Red beans are high in fiber and good nutritional value. At the same time, beans are not very high in calories, especially if you cook them without fatty meat, cheese or a lot of oil. Try combining beans with vegetables, herbs, nuts, and other healthy ingredients. There are many such dishes in the Mediterranean, Caucasian, Mexican cuisine.
Bean salad with celery
Aromatic celery adds piquancy to this simple dish. For a delicious salad, use herbal oils such as rosemary and thyme.
You will need:
- 2 handfuls of red beans;
- 100 g sheep cheese;
- 3 stalks of celery;
- a few leaves of fresh basil;
- salt;
- freshly ground black pepper;
- olive oil.
Soak the beans in cold water overnight. In the morning, fill the beans with fresh water and boil until tender. Wash the celery, peel and cut into small cubes. Crumble the sheep's cheese. In a deep bowl, combine celery, beans and cheese, add olive oil, freshly ground pepper and salt. Line the dish with rinsed and dried lettuce leaves, top with lettuce. Garnish the salad with basil leaves and serve with toasted white bread.
Bean soup with pomegranate juice
You will need:
- 300 g of red beans;
- 2 glasses of pomegranate juice;
- 8 glasses of soda;
- 100 g of shelled walnuts;
- 1 onion;
- freshly ground black pepper;
- salt;
- greens of celery, parsley, dill and mint.
Soak red beans overnight, in the morning toss them in a colander, cover with fresh water and cook until soft, adding a little salt. Mash the beans in the broth. Finely chop the onion, grind the walnuts in a mortar. Add nuts and onions to the beans and cook together for 5-7 minutes. Chop the pre-washed and dried greens and add them to the soup. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes, then pour the pomegranate juice into a saucepan and turn off the stove. Let the dish sit a little under the lid.
Beans with ginger and tomatoes
This dish can be served on its own or as a side dish for grilled meat.
You will need:
- 1 cup red beans;
- 3 tomatoes;
- 1 tbsp. a spoonful of grated ginger;
- 2 carrots;
- a bunch of green onions;
- vegetable oil;
- salt;
- freshly ground black pepper;
- parsley.
Rinse the beans and soak for several hours. Then boil it in clean salted water and discard in a colander. Remove the skin from the tomatoes by pouring boiling water over them. Cut the pulp into cubes, chop the onion. Peel and grate the carrots.
Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the chopped ginger in it for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and carrots and add the tomatoes after 5 minutes. While stirring, simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Put the boiled beans in a frying pan, stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
