Guide to Black Beans
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What are black beans? The name is pretty self-explanatory, but I guess I can expand.. Black beans, otherwise known as black turtle beans, are a rich-flavoured legume mostly used within South American cuisine. South America and United States have embraced this bean into their diets, utilising its taste and nutritional value, much more than other countries like England have. Here’s a few reason why you should give black beans a fighting chance.
Why eat black beans? These wonderful beans are a go-to legume to explain where your vegan proteins come from to those non-vegans who can’t get their head around the facts. In fact, black beans contain about 15g protein per cup, which is around 50g of chicken, but with much less “bad fats”. Black beans aren’t a complete protein, but it’s more than likely the combinations of a regular vegan diet will create a complete protein anyway.[/twocol_one][twocol_one_last]Whole grains, lentils or even peanut butter within the day is the best way to create complete proteins.
Not only this, black beans are high in all types fiber, where meat has none – one point to vegans. Black beans are especially regarded for digestive tract benefits, making everything run smoothly, giving your hard-working insides a deserved break. The soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol levels and is thought to lower chances of heart disease and attacks. Meanwhile, the anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory qualities protect cardiovascular health. As well as black beans impressive protein-fiber combination, they offer crazy amount minerals: Calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, iron, which of course is excellent for bone strength among other benefits. These are a select few reasons why black beans should be introduced into all diets, not just vegan.[/twocol_one_last]
What to do with Black beans? Black beans are available dried and canned. Canned foods generally decrease the nutritional value of foods, which is not the case for black beans. Canned black beans are the quickest, most convenient choice, yet dried are often the cheapest. People seem to cook their black beans, but in the herbivores kitchen, we soak our beans overnight or about 8 hours, then drain and boil & simmer for 1.5 hrs. After the cooking is where the interesting bit happens! Like I mentioned before, black beans are utilised in South American food, most commonly seen in Mexican dishes. Dishes like fajitas and vegan quesadillas are easy to slip in your black beans, or even within black bean dips and my favourite black bean & quinoa chili. For something a bit different try creating black bean burgers, swapping your baked beans for black beans and a homemade sauce, or even black bean brownies!
We want you to be creative! See what amazing vegan food you can create with these extraordinary beans.