Peas and beans (legumes) are great foods for anybody on a plant based diet. If you’re on a budget, they are also helpful for making a meat based meal go a bit further.
They don’t agree with everybody, but for many people they are very nourishing as long as they are prepared correctly. On their own, they don’t supply all the amino acids we need, but when paired with grains, seeds or nuts, they will supply more.
If you are on a GAPS or low starch diet, many legumes will be unsuitable for you. But navy / haricot beans are allowed (see GAPS baked beans recipe below) and some tolerate lentils.
How to prepare them
You can buy them tinned and ready cooked, but cooking them yourself will save money, and make them more digestible. Most of them need to be soaked overnight in a warm, acidic solution, then rinsed well and cooked again in fresh water.
Soybeans: Soaking doesn’t neutralise anti-nutrients. Only eat fermented soy products – tempeh, natto or miso. Tofu is generally NOT fermented. Soy milk and soy protein are definitely not fermented. Read more about using soy safely.
All other whole legumes: Soak 8-24 hours (or even longer is OK) in warm water with an acidic medium added (whey, kefir, yoghurt, lemon juice, etc). Drain, rinse well, add fresh water and simmer till cooked. Add salt after cooking, as adding it earlier can make them tough. See chart below for times.
| Qty | Qty of whey | Soak time | Approx cooking time | |
| Lentils, channa dhal, split peas | 2 cups | 2 Tbs | 7 hours | About an hour |
| Black eyed peas | 2 cups | 2 Tbs | 12 hours | 1-2 hours |
| Kidney beans | 2 cups | 2 Tbs | 12 hours | 6-8 hours |
| Black, pinto, borlotti beans | 2 cups | 2 Tbs | 12-24 hours, depending on size | 4-8 hours |
| White beans | 2 cups | 2 Tbs | 24 hours | At least 4 hours |
| Chick peas (garbanzo) | 1 cup | 2 Tbs | 24 hours | About 6 hours |
Recipes
Once prepared, many other recipes can be based on legumes including chilli, nachos, pea and ham soup, hummus, and a delicious lentil and kumara spread for on toast.
Hummus
Hummus makes a lovely starter or snack, with some crackers, carrot sticks or toasted pita bread. Or use as a topping for a Middle Eastern meal such as lamb and rice.
- 1 cup dried chick peas (for a low starch diet, substitute navy / haricot beans)
- 1/4 jar tahini
- 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1-2 Tbs lemon or lime juice
- 1/2 – 1ml cayenne pepper (optional)
Soak chick peas overnight (or at least 8 hours) in a large pan of warm water, with 2 Tbs whey, lemon juice or vinegar.
Rinse well. Pick out any bad looking ones. Cover with fresh water, making sure you have at least as much water as peas. Cook for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, until soft, checking water from time to time. Drain off the water into a cup. Dissolve 1/4 tsp sea salt in about 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Blend the chick peas and the salted water in the food processor till smooth
Add the remaining ingredients and process again, till it’s the texture you like. If mixture is too runny, add more tahini. If mixture is too thick, add more of the cooking liquid. Taste, and add a little more lemon or lime, it it isn’t tangy enough.
Lentil and kumara spread
Using lentils this time, this makes a great topping for toast, or can also be used as a dip or condiment.
- 1 cup red lentils
- chicken stock or water
- 1 large kumara
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- butter
- 1 tsp curry powder
- garlic
- sea salt
Soak the lentils for a few hours, then rinse and boil up in chicken stock or water till really soft (about an hour, but check from 30 mins on). Peel kumara, dice and set to boil. Fry up onion, garlic and curry powder in a generous amount of butter. Add cooked lentils and kumara to the frying pan and cook all together. Salt to taste. Roughly mash everything together, to the texture you like.
More recipes
- Hearty Chili with Ground Beef Blend and Vegetables
- Organ Meat Chili
- Rajma Masala with Lamb – for a vegetarian option, omit the lamb
- Mild lentil dal
- (GAPS friendly) baked beans – for something more like our NZ tinned baked beans, use tomato puree or paste instead of the chopped tomato
- Nachos – this article discusses many different variations of nachos. In NZ, we are most likely to see nachos with the following layers:
- Tortilla chips as a base
- Chili with meat and beans OR chili with just beans OR maybe refried beans – choose one of the above recipes to make your own
- Topped with cheese, sour cream, and / or avocado
- Black bean quesadillas
- Spiced chickpeas (ceci) – use as a side dish, serve with grains and meat or veg as a main, or add to soups or stews
- Bean salad – a selection
- Lentil loaf – with egg as the binder. Adapt the recipe by pre-soaking the lentils. Up the nutrition by using chicken or beef stock instead of vege stock.
- Vegan lentil loaf – uses breadcrumbs as the binder, so you can use your preferred bread. Adapt the recipe by pre-soaking the lentils.
- Freestyle Split Pea and Pork Hock Stew – includes instructions for either a raw hock or a smoked (ham) hock
- Pea and ham soup
- Roman lentil soup
- Red Lentil Soup with Chicken and Quinoa
- Crispy chickpeas snacks
Related pages
Recipe posts compiled by Deb.
For more recipes, go to the Recipe Index page
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