How to Sprout & Cook Beans

Eating healthy is expensive.

Cooking food from scratch is so time-consuming.

I don't know how to cook my own beans; it's really hard!

I don't like beans. Beans are really boring. 

I've heard all the excuses before.  And believe me, I used to be there.  Eating beans? That sounded like a punishment.  But, once you learn how to cook beans and realize that it's really easy to make them taste absolutely delicious, I promise you'll start making them from scratch.

First, let's start with why I love beans. Beans are a fabulous source of vegetarian protein and fiber. And as a bonus, beans are incredibly affordable. If you buy beans in the bulk section, organic beans usually cost $1.29 - $1.99 per pound, depending on the type of bean. A pound of beans could easily feed a family for several meals so making beans a staple in your household will lower grocery bills compared to using other sources of protein.

Many people complain about having digestive problems or gas after eating beans and so I wanted to share some of the best ways I have found to make beans more digestible:  

1. Chew beans thoroughly. Slowing down and chewing properly is always important (no matter what you are eating), but this is especially helpful if beans tend to give you extra trouble. 
2. Take digestive enzymes with your meal. Beano, anyone? :)
3. Add fennel or a little apple cider vinegar to the beans during the last twenty minutes of cooking to aid in digestion.
4. Experiment with different combinations of food. (Legumes tend to combine best with green or non-starchy vegetables.)
5. Experiment with different beans. Smaller beans tend to be easier to digest (e.g. adzuki, lentils, mung beans, and peas). Pinto, kidney, navy, black-eyed peas, garbanzo, and black beans tend to be a little harder to digest. And soybeans tend to give folks the most digestive problems. 
6. Add kombu during cooking to aid in digestion.
7. Sprout your beans before cooking. 

My favorite way to prepare beans is to soak them, sprout them, and then cook them with kombu.  I noticed a huge difference in my digestion after I started sprouting beans and for anyone who has trouble with eating legumes, I highly recommend the sprouting method. Sprouting also neutralizes the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors, making it easier on your digestive system as well as allowing you to absorb more of the nutrients. And, who doesn't want a nutritional boost?

I know it might sound intimidating to sprout your own beans, but I promise it's not hard or time-consuming and in this post I'll show you step-by-step of how to get started!

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How To Make Perfect Vegetable Stock (for cheap!)

A few months ago I stumbled upon a little secret that I’ve been dying to share with you. Are you ready? Here goes…

Making vegetable stock is one of the easiest and cheapest things you can do to add flavor to your meals while reducing kitchen waste.  

Are you ready to get started? It’s super simple and today I’m going to show you how. Vegetable stock is made by boiling water with vegetables. The common vegetables used in making stock are celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes, along with a host of other veggies that all add their own unique flavor. Since several of these vegetables are on the dirty dozen list, I highly recommend using organic produce for making stock (and in your kitchen in general).

One of the thrifty tricks I discovered is that instead of using whole pieces of produce, you can easily save vegetable scraps in your freezer and turn them into flavorful vegetable stock! This might include the skins or unused pieces of onions, potato or carrot peels, or the tips of leeks and celery. If you have any produce that you know you won't be able to use up (unless it's a member of the cruciferous family - more on this in a minute!), you can always add this to your freezer scrap pile for stock. This saves you money and allows you to use up produce that would have otherwise gone into the compost bin!

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