Beans=Legumes=protein, fiber & more....how to soak & cook your own
You can save a bundle of dough by buying bulk dried beans, soaking and cooking them. You may think this sounds too time consuming, but honestly it is not slave over the stove time, each step takes just a few minutes, then you can leave the scene. What this process will offer you is a more digestible bean, with more flavor and a potent nutrition profile...I believe it is worth the time to go for it your self and it spares you the BPA contaminants found in so many can liners.
There are so many different kinds of beans to choose from, yum! It is important to combine legumes properly with other foods so you achieve the most of their nutrients. Eating beans with green or non-starchy veggies and seaweeds is best. The ol' beans-n- rice combination is good with brown rice.
Aduki, lentils, mung, peas, pinto, kidney, navy, black-eyed peas, garbanzo, lima, black and soy are some of the most common beans found on shelves and bins.
Here are some tips on how to do it your self...
|
Beans (1 cup)~spices |
Water~ Cooking time |
|
Aduki~coriander, cumin, ginger Black~coriander, cumin, ginger Lentils~coriander, cumin, ginger, mint, garlic, sage, thyme, oregano Green split peas~dill, basil Whole peas~cumin, fennel Pinto-Kidney~fennel, cumin Garbanzo~mint, garlic Limas~cumin, fennel Black-eyed~cumin, fennel Mung~coriander, cumin, ginger Yellow/black Soy~cumin, fennel |
3 cups~1 ½ hours 3 cups~2 ½ hours 4 cups~1 hour 4 cups~1 hour 4 cups~3 hours 3 cups~2-3 hours 4 cups~4-5 hours 3 cups~1 hour 3 cups~1 hour 4 cups~1 hour 4cups~5 hours |
Adding the following spices to the beans offers more flavor and better digestibility...
Do not add salt until the very end of the cooking process (the last 15 minutes) or just wait until you add them to your dish... Salt can stifle the break down of the skins if added too early...
Soak the beans over night or 12 hours, in 1 part beans to 4 parts water.
Then rinse the beans and add to cooking pot (with a frond of kombu), bring water to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top.
Let the boil continue for about 20 minutes uncovered, then turn down to simmer and cover for directed time...If you have reached the minimum cooking time (listed above) and are ready to eat the beans, yet water still remains in the pot, uncover and cook on medium heat to cook away water.
All of these cooking times can be increased with the addition of more water. Essentially, don't worry about overcooking these beans, it will only make them more digestible. If gas is a problem with the imbibing of beans, you can add ¼ cup of vinegar to the cooking liquid for the last half hour of the simmer. You can go even further and actually sprout the beans, which would take a few days or soaking and rinsing versus the 12 hours of just soaking.
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