By Carmy. This post originally appeared on carmyy.com
Have you bean looking for some protein packed lunch ideas? To celebrate Global Pulse Day, here are two pulse based recipes that are great for getting your protein and fibre in!
Did you know today is Global Pulse Day? To help celebrate, I’ve two recipes below that features one of my favourite type of pulse: the navy bean.
So what are pulses? According to Pulse Canada: Pulses are part of the legume family, but the term “pulse” refers only to the dried seed. Dried peas, edible beans, lentils and chickpeas are the most common varieties of pulses. Pulses are very high in protein and fibre, and are low in fat. Like their cousins in the legume family, pulses are nitrogen-fixing crops that improve the environmental sustainability of annual cropping systems.
One of my goals for 2017 was to introduce more protein and fibre into my diet while trying to reduce my carbon footprint. Adding more pulses to my diet fits the bill for both! If you want to get into the nitty gritty of how my carbon footprint is being reduced (I’m having ENV200 flashbacks learning about environmental impacts and nitrogen fixation!), you can read more here. I find that with pulses, due to their low glycemic index value, it makes me feel fuller for longer, preventing me from overeating. An alternative to meats are pulses too! When a recipe calls for meat and I don’t have any on hand, I throw in some beans.
For this recipe, you’ll need at least 2 bowls and a pot.
Tuscan Bean Salad
6 Serving(s)
10m
30m
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry white navy bean
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow pepper, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, pureed (or diced very finely)
- 1 lemon, juice
- 4-6oz prosciutto
- 6 oz asiago cheese
- Splash of olive oil and dry red wine vinegar
- For the sachet: 2 pieces of flat parsley sprigs, bay leaf, clove, black peppercorn
Directions
- Start off by soaking your beans overnight. (Alternative: use a quick soak method or use canned beans).
- Place beans in a pot of water with at least 1 inch of water above the beans.
- In a cheese cloth, make a sachet with 2 pieces of flat parsley sprigs, bay leaf, clove, and crushed black peppercorn and place in the pot of beans to simmer.
- While the beans are simmering on medium heat, slice uptake peppers, onions, and puree the garlic.
- Once the beans are ready, throw out the sachet and place the beans on a sheet to help it cool faster or put it in the fridge to bring the temperature down.
- While the beans are cooling, shred your cheese into the bowl containing the vegetables.
- Once the beans have cooled, add the beans into the bowl, pour in a splash of olive oil and dry red wine. Squeeze the lemon into the bowl. Mix throughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- For the prosciutto, slice it up and add it when you are ready to serve. The acid from the dish will discolour your prosciutto if you leave it in overnight.
Recipe notes
The prep time does not include the bean soaking. It is up to you as to what method you'd like to use.
This recipe is courtesy of Carmy
For this recipe, you’ll need at least 2 bowls, a pot, and a skillet.
Tuscan Bean Soup
7 Serving(s)
10m
40m
Ingredients
- 500 g navy beans
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 pieces of pancetta or bacon, finely diced
- Salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- Start off by soaking your beans overnight. (Alternative: use a quick soak method or use canned beans).
- Place beans in a pot of water with the chicken stock.
- While the beans simmer, dice the onions and mince the garlic.
- On a skillet, cook your pancetta or bacon. After the bacon has been cooked, place the pancetta or bacon aside and while the bacon grease is still in the skillet, pour in the garlic and onion to cook. This gives the soup a bit of extra flavour
- Pour in the onion, garlic, bay leaf, the cooked pancetta or bacon. Add in salt/pepper to taste if necessary. Stir to combine. Continue cooking the soup until it reaches a simmer. Let the soup simmer for 10–20 minutes or until the beans are cooked throughly.
Recipe notes
This recipe is courtesy of Carmy
So come celebrate #GlobalPulseDay with us and pick up some pulses to make for dinner tonight!