Feel Safe to Eat Beans Again!

If you love beans, but look at them with fright because of the damage they cause; then I have the cure for you!

If you live in Atlanta, then one place you have to visit if you are any kind of foodie is the Your Dekalb Farmer's Market. When you walk through the door you feel instantly transformed into an international market filled with a multitude of colors (flags, food & people).

While I was strolling the aisles looking for beans, I discovered this bean that looked vaguely familiar to lima beans, but it had a strange name I never heard of before…Val Beans.

As it turns out, this dried bean is commonly used in Indian food and is cousin to the lima bean we have here in the United States. It is prepared and cooked similarly and is full of protein and fibre. This is a super food that is will make you feel full for longer and will help maintain your digestive health…and who couldn’t use that.

I know what you’re thinking. Andrew…beans give me gas. Guess what? They give me gas as well. However, I may have a solution for that. Baking Soda. That’s right. Pre-soak your beans for 24 hours in water and baking soda.

I know…Baking Soda right? But here’s what it does…

It significantly decreases the gas causing carbohydrates found in dried beans. In addition, presoaking your beans in baking soda will cause your beans to cook faster since the baking soda helps break down the pectin on the outside of the bean. Check out the recipe below and......

Feel Safe To Eat Beans Again!

VAL BEANS and CHICKEN SAUSAGE

EQUIPMENT

• Medium sized sauce pot

• Chef knife

• Cutting board

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Lawton’s Chicken Sausage

• 1 CUP Val Beans

• 1 ½ cups Chicken Stock

• ½ Red onion - diced

• ½ Green bell pepper - diced

• 1 Roma tomato - diced

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• Salt to taste

PREP

• PRE-SOAK beans in water and 2 tspns of baking soda for 24 hours

EXECUTION

1. Place pot on t stove and set to medium heat

2. Sautee onions for about 2 mins, then add bell pepper

3. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds, then add sausage

4. Cook for several minutes

5. Add beans, garlic and salt and cook for 20 minutes or until beans are tender and reduce head to low

6. Add the diced roma tomato, stir and let sit until ready to serve