Different ways with beans

THIS New Year, make a resolve to add protein to your diet. Beans is a
very good source. Enjoy it in different ways with these tasty ethnic
recipes .

Beans are an often-overlooked source of incredible health benefits.
They have a lot of carbohydrates, leading people to believe they
should be avoided and seen as a weight gain risk only. Nothing could
be farther from the truth though, as research has shown that the
carbohydrates found in most beans are of the complex variety. Complex
carbohydrates are not contributors to any sort of weight gain,
instead, they provide the brain and muscles with a lot of good, stable
energy supplies.

Beans actually contain a wider variety of healthy nutrients than most
foods. These include calcium, potassium, vitamin B6, magnesium,
folate, and alpha-linolenic acid. These nutrients work together on
several key areas of the body promoting total health. Beans also
happen to be good sources of complete proteins, which is rare in
plants.

Plants, while having many different nutrients, often lack complete
proteins of any kind. This is unfortunate, as protein is a vital
ingredient to the healthy and normal functioning of the human body,
and the most readily available sources of protein have negative
effects on the heart. Beans, however, are plentiful in protein.

Beans are recognized as an important food because it is loaded with
nutrients. It is also considered as a well- rounded healthy food
because it falls into the category of the vegetable group, meat group
and bean group. Beans are a vegetable, but contain the valuable
protein that is often associated with meat. This makes them an ideal
alternative to meat for vegetarians or for those who want to limit
intake of meat products. One of the reasons why beans should be part
of our daily diet is that beans are full of both soluble and insoluble
fibre. They contain the most fibre of any vegetable.

Beans can help prevent anemia because it is rich in vitamins and
minerals, especially iron. It is very helpful in constipation,
one-half cup serving of most beans contain 15 to 20 grams of
carbohydrate and up to an incredible 8 grams of fibre.

It is recommended for people who want to build their muscles and make
their body stronger because beans contain at least 20 per cent protein
and are high in carbohydrates.

Studies have also shown that all kinds of beans can help lower serum
cholesterol and triglyceride level in the body because most beans
contain only 2 to 3 per cent fat.

Beans are excellent to prevent and treat diabetes. Beans have a low
glycemic index (rate at which a food raises the blood sugar), and it
provide sustained energy while slowly being released into the blood
stream.

According to studies, the consumption of legumes especially beans is
the most important dietary predictor of survival among the elderly
ones as beans serves as a key to their longevity in life.

Beans also contains health boosting resistant starches as
carbohydrates do not break down the way other starches do and in many
ways acts like fiber.

Beans increase the bulk of stool in the large intestine, speed up
transit time and provide food for friendly bacteria, which promotes
intestinal health.


Ewa aganyin beans with fried pepper sauce
Recipe for 3 servings:

2 cups beans

1 medium size onion

Small amount grounded fresh pepper

1 boiled frozen fish or canned sardine

75ml palm oil

Seasoning and salt to taste

Pick beans and pour into already boiling water add diced onion and
preferably some seasoning too, allow to cook until very soft and
sticky.

In a separate skillet, heat the palm oil, add the fresh pepper and
onion, leave to fry for 10minutes, add the boiled fish in bits and
without bones seasonings and salt to taste. Leave to fry for 10 more
minutes and then serve.


Akara bean cake
Recipe for 6 servings:

1derica beans

1big bulb onion

Ground fresh pepper

2 fresh eggs

1/2 bottle groundnut oil

Salt and seasoning to taste

Soak, squeeze, rinse and sieve beans ground with pepper and onion,
stir very well add your fresh egg, seasoning and salt to taste mix and
add in bit the heated ground nut oil on the fire. Allow to fry for
about eight minutes before adding another batch. Serve with either
bread, hot or cold pap.


Moi -moi

Recipe for 8 servings:

1derica beans

Fresh pepper

1big bulb onion

1 tin Corn beef

5 boiled and ring egg

70ml groundnut oil

Seasonings and salt to taste

Soak and squeeze the beans to remove chaffs, sieve and rinse well, and
add pepper and onion then grind add groundnut oil other seasonings and
salt to taste pour in bit to into preferred container add your egg and
corn beef arrange in a pot of boiling water and leave to cook for 30
minutes and serve depending on choice either alone or with other
foods.


Baked beans with Nigerian seasoning

Recipe for 4 servings:

180g dried beans

62ml groundnut oil

1 medium onion, (peeled, halved and thinly sliced)

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon hot curry powder

2 teaspoons mild curry powder

2 large tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

11/2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

11/4 tablespoons salt

Very generous grind of black pepper

45g of your favourite green leafy vegetable, finely chopped

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water, then drain. The following
day, put the beans in a pot with 875ml of water and bring to a boil,
skimming off the foam that rises to the top. Cover partially, turn the
heat down to medium-low, and simmer gently for 40 to 60 minutes until
the beans are just tender.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Add
the onion and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the onion has just wilted,
stirring almost constantly to ensure it doesn't burn. Add the garlic,
stir and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the
curry powders and stir, then add the tomatoes and stir again. Cook for
a further 7 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened. Transfer
this mixture into a medium casserole dish.

Spoon the peanut butter into a small bowl. When the beans are ready,
remove 6 tablespoons of the cooking water from the pot and slowly add
it to the peanut butter, stirring as you go. Pour the beans and the
remaining liquid into the casserole dish. Stir in the peanut butter
mixture, salt and pepper.

Place the casserole dish in an oven pre-heated to 160�C and bake,
uncovered, for two hours until most of the liquid has evaporated and
the beans are very tender. Add the greens just after you remove the
dish from the oven, and stir them around until they wilt. Serve hot.


Gbegiri (beans soup)

Recipe for 4 servings:

2cups beans

3oz tomato paste

Chili powder to taste

Seasonings and salt, to taste

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 fresh onion (chopped)

3oo grams mackerel fish

Soak the beans for about 5minutes, remove the skin very well and cook
the cleaned beans until it is very soft. You may blend the cooked
beans if you want a very creamy soup. Add as much water as you want to
make the soup either thick or light depending on your preference. Do
not cover the pot again from this point. Clean your fish and cut into
desired sizes. Then add all ingredients and the fish into the cream
and cook until the fish is properly cooked. Remember not to cover the
pot after you have added water and other ingredients to avoid foaming.


Adalu (beans and sweet corn pottage)

Recipe for 4 servings:

225g beans

225g corn (picked from the cob)

I onion (sliced)

3 fresh tomatoes (sliced)

2 tablespoons ground crayfish

2 Sawa (smoked dry fish)

1 litre water

3 tablespoons palm-oil

Salt to taste.

Pick over the beans and sweet corn, throwing out any stones or pieces
of grit. Wash and cook the corn in water till soft, add the beans and
salt to taste. Cook until soft and pulpy approximately 40 minutes
adding more water if necessary. Add the sliced peppers, onions and
tomatoes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Remove skin and bones
from sawa and flake into small pieces. Add to the beans together with
the ground crayfish and palm oil. Check seasoning and stir well. Allow
to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with fried pepper sauce