(credit to: Pulse Canada dot com for the above quote)
I stumbled upon this as I have been picking up my neighbours newspaper while they have been away. It's The Globe and Mail, a bit too highbrow for me, but it has a Sudoku, so I am not going to turn it down, as I love doing the Sudoku's; keep's the brain ticking over.
Anyhoo, I digress. In Wednesday's paper there was an article about this "newest" food trend. I read the article with interest, as I don't mind pulses; I don't use them much but with the price of food increasing by the second they are a good cheap alternate to some other foods. Plus they are good for you. It also helps that The UN had declared 2016 The International Year of the Pulses.
Not only is there an article in the Globe and Mail, but CBC News has it's own article here. Canadian Chef Michael Smith is spearheading the campaign, at least in Canada, for us all to eat more pulses, and there is even a website for us to sign up to pledge we will eat half a cup of pulses per week for ten weeks. www.pulsepledge.com I must say after looking around the site there are some yummy recipes on there that pretty easy to make. One of my favourites and one I think I may make next week was Bean Lasagna.
If you have just over six minutes to spare you may want to listen to this recording of Chef Michael Smith talking about how good pulses are for you.
A couple of facts about pulses:
Pulses have twice as much protein as whole grains such as wheat, barley or rice.
Pulses are high in fibre, which helps decrease and control cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Pulses are also high in B-vitamins, and key minerals including iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc.
I have posted a couple recipes over the years on my blog that include pulses. One of my favourites is Lentil Stew. Not only is it vegetarian it is also vegan.
Then there is my "famous" Baked Bean Lasagna This was one of the first recipes I posted back in 2008, when I first started my blog. Mark's and Spencer recipe that I have been making for years.
I also posted a 50 + 1 recipes for Chickpeas here, I do not know if all the links work though.
Plus a 50 + 1 recipe for Kidney Beans. Now when I do my menu plan for next week, I am going to include at least one meal that has some sort of pulse in it.
Do you eat a lot of pulses in your house?
11 comments:
We don't eat a lot of pulses, but they are a really cheap alternative so I intend to browse some of the recipes and see what I can come up with. Take care.
Fantastic, thank you for all the links. We eat lots of pulses here, I'll be sure to try your lentil stew, I even have mace for some reason.
We do eat dried beans and dried peas at least once a month or so. But like you said, with the prices rising so quickly at the grocery, this could be one method of holding down the budget.
I once made a lovely lentil soup so I will look up that recipe once again.
God bless.
Always have been my favorite food. I love brown beans, the kind in a can, and lentils any which way.
I have my grandmothers wartime cookbook which is a great resource in these lean times.
We don't eat very many pulses here. I've never been a huge Bean or pea fan and I have stomach issues that make it difficult to eat them. My husband does love split pea soup and different things made with beans though, so maybe I need to try making some recipes for him. Blessings, Betsy
I had never heard them called pulses! I wonder where I have been...as you say, with food prices rising by the second, we may have to eat more beans, etc...and I really don't mind. We like them.
The first time I've heard the term, actually.
I have just put on a pan of lentil soup, popped over to the PC to check out blogs- and there is your lovely post. I didnt know about the UNs special year! I have BEAN truly blessed, hope you have too xx
Being vegetarians we do eat lots of pulses. As you say with food prices rising daily they are a very cheap protein!
We eat very few pulses -- But I know we should, and for all the reasons you've said and a few more because everyone can benefit from eating them, added to that they're a great alternative to meat. And they're (obviously) high in fibre, complex carbohydrates and low in fat, which is the best reason.
I honestly don't know the first thing about pulses. But definitely looking forward to changing that this year..x
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