I remember watching Western movies as a kid with my father. Rugged strong men, a thirst for gold, cold blood and a dangerous lifestyle. Terence Hill entering the saloon, dirty and famished tucking into a large pan of beans in tomato sauce. People used to say beans were peasants meat, poor man’s food.
I love beans. I used to hate them and never wanted to have any as a kid. And now I love the taste, texture, consistency and the way they make me feel. I started eating beans regularly after discovering Yoga and when I turned vegetarian for 6 months, a few years back.
What’s nicer than nutty chickpeas, cannellini and butter beans? Green lentil soup and yellow dal? White eyed peas, mungs and veg chilli con carne? Fava soup in Morocco is, to date, one of my favourite things and best memories of that country, so creamy and hearty!
An old fashioned fare, recently brought back by trendy plant based diets, widely eaten by vegans and smart health conscious types, beans are the ultimate minimalist food. Some of the misleading media rap about healthy nutrition is that it’s expensive. Cheaper to eat at McDonald’s, they say.
½ Kg of dry black beans, a pound or around 14 servings, is under $1.5 in the US. 1 whole Kg of dry red split lentils is £1.80 in the UK. Add onions, garlic and tomato sauce to any cooked beans and you have the Western movies’ favourite food. Cabbage, celery, mushrooms, roots like carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, many other veggies and rice come real cheap too. Basic cooking skills and an open mind required, please. And if you’re posh, how about splashing £3.70 for half Kg of organic gourmet French Du Puy lentils?
Beans are amongst the best types of carbs food, very low glycemic index and high in fibre. I say carbs food as the first macronutrient is carbohydrate but proteins are a close second. Beans are one of the few plants providing the indispensable amino acid lysine. Think of aminoacids as the bricks that build protein and body structures. Some amino acids are considered essentials, they need to be taken from food as the body can’t make them. And if you are vegetarian and particularly a lady under 50, iron rich sources like beans are important in the diet.
Pulses carry various types of polyphenols, antioxidants like compounds that help with digestive issues, weight management, preventing diabetes, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease. Beans help with managing cholesterol levels, cleaning the colon and preserving a healthy gut and microbiome.
Cooking pulses well is easy and very important to get rid of phytates and make them more digestible. No “al dente” beans please and depending on the type, you might need to leave them on for 20 to 60 minutes. I like to pre-soak them, the standard way is in cold water but a shortcut involves hard boiling them for 5 to 10 minutes, turning off the fire and leaving them to cool in the hot water overnight. In the morning you boil them again in fresh water for a shorter time and voila, ready to eat. You can freeze cooked beans and add them to soups as batch cooking makes a lot of sense when leading a busy lifestyle. You can also buy them pre-cooked in pouches with no added ingredients.
Beans contain oligosaccharides which might stimulate flatulence (yeah, I know). Many people are put off from eating beans exactly because of this perceived side effect which can be greatly limited by introducing beans in the diet slowly and in small portions first. In my experience, the body gets used to them and you might see no problems eating even large quantities after a few weeks. Black-eyed peas and mung beans tend to be easier on the gut, so start with these. If you’re not vegetarian, you gotta try the Brazilian feijoada, oh my, it’s to die for!
Sprouting mungs, alfalfa, chickpeas, adzuki or other beans and lentils is a great way to add to your salads and typically increases nutrient levels. Sprouts are richer in protein, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, vitamins C and K.
If taste is what you are after, Dal is another favourite of mine, like all Indian food it is so rich and yummy. Made with red, yellow, or any other type of split lentils or a combination of lentils and beans, it’s a soupy, creamy preparation to which onion, garlic and Indian spices are added. You gotta try dal makhani, from the wonderful culinary tradition of Punjab, Northern India. It is made with whole black lentils (urad), red kidney beans and gee, cream or butter.
In Italy eating lentils for New Year’s eve is an ancient Rome tradition representing money or prosperity. How wonderfully venerable is culinary culture and how interesting to re-discover old dishes and traditions. Spelt maltagliati pasta with little beans of Trasimeno, a region in Umbria, has been enriching the tables of my compatriots for centuries.
Not convinced yet? Come on, give it a go! Next time you’re down your health grocery store or supermarket, head to the dry good section and buy a few packs of pulses in any colour, shape and size. Boil them until soft and dress them with simple olive oil, a pinch of salt, pepper and oregano, on a slice of sourdough artisan bread. Or mix them with brown rice alongside a vegetarian curry and a salad.
Life is short, they say. Let’s try make it a little longer and a little tastier with home cooked, hearty, healthy beans!