Beans have shouldered a bit of a bad reputation in some circles. They are often blamed as flatulent causing little pests and I suspect their intake took a further hit after being completely wiped from the popular paleo diet meaning that many of us have not got around to investigating or experimenting into their use and therefore never truly gained an appreciation of the beauty of beans. This mini tribute to legumes is a self-confessed and proud bean enthusiast’s contribution to sprucing up the bean life of others.
Beans are highly nutritious. They have great amounts of protein and fibre as well as many essential vitamins and minerals including iron, folate, magnesium, potassium, the B vitamins, phosphorus, zinc, manganese and copper. Therefore, you can see the potential value to your health of upping your intake.
In this short tribute to beans I share with you 17 of my favourite recipes (savoury, mains, snacks and sweets) to open your eyes to the exciting world of beans and the magic they can add to your life. It is my intention that these bean recipes appeal to those who may not have extensive experience with beans, beyond baked beans, and because I want to break beans out of their strictly vegetarian or vegan confines many of these recipes are not exclusively vegetarian or vegan (although both options are available and most of all these recipes are adaptable to your tastes and preferences so all easily can be). I sincerely hope that you enjoy these recipes and expand and experiment with them and I would love to hear from you about your creations so please get in contact and give me your juicy, beany details. Until then happy, creating and eating joy!