BEANS

Beans will be a big part of your life if you took Michael Pollan’s tip to ‘eat food, not too much, mostly plants’ to heart. Sprouts, pods, fresh and dried, there’s a tasty bean for all seasons and every meal. In our book, dried beans are in the five-star department, combining fibre and slowly digested carbs with plenty of protein and protective vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Take a tip for living longer from people who’ve lived the longest says Blue Zones author Dan Buettner: ‘people who eat plenty of beans will be full of beans for longer with lower rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes’. Typically, these people eat at least a cup of beans, peas, chickpeas or lentils a day. To help you get started and make beans more a centrepiece than sideshow, we’ve come up with a range of recipes showcasing them in soups, salads and sides, and leftovers. As for breakfast, baked beans on grainy toast ticks all the boxes.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

For dried beans, look for smooth unwrinkled beans and check the best-before or use-by date; they lose moisture as they age, making them more time-consuming to cook. If you like to buy beans in bulk, make sure your provider has a good turnover.

When it comes to tinned beans, check the label and choose the reduced-salt ones if you can. Make sure you rinse and drain them well before using.

HOW TO STORE THEM

Dried beans should be stored in a resealable packet or airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Tinned beans, once opened, should be stored in a non-metallic container in the fridge and used within 2–3 days.

WHAT’S IN THEM?

Half a cup (about 100 g/3½ oz) of cooked cannellini beans has about 365 kilojoules (87 calories), 7 g protein, 0 g fat, 12 g carbs (1 g sugars, 11 g starches), 6 g fibre, 2 mg sodium, 336 mg potassium, and a low GI (31) and GL (4).

WHAT ELSE?

Fresh soya beans (edamame) can be hard to find in the produce store. Check the freezer cabinet for snap-frozen edamame pods in large supermarkets and Asian produce stores.

HERO RECIPES

Glazed ginger soya beans (here )

Tuna, egg and seasonal vegetables with basil-lemon dressing (here )

Roasted snapper fillets with fennel and citrus on white bean purée (here )

Salmon, white bean and dill fishcakes (here )

Baked red kidney and butter bean ragout (here )