Thyme for Rice & Peas! + the how & why of introducing more legumes into your diet

As a vegan I sometimes feel that the food I eat is a bit exotic & slightly obscure which I find really exciting but at the same time it seems a shame that I don’t eat a lot of food associated with my heritage.  So here’s a recipe for a very tasty (and healthy if made with brown rice!) traditional Jamaican side dish that can be served as an accompaniment to main courses. It's one of many great ways to gently introduce legumes into your diet.

Ingredients:

• Brown basmati rice. It cooks easily & softens in about 25 minutes unlike long grain brown rice which is still horrible and chewy after 40 minutes.  Use 3 parts water to one part rice.  Great source of B vitamins! Allow around 50g dried weight per person.
• Creamed coconut (around 100g per lb rice)
• Canned Kidney beans.  The ‘peas’ in rice & peas refers to kidney beans or sometimes gungo peas, a Caribbean legume.  (thankfully as I absolutely despise green peas and am physically incapable of eating them without gagging!)
• Vegetable stock cube
• Spring onions, chopped finely
• Dried thyme, which is used widely in Caribbean cuisine.  Adds a lovely aromatic touch and is one of the highest iron herbs!

Very simple steps:

Bring 3 times as much water as rice to the boil on a medium power hob

Add a vegetable stock cube (about 1 per lb brown rice)

Add rice, spring onions, drained kidney beans, thyme. After 5 minutes add creamed coconut & mix in well.

Reduce heat to a simmer for 25 minutes.
Enjoy with a flavoursome main course of your choice but be sure to serve with plenty of vegetables for a genuine vivacious carnival feeling (that doesn't come from booze!)

How & why to introduce more legumes into your diet.

I am aware these foods don’t generally tend to stir up excitement in people and many people may have negative associations (peasant food, dullness, farting…etc etc). 

When I first became vegetarian I hardly ate them at all.  I was used to the strong flavour and texture of meat & I didn’t find them particularly appealing and so I ate meat substitutes quite a lot of the time.  After a while I realised that this was not healthy and I began to introduce them gradually.  The ways they are cooked in Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine make them a lot more exciting and there are some seriously delicious meals you can make.

The many health benefits of the diverse legume family!

• Good (& affordable!) source of protein.  Although they also contain a fair amount of carbohydrate, it is a very slow releasing kind of carbohydrate that sustains energy for longer
• Good source of iron which is needed for red blood cell formation & energy. see http://samanthathesanevegan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/iron-like-lion-in-zion.html for more about iron.
• Good source of zinc (more so if sprouted)
• Excellent source of fibre which aids in weight loss and elimination of toxins
• Excellent source of folic acid. 
• May aid in lowering cholesterol. 
• Good source of phytoestrogens which are plant-based compounds that may help normalise a number of female hormonal issues.

Tips for introducing more legumes into your diet

lovely lentil dahl

• Borlotti beans, pinto beans and black beans have a nice smooth texture that is not as ‘floury’ as some other kinds of beans.
• Falafel is based on chickpeas or sometimes broad beans and is commonly found in middle-eastern restaurants and supermarkets.
• Hummous is a dip made out of chickpeas, tahini (sesame seed paste) and garlic.  Supermarkets sell several different flavours.
• Red lentils cook quite quickly and do not need soaking.  Dahl is a traditional Indian dish made from lentils that is a great accompaniment to a vegetable curry to add some protein. 
• Buying dried beans and soaking them overnight works out very cheap but it’s good to have a few cans of cooked beans/lentils on standby for those days when you don’t have the time.  

How to digest beans well

a bay leaf may help to make beans more digestible

• Chew your food thoroughly!  This can be easier said than done if you’re an enthusiastic eater like me & want to eat your food whilst it’s still hot but aim to chew each mouthful 20 times.  There are no teeth in your stomach and it’s difficult for large food particles to be broken down effectively solely by your stomach acid and digestive enzymes.  Chewing thoroughly may help to reduce bloating and gas that some people experience after meals.
• Introduce them gradually! Going immediately from a low fibre diet to one that’s high in beans and lentils can be a bit of a shock to the digestive system.
• Cooking with a bay leaf or tiny piece of kombu seaweed may help to make beans and lentils more digestible. 
• Digestive enzyme supplementation (on the advice of a nutritional therapist) for a temporary period may help to break down the complex carbohydrates more effectively and reduce bloating.

lentil bolognese I made with marrow 'spaghetti'

More Recipe ideas!

Burritos, Mexican Black beans, Vegetarian chilli, falafel, hummous, lentil & vegetable soups, stews, dahl, chickpea curries, dried bean snacks, lentil Bolognese, bean or lentil salads, bean burgers.  They are also used in desserts in some types of cuisine (Oriental & Asian).

Why not try visiting your local library to get borrow some good cookbooks for free & get some inspiration!