Chemical composition of a product is characterized by calories, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, dietary fibres and vitamins. For organic products, these parameters significantly depend on natural factors – air temperature and precipitation during vegetational season, dry or rainy season, geographic latitude and longitude of cultivation, botanical grain varieties, and soil type. It is impossible to foresee all the factors, so these values are average and indicative only.

Preparing Beans for Cooking.

The legume seeds contain the enzyme inhibitors that keep the seeds in “dormant” state and prohibit them from growing until they get enough moisture. These inhibitors may have a negative effect on digestion, blocking our digestive and metabolic enzymes. Besides, legumes contain phytic acid, which, combined with the inhibitors, protects grains from being eaten by animals, making them dry and indigestible. In the intestine, phytic acid can interfere with the digestion of calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

If just to boil dry grains, the inhibitors and phytic acid will not be neutralized and will exert their negative effects. For this reason beans should be pre-soaked to be properly digested with no discomfort and heaviness in the stomach. Soaked beans neutralize enzyme inhibitors and form beneficial enzymes that enhance the grain digestion. While being soaked, enzymes and lactobacillus split and neutralize phytic acid as well. In fact, by soaking beans in a saucepan before their cooking, we simulate the grains getting in moist soil – grains awaken and their nutrients become more active. It takes minimum 7 hours to destruct most of the phytic acid and to neutralize inhibitors in cereals and legumes. Overnight soaked beans will be better digested as well as quickly cooked the next day.

Healthy Recipes with Beans

Bean and Tomato Cold Cream Soup

Ingredients:  250 ml vegetable broth, 400 g boiled white beans, ½ onion, 2 garlic cloves, ½ stalk celery, 3 tomatoes, ½ tsp sage, salt and pepper to taste, organic olive oil.
Directions:  Cut onion, garlic and celery. Fry the vegetables in vegetable oil, add sage and pepper. Then add beans to the vegetables. Scald tomatoes, peel and chop them finely, and add to the vegetables. Cover the vegetables with broth and boil for 5-7 minutes. Then remove the soup from the fire and puree it with a blender. Serve the soup cool.

Bean Blondies

Ingredients: 400 g boiled beans, 1 banana, 2-3 tbsp agave syrup or honey, 1 tbsp liquid vanilla or vanilla extract, 7 tbsp organic corn flour, 1 tsp peanut butter, dark chocolate or chocolate drops to garnish, cinnamon optionally.
Directions: Preheat the oven to 150C. Puree beans, banana and agave syrup with a blender. Add corn flour, peanut butter and mix them thoroughly. Make a light stiff dough. Cover a glass cake pan with baking paper and oil it with coconut oil. Place the dough in the cake pan and garnish it with chocolate chips. Put in the oven for 35 minutes. Blondies should be dry, but soft inside.