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Hey babes,
Want to know something both incredible and tragic?
Legume consumption has been shown through research to be the most important dietary predictor of survival in older people. Incredible, right? So what’s tragic about that? Well, according to another study, only 5% of the US population meets the bare minimum fiber consumption recommendations. Want to guess a food that is packed full of fiber?
Yeah, tragic.
I have detailed the harmful effects that meat has on the human body before, but there’s something else it’s hurting: your budget. Aside from out-of-season produce (check those sales circulars, folks) or something like trail mixes, meat and cheese are easily the most expensive things on any typical American’s food shopping list. Let’s do a little comparing.
So, a little looking around at the sales this week at my favorite grocery stores shows me that the cheapest cut of meat this week is the whole fryer chicken, which is being sold for the low, low price of $0.79/lb. Pretty good, right? A little more research tells me these birds average about 3.5lbs, meaning that it would come in for about $2.76 total. The average fryer can be expected when cooked to produce about 3 cups of edible (and I use that word loosely) parts. So, per cup of food, it comes in at $0.92. A steal! Except wait. Let’s compare that to dried pinto beans, not on sale, just the usual, everyday price.
| Chicken, whole | Pinto Beans | |
| Cost per pound | $0.79 | $0.74 |
| Cost Per one cup, cooked | $0.92 | $0.12 |
So, even though you’ll be spending roughly the same per pound on the items, the serving cost is much cheaper for beans. Partially because beans expand when they cook compared to the shrinking animal products experience, and partially because of the weight of the bones. And while that difference may not seem substantial, keep in mind that I’m comparing the cheapest meat against an average bean. Let’s see what the difference is for a few other cuts, still working off the sales. We’ll even add a few other beans, just to be fair. I mean, the animals should have a fair shake.
| Pollock fillets, boneless | Center Cut Pork Loin Chops | Boneless Beef (for Stir Fry) | Brown Lentils | Black Beans | Chickpeas | |
| Cost/Lbs | $1.79 | $2.19 | $4.99 | $0.98 | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Cost/Cup, cooked | $1.19 | $1.94 | $3.32 | $0.15 | $0.16 | $0.16 |
Seeing a trend? Yup. While dried beans don’t end up on sales circulars as often as their animal friends, they don’t need to. Those costs were from major big-box chains, and they only get cheaper if you do luck into a bag on a clearance rack or shop in bulk (a solid strategy if you have the space, since they are shelf-stable).
“But lots of foods can be cheap, babe,” I hear you saying. “Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean it’s healthy. White sandwich bread is $1 a loaf too!” Ah, very keen assessment, you beautiful person you. Cheap doesn’t always mean healthy. So now that we’ve talked about money, everyone’s favorite topic, let’s move on to the second most popular: Nutrition!
A Hearty Bowl of Beans
Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart. The more you eat, the more you…improve your cardiovascular health! Catchy, huh? But seriously, a 2017 meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies determined legume consumption was linked with lower risk of CVD. There are a number of building blocks within legumes that contribute to this link, most well-studied of which are the fiber and the high dose of polyphenols, particularly in black beans and white beans.
Anyone else suddenly craving a black-and-white bean salad, maybe with some…lycopene-rich tomatoes, garlic and basil splashed with red wine vinegar?
On top of their protection against heart disease, beans have also been shown to be a critical addition to the diet to fight the symptoms of diabetes, inflammation, and hypertension, as well as the prevention of colon cancer among others. And do I really need to regale you with the litany of effects a fiber-rich diet has on your colon (and all of those beautiful microbes that run your life and LOVE fiber)?
So how do I cook these things?
Glad you asked! I’m an old-school babe, meaning that I still soak my beans overnight before I cook them (with a couple of notable exceptions you’ll see below). There’s a lot of anecdotes out there claiming that soaking your beans the night before will help lower the…gaseous effects beans have some reputation for having. First, let me say that beans have been studied for this, and the evidence largely shows they’ve been falsely implicated (though dairy has some explaining to do). Increasing your fiber intake rapidly can cause some GI discomfort if you’re coming from a low fiber lifestyle, so take it slow at first, but never fear a fava (or their friends).
The reason I soak my beans? It drastically shortens the cooking time, across all three cook times I’m listing below. For me, that means I can throw some beans in water when I get home from work one day. Get up in the morning, and if I want them sooner, I can throw them in the Instant Pot before I jump in the shower, and they’ll be ready by the time I’m dressed. Or, if I want to use the slow cooker, I can get them started while I eat breakfast, and they’ll be ready to go when I come home from work. And for stove top, I can put them on the back burner while I make dinner or get the kids ready for bed, and they won’t still be at it hours later when I’m ready to sleep.
As you might guess from my old-school lifestyle, all of the times listed (again with a few exceptions) are for beans that have soaked for 8 hours to overnight (or longer, if I get busy). I know, I know. Busy people, in a hurry, et cetera. That’s not my jam, folks. Take it slow. Serenade your legumes. Give them time to relax in a nice bath. Then drain the bath, and refill it with something hot, and the aromatics of your choice. With water, you want to keep it a couple of inches above the height of your beans, with one caveat: don’t go over half-full with the Instant Pot. They expand, as you might have guessed, and you don’t want them splashing up into the valve while it’s sealing.
Once they’re tender, let cool for a little while, drain them, and use them! Or if you’re like me, put them into individual containers or bags, let them cool unsealed, and then freeze for later use. Then you’ll be all set for salad toppings, hummus, burrito fillings, probiotic salad, curries, chilis, and a million other uses. Check out the chart and let me know, what’s your favorite bean dish?
Legume Cook Times
| Type of Bean (or Legume) | Instant Pot Cooking Time in Min. | Stove Top Cooking Time in Min. (unless otherwise noted) | Slow Cooker (low/high temperature) in Hrs. |
| Adzuki* | 5-8 | 35-45 | 6/3 |
| Black | 8-10 | 50-60 | 6-8/4 |
| Black-Eyed Peas | 5-7 | 45-60 | 6-8/4-5 |
| Borlotti (Cranberry/Roman) | 8-11 | 60-90 | 6-8/4 |
| Fava (Broad) | 8-11 | 50-70 | 6-8/4 |
| Lentils (Brown or French Green)* | 9-11 | 30-40 | 6-8/3-4 |
| Cannellini | 6-8 | 1.5-2 hours | 6-8/4 |
| Chickpeas (Garbanzo) | 12-15 | 1.5-3 hours | 6-8/4 |
| Great Northern | 8-10 | 50-70 | 6-8/4 |
| Kidney | 8-10 | 70-90 | 6-8/4 |
| Lima | 8-12 | 50-70 | 6-8/4 |
| Mung | 0 | 50-70 | 6/3 |
| Navy | 7-9 | 45-60 | 6-8/4 |
| Pidgeon Peas | 8-10 | 50-90 | 8/4 |
| Pinto | 5-7 | ~90 | 6-8/4 |
| Red/Yellow Lentils* | 1-2 | 15 | 6/3 |
| Soybeans | 12-20 | ~3 hours | 12-16/6-8 |
| Split Peas (green and yellow)* | 10-15 | 35-40 | 6-8/4 |
| White Beans | 6-8 | 45-60 | 6-8/4 |
