Preparation

Pinto Beans are Quick & Easy to Cook and Prepare:

1/  Rinse them thoroughly under cool running water.

2/ To shorten cooking time, improve texture and easier to digest, pinto beans should be pre-soaked. Simply soak the beans with 2-3 cups of water for eight hours or overnight, placing in the refrigerator, so the beans will not ferment.

3/ To cook the beans, you can either cook them on the stovetop or use a pressure cooker. For the stovetop method, add 3 cups of fresh water or broth for each cup of pre-soaked beans. Bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, skim off the bubbly foam on top, cook for 45 minutes to get tender. As for pressure cooker, takes about 20-30 minutes to get tender.

4/ Once done, let your beans cool and add to your cooking. Alternatively, just pack and store in the freezer for later use.

NOTE: Regardless of cooking method, do not add any seasonings until after the beans have been cooked. Adding them earlier will make the beans tough and greatly increase the cooking time.

Recipes

Can be great meat substitution & side dish:

 Salad    Curry    Soup     Burger Patties     Stew

Recipes:

Mexican Pinto Beans

Easy Pinto Beans From Scratch (1 Pot!)

Burger Patties

http://holycowvegan.net/2011/03/bean-and-oats-burgers.html

Pinto Bean Soup

Vegan Pinto Bean Soup

Spanish Rice with Pinto Beans

Vegan Spanish Rice and Beans

Health Benefits

 Treatment to Constipation

Pinto beans are rich in fibre, essential to increase stool bulk and prevent constipation. Also, helps prevent digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis.

 Lower Your Heart Attack Risk

Researchers found that higher legume consumption was associated with a whopping 82% reduction in heart attack risk!! Pinto beans contain good source of minerals – folate, magnesium, and potassium; essential to prevent high blood pressure, protect against atherosclerosis and stroke.

 Regulate Blood Sugar Levels & Cholesterol Level

Pinto beans help you to balance blood sugar levels while providing steady, slow-burning energy – beneficial for those who have insulin resistance, hypoglycemia or diabetes. In addition, research showed that Pinto beans help to reduce total cholesterol by nearly 7%, triglyceride levels by 10.2% and VLDL (Very Low Density Lipoprotein—the most dangerous form of cholesterol) levels by 12.5%.

 Sensitive to Sulfites? Pinto Beans May Help

Sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods like delicatessen salads and salad bars. Persons who are sensitive to sulfites in these foods may experience rapid heartbeat, headache or disorientation if sulfites are unwittingly consumed.

Pinto beans are an excellent source of the trace mineral, molybdenum, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites.

 Iron for Energy

Pinto beans increases your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores. A cup of lima beans contains 24.9% of the daily value for this important mineral. Particularly for menstruating women, who are more at risk for iron deficiency, adding to their iron stores with lima beans is a good idea—especially because, unlike red meat, another source of iron, lima beans are low in calories and virtually fat-free.

And remember: If you’re pregnant or lactating, your needs for iron increase. Growing children and adolescents also have increased needs for iron.

 Manganese for Energy Production and Antioxidant Defense

Pinto beans are a very good source of the trace mineral manganese, which is an essential cofactor in a number of enzymes important in energy production and antioxidant defenses.

 Protein Power Plus

If you’re wondering how to replace red meat in your menus, enjoy the buttery taste of pinto beans. Pinto Beans are a good source of protein, and when combined with a whole grain such as whole wheat pasta or brown rice, provide protein comparable to that of meat or dairy foods without the high calories or saturated fat found in these foods. A cup of pinto beans will provide you with 15 grams of protein. 

 Maintain Your Memory with Thiamin (Vitamin B1)

The vitamin B, thiamin is needed for the synthesis of acetylcholine, the important neurotransmitter essential for memory and whose lack has been found to be a significant contributing factor in age-related impairment in mental function (senility) and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Nutritional Information

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.