A Legume Feast Across Regions: From Western-Style Lentil Pies to the Detoxifying Power of Kidney-Shaped Beans

Red Beans: Pour 225 grams of red beans into a pot, add 600 ml of water, bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and soak for 1 hour. Then bring the beans to a boil again and simmer for 1 hour, until the beans are soft. Red Lentils: These beans do not require pre-soaking. Bring the beans to a boil with twice the amount of water as the beans, cover, and simmer. Red lentils need to simmer for 30 minutes to soften, while brown lentils need 45 minutes. You should check them frequently to add water if necessary, otherwise the beans will burn.

Lentil Pie. 450ml vegetable juice, 1 large onion, chopped, 1 celery stalk, chopped, 175g red lentils, ½ tsp fresh yeast, ½ tsp fresh thyme, 175g carrot, chopped, 450g potato, 1 bay leaf, ½ tsp fresh sage, sea salt, fresh black pepper, a little low-fat yogurt. Pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable juice into a pot and heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the lentils, the remaining vegetable juice, yeast, thyme, sage, and carrot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wash, peel, and chop the potato. Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil in a pot. Simmer for 25 minutes, adding sea salt. Once the potato is tender, remove it from the pot and mix it with the black pepper and low-fat yogurt. Mash the mixture into a puree. Place the bean mixture in a large dish, top with the mashed potato, and bake for 5 minutes. This pie can be served with a green salad.

Mixed Lentils. 225g lentils, 3-4 carrots, chopped, 2 celery stalks, chopped, 2 onions, 1 tsp fresh sage and thyme, chopped, 1 large ripe apple, cored and chopped, sea salt, fresh black pepper, 450ml vegetable juice, 1 tbsp rolled oats. Place all ingredients in a steamer, pour in the vegetable juice (enough to cover the lentils), sprinkle the rolled oats on top, then cover tightly and steam for about 45 minutes, or until the filling is cooked through.

Mixed Kidney-Shaped Beans. 225g red kidney-shaped beans, 600ml water, 450g tomatoes, peeled and sliced, sea salt, fresh black pepper, 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and sliced, 2 medium onions, sliced, 1 head of garlic, peeled, 2 red chili peppers (fresh or dried). First, place half of the tomatoes in a steaming dish, add the seasonings, then layer with red bell peppers, onions, garlic, and red chili peppers. Next, pour all the beans into the dish, then layer with another layer of red bell peppers, onions, garlic, and red chili peppers. Finally, place the remaining tomatoes on top, cover, and steam for 1.5 hours. Serve with black rice and green rice.

Black-eyed pea filling. 225g black-eyed peas, 600ml water, 300ml vegetable juice, 1 onion, sliced, 1 head of garlic, peeled, 350g tomatoes, peeled and sliced, 350g mushrooms, chopped, 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced, sea salt, fresh black pepper, 1 tablespoon fresh herbs. Add black-eyed peas to a pot, add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, pour 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable juice into a saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the remaining vegetable juice and vegetables, bring to a boil, season, add herbs, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. When the black-eyed peas are tender, stir the vegetable mixture into the peas and season to taste. Serve with green salad or coated potatoes, or with black rice.

Many people believe that to get rid of excess fat, you have to completely avoid pudding. Actually, that's not the case. You can absolutely enjoy this type of food as much as you like, just by making slight changes to the ingredients. Below are a few ways to make slimming pudding.

Apricot Tofu Pudding. Soak 125-175g dried apricots overnight, then drain. Fresh apricots can be used instead. 1 block of tofu, juice of half a lemon, 4 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons low-fat yogurt, 3-4 tablespoons peeled almonds. Place all ingredients except the almonds in a container with a thickener and stir until smooth. Spoon the mixture into four separate dishes, sprinkle with almonds, and freeze briefly.

Strawberry Tofu Pudding. 450g strawberries, 1 block of tofu, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, juice of 1 lemon, 4-5 tbsp honey. Take more than half of the strawberries and add them to the saucepan with all the other ingredients. Stir until smooth. Spoon the mixture into 4 glass dishes and garnish with the remaining strawberries. To serve, chill the pudding beforehand.