Beans are a natural protein-carbohydrate combination. As an endurance athlete, carbs are super important to fuel Michiel’s muscles, and of course protein to build and repair muscles, we know how important protein is – vegan or not! This bean chilli recipe is a great way to refuel from a hard workout. It is super easy to make, and taste satisfaction guaranteed. First, more about those BEANS!
- Beans are a great source of plant protein and are rich in vitamins and minerals, including folate, manganese, potassium, iron, copper and magnesium, just like those lentils!
- The soluble fibre in beans helps protect against heart disease by lowering the cholesterol in the blood. They are naturally low in fat and dietary cholesterol, so replacing meats with beans is a heart-healthy swap too – vegan power! They contain 7 to 8 grams fibre per half-cup (FYI – meat has no fibre) (recommended 25-30 per day).
- Beans are a super source of fuel for the health-promoting bacteria that live in our guts. All of us have about two to four lbs of gut bacteria, which influences our immune system massively. In fact, about 70% of our immune response is generated from the gut – low immune system – higher chance of getting sick!
- This kind of bacteria that lives inside our gut, loves nothing more than to eat the undigested raffinose (a type of carbohydrate), which comes from beans (and can be found in broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts and asparagus) Having well-nourished gut microbes really helps our overall health. A strong intake of these foods helps strengthen our immune system and completely optimises overall wellness. SUPER HERO BEANS!
CHILLI CON BEANY
🔶 INGREDIENTS 🔶
🔺Any vegetables you like! (I used: Mushrooms, Carrot, Pepper, Onion, Green beans, Courgette, Spinach)
🔺Mixed beans (I used kidney beans, lima beans, cannellini and butter beans)
🔺Blended fresh or 1 tin of tomatoes
🔺Tbsp Cumin
🔺Tbsp Chilli
🔺3 Garlic cloves
🔺Tbsp Paprika
🔶 METHOD 🔶
🔺Put the chopped vegetables (except spinach) in a pan with some coconut oil and soften (5 minutes)
🔺Add the rest of the ingredients (except spinach) and stir together with the spices (I add more spices as I go, according to taste)
🔺Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes and then stir in the spinach last
VOILA! Served with quinoa, brown rice & hummus
Bean-based meals are so much better for the environment than meat-based meals. If everyone were to eat one less meat meal a week, we’d need fewer beef cattle, which are major producers of greenhouse gasses. This could assist in the war against global warming. More on that here.
