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College Cooking

Legumes FTW; Orange-Peanut Butter-Ginger Sawce

By Joel MacKenzie, Contributor

egumes classify all of the
L= pod, or bean-type

vegetables. They’re high in
protein, complex carbohydrates,
vitamins, minerals, and fibre,
and are an awesome addition to
any diet. Their high-protein, low-
fat content makes them a great
replacement for meat.

Legumes are most readily
available canned or dried. Canned
varieties, of course, require no
cooking or soaking, making them
easy to use. But they are also
often high in sodium, and many
cans are lined with the harmful
bisphenol-A (BPA) plastic. To
reduce sodium, these beans can
be washed before use; and BPA-
free cans are available, often from
organic companies. Dried legumes
are very cheap, and can be bought
and cooked in mass quantities. Of
course, they must be cooked to be
edible.

Yes, it’s true. Legumes,
including beans, can cause gas.
Their complex sugars, known as
oligosaccharides, are too big to be
absorbed in the small intestine,

three times as much water as beans
for 45 to 60 minutes or until tender.
Drain and serve.

Orange-Peanut Butter-Ginger Sawce
I made the following recipe for a
light sauce for the legumes. Also try
it with brown rice, or to marinade
pressed tofu.

Most of the ingredients’ prices
come from Save-On-Foods. All
were purchased bulk except the
peanut butter (Western Family,
500g), the olive oil (Western Family,
500 ml), the soy sauce (Kikoman,
296 ml), the rice vinegar (Pearl
River Bridge, 500 ml), and the
orange/ vegetables.

Serve with steamed vegetables
on top, or with tofu or meat and
vegetables for a whole meal.

Sawce

2 tbsp. water

1/2 tbsp. smooth peanut

butter $0.06

1/4 large orange’s juice

(about 1 tbsp.) $0.24

1/4 +1/8 tsp. dried ginger $0.02

“Yes, it’s true. Legumes, including beans, can cause gas. Their complex
sugars, known as oligosaccharides, are too big to be absorbed in the
small intestine, leaving the bacteria in the large intestine to do the
work...”

leaving the bacteria in the large
intestine to do the work; the more
work they need to do, the more
bacteria is created, the more gas is
produced. Most of this excess gas is
unscented; but, if that still worries
you, there are ways to reduce the
amount of gas they cause. For
instance, try soaking dried beans
overnight, washing them after, and
properly cooking them. Over time,
too, digestive systems do adjust
and produce less gas; start with
small portions at first, and slowly
increase the amount.

Try using legumes in place
of meat in traditional recipes:
shepherd’s pie with lentils; burgers
with kidney beans; mashed bean
sandwich spreads; black bean
pizza; go beans! (Instead of “go
nuts”? Not funny?)

The two awesomely healthy
legumes used in the recipe below
are mung beans and lentils. They’re
both very high in protein, very low
in fat, and contain a lot of minerals
(lentils have a particularly high
amount of iron). Dried mung beans
must be soaked overnight in plenty
of water before cooking; lentils do
not. Cook them each by simmering
them in a covered pot in about

12

1/4 +1/8 tsp. garlic powder $0.02
1/4 tsp. pepper $0.01

3/4 tsp. reduced sodium

soy sauce $0.05

3/4 tsp. rice vinegar $0.01

1/2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil $0.03

Veggies/Legumes

11/2-2 tbsp. green onion $0.02
1/2 small tomato $0.37

3/4 cup cooked mung beans $0.91
3/4 cup cooked lentils $0.70

Total cost
$2.44

Nutritional information
407 calories

8 g. fat

24.1 g. protein

Thoroughly mix all sauce
ingredients. Mix vegetables/
legumes in a pan over medium
heat, and add sauce. Stir until most
of the water has evaporated. Serve
with steamed vegetables on top.
Kaboom.

 

 

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