Legumes

Today’s blog comes to us from vegan cooking expert, Patti Breitman

Legumes

Legumes, such as beans, soybeans, peas, lentils, and peanuts, are the most inexpensive and widely used source of protein on the planet. They really stand out for their fiber and water content, and because they are digested slowly, they keep you full for several hours after eating. When substituted for meat, you will also get the added bonus of lower saturated fat. Legumes are also high in antioxidants, molecules that protect cells from damage.

We asked cookbook writer Patti Breitman to share her tips with us for cooking beans, below, and her advice for combating the sometimes unfortunate result we get when eating beans – gas.

Tips for using lentils in the diet

Lentils and split peas do not need soaking before cooking, and so they are a fast and versatile protein source. Use them in salads, soups, spreads, wraps, dips, and any other way you can think of. Try yellow lentils for a change; they begin pinkish and turn yellow as they cook, and are popular in Asian dishes. Or use French lentils, the smaller brown kind, for a touch of elegance. 

Combating gas

To minimize gas that some people get when they eat beans, soak the beans in lots of water in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before cooking, and drain the soaking water before cooking. The gas comes from small carbohydrates called oligosaccharides, and when you pour off the soaking water, you are also pouring off up to three quarters of the oligosaccharides. Use new water to cook the beans.  If gas isn’t a problem for you, you can skip the soaking method, and just cook the beans longer. 

Additionally, if gas is a problem for you when you eat beans, start with lentils and split peas, and eat a small portion at first. You can then graduate to larger portions and then to chickpeas and other larger beans. Over time, your gut will adjust to beans in your diet, and gas will be less of an issue. So start with small portions of small beans, soak and rinse the larger beans, and then you will reap all the benefits of this nutrient dense food.

Types of beans available at the supermarket

Canned beans, while a bit more expensive than dried beans, are a real time saver, and available in many varieties in your supermarket. Look for low sodium varieties, and rinse them in water before using to further reduce added salt and the effects of those pesky oligosaccharides.

Dried beans are the best bargain by far, with the biggest cost being your time. To cook beans, first soak them (up to overnight) and then place them in a large pot and add three cups of water for every cup of dried beans (about 6 cups of water per pound). See the chart below for how long to simmer the beans, depending on the type you are cooking.

Here is a chart to show you how long to cook many kinds of dried beans:

Adzuki , soaked, 1 ½ hours; unsoaked, 2 to 3 hours

Black, soaked, 1 ½ hours; unsoaked, 2 to 3 hours

Black-eyed peas, soaked, ½ hour; unsoaked, 1 hour

Cannellini, soaked, 1 to 1 ½ hours; unsoaked, 2 hours

Chickpeas, soaked, 2 hours; unsoaked, 3 ½ to 4 hours

Great northern, soaked, 1 ½ to 2 hours; unsoaked, 3 to 4 hours

Kidney, soaked, 1 ½ to 2 hours; unsoaked, 2 to 3 hours

Lentils (always unsoaked), ½ to ¾ hours

Lima, baby, soaked, ¾ to 1 hour; unsoaked, 1 ½ hours

Navy, soaked, 1 ½ to 2 hours; unsoaked, 2 to 3 hours

Pinto, soaked, 1 ½ to 2 hours; unsoaked, 2 to 3 hours

Soybeans, soaked, 2 to 3 hours; unsoaked, 3 to 4 hours

Split peas (always unsoaked), ¾ hours

You can also save time by using a slow cooker. Place the soaked or unsoaked beans in the cooker with enough water or broth to cover the beans, plus an inch or two more. Cook on low overnight or on high for 3 to 4 hours until the beans are tender.

Finally, frozen beans are great substitutes for fresh beans, and can be thawed in minutes – just add boiling water.

Quick tips to adding beans to all sorts of dishes:

1.     Add beans to your salad

2.     Include pinto beans or black beans as a topping option on tacos

3.     Add beans to any soup or stew for added flavor and more bulk

4.     Replace kidney beans for some of the meat you would normally use in chili

5.     Toss lentils with leftover veggies, brown rice, and a vinaigrette

For more vegan recipes, see:

“Never Too Late to Go Vegan; the Over-50 Guide to Adopting and Thriving on a Plant-Based Diet”

by Carol J. Adams, Patti Breitman and Virginia Messina, MPH, RD