The Vegetarian's Guide To Beans

Beans are such an exciting food! Versatile + inexpensive + a total nutritional powerhouse. Yet somehow, still so underrated! Come on guys, give beans some love. I can turn a can of beans into a breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a dessert! The Vegetarian’s Guide To Beans will demystify beans for both meat-eaters and plant-eaters alike. Ready to go from bean-skeptic to bean-believer?

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The Vegetarian’s Guide To Beans

Beans NEED to be a staple in your diet! You don’t need to be vegan or a hippy or an over-the-top health-crazed athlete to include beans in your daily meal planning.

Let’s get cookin’!

Why Eat Beans?

Inexpensive
High in protein
Contain healthy carbohydrates that don’t spike blood sugars
Low glycemic index
Very high in fiber
Keep you feeling fuller longer
High in resistant fiber (don’t break down until they reach the gut + this feeds the good gut bacteria)
Contain magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, iron, folate
Versatile + can be easily incorporated into any dish
Easy to cook
Readily available + easy to find
Perfect vegan/vegetarian protein source
Great replacement for meats in recipes

Dried vs. Canned Beans

Dried Beans
- Cheaper
- Can easily buy in bulk
- Require extra preparation + time
Canned Beans
- Dried beans that have been cooked then canned
- No need to soak or simmer
- Convenient + quick
- Less flavorful than dried/fresh beans due to length of time sitting in brine prior to eating
- More expensive for less quantity
- Be careful with cans lined with BPA! Avoid whenever possible.

How To Store Beans

Cool, dry place
Airtight container (preferably a glass jar)
Discard unused dry beans after one year
Store cooked beans in freezer for up to 6 months
Follow expiration date on canned beans
Refrigerate cooked beans in a glass, airtight container for up to one week

To Soak Or Not To Soak

Benefits Of Soaking Beans
- Softens the exterior coat
- Reduces cook time
- Removes some of the elements responsible for flatulence, improves digestibility
- Improves cooking of older + lower quality beans which are tougher to cook
- Can be soaked overnight if you plan ahead
- Makes the nutrients in the beans easier to absorb
Reasons Not To Soak Beans
- Thin-skinned beans don’t need soaking (black-eyed peas, lentils, black beans)
- No need to soak if you have extra time to boil the beans until they are soft (can take up to 2 hours depending on the bean)
- A pressure cooker can achieve a higher temperature faster allowing beans to cook faster so if you are using an old-fashioned pressure cooker, you can skip the soaking. Instant Pot can achieves the same thing.

Do Beans Need To Be Salted During Cooking?

The great bean controversy. The best advice I can give you in The Vegetarian’s Guide To Beans is if you enjoy creamy beans, salt your water. There are differing opinions out there on salting but that is what it boils down to.

Salt the water used to soak beans, drain + rinse that water, cook them in fresh water + add another pinch of salt. This yields the softest beans. If you cook beans stove-top, add the salt halfway through to get even softer beans.

The Vegetarian’s Guide To Different Types Of Beans

Black Beans
- Thin-skinned, no need to soak
- Very versatile
- High in phytonutrients + flavonoids
Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas)
- Rich + nutty flavor
- Widely used in Mediterranean dishes
- Perfect for hummus, roasting, adding to soups + salads
Pinto Beans
- Easily soak up the flavor of whatever they are cooked in
- Speckly when dry but they lose the speckling when cooked
- Pinto = “painted” in Spanish
- Very creamy texture
- Typically refried becoming the well-known “refried beans” + the most widely eaten bean in the USA
Black-Eyed Peas
- Named after the black dot in the center of the bean
- Traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day in hopes of bringing prosperity in the new year
- Thin-skinned, no need to soak
Lentils
- Green, brown, crimson
- Easy to cook
- Thin skinned, no need to soak – don’t soak your lentils!
Split Chickpeas
- Common in Indian cuisine
- Smaller, yellow, split chickpea
- Referred to as chana dal
Kidney Beans
- “Kidney” shaped red bean
- High in antioxidants + flavonoids
- Typically used in chilis