Lean Bean

Beans are a easily available and cheap source of high protein and energy belong to the legumes and bean family of plant food. More than 13,000 species are found worldwide. 

A wide selection of beans are available in Pakistan that includes, red kidney beans, black eye beans, chickpeas, the bengal gram, mung and masoor beans, green pea and many others. The tiny colourful beady food are packed with valuable micro and macro nutrients and fibre rich, and symptous dishes can be created with them. Bean based dishes can be great protein source for weight watchers, and for people following vegetarian diet. 

Find here recipes of two of my latest creations of bean based hearty soups.

 

-->

Barley and Bean Soup

-       ½ cup Barley (dry)- 250cal

-       ½ cup black eye beans (dry)-100

-       50gms quinoa (dry)- 260cal

-       canned fava beans- 110

-       2 tsp lemon pepper-0

-       1 tsp basil- 0

-       1 tbsp bruised fresh pepper-8

-       1 tbsp garlic flakes- 16

-       ½ tsp ground red chillie/cayenne pepper-6

-       ½ kg hopped tomatoes-110

-       two medium sized chopped onions

-       2 bay leaves

-       Vegetable/chicken stock- fresh or cubes at least 2 full cups/cubes

Makes 8 -10 cups 8 oz cups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

Soak overnight in a bowl: black eye beans, quinoa and barley

Cooking Instructions:

-       wash the soaked ingredients and put in a big pot covered with 1.5 ltrs of water with chopped onions and bay leaves .

-       leave it for cooking for at least 45 minutes or until the beans are tender.

-       Add chopped tomatoes and all other spices alongwith the stockand the canned fava bean

-       Cook for another 20 minutes

-       When its consistency is desired which is thick and chunky serve it piping hot with any crusty artisan wholewheat bread.

-       Approximately 100Cal in one 8 oz bowl.


16 Bean Soup
Can be cooked with any number and combination of beans, just ensure they all get cooked at the same time and temperature. I generally use a combination of canned and dry beans.

For the following recipe, I used the 500gm packet of  Goya 16 bean combination.

Ingredients

500 gms, mixed beans
1 large onion, chopped

4 large fresh tomatoes chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1  teaspoon fresh pepper corns crushed
2 bay leaf
10 cups water
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon tyme

1 Cooriander and Dill sprigs

Cooking Instructions:

- Soak the beans overnight

-Place beans in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 6 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 hours or until beans are softened. 

-add chopped onions, gasrlic and bay leaves 

- when beans are tender, remove the bay leaves 

- Add fresh and canned tomatoes and spices;
lemon pepper, chili flakes, pepper,

- let cook for another 20 minutes

-now add thyme and let simmer for 5 min

- garnish with fresh corriander and dill.  

Hearty One Pot Meal:

This is a thick, chunky soup. Main ingredients are any one kind of bean, wholewheat penne pasta, whole grain like barley or quinoa, and a some green vegetable like squash, string beans, baby corns and a leafy vegetable like bok choy, Kulfa greens or baby spinach.

- Use the 16 bean soup recipe exactly
- add grains with beans
- add pasta when the beans are tender
- add string beans  squashes vegetable towards the end of cooking and cook in the soup for like 5-7 minutes, turn off the heat and then add the green leafy vegetable and leave it to wilt before serving.