Superfoods to try: legume seeds and soy

If you're looking for some ingredients that are healthy and full of protein, try these delicious ways to add legume seeds and soy to your diet.

Legume seeds are grown in a pod. They are usually polished after harvest and cleaning. Being the seeds of the plant, they're rich in nutrients, including folate and iron, as well as protein. One cup of lentils, for example, provides about 18 grams of protein; as much as a T-bone steak.

• To repel insects, keep your dried beans in a glass jar with a dried chilli. If you like spicy heat, add it to the meal when cooking; otherwise discard.
• To prevent flatulence, change the soaking water a few times. Don't use this water for cooking. Or alternatively, opt for canned legumes, which are digested more easily. Be sure to rinse them first.
• Bake chickpeas in the oven: Mix 500 grams (two cups) of drained peas with beaten egg, cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper or cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Bake at 200 ° C (400 ° F) until golden. Stir occasionally.

This is the food of the most nutritious vegetable and the only legume to provide a complete protein. The grain is eaten green (edamame) or dry. Various products are derived from soy: tofu, made with the milk obtained after reducing the beans to a mash; miso, fermented soybean paste, and soy sauce, which is made from it; lastly, tempeh is made with cooked and fermented soybeans.

• In baked goods, replace one-third of the wheat flour with soy flour. As it doesn't tolerate high temperatures, reduce the oven temperature by 10 ° C (50 ° F) and check if your dish is cooked five or 10 minutes earlier.
• Roasted soy beans, or "soy nuts", are perfect for a snack or in a salad instead of croutons. Choose the ones that are unsalted.
• Cook steamed edamame in their pods and enjoy them as a snack. Or alternatively, steam cook them and then let them brown in a little oil. Add salt and serve.

Increasing the amount of legume seeds and soy in your diet is easy with these clever tricks.