Easy Beans and Greens

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes (after beans are cooked)
Yield: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked (or canned) black beans (or pinto, red, kidney—your choice)
1 bunch collard greens (or kale, spinach—it’s up to you)
your favorite toppings, such as salsa, avocado or guacamole and sour cream


Directions:
1.     In a medium saucepan, heat drained beans. Add your favorite seasonings, if desired.
2.     Fill a separate medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
3.     Wash and chop greens (you can use the stems, too) and add to boiling water.  
4.     Cook for 2-3 minutes until greens are bright green and tender. Drain off water.
5.     On a plate, arrange a portion of the greens, top with a portion of the beans and finish with toppings of your choice.

Note: see recipe for Traditionally Prepared Beans for a tip on soaking beans overnight for better digestion.

Food Focus: Beans

Beans, or legumes, including peas and lentils, are an excellent source of plant-based protein. Beans are found in most traditional cultures as a staple food, offering grounding and strengthening properties that enhance endurance. They offer a highly usable, highly absorbable source of calcium for the body, and a rich supply of minerals and B vitamins. A very inexpensive source of high nutrition, beans can be rich, delicious and satisfying,
    
Lack of sexual energy is often due to overtaxed adrenal glands and kidneys. Beans are known for strengthening these organs (ever noticed the shape of a bean?) and can help restore vital energy as well as sexual energy.  

Beans have a reputation for causing digestive distress, but this is usually because they have been undercooked or improperly prepared. To help reduce gas-forming properties, soak beans overnight with lemon juice prior to cooking (2 cups beans with 2 tbsp lemon juice or whey), increase cooking time, add spices like bay leaf, oregano or cumin, and/or add kombu (a sea vegetable) when cooking. While canned beans are good in a pinch, the high heat and processing makes them nutritionally inferior to dried beans.  Traditional peoples prepared legumes with much care.  Rinse beans, then cover with filtered water and add whey or lemon juice. Soak 12-24 hours.  Pour off the water, rinse beans, then cook for 4-8 hours.  Skim off any foam that rises to the top.  Preparing beans carefully in this manner will result in beans that are thoroughly digestible, breaking down hard to digest complex sugars, and neutralizing enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid.