Yahneake Sterling, Staff Reporter

Oh so scrumptious! Baked beans with vienna sausages. - Contributed

Whether it's your grandmother's flavourful gungo peas soup on a Saturday or your mother's tasty rice and peas on a Sunday, peas and beans make a scrumptious meal. They contain no cholesterol and are low in fat, making them a great substitute for meat which contains more fat and cholesterol. When mixed with the right foods, they provide you with the nutrients the body needs.

Nutrition

Beans are also a good source of protein, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and folate.

Peas, like beans, provide the body with dietary requirements such as protein, potassium and carbohydrate. But peas have additional nutrients such as B vitamins, magnesium and iron. Dried peas however tend to contain more fibre, while green peas are a good source of vitamin C, K and carotene.

Soluble fibres in beans are great for your heart. As the fibres pass through the digestive tract, they trap bile that contains cholesterol, removing it from the body.

Some types of peas and bean include: gungo peas (good for making soup), red kidney beans (used in stews and rice and peas), gully beans/susumber (cooked with saltfish), broad beans (good for stews), black-eyed peas (good for curried dishes and casseroles), black peas (good for soups and stews), spilt peas, Jerusalem peas, butter beans (can be used in casseroles and salads), chickpeas (good for Spanish stews and soups), red oriental beans (good for rice dishes), soy beans (can be used in salads), and Jacob's cattle beans (great in soups).

How to soak your peas and beans

Steamed soy beans are just as tasty. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

Soaking your peas and beans softens them allowing them to cook evenly. It also removes indigestible sugars that causes gas. They should be soaked at leastfour hours before cooking time.

1. Spread beans out in a pan and remove shrivelled beans, loose skins and pebbles.

2. Rinse in cold water.

3. Add four to five cups of water per cup of beans or bring the water level to three inches above the beans.

Remember to discard the water the peas and beans are soaked in.

Pressure Soak Method

1. Bring to boil and pressure cook for five minutes.

2. Remove from heat, and let pressure drop naturally.

3. Drain and discard the water and rinse beans.

Quick Soak Method

1. Boil beans in water for 3 minutes in a heavy pot.

2. Cover and set aside for 2 hours.

3. Drain and discard the water and rinse beans.

Sources:www.geocities.com, Jamaicans.com, all recipes.com, Cooks.com, Jamaica-recipes.com, mayoclinic.com, missvickie.com

Five bean salad

INGREDIENTS

1 pound bacon

2/3 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup water

Drain and rinse one (15 ounce) can of black beans, kidney beans, green beans, wax beans, and garbanzo beans.

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut bacon into small pieces and place in a large skillet. Cook, turning frequently, over medium high heat until evenly browned. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup drippings and set bacon aside.

2. Return reserved drippings to skillet. Mix together sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper; blend into drippings. Stir in vinegar and water; cook and stir and bring to boil. Stir in drained beans. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3. Turn bean mixture into serving dish. Crumble bacon over beans and serve.

Hearty Bean Soup

3 cups chopped parsnips

2 cups chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onion

1-1/2 cups dry great northern beans

5 cups water

1-1/2 pounds smoked ham hocks or ham shanks

2 garliccloves, minced

2 teaspoons salt1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

In a five-quart slow cooker, place parsnips, carrots and onion. Top with beans. Add water, ham, garlic, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Cover and cook on high for six to seven hours or until beans are tender. Remove meat and bones when cool enough to handle. Cut meat into bite-size pieces and return to slow cooker; heat through.

Jamaican stew peas

INGREDIENTS

2 cups red peas

1/2 lb salt beef

1 lb stew beef (you also can use pigtail if you like)

1 scotch bonnet pepper

2 stalk scallion

3 sprig thyme

2 cups coconut milk(or 1/4 box)

6 pimento seed

3 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

spinner dumplings (recipe below)

METHOD

1. Boil and drain salt beef twice.

2. Place peas, meat and garlic together in the pan, boil until peas are tender, about 1 1/2 hour.

3. Add coconut cream, spinners, and seasoning, cook for about an hour.

4. Season to taste.

5. Thicken the mix with 3 tablespoons of flour combined with 1/4 cup water. Strain the mixture into the stew.

6. Boil until it thickens. Serve with rice.

SPINNERS INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Enough water to bind

METHOD

1. Place flour and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Work mixture with hands while adding enough water to bind, making a stiff dough.

3. Roll into 1 inch long pieces, drop into boiling stew peas.

4. Boil until they float or add them during the last 20 minutes of the cooking process. Enjoy

Jamaican oxtail and beans

2 lb oxtail

1 large onion (chopped)

1 large green bell pepper (chopped)

1 tbs. paprika

2 tbs. salt or seasoned salt

3 carrots (cleaned and chopped)

1 oz. browning

1 can butter beans

2 clove garlic

4 stalks thyme

6 pimento berries (Allspice)

1 oz. vinegar

Method

Trim the extra fat from the meat if there is any. Wash oxtails in cold water/vinegar solution. Put the oxtails in the pressure-cooker with the browning, paprika, and salt.

Add 4 cups of water to the pot. Place the pot on the fire and turn the fire to high.

Allow the meat to cook under high pressure.

You can also put the pot in the kitchen sink and run cold water on it; let it cool fast.

When the pot is cool enough, carefully remove the cover and pour the contents into a saucepan. Turn the fire to medium and cook the oxtails until they are medium soft, or soft.

Taste the gravy, now add salt to taste if needed. If the textures of the oxtails are the way you want them to be, add the rest of the ingredients, except the butter beans.

The butter beans should be added two minutes before you finish making this stew.When the stew is ready, you may serve it with White Rice, Rice and Peas, Pasta, Bread, or Yams and Dumplings.