Diabetes Direction

Legumes (beans) are quite packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals that we need. They can be a very tasty way to help meet the daily requirements our bodies need. We love to eat them, but they are higher in carbohydrates than I like, so we limit how much we eat and how often.

Dried beans are much better for us than canned, and they really aren’t much work to prepare, contrary to the belief of many. One of the best reasons to start with dried beans is that you get to control what goes into them. We don’t eat a lot of salt, so this is really good for us.

Most dried beans need to soak. There are ways to do quick soaking which takes a few hours, or you can do overnight soaking. The packages will tell you how long particular types should be soaked. I’ve let them soak up to 24 hours before with no problem. Be sure to drain, rinse and add fresh water every few hours during soaking though!

Lentils are a type of small and flat bean that doesn’t need to soak before cooking. They are an excellent source of molybdenum and folate, and are a very good source of dietary fiber and manganese and a good source of iron, protein, phosphorus, copper, thiamine and potassium. We aim at 40-50 grams of fiber per day, and beans are a great way to get fiber.

Today we are eating lentils with ham, onion, garlic and carrots. I used a ham bone from the freezer and boiled this on the stove with enough water to cover the bones entirely. Be sure to check on them often! Once the remaining meat was falling off the bones, I removed the big pieces and then strained the rest. Back into the pot the broth went, along with brown lentils and some chopped and sauteed in olive oil carrots, onion and garlic. This pre-cooking helps to soften the carrots and onions and also add to the flavor. Once the strained ham has cooled enough, I use my fingers to pull out any good bits of meat, shred it up a bit and toss it into the pot with the lentils and veggies. Let this cook on low until the lentils are cooked to your taste, and that’s all there is to it! The cooking time will be around half an hour or so. Be sure to check on them so that they don’t overcook and get mushy. This makes an excellent dinner, and can be done using a variety of legumes.

There are lots of good recipes using beans. Just be sure to keep your portion size to one serving, according to the package, as with all foods.

The Daily Bean: 175 Easy and Creative Bean Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner….and, yes, Dessert!

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