I am not a fun of beans! I used to love beans -- "Makpor" -- beans and palm oil ("Zome" - seasoned palm oil) with "Gari" (processed cassava meal or flour); beans stew with fried plantain (aka "Red, Red"); bambara beans (or garbanzo beans cooked like baked beans with onions, tomato sauce, chili peppers, ginger and other spices and sweetened with sugar) with fried plantain fritters (aka "Aboboi and Tatale" or as I like to say -- "Bobs and Tats"); and beans and rice (aka "Waakye") with meat stew. Just loved it all!
Now I can't tolerate any kind of beans! It literally gives me a panic attack just to think of the little beans! I kid you not! I don't want to smell, touch or taste that stuff but my nutritionist wants me to work beans into my diet.
So what is the secret for those of us who are beans intolerant? Apparently, you need to soak the beans for 6 to 8 hours; and then discard the water and rinse the beans. To reduce stomach discomfort and gas, you should cook the beans with "Kombu seaweed" a type of Japanese seaweed. Kombu is a good source of glutamic acid, an amino acid. It also contains iodine, a mineral that is essential for normal growth and development.
I am going to give it one more try and if it does not work, God knows that I tried!
Verdict? No can do! It did not fly -- gave me a major headache just from tasting a tiny little bit and smelling the beans! (See my second successful attempt below -- now I can eat beans! Yeah!)
Okay, I still wanted to give it another try so I consulted my friend Kajal Tejsinghani -- she has one of the best food blogs, Aapplemint, and she gave me the following recipe for lentils. I will give it a try and let you know how it went.
Here is Kajal's suggestion for cooking lentils: First soak "Tuwar Dal" or "Moong Dal"-- lentils available from Indian stores -- in water for 2 hours; and then either pressure cook them or boil with little ginger, salt, cumin seeds (if you can get some, very good for digestion), and a pinch of turmeric. Cook till the lentils are very soft. Then blend it all in a blender. It should not be too watery nor to thick. A soup like consistency. Return to pot, give one boil. Add some freshly chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime. Serve with steamed rice, or just dip some chunky bread and enjoy.
My Second Attempt on Lentil Soup: I cooked the lentil soup as suggested by Kajal and it was wonderful! Now I wish I can can or bottle it! An Indian friend, Karuna, came by to assist me and brought some "Asafoetida" powder which helped greatly. The lentil soup was so fragrant and tasty as the lentils absorbed the flavor and fragrance from the spices, herbs, smoked ham hock and aromatic vegetables. It was heavenly!
Asafoetida is a powered spice that is ground from the resin from the Asafoetida plant. It is used in Indian and Asian cooking and it helps with digestion and eliminates flatulence.
Here is my recipe for Lentil Soup (using a combination of Kajal's and Karuna's recipes and my own twist with ham hock, chives, arugula, celery, carrots, rosemary, parsley and spinach. Enjoy!):
Here is my recipe for Lentil Soup (using a combination of Kajal's and Karuna's recipes and my own twist with ham hock, chives, arugula, celery, carrots, rosemary, parsley and spinach. Enjoy!):
Ingredients:
1 cup lentils (soak for 2 or 3 hours and wash thoroughly until the water is clear)
4 pieces Kombu seaweed (soak for 2 or 3 hours and use the soaking liquid to cook the lentils)
i/2 medium onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 tsp fresh ginger (grated or chopped)
1/4 fresh habanero (optional, chopped)
1/4 fresh Serrano chili (optional, chopped)
1 tsp cumin (powder or seeds)
1 tbsp curry powder (in lieu of tumeric and coriander)
1 tsp sea salt or Kosher salt (add more or less to your taste)
2 small leaves of Bay Leaf
1 tsp sea salt or Kosher salt (add more or less to your taste)
2 small leaves of Bay Leaf
1 stick celery (diced)
1 medium carrot (diced)
2 small pieces smoked ham hock (optional -- leave out the ham hock for a vegetarian meal)
Small pinch of Asafoetida powder
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
Optional
1/4 cup fresh chives
1 cup fresh Arugula
2 cups fresh Spinach
1 cup fresh Parsley or Cilantro
Small sprig of Rosemary
1/2 tsp of fresh cracked Black Pepper
1 cup fresh Parsley or Cilantro
Small sprig of Rosemary
1/2 tsp of fresh cracked Black Pepper
Recipe:
1. Soak the lentils for about 2 or 3 hours and then thoroughly rinse until the water is clear.
2. Separately soak 4 pieces of Kombu seaweed for about 2 or 3 hours but do not discard the liquid. Use the liquid to cook the lentils.
