Rich in protein with a side of sweet like sugar, Caribbean plantain
Nutrition
The essential ingredient that is the core of this vegetable stew are the black eyed beans.
Beans are legumes that provide significant amount of protein (100 g of beans provide 9-25 g of protein) in the diet. Particularly, they are rich in the amino acid lysine, which is one of the essential amino acids that can only be obtained from the diet. They are an optimal alternative to meat and an environmental-friendly choice. They also contain high amount of fibres, which are essential for living a healthy lifestyle, considering that the National Cholesterol Education Program recommends 5-10 g of fibre a day to reduce LDL cholesterol by ~5%. As well as reducing LDL cholesterol, fibres have a low glycaemic index, therefore they contribute to maintaining low blood sugar levels. Clinical studies show that the consumption of three or more servings of beans in a week decreases the risk of developing type-2 diabetes by 35% as they contain bioactive polyphenols that protect against the disease through their antioxidant effects; and resistant starch that also reduces the amount of glucose in the blood.
It is also interesting to know that bean proteins are used to create probiotics, as they increase the growth of the bifidobacteria living in our gut, improving the balance between us and the microbiota.
What you need
Two whole onions
Two spring onions
Five garlic cloves
One table spoon of self raising flour
One whole broccoli
One red pepper
One chilli stalk
Half a pack of portobello mushrooms
One whole plantain
One tin of tomatoes
One tin of black eyed beans
One table spoon of all purpose seasoning
One pack of Jamaican Bammy for a little Caribbean rhythm 🕺🏿
Method
Cooking time: One hour
Dice the onions (both types), garlic, broccoli, pepper, chillies and mushrooms.
Add onions and garlic to a large pot with olive oil and let fry on a high heat for two minutes. Next add the pepper, chilli and mushrooms to the pot and lower the heat.
Add the chopped, tinned tomatoes and beans with the salted water that they are soaked in. Proceed to add a vegetable stock cube with boiling 1/4 litres of boiling water and stir. Add the all purpose seasoning and let cook for 15 minutes on a moderate heat.
Lower the heat and cover the pot for 30 minutes. Return, season with a little salt and pepper and stir once again.
For a little Caribbean flava, serve with a side of Jamaican Bammy.
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