Love me some LEGUMES

Do you know what a legume is?  I honestly didn’t know what they were until I moved to California.  I guess I never really heard that word before or at least not as often as I do now.   Since learning about nutrition, I read about legumes all of the time.  Mostly because legumes are super nutritious and I’ve learned they are also very delicious, since I don’t eat meat, I eat them quite often. 

Legumes consist of lentils, peas and pulses.  They are low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals.  Legumes are an important source of protein for vegetarians.  Pulses are the edible seeds from plants belonging to the legume family which include black-eyed peas and a vast range of beans.  Most pulses require soaking overnight in cold water before use when using the dry variety.  Lentils are one of the oldest foods, originating in Asia and North Africa.  They do not require soaking and are hard even when fresh so they are always sold dried.  Lentils and peas also provide us with iron, selenium, folate, manganese, zinc, phosphorus, and some B vitamins.  Their high fiber content helps to reduce LDL cholesterol, promote GI health and function, and control blood sugars.

Lentils

Red Lentils may also be known as Egyptian lentils.  They cook in 20 minutes, eventually molding into a thick puree. They are perfect for thickening soups and casseroles.   Yellow lentils are very similar to red lentils.

Green and Brown lentils are sometimes referred to as continental lentils and they retain their shape when cooked.  They take 40-45 minutes to cook and make great additions to warm salads, casseroles and stuffings. 

Puy Lentils are tiny, dark, blue-green marbled lentils grown in France and are considered to be far superior in taste and texture to other varieties.  They also retain their shape when cooked for about 25-30 minutes.

Dried peas come from field peas not garden peas so they can’t be eaten fresh.  They are soft when young but require drying.  They are available whole or split.  Split peas have a sweeter flavor, cook more quickly and do not hold their shape when cooked.

Beans

There are many varieties of beans such as adzuki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, borlotti beans, fava beans, lima and butter beans, cannellini beans, garbanzo beans, flageolet beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, ful medames, soybeans, and mung beans.  For sake of time and the fact that I could describe these beans in a number of blog posts, today I will just focus on the health benefits of these beans.  Also I found a brownie recipe that uses black beans that I wanted to share and can’t wait to try.  Black beans are my favorite beans too!  

I mentioned some nutrients in legumes above but beans also provide us with iron, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, folate, and most B vitamins.  Soybeans are thought to be the most nutritious of all beans because they are rich in high-quality protein containing eight essential amino acids meaning they can’t be made in the body and are vital for renewal of cells and tissues.  Fiber is another benefit of eating beans.  Studies show that eating beans on a regular basis can lower cholesterol levels by 20%!  Beans also contain lignins (phytoestrogen) which protect against breast cancer, prostate and colon cancer and lignins also may help to balance hormone levels in the body.   

I know some people may not eat beans on a regular basis because of the unfortunate side effects.  It is true that beans produce gas in the gut.  Some things you can do to avoid major side effects are never cook pulses in their soaking water because it will contain indigestible sugars which will cause major stomach upset, skim off any scum that forms on the surface of the cooking water and add digestive spices such as dill, asafetida, ginger and caraway to the cooking water.  NASA is involved in research into flatulence-free foods.  The Manteca bean discovered in Chile is flatulent free and easy to digest.  It is now being grown in England and is supposed to become more readily available and may also be called Jersey yellow beans.  So keep a lookout!!

Check out the Recipe Tab for a Brownie recipe that uses pureed black beans.