3. Cook the lentils with about two cups of water, salt and the Kombu seaweed in a slow cooker for about 2 hours. (Add the liquid that you used to soak the Kombu seaweed to make up the two cups of water.)
3. Add chopped fresh garlic and ginger,, cumin, curry powder (in lieu of tumeric and coriander), diced onions (one quarter of a medium onion), celery (one stick), carrot (one medium), bay leaves, and two small pieces of smoked ham hock to the lentils.
4. After another 30 minutes, put 1 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add a pinch of Asafoetida powder to the hot oil.
5. Add the remaining diced onions, chives, arugula, parsley, rosemary, spinach, black pepper and a pinch of salt to the oil and stir fry for about three minutes.
6. Add all the stir fried vegetables and herbs to the lentil soup and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Serve with steamed brown rice. (I used a blend of Trader Joe's Jasmine Brown Rice, and Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley which is a blend of long-grain brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds. It is very nutritious and flavorful, and has lots of fiber!)
This is just delicious! You have to try it!
This is just delicious! You have to try it!
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This is what Consumer Reports "The Best of Health" has to say, "Processed soy products such as tofu are less likely to cause intestinal discomfort. Soybeans and other legumes contain carbohydrates called "oligosaccharides" which the body can't digest since it lacks the necessary enzyme, "alpha-galactosidase". So the intact oligosaccharides move on to the lower intestines, where they're broken by bacteria, producing gas.
The processing of soy products such as tofu, tempeh, miso, and soy "protein isolate" removes the oligosaccharides; all of these products are easier to digest than whole soybeans. You can eliminate most of oligosaccharides from raw beans by soaking them overnight.
You might also try "Beano", a product that provides the missing enzyme. (People with diabetes should check with their doctor before taking "Beano", since the enzyme produces a type of sugar that might hinder their blood-sugar control.)
Inside the new Dietary Guidelines: Beans
Beans are very nearly the perfect food: Packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber, they’re also quite low in fat. They are known as “nutrient-dense” foods, meaning they provide a lot of nutrition per calorie. On top of that, they’re cheap.
“They’re truly the unsung heroes of our food chain,” says David Grotto, a registered dietitian and author of “101 Optimal Life Foods” and “101 Foods That Could Save Your Life!” So it’s no wonder beans are favored in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That document, which spells out the federal government’s recommendations for healthful eating, includes beans on a short list of foods we should all be eating more of.
“They’re truly the unsung heroes of our food chain,” says David Grotto, a registered dietitian and author of “101 Optimal Life Foods” and “101 Foods That Could Save Your Life!” So it’s no wonder beans are favored in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That document, which spells out the federal government’s recommendations for healthful eating, includes beans on a short list of foods we should all be eating more of.
(iStock Photo/ ) - Beans and legumes
How much?
The new guidelines recommend eating 11 / 2 cups of beans a week. That’s half of what was suggested in the 2005 guidelines but still way more than one-third of a cup, which is Americans’ median weekly intake of dried beans and peas, according to Trish Britten, a nutritionist with the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. That figure wasn’t available when the 2005 guidelines were written; the new guidelines reflect a more achievable goal.
The basics
What’s a bean? Legumes are plants whose seed pods split into two halves. Beans and peas are the mature, edible seeds of some such plants, according to the guidelines. Examples such as kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, garbanzo beans (or chickpeas), lima beans, black-eyed peas, split peas and lentils all fall under the category of beans, according to the guidelines.
What’s not a bean. Green beans, which are listed in the guidelines as a green vegetable, and green peas, listed as starchy vegetables. Neither is a legume. Soybeans and peanuts are legumes but not considered beans under the guidelines.
