Beautiful beans!

Today my sweet niece called asking about good, better and best choices for her shopping needs. She lives in another state, so I forget sometimes what I have shared with her and what I have not. So, I promised to write up some basics. My son is asking for similar notes, so I am finally prompted to use this blog that my second son set up for me. Thanks Ky! So...here goes!

Beans/legumes are wonderful food basics. They are inexpensive and loaded with nutrients. Here is an example recipe and some discussion about concerns and solutions. Proper combining can reportedly create complete proteins, but they do not provide those building blocks and neurologically necessary fat-soluble vitamins D, K and A, so it is best to combine them in a meal with some high quality meats from a pasture-based or free-range source, so make some beans this week.  But...well, you know what I'm thinking ...some people just won't use beans for lots of uncomfortable reasons....awkward but true. So let's fix this beanie problem!

Reasons for not wanting to use beans are widely similar--they cause gas, tummy upset and are time consuming to prepare. Besides, it is easier to open a can! I understand! I had similar feelings until I encountered the works of Weston A. Price and learned that our society has simply lost the know-how to aptly use these lovely foods during the Industrial Revolution. Turns out, it takes some thought, but not much more time to get these foods right. So here is the blow by blow for a simple, brain healing food...beans!

Today happens to be a day I am craving Lentils, but the same process works for other beans.

Baking soda and legumes..and a lovely glass jar. Walmart or Ross are my favorite cheap sources for good jars. Add just a pinch of backing soda to the dry legumes in a glass jar at least large enough for the beans to triple in size.
Then label your jar, or add a sticky note to the lid, and add water...voila!

The key now is to wait 24 to 48 hours to let the soaking process remove harmful acids and to enzyme inhibitors.  Rinse the beans once or twice during this time and replace the water. But otherwise, just leave it on your counter. Does it matter if you do this? Take a look...

These are organic, raw almonds soaked using a similar method (salt instead of baking soda) and soaked for about 36 hours. I must admit, this is the cleanest water I have seen yet with my soaking, but it is all I have at the soaked phase right now to show you. I'll update the pictures later of course, but you get the idea..bad stuff leaves the nuts and you wouldn't really want that yuckiness in your gut.

So, get soaking and, if you really want to boost your brains, jump into some broth making for your final chili making in another day. But otherwise, you can forget about your beans.  To simplify your work, look for a massive jar like this one that is easily twice the size of my usual soaking jar. With this new addition I can soak enough beans for a month and just freeze them in labeled bags. Easy crockpot meals ahead!

If you really want to multi-task, get a chicken for dinner tonight and I'll show you how to turn tonight's carcass into brain blessing broth for your chili tomorrow..
Some shops, like Nugget Market will actually sell you pre-cooked roasted free-range chickens..Yeah!

Taking the phrase "Happy Cooking" to a whole new level!
Jean