Long shunned by the French, legumes have more than one trick up their sleeve. Solveig Darrigo-Dartinet, dietitian, nutritionist and author of the bookVegetable garden to feed your family explains the difference between vegetables and legumes: “Green vegetables are very water-rich foods, whereas legumes or legumes they have very little water, but they concentrate carbohydrates, thus slow sugars. And that’s why we add them to the family of starchy foods like rice or potatoes.” They’re also very high in fiber, “two to four times more than other starchy foods,” as well as plant-based proteins, mineral salts, and they’re gluten-free.
Interesting and economical alternatives to meat, the main legumes you can eat are: dried beans, red beans, white beans, little flags. There are also green lentils and coral lentils. split peas, chickpeas and beans in the spring.
Some legumes are hard to digest because “they’re whole foods. So the higher the fiber content, the harder it is to digest, especially if you’re not used to it and don’t tend to chew well. That’s why it’s necessary integrate them gradually (into your diet, editor’s note)“, explains Solveig Darrigo-Dartinet.
It is important to soak them the day before
a protein quota legumes are “on average 8-9%, 20% for meat. They can therefore “replace animal proteins”, but you have to think when putting them on the menu reduce the amount of meat or fish for a balanced menu, the author recommendsVegetable garden to feed your family. And it is quite possible to make a menu with legumes without meat and fish.
To reduce bloating caused by legumes high in fermented carbohydrates, Solveig Darrigo-Dartinet recommends soaking them the night before, like dried beans and chickpeas. “You can also add baking soda or sage, fennel, things like that that help with digestion,” he suggests.
beetroot hummus recipe
For 1 bowl, you need 250 g of boiled red beans (drained canned), 150 g of boiled red beet, 2 tablespoons of sesame puree (tahini), 1 teaspoon of cumin powder. The recipe also includes a few pinches of powdered Espelette pepper, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro.
Mix the cooked beans, the peeled and large beetroot, then the other ingredients until you get a smooth mixture. Pour into a bowl and garnish with a few whole coriander leaves. Set aside in the refrigerator and serve barquette-style with endive leaves or on toasted seed bread.
A recipe for a warm green lentil salad with smoked trout
For this recipe for 4 people, you will need 4 slices of smoked trout, 250 g of green lentils (raw weight), 2 carrots, 1 raw beet and 1 bunch of garnish. For the sauce, take 1 teaspoon of old-fashioned mustard, 1 teaspoon of wine vinegar (red or sherry), ground pepper, 3 teaspoons of olive oil, 3 teaspoons of canola oil and 1 teaspoon of dried seaweed (the “fisherman’s mix” type in organic stores).
Peel the carrots and cut them into slices. Peel and grate raw beets. Rinse the lentils and place them in a saucepan over low heat. Cover them with about 1 liter of water. Add the bouquet garni, carrot slices and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 25 minutes (see package).
Salt 10 minutes before the end of cooking and pepper at the end of cooking. The lenses should be soft. Scoop out the lentils and place them in a deep serving dish. Let cool.
Cut the smoked trout slices into strips. Place them on both the lentil salad and grated raw beetroot. Prepare the sauce by mixing the ingredients in order. Pour the sauce and serve.