White Beans and Kale with Dried Tomatoes and Quinoa

The white bean and kale with dried tomatoes and quinoa is a tasty, fiber-rich and healthy dish.

Preparation time: The preparation time indicated does not include soaking and cooking the white beans. You can use prepared beans (see step 1 of the preparation) or canned beans (see "Alternative preparation").

Nutrient profile: One portion of this dish covers many times the average daily requirement of vitamin K, copper and folic acid. Vitamin C, omega-3 fatty acids and the essential amino acids tryptophan and threonine are also covered at over 100%. It also contains high levels of all essential amino acids. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is 2:1, which is significantly below the maximum recommended ratio of 5:1. Read more at: Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional errors.

Quinoa: Quinoa is a pseudo-cereal and can be eaten both cooked and uncooked. It has a slightly nutty taste. It originally comes from the South American Andes of the Inca Indians, where it has been cultivated for 6,000 years. Quinoa is gluten-free and beats the usual types of cereal in terms of protein, magnesium and iron. It also contains all essential amino acids, including lysine!

Kale: Kale is a fast-growing and globally widespread type of cabbage that is descended from wild cabbage ( Brassica oleracea L.). This robust winter vegetable is also known in Switzerland as kale and is one of the foods richest in vitamin C. Kale contains a wide range of nutrients, which, in addition to the many vitamins, also impresses with its fiber and secondary plant substances.

White beans: White beans are seeds of a garden bean plant and belong to the legumes. Raw They are inedible and even poisonous due to the lectin phaseolin they contain. The cooking process irreversibly inactivates phaseolin, making the beans a high-quality source of protein for humans. Dried white beans contain an average of 21 grams of protein per 100 grams.

Flaxseed: Flaxseed has a slightly nutty taste and a fat content of 40%. It contains around 50% of the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), making it the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids of all known vegetable oils.

Walnuts: Of all known nuts, walnuts have the highest content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). They also have health benefits thanks to tocopherols (forms of vitamin E) and many macro and trace elements.

Nut butter instead of tahini: We deliberately used a nut butter made from walnuts and linseed to ensure a good ratio of fatty acids. The most commonly used tahini, made from sesame seeds, has a very poor ratio of fatty acids. In terms of taste, our version is very similar to tahini.

In this version of kale, the kale is cooked for a shorter time than in traditional kale stew, so that most of the vitamins are still retained.

Reduce salt and oil: We have consciously reduced salt and left out oil for health reasons. You can find more information on this topic in our book, which we describe in detail: "Salt Sugar Fat" by Michael Moss.

Cooking white beans yourself: You should soak the beans well before cooking (preferably overnight) to reduce the phytic acid content. Phytic acid irreversibly binds minerals in the human body, so that they are no longer available to the organism. You can find out more about this in the following article:
Phytic acid or phytate and soaking or sprouting.
After soaking, rinse the beans well and simmer with a little salt and just below boiling point for 45 to 60 minutes. If you do not soak the beans, the cooking time will be extended to 1.5 - 2 hours.

Pre-cooked beans: White beans (like other beans and legumes) are usually dried or pre-cooked and preserved. While the preserved version is more convenient and saves time, the dried version has the advantage of tasting better. In addition, by cooking at home you can determine the degree of firmness yourself (canned beans are often very soft, sometimes even mushy). Of course, canned goods often contain unnecessary additives or are heavily salted, and the unprocessed version is therefore preferable. If you decide to buy ready-made beans, it is advisable to only buy organic canned goods. They are often processed more gently, but above all they contain fewer or no additives. Glass canned goods are particularly recommended, and are generally the most common in organic stores. These do not contain aluminum or BPA (bisphenol A) and are more environmentally friendly.

Beans - quick option: If you use canned beans, for example to save time, organic products are preferable. They contain no artificial additives and are often cooked without salt. With such a ready-made product, you can avoid the specified soaking and cooking time.