Beans

Beans are Brilliant: they are low in fat, one of your 5 a day and good for the heart!

Broad, Haricot, Borlotti, Pinto, Butter, Cannellini, Black Eyed, Kidney, Runner, Flageolet are just ten different types of beans amongst the 40,000 varieties that are out there. Beans can be crushed, mushed, blended, and mixed into all sorts of meals; tagines, burgers, chillis, stews, soups, dips, fritters, salads "“ did you know that houmous is made from chickpeas which are a type of bean?

DID YOU KNOW: There are two main bean groups: green beans with edible pods, such as runner beans and French beans and varieties with edible seeds, like borlotti and cannellini beans.

Brilliant bean tips:

When soaking beans, do not add salt because it will toughen the beans outer layer and not allow the bean to absorb moisture.
Reduce the salt content of tinned beans by rinsing them before eating.

They are such an easy, and not to mention cheap, ingredient to incorporate into so many dishes, as long as you give them a rinse, or soak (if they are dried) before adding them to your dish of choice. Beans make a great addition to meat based dishes or equally they can be the star of the show in vegetarian meals. As demonstrated by our Tuna, White Bean and Salsa Verde Salad, or Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Spinach Rogan Josh recipes, which can be found under the recipe tab.

Nutritionally beans are packed with protein, fibre, iron, folate and B vitamins, which means they can contribute towards the healthy functioning of the digestive, circulatory, immune and neurological systems "“ a lot of systems! And different coloured beans deliver different health benefits too, so trying a few varieties across the week or even adding a mixture to your salads or stews.