Vegetable and protein. Beans and peas are staples of these two food groups in the Dietary Guidelines. If you get plenty of protein, feel free to include beans in your vegetable tally (21 / 2 cups a day is recommended). For vegetarians and vegans, beans can be a key source of plant-based protein.
The benefits
- Fiber. Because they are so packed with fiber (a half cup delivers six grams, about a quarter of your daily need), beans make us feel full quickly and help maintain that feeling for a long time. Fiber consumption has been linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, being overweight and Type 2 diabetes.
- Vitamins, minerals and more. Beans are rich sources of iron, zinc and folate, and they’re high on the list of foods containing antioxidants, which are thought to protect against inflammation and cell damage by combating stray oxygen molecules (“free radicals”) that harm our bodies’ tissues. In general, the deeper the color of their skin, the more antioxidants they offer. Plus, beans, like other vegetables, contain lots of potassium, which may help protect against high blood pressure and stroke.
- Value. When it comes to cheap eats, you can hardly beat beans. At my grocery store, for instance, a 16-ounce bag of dried garbanzos is $1.69 and yields 10 quarter-cup cooked servings (about 17 cents a serving). A 16-ounce bag of dried lentils is $1.49 and makes 14 quarter-cup servings (about 10 cents each). Even canned beans are a bargain: A 15-ounce can of black beans costs $1.29 and contains six quarter-cups (about 20 cents apiece). And a 16-ounce can of red kidney beans, also $1.29, has seven quarter-cup servings (about 18 cents each).
Consumer concerns
Sodium. Canned beans, though more convenient than dried, are swimming in sodium. Some manufacturers offer reduced-sodium versions. Draining and rinsing them in a colander cuts sodium by 40 percent, Grotto says.
Cooking. Dried beans require the extra steps of soaking and cooking. To save labor, cook a bunch at once and freeze what you don’t use.
Refried beans. These are perfectly good beans, Grotto says. They’re just cooked pinto beans that have been mashed up. Sometimes they’re cooked with lard or vegetable oil; look instead for fat-free varieties such as those offered by Ortega and Old El Paso.
The musical fruit? If beans make you toot, blame the carbohydrate raffinose, which hangs around in our digestive tracts when we eat beans (as well as cabbage, broccoli and some whole grains), Grotto says. Our bodies lack the enzyme needed to digest raffinose, which ends up fermenting in our guts. The problem’s worse when we suddenly introduce fiber to our systems, he says. To avoid getting gassy, try phasing in beans, starting with just a tablespoon a day, Grotto suggests. If that doesn’t work, try Beano or similar supplements, which contain a key bean-digesting enzyme.
Recipes on the Web
Beans are versatile and work well with all kinds of other ingredients. Find these recipes in the Food section’s Recipe Finder at washingtonpost.com/recipes.
- Black Bean and White Bean Primavera Salad
- Chicken Chili
- Chicken Tacos with Black Beans and Lime Cream
- Stuffed Peppers with Ancho Sauce
- Pan-Roasted Scallops with Mandarins and Chickpeas
By the numbers
1 1 / 2 : The number of cups per week a person on a 2,000-calorie daily diet should eat. That’s just under a quarter cup a day. You can do that, right?
4: Cups of cooked beans and peas recommended each week for a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy.
Previously in this series: Find guides to eating more whole grains and fish.
Nutrition news: Visit the Checkup blog , follow @jhuget on Twitter and subscribe to the Lean & Fit newsletter.
This column is part of a series about incorporating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 into your diet.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/inside-the-new-dietary-guidelines-beans/2011/04/13/AFyvyIqE_story.html?wpisrc=nl_health
The new guidelines recommend eating 11 / 2 cups of beans a week. That’s half of what was suggested in the 2005 guidelines but still way more than one-third of a cup, which is Americans’ median weekly intake of dried beans and peas, according to Trish Britten, a nutritionist with the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. That figure wasn’t available when the 2005 guidelines were written; the new guidelines reflect a more achievable goal.
