FART-FREE Beans

RELEASE the Nutrients! Not the gas! 

Dedicated to : My dad....

Cook-y should've used Elaine's Fart-Free Bean Recipe!

"Put that in your book!"

I love the simplicity & versatility of beans....the fact that beans can take on any flavor combination you desire and be incorporated into so many styles of cuisines makes these little powerful pellets worth the time & effort to prepare. They're hardy, fulfilling, and I believe can be added to the list of 'Comfort Food'. 

Beans are beings too. They purposely harbor an enzyme inhibitor so animals like us who do not have the proper enzymes in our digestive gut to eat the beans cannot properly & fully digest all the benefits beans have to offer. Thus, the adverse effect of the inability to digest these beans gently, results in offensive, stinky & musical flatulence!

So before cooking those beans right away we must prepare them by soaking them for a certain amount of time & using an acidic product to neutralize those enzyme inhibitors.  Then we can cook them to our liking. I am going to show you the BASICS for soaking, and a lazy cooking method, or for those without the luxury of time, with the crock pot!

First - gather the beans you are wanting to prepare & eat. For this entry I have chosen a 4 bean combination: Pinto beans, Black Turtle beans, Red beans & Green lentils (which is a legume, not a bean but still has to be soaked). If you want to be technical, then it is true that all beans do not require the same soaking time. I am very lenient on these times when I am crunched for time, or I soak more than one variety of beans. Otherwise I usually soak 1 or 2 varieties of beans at one time depending on the dish I am planning. 

LIST OF INGREDIENTS/Cookware:

• 1c Pinto Beans
• 1c Red Beans
• 1c Black Turtle Beans
• 1c Green Lentils
• Mesh strainer
• 5 quart crockpot with lid
• Separate small pot to heat filtered water in
• 7-8 cups filtered water (NO TAP WATER)
• one 6 inch strip of Kombu (optional). Kombu is a sea vegetable which I use to flavor, thicken & add more beneficial nutrients to my beans. 
• 4 Tablespoons of an acidic neutralizer like : whey, whole yogurt, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or baking soda 

Notes:

• You may use 1 or 2 kinds of beans, it doesn't matter, but with this recipe just make sure you use 4 cups of dry beans altogether.
• If you choose to use baking soda I recommend it for red beans or pinto beans alone, otherwise black turtle beans needs a little more acidic neutralizer & longer time to soak. 

Kombu

Nuetralizers

Steps:

1.  RINSE your beans VERY well under cool water. 

2.  Sort and discard beans that are shriveled & cracked & displeasing to the eye.

3.  Place the rinsed beans in the crock pot.

4.  Heat up the filtered water to almost simmering - NOT boiling!

5.  Add heated filtered water to crock pot of beans

6a.  Add 2 Tablespoons of neutralizer into the crock pot with your beans. I used 1 Tbs yogurt & 1 Tbs of whey. Stir gently.         

6b. I'm pointing to the whey which is the yellowish, liquid protein portion you see floating at the top of the yogurt.

7.  Cover your crock pot with a lid and leave in a warm place to soak for 18-24 hours. 

8.  During the soaking time you must drain the water, rinse the beans & add heated filtered water & 2 more Tablespoons of neutralizer. I recommend rinsing the beans AT LEAST ONCE during the soaking period but if you can manage 2 water changes, that's better. As the enzymes diffuse in the water it is good to change out the water so the beans do not soak the enzymes back in.

So I rinse the beans in a strainer and place the rinsed beans in a separate bowl until I finish rinsing all the beans & I rinse the crock pot out as well. Then I place the rinsed beans back into the crock pot and add the filtered hot water and neutralizer and continue the soaking period.

9.  When the soaking period (18-24hrs) has been satisfied, re-rinse the beans very well under cool water & place the rinsed beans & enough filtered water to cover the beans back into the crock pot. I like to add the 6 inch strip of Kombu and a pastured ham hock to my beans. A lot of people like to add spices and vegetables - so experiment and do as you like. I prefer to sauté or roast my vegetables separate from the crockpot so I can still have the distinguishing taste of those vegetables when added to my finished beans. 

I'm pointing to my Kombu sea vegetable strip.

10.  Once the crock pot is loaded & ready to go, turn it on LOW and leave for 5-7 hours. I like to cook mine overnight. 

11.  Serve with cornbread or as a side to other main dishes....it's a great addition to a baby green salad. My 14 month son prefers it with sautéed chard mixed throughout & it enhances the flavor.