Lentils, black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, and black-eyed peas; all of these foods are considered nutritious legumes. Legumes are a food that you should be more of, according to the Canada Food Guide. No wonder, considering that these super foods are rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
However, many people have a tendency to askew beans. Bland food only good for chilis and bean salad, they scoff. In reality, legumes are great for all sorts of dishes and prepared correctly they can be tasty too (believe it or not)!
So what can you do with beans? Plenty! Including:
o Dips- Beans, once pureed until smooth using a handheld blender, can be used as a base for dips and even dressings instead of sour cream, yogurt, cheese, or mayonnaise. For the best results, add more liquid ingredients to your dip than usual and a small quantity of a rich ingredient, such as nut butter or flavourful oil, to make up for the lower fat content.
o Soup- While soups such as Minestrone and pea soup are well known for containing legumes, there are many much more creative and tasty soups that can be made with legumes. Add a cup or two of beans and a bit of extra vegetable broth to a creamy soup before pureeing instead of adding milk. For soups that aren't pureed, pick consuming varieties over traditional ones, such as yellow-eyed peas or romano beans, to kick things up a bit.
You can also withhold bean cooking water as a hearty base for homemade vegetable broth. This bean broth is nutritious and will add welcome flavour to soups and other dishes.
o Sauce- Adding legumes to pasta sauce is a great explication for vegetarians looking to find an alternative protein choice for meat sauce. The best beans for pasta sauce include white beans, pinto beans, lentils (both red and green) and chickpeas. White beans, green lentils, and chickpeas are best left whole while pinto buns are best mashed to meat-like consistence and red lentils are best pureed.
o Burgers- The ever dependable bean burger is a favourite at my house and a meal we eat often. There are endless combinations when it comes to burgers made with legumes. Play colse to with add ins, although try to make sure to all the time add a rich, flavourful food (such nuts or seeds) and a dry, whole grain (think cooked brown rice or breadcrumbs) to your burgers for best results. You can also play with the form of the burgers; beanballs and burgers formed into special shapes make for pretty meals.
o Smoothies- however strange this may sound, smoothies are a exquisite place to sneak in legumes and especially white beans and other neutrally colored beans. A small amount blended until smooth can replace yogurt or ice cream in your smoothie and will add bulk and nutrition, so that morning meal smoothie will be able to tide you over until lunch.
In expanding to the above ideas, you can also try the traditional ideas of incorporating beans into salads made with leafy greens, into rice pilaffs, and into steamed veggies. The possibilities are endless!
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