Jules Neumann - 51 Plant-Based Whole Foods Recipes: Including Delicious Soy-Free & Gluten-Free Meals (100% Oil-Free Cookbook) (Plant-Based 51)

A few vegan ingredients come up time again in vegan recipes and are good to have on hand. These ingredients are ideal for adding texture, flavor, fiber and protein to your meals. Amongst them are beans, grains, nuts, seeds, oil, dried fruits and vegetables. Some of these (seeds, nuts and fruits) are also great to have as snacks.

Soaking

Beans, lentils and split peas are rich in protein and fiber and are incorporated into many vegan recipes. However, they require soaking before cooking in order to be softened. This reduces the cooking time needed and helps digestion. Many of the anti-nutrients found in beans are water-soluble, so theyre removed during soaking. Anti-nutrients prevent nutrient absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. An alternative to soaking is sprouting. These methods are explained in the tables below.

Overnight soak

Leaving beans, lentils and legumes in a pot of water overnight (at least 8 hours) is the most effective way to soak. Use roughly 10 cups of water for every pound of dry beans (roughly 2 cups). Required soaking times are shown in the table below.

Hot soak

This is the quickest soaking method. Fill up a pot large enough to accommodate your beans or legumes with water. Add about 10 cups for each pound (roughly 2 cups) of dry beans, or make sure beans/legumes are covered with an excess of about 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a boil and allow it to simmer for about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and allow it to sit for 1 to 4 hours.

Rinsing

After soaking, drain the water from the pot and rinse the beans or legumes once or twice with fresh, cool water. This will wash off the indigestible sugars and anti-nutrients.

Boiling

After soaking and rinsing, fill a large pot to accommodate your beans or legumes with an excess of 1 inch of water. Lower the heat to reach a medium boil. Partially cover the pot with a lid. Cooking times vary according to the kind of bean or legume used and are shown below.

Cannallini, white kidney and red beans need boiling to get rid of poison.

Optionally, add acidic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar or wine after cooking and draining the beans to prevent them from becoming tender.

Soaking and cooking time per bean or legume

*The recommended times in this chart are approximate.

A pressure cooker will reduce the amount of cooking time needed. A 15-pound pressure cooker will reduce cooking time by 600%. In other words, what would normally take 1 hour, takes only 10 minutes with a pressure cooker. Adding Kombu seaweed to an overnight soak also speeds up cooking time by about 200%.