Rice pulses and beans

soontobe - just in case you don't already know, if you use dried red kidney beans you must soak them overnight, rinse them well and they must be boiled for at least ten minutes to kill an enzyme that could give you the collywobbles!

TriciaF I will try your recipe on my DD this weekend. I think she's getting fed up with my fish pie!

Don't undercooked kidney beans give you a bit more than the collywobbles. A bit like magic mushrooms type of thing. (Stick to tinned ones!)

Reading this thread reminds me of the F plan diet back in the eighties.

Way too much fibre!

MiniMouse & jingl - that answers one of the questions I had left. Thanks. I thought there was one that could be deadly.
I am not keen on beans unless it is baked beans.

I am trying to widen what I eat.
I assumed actually that grains and pulses helped with weight loss?
I am actually healthy now, so I was just trying to add in some nutirents that I may not be getting.

I will try some of these recipes.

Of course, anything with calories can cause weight gain if you eat too much. A piece of, say, chicken, or some white fish, would have more protein without being calorie dense. You would have to eat loads more grains or pulses to get that much protein. But of course, you do need fibre. So stick to whole grain rice and bread. And eat a balanced diet.

Remember, butter and other fats are extremely calorie dense so can easily cause weight gain.

We were veggies for a few years and I learnt that because vegetables pass through the gut relatively fast there's less absorption of potentially fattening elements.
Meat takes longer to process so the system becomes sluggish. More chance of colon cancer too.
I believe colon cancer is almost unknown in countries where the diet contains little or no meat.

I love bulgar wheat, especially in Tabbouleh-it tastes nuttier than couscous.
Not so keen on pulses, really ought to make more effort

www.viva.org.uk for loads of recipes.

New series of George Gently on. Martin Shaw is a vegan and has written a cookbook for Viva!

Brown basmati rice has a low GI so is healthier for you.

I feel I should say that I am certainly not saying that I think a meat free diet is the best way to go.
But I am wanting to diversify my food a bit, nutrient wise.

You will do by using lentils or other pulses instead of meat or fish.
You do need to rethink the meat and two veg idea if you do not want to get bored with just replacing in a normal meal style.
That's why I suggested looking at Viva recipes, just to get ideas which is what you said you wanted.

Yes, thank you. Variation is indeed what I want and maybe need.
I have been brought up meat and two veg, and carried it on, because DH brought up the same way.

So were we, but we changed nearly 40 years ago.

We eat a lot of stir fries. A little meat goes a long way in a stir fry.

And you put rice pulses and beans in a stir fry? hmm, not sure I fancy that. Food I am not so fond of, I like to hide a bit on the whole. Unless I am just going to face it head on.

No hope of changing my DH on his meat and 2 veg. He is happy with the same food over and over and over.
I can obscure a few new items but that is all that I can get away with as far as he is concerned.
He cant stand my daughters' cooking!

The other thing is - it's so much cheaper to get your proteins through a load of dried pulses. Tinned is ok, but more fattening because the fibres are partly broken down. Yes, a small amount in a stirfry is lovely. It adds another texture, but I know how conservative men can be, DBH and I rarely eat the same meals as each other, he hates beans and pulses. Do you eat much soup? Lentil soup is really nice. You can start off doing it slowly - use only half the mince you would in a Bolognese, make up the rest with lentils, cook as normal, they only take about 15 mins to soften up. You will just need to add more liquid.

But do be careful, Stb not to add too much fibre too suddenly to your diet - your gut needs time to get used to it!

Thanks for the recipes on here, folks!

The mince and lentil soup sounds nice. I will give it a try.

Ok Ariadne. I didnt know that. Will do.

Yes, very sound advice, I still can't forget what happened the first time I made lentil loaf!

Soaking beans and things the night before you need them soon becomes a habit. I think it won't happen overnight, and as Ariadne says, you probably shouldn't, but google lentil recipes, bean recipes (men seem to like black beans) and see what you fancy. Make more casseroles and add beans to them, borlotti beans are good for that and if he likes baked beans, should be happy with them.

Beans and pulses in a stir fry? No no no! I just meant it was a healthier way of eating if you didn't want to go down the beans and pulses route,and didn't want to use a lot of meat!

we lived abroad for many years and came home last year the only thing i miss are the chickpeas, large and lush and sold in jars not tins, does anyone know where i can get them please