Sprouted Beans with Peppers

Turkish cuisine is rich with tasty vegan recipes. Most vegetable dish recipes start with “sauté onions in olive oil”. After that, you simply cook vegetables or beans together with spices, mixing their flavors and aromas. Add to this a good loaf of bread and you have yourself a nutritious, light and tasty meal. 

I’m used to soaking most beans and legumes in water overnight before cooking them. This cuts down the cooking time considerably. Then I learned about sprouting. Sprouting has many health benefits too. It improves digestion, increases nutrient availability, improves glycemic control and reduces anti-nutrients like lectins and tannins. My sister gifted me sprouting jars, now I use them on a regular basis. It takes a couple of days for beans to sprout, developing small tail-like growth. 

• I use mostly small beans like mung beans and black-eyed peas in addition to all varieties of lentils. Most of the time I mix a couple of these beans and legumes to mix the tastes and textures. Peppers and spices add color and flavor. This dish goes well in bowls. You can serve it over rice, bulgur pilaf, pasta or zucchini noodles. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup lentils (green, black, brown NO red lentils), sprouted for 2 days
• 1/2 cup mung beans (green, black, brown NO red lentils), sprouted for 2 days
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped or sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ cup red/yellow/green peppers, sliced or dices 
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A few sprigs of fresh parsley (optional) for garnish

Directions:

Please note before you start that you need to sprout the beans and lentils for 2 days.

First sprout the beans & legumes. If you have sprouting jars, use them as directed. If not, here’s a way to sprout them. First in separate bowls soak the beans and lentils overnight. In the morning, using a sieve drain the water, place them in large jars. Wash and drain the beans and lentils and put them back in the jars 2-3 times a day. At the end of the second day, you’ll see them sprouting. When you are ready to cook, rinse and drain them in a sieve and set aside.

Cooking directions:

1. In a pot, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat onions are translucent.
2. Add and garlic, peppers and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes. 
3. Add the beans and lentils, stir.
4. Add boiling water.
5. Add the turmeric powder, cumin, salt & pepper and bring to a boil. 
6. Reduce heat to medium low and let it simmer until the beans and lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. This depends on how long you sprouted them and the kind of beans & lentils you use. Check for doneness, cook more if needed. 
7. Serve hot. 

Notes:

1. If you have sprouted the beans and don’t have time to cook right away, you can store them in the refrigerator for a few days until you are ready to cook.
2. You can cook a larger batch and freeze it in Ziploc bags.

AFIYET OLSUN!

BON APPETIT!

 

Sprouting the beans

Sprouted mung beans lentils and black eye beans

Ingredients

Saute onions

Add peppers and garlic

Add beans

Add water and simmer

Sprouted beans with peppers

Sprouted beans with peppers