Save money by cooking legumes/beans/

You can save money by adding beans to your meals because they are one of the most versatile and nourishing cheap foods around. Beans are used in many cuisines including Indian, Mexican, Mediterranean and French, both instead of or as well as meat. You want cheap nutritious meals Peas, beans and lentils are known as pulses. They are the seeds of plants belonging to the family Leguminosae, which gets its name from the pod or legume that protects the seeds while they are forming and ripening. Pulses have been used as food for thousands of years. The lentil was probably one of the first plants ever to be domesticated by humans. With the exception of soy beans, pulses are very similar in nutritional content. They are rich in protein, carbohydrate and fibre, and low in fat. They also contain B vitamins and canned pulses may retain some vitamin C. As an example, Navy beans which are used to make baked beans might have a nutritional profile per 100g dried beans of: 4-5g protein, 1.6g fat, 14 g carbohydrate, 25.4g fibre, 6.7mg iron and 180mg calcium. The nutritional quality of the soya bean is superior to that of other pulses. It contains more protein and is also a good source of iron and calcium. The nutritional breakdown of soya is per 100g of dried beans: 34.1g protein, 17.7g fat, 28.6g carbohydrate, 8.4mg iron and 226mg calcium. Train your family to eat beans If your household are reluctant to eat beans you could try introducing them gradually, offer dips and snacks and build up to full meals, add cooked pulses to soups, sauces and salads and include sprouted beans in sandwiches and stir-fries. One or two bean dishes a week is a good choice both nutritionally and financially, because they are low in fat, provide protein, iron and fibre and are very inexpensive. Where to buy them: Dried beans are readily available in health food shops, Indian grocery suppliers, supermarkets and organic or whole food specialists, both bagged or in bulk. How to store them: Dried - store them in an airtight container and throw out any beans that are wrinkled, mouldy or that you have had longer than a year- old beans take longer to cook Cooked - beans freeze well so when preparing them from scratch do loads and freeze them in 1 cup quantities or pre measured for specific recipes. Canned beans: Canned beans are very easy beginner beans – there are loads of flavoured beans in cans in the supermarket – they make great toasted sandwich fillings or toppings for a jacket potato – a can of chilli beans makes a nourishing dip or sandwich spread – process the contents of the can to a spreadable consistency and serve, or mix in some light sour cream for a creamier texture. Try adding baked beans or chilli beans to casserole or a cup of cooked lentils to a hot savory dish – you’ll gain at least one extra serve from the recipe and improve the nutritional profile of the dish. Sprouting: Many whole pulses (e.g. adzuki, chickpeas, whole lentils, marrowfat peas, mung and soya beans) can be sprouted which increases their nutritional value. If you’ve never cooked with beans before then you may be wondering “Don’t beans need soaking? How do I cook them? Do they take ages? Will we have green house gasses? And will the household actually eat them? How to cook Pulses/beans/lentils