Beans : A Superfood & Easy Ways To Use them In Your Diet !

Beans : A Superfood & Easy Ways To Use them In Your Diet !

This is my second post in the A-Z blogging challenge and since I am blogging  the letter B, I thought I would blog about one of my favorite foods. There must have been something to the story of the magic beans in Jack and the Beanstalk , because there is something  so powerful and magical about the elusive bean. Packed with fiber, antioxidants and phytochemicals bean and legumes are on the top ten for almost any ‘Power Foods List’. They are also high in protein which makes them a desirable food group for vegetarians. Not to mention, they are Low Glycemic Index( GI) which means they keep blood sugar levels steady, making them a diabetic’s best friend. Good for all of us really!  Well since this is a short and sweet post, am going to get to the point and share with you some of my tried and tested ways to eat more beans 🙂

 

Beany Tips

Very important : To get rid of the gassy bloated feeling you have when you eat beans,  rinse the beans thoroughly at-least 3 times to get rid of all gas-producing substances. This is especially true for canned beans.  Rinse Rinse Rinse !!!

Soak dry bean for a few hours to lessen cooking time. Pressure cooking dry beans is also an effective way to cook dry beans quickly.

Cook dry beans with asafeotida to tenderize and improve the digestibility of the bean which in turn will produce less gas. Asafeotida is available in Asian and Indian grocery stores.  A pinch is all you need to tenderize the bean.

Dont salt your beans untill after they are cooked. This will lessen cook time and improve digestibility of beans.

 

 

Tips to get more beans in your diet

Make at-least one day a meatless day and make legumes the main meat for that meal. I have a delish recipe for a spinach lentil soup ( pictured above ) that is a favorite in my home. Be creative and come up with lentil dishes that your family will enjoy

Add rinsed, canned beans to salads, veggie dishes, stir fry, meats and soups. They will add some zest and texture to the dish.

Blend canned beans and add to soups, sauces, baked goods . They will just blend in. The trick is to use a little at a time so it does not change the taste of the dish.

Make humus with chick peas and serve as dip with veggies or chips. Make other bean dips or incorporate some beans into salsa and other dips. I have a great recipe for black bean and corn salsa which gets demolished in seconds.

Make soup or chilli often.  Easy one pot dish packed with fiber and protein.

Sprout beans to get increase their nutitional value and turn them into a supercharged food. Check out this cool video to sprout beans in a jar.

Roasted dry beans and lentils make a great snack. You can find them in health food stores. Roasted soy beans are one of my favorite snacks !

 

 

If you have any tips on using beans in your diet, do share!  Hope this post inspires you to eat more beans !!

 

 

If you want to visit some other  blogs participating in the A-Z Blogging Challenge, click the button below !! Visit my blog tomorrow to check out my C post 🙂

 

 

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