So you’ve finally decided to start (or restart) that
intensive exercise regimen that your physician, significant other or buddies
have been heckling you to implement. Perhaps it’s that 150 minutes per week of
moderate intensity cardio on the stationary bike, rowing machine or simply
brisk walking. Maybe it’s the twice weekly session with various resistance
machines or free weights. Or perhaps you’ve decided to go full throttle with
those Cross-Fit workouts. Good for you! Starting (or restarting) is often the
hardest thing to do as we only have 24 hours in a day and a 3rd or
more is already dedicated to the J-O-B with another 3rd to rest and
recuperation. Add in the commute times, the kid’s soccer practices, weekly
grocery shopping and who knows what else and those last few hours (or hour)
seems mighty precious for your personal time.
Well, along with regular exercise and the necessary rest
and recuperation, the triad isn’t complete unless you also include proper
nutrition. Oh, you’ve already tried altering your current diet by reducing
animal proteins and getting more fresh fruits and veggies. Congratulations! But
what? You say you’re growing tired of poached chicken breasts and baked fish?
Well fret no more, there are healthy alternatives that provide low glycemic
index carbohydrates, animal free proteins and dietary fiber to boot! And that
alternative is legumes.
Legumes
The seed of the plant family Leguminosae or specifically, the pulse (seed) of the plant is what
we commonly refer to as beans and as I’ve highlighted in multiple columns, is a
powerhouse of both macro and micro nutrients. Yes, they sometimes are known to
cause those post-prandial musical side effects but for those looking to bulk up
their protein intake without overconsuming animal products, beans make the
perfect alternative. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
recognizes 11 primary pulses from dry and broad beans to chickpeas, pigeon peas
and lentils all the way down to lupins and minor beans such as winged beans.
And one of my favorite pulses is the lentil. Why Lens culinaris? For starters, simplicity
in preparation as lentils don’t need any pre-soaking like the other pulses.
They simply have to be sorted (to remove the occasional pebble) then boiled for
20 minutes or so and you now have the perfect vehicle for soups, salads or even
vegetarian burgers or meatloaves. And along with a healthy dose of protein,
they also have a very good dose of dietary fiber.
I first sampled a version of this lentil salad some 30
years ago at the UCSF Medical Center cafeteria and since that time have created
my own reasonable facsimile:
Lentil Salad
1 lb dried lentils (lentil du puy holds shape better than
brown lentils)
1 small red onion, cut into 6-8 wedges then finely sliced
2 carrots, peeled & julienned (I use a Japanese
mandolin with large julienne attachment)
Green onion, thinly sliced, about ½ cup (about ½ bunch)
Fresh mint, chopped, about 2/3 cup (all the leaves in an
average bunch)
¼ cup red wine vinegar (I use half balsamic, half red
wine vinegar)
Salt & fresh cracked black pepper to taste
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (I usually add 2-3 tbsp of
flavored olive oil)
Boil lentils for about 20 minutes (if I have dried mint,
I fill a tea infuser and boil with the lentils). Drain and rinse. Mix cooked
lentils with vegetables and herbs. Wisk together next three ingredients then
pour over lentil mixture (can actually add the vinaigrette of your choice as
the dressing).
I first found the original recipe for this soup on the
bag the lentils were in though it also called for sausage (it was a Sausage and
Lentil Soup). Because it called for a package of Lipton Onion Soup mix which
contains quite a bit of salt and multiple flavor enhancers, I just used the
main ingredients of Lipton Onion Soup which is dried onion, onion powder and shoyu (yes, Lipton Onion Soup mix uses
soy sauce) and substituted chopped fresh mushrooms in place of the sausage for
a “meatier” texture. And because my soups tend to be very thick, I call them
“stoups”.
Lentil Stoup
1 lb dried brown lentils
5 large carrots, peeled and medium dice
1 medium bunch celery, medium dice
1 & ½ lb fresh button mushrooms, medium dice
1 container baby kale, rough chop
¼ cup dried, chopped onion
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp shoyu
Smoked salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil
Water
In a large Dutch oven, sauté the carrots, celery and
mushrooms in the olive oil for several minutes until they soften. Add water
until it covers the vegetables by an inch and increase the heat until the
liquid reaches a gentle boil. Add the lentils, dried onion, onion and garlic
powders, shoyu and salt and pepper. Keep the liquid at a gentle boil and cover
cooking for another 30 to 40 minutes adding the chopped kale for the last 10
minutes.
I’ve always enjoyed those large, buttery beans in tomato
sauce with oregano in Greek restaurants known as Gigantes. Since those large
lima or broad beans aren’t commonly found in the 50th, I attempted
to swap the traditional beans with lupini beans… not realizing that lupini
beans take 5 to 7 days of constant soaking changing the salted water twice
daily to remove the bitter alkaloids found in lupin beans. However a benefit of
using lupini beans is that they contain a lot more protein than other pulses –
in fact only soybeans have more protein than lupini beans. But if you can find
extra-large lima beans or large broad beans, feel free to use those original
pulses for this recipe:
Gigantes
1 pound dried large lima, broad or lupini beans
1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion, small dice
3 cloves garlic
4 large carrots, grated
28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tsp dried oregano
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Soak the beans overnight in a huge bowl of water for at
least 12 hours (or the 5 to 7 day soak/rinse ritual for lupini beans). Drain
the beans and rinse them. Place them in a pot and cover the beans with water
and then bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, put a lid on the pot and
cook for about 60 minutes or until the beans are tender.
While the beans are cooking to tender, in a large pot,
heat the olive oil over medium. Add the onions and sweat until the onions are
tender, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and stir while cooking
another 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and the oregano and simmer about 15
minutes. Season to taste with kosher salt. Add the beans and gently stir into
the sauce. Let the beans simmer on lowest heat for 30 minutes and then remove
from the heat and let the beans absorb some more flavor. Check the seasoning
again and serve hot or at room temperature.
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