Ingredient Name: Black beans
What is this?
- The black bean is from the legume family and has a dense, meaty texture with a flavour that is often compared to mushrooms
- It is also known as black turtle beans due to their shiny, dark shell-like appearance
- Black beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and high quality protein.
- They have also recently been reported to be an extremely good source of nutritional antioxidants
How do I prepare it?
- Rinse beans thoroughly in running water and pre-soak for 1 hour
- To further shorten cooking time, boil the beans for 2 minutes before letting them sit in the hot water (pre-soaking) for the 1 hour time period
Where can I buy this?
- You can purchase from most supermarkets or bulk food store
- When selecting beans, be sure to choose whole beans which are not cracked
- If you have no alternatives, it is possible to buy and use the canned versions as there is little difference in nutritional values between dried and canned black beans
What is the cost?
- Black beans are just like other beans… cheap and delicious! The beans pictured above only cost a few dimes (CAD) at most.
Any benefits?
- Black beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and high quality protein.
- They have also recently been reported to be an extremely good source of nutritional antioxidants. Gram for gram, black beans are found to have the most antioxidant activity in the bean family.
- Black beans are an excellent source of iron and manganese
Any precautions?
- Like most beans, may cause gas
- Black beans contain purines which may break down to uric acid. It should be avoided by people who suffer from gout and/or kidney stones
Additional Information?
- Store dried black beans in an airtight container in a cool, dry and dark place where they will keep up to 12 months
- Cooked black beans will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about three days if placed in a covered container
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