds like I’ve now got a recipe!
A nuance that interests me… in the protein context there are essential amino acids which the body cannot create (six?). I include eggs in my diet for that reason. Do bean proteins contain those essential amino acids?
You’re right, the nine so-called essential amino acids.
Most plants don’t contain the full complement, though some, like soy, do. If you tried to live just on beans, or just on rice, you might eventually run into deficiency in one or two of these essential amino acids. Thankfully, almost no one does that, and different plants have lower levels of different amino acids, so, if you were to eat rice and beans then you’d get all the essential amino acids. They don’t need to be consumed at the same meal either.
Ben, the lectin point is the one people skip and then blame beans for the stomach ache that followed. Ten minutes of a real boil isn't optional, and a slow cooker on low is not a substitute for heat, it's a science experiment nobody signed up for. I've had clients make this exact mistake with soaked kidney beans. Good piece, and the dried versus canned protein gap is a detail worth more attention than it gets.
One of my basics—boil 1/2 lb white beans with 5 cloves garlic and two bayleaves. Puree with 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/4 cups chicken broth or liquid from beans.
This was from Cuisine at Home when John Meyer was editor. It’s perfect with fish or chicken or any veggie-heavy meal. Or eaten cold as leftovers.
>>American food manufacturers have a strange habit of looking at a perfectly respectable savoury food and asking, “But could it be dessert?”
LOL. So true!
Sugar also increases shelf life!!
It does indeed. Every cloud has a silver lining 😉
I mix equal parts of canned black beans, diced tomatoes, prepared brown rice, and cooked ground beef. Then I freeze it in single-serving containers (I live alone). A simple heat-and-eat meal ( or wrap it in a flour tortilla with some cheese, then heat-and-eat).
Hi! I love the sound of this. Black beans are pretty tasty already, but this really takes them up a notch.
I’m a huge fan of batch cooking and freezing in portion sizes. It makes healthy mid-week meals so quick and convenient.
Dr. Jones, good morning. My favorite go-to recipe is pretty simple - pinto beans - cooked with half an onion, a couple of garlic cloves and maybe a smoked ham hock or leftover ham bone - with homemade cornbread. I always soak the beans but I did not know about the 10 minute boil. Good information. Thank you!
Hi, Linda! That sounds great, and so easy. I guess if you didn’t have a ham bone lying around you could use stock.
One of my favorites (that I made up) is red lentils drenched in low-sodium veggie broth. I add tarragon, thyme, and crushed red pepper flakes. Added are: sweet potatoes (cut up), carrots and parsnips (the latter when in season) (both cut up), cut up red onion, and (if in season) cut up eggplant. I call it my kitchen sink lentil stew. After it comes to a boil, I lower the temperature and cook it for about 18 minutes. I get four dinners out of it, and I love it.
Hi Susan!
That sounds delicious and easy - very quick, too. I love tarragon and have loads growing in the garden, but I’m hopeless and knowing what to do with it. Sounds like I’ve now got a recipe!
A nuance that interests me… in the protein context there are essential amino acids which the body cannot create (six?). I include eggs in my diet for that reason. Do bean proteins contain those essential amino acids?
You’re right, the nine so-called essential amino acids.
Most plants don’t contain the full complement, though some, like soy, do. If you tried to live just on beans, or just on rice, you might eventually run into deficiency in one or two of these essential amino acids. Thankfully, almost no one does that, and different plants have lower levels of different amino acids, so, if you were to eat rice and beans then you’d get all the essential amino acids. They don’t need to be consumed at the same meal either.
I'm a big fan of cold bean salads, such as this one:
https://therecipewell.com/mediterranean-bean-salad/
I can see why, Mick. That looks delicious. A batch will last a few days, too.
Ben, the lectin point is the one people skip and then blame beans for the stomach ache that followed. Ten minutes of a real boil isn't optional, and a slow cooker on low is not a substitute for heat, it's a science experiment nobody signed up for. I've had clients make this exact mistake with soaked kidney beans. Good piece, and the dried versus canned protein gap is a detail worth more attention than it gets.
Dr Tom Kane
Thanks, Tom. Yes, I learned that lesson the hard way munching on runner beans while gardening!
One of my basics—boil 1/2 lb white beans with 5 cloves garlic and two bayleaves. Puree with 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/4 cups chicken broth or liquid from beans.
This was from Cuisine at Home when John Meyer was editor. It’s perfect with fish or chicken or any veggie-heavy meal. Or eaten cold as leftovers.