There are
many reasons you might shy away from beans - but if you do, you'll miss
out on a delicious, nutritious food.
We'll show you how easy it is to fit slow-soaking beans into fast-paced
lives, and the best uses for canned beans, lentils and peas. We'll even
offer a few tips to minimize the gas.
Dried Beans
- Dried
beans need to cook for a long time.
- First,
pick over the beans to remove any broken ones or stones. Rinse well
and soak them in water overnight.
- Drain,
rinse, place beans in saucepan and add water until generously
covered. Simmer until tender - the duration will depend on the type
of bean and its freshness.
- One cup
of dried beans yields about two cups of cooked beans.
- During
simmering, season the beans with strong herbs, such as a bay leaf,
sage, rosemary and dried thyme, or sweet spices such as cloves and
cinnamon.
- Add mild
herbs, such as fresh thyme, mint, savory or parsley, near the end of
cooking.
- To save
time, make a large batch and freeze what you're not going to eat.
You can store the beans in several lock-tight freezer bags. Thaw
them as needed, and use them to enrich soups and stews.
Canned Beans
- Canned
beans are a great convenience. They're as nutritious as dried beans,
except for the salt that's added during canning.
- Rinse
well to remove excess salt before adding the beans to recipes.
- One
15-oz. can contains about two cups of beans.
Lentils
- Lentils
require no soaking and cook quickly.
- They come
in a range of colors, from basic brown to a brilliant orange. Most
European lentils have a dark brown exterior and are stocked by many
supermarkets.
- The green
French "Puy" lentils are particularly flavorful.
- Yellow
lentils and orange hued red lentils are sold in East Indian markets
and whole food stores.
Peas
- Frozen
peas are an excellent convenience food. Stir them into soups, stews
and pilafs.
- There's
no need to precook - simply thaw in a colander under running water
for a few seconds.
The Gas Factor
- Gas,
bloating and flatulence are an unfortunate consequence of rapidly
increasing the amount of legumes you eat, but you can minimize the
effect.
- If eating
legumes is new to you, start with small amounts and gradually
increase serving sizes, as well as the frequency with which you
include them in your meals.
- Soak
legumes first and discard the soaking water before cooking. This
eliminates the vast majority of gas-causing sugars.
- The
"quick-soak" method - a quick boil followed by a one-hour
soak and the discarding of the water - isn't as effective at
preventing gas.
- Products
like "Beano," which supply an enzyme that breaks down the
gas-producing sugars in beans, are also effective.
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