The basics
What’s a bean? Legumes are plants whose seed pods split into two halves. Beans and peas are the mature, edible seeds of some such plants, according to the guidelines. Examples such as kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, garbanzo beans (or chickpeas), lima beans, black-eyed peas, split peas and lentils all fall under the category of beans, according to the guidelines.
What’s not a bean. Green beans, which are listed in the guidelines as a green vegetable, and green peas, listed as starchy vegetables. Neither is a legume. Soybeans and peanuts are legumes but not considered beans under the guidelines.
Vegetable and protein. Beans and peas are staples of these two food groups in the Dietary Guidelines. If you get plenty of protein, feel free to include beans in your vegetable tally (21 / 2 cups a day is recommended). For vegetarians and vegans, beans can be a key source of plant-based protein.
The benefits
- Fiber. Because they are so packed with fiber (a half cup delivers six grams, about a quarter of your daily need), beans make us feel full quickly and help maintain that feeling for a long time. Fiber consumption has been linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, being overweight and Type 2 diabetes.
- Vitamins, minerals and more. Beans are rich sources of iron, zinc and folate, and they’re high on the list of foods containing antioxidants, which are thought to protect against inflammation and cell damage by combating stray oxygen molecules (“free radicals”) that harm our bodies’ tissues. In general, the deeper the color of their skin, the more antioxidants they offer. Plus, beans, like other vegetables, contain lots of potassium, which may help protect against high blood pressure and stroke.
- Value. When it comes to cheap eats, you can hardly beat beans. At my grocery store, for instance, a 16-ounce bag of dried garbanzos is $1.69 and yields 10 quarter-cup cooked servings (about 17 cents a serving). A 16-ounce bag of dried lentils is $1.49 and makes 14 quarter-cup servings (about 10 cents each). Even canned beans are a bargain: A 15-ounce can of black beans costs $1.29 and contains six quarter-cups (about 20 cents apiece). And a 16-ounce can of red kidney beans, also $1.29, has seven quarter-cup servings (about 18 cents each).
Consumer concerns
Sodium. Canned beans, though more convenient than dried, are swimming in sodium. Some manufacturers offer reduced-sodium versions. Draining and rinsing them in a colander cuts sodium by 40 percent, Grotto says.
Cooking. Dried beans require the extra steps of soaking and cooking. To save labor, cook a bunch at once and freeze what you don’t use.
Refried beans. These are perfectly good beans, Grotto says. They’re just cooked pinto beans that have been mashed up. Sometimes they’re cooked with lard or vegetable oil; look instead for fat-free varieties such as those offered by Ortega and Old El Paso.
The musical fruit? If beans make you toot, blame the carbohydrate raffinose, which hangs around in our digestive tracts when we eat beans (as well as cabbage, broccoli and some whole grains), Grotto says. Our bodies lack the enzyme needed to digest raffinose, which ends up fermenting in our guts. The problem’s worse when we suddenly introduce fiber to our systems, he says. To avoid getting gassy, try phasing in beans, starting with just a tablespoon a day, Grotto suggests. If that doesn’t work, try Beano or similar supplements, which contain a key bean-digesting enzyme.
Recipes on the Web
Beans are versatile and work well with all kinds of other ingredients. Find these recipes in the Food section’s Recipe Finder at washingtonpost.com/recipes.
- Black Bean and White Bean Primavera Salad
- Chicken Chili
- Chicken Tacos with Black Beans and Lime Cream
- Stuffed Peppers with Ancho Sauce
- Pan-Roasted Scallops with Mandarins and Chickpeas
By the numbers
1 1 / 2 : The number of cups per week a person on a 2,000-calorie daily diet should eat. That’s just under a quarter cup a day. You can do that, right?
4: Cups of cooked beans and peas recommended each week for a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy.
Previously in this series: Find guides to eating more whole grains and fish.
Nutrition news: Visit the Checkup blog , follow @jhuget on Twitter and subscribe to the Lean & Fit newsletter.
This column is part of a series about incorporating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 into your diet.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/inside-the-new-dietary-guidelines-beans/2011/04/13/AFyvyIqE_story.html?wpisrc=nl_health
