Recipes Packed With Folic Acid
Most women know the benefits of taking Folic Acid supplements before conception and during the delicate early weeks of pregnancy, however many may not be aware just how easy it can be to incorporate this vital vitamin into your daily diet simply by opening a can.Canned pulses such as kidney beans, chickpeas, butter beans, baked beans, borlotti beans, flageolet beans and peas are a fantastic source of Folic Acid and provide a hassle free alternative to the hours of soaking required to make dried pulses safe, edible and easy to digest.
One of the B-group of vitamins, Folic Acid is a water soluble vitamin, which means that it needs to be incorporated into your diet daily as the body cannot store it. All adults need 0.2mg (200 micrograms) of Folic Acid per day. The ultimate in fast food, canned pulses provide you with protein and carbohydrates to meet your dietary needs from pre-conception through to pregnancy, birth and beyond. Just three heaped tablespoons of canned pulses counts as one of the portions of fruit and vegetables you should be aiming to eat every day. What’s more, tucking into tasty beans and peas will give your iron levels a boost, particularly when consumed with dark green vegetables or orange juice which aid absorption of iron.
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A quick and easy meal idea for the rest of the family too, canned pulses can be used to make soups, salads, stews and much more, with many recipes suitable for feeding weaned babies over six months old.
Try Tuscan Bean Soup for a super summer snack, energy boosting Cannelini Bean and Farfalle Pasta, or a vitamin packed Flageolet Bean and Broccoli Provencal with a Sweet Potato Mash. 1. Tuscan Bean SoupIngredients:
1 garlic clove; crushed
1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 leek (finely chopped)
150 g canned carrots; drained
1 x 400 g can baked beans
1 x can condensed vegetable soup
1 bay leaf
Half a teaspoon (2.5 ml) dried sage (crushed)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley plus extra to garnish
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Method:
Place the garlic, vegetables, beans, vegetable stock, bay leaf and sage in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaf. Stir in the fresh parsley. Season with freshly ground black pepper and ladle in warmed bowls. Scatter over the extra parsley and drizzle with the oil before serving.
Serves 4
Nutritional information per serving: 153 calories, 5.8g protein, 6.4g fat (0.9g of which are saturates), 19g carbohydrates, 5.2g fibre 2. Cannellini Bean and Farfalle PastaIngredients:
500 g easy cook farfalle pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
410g can cannellini beans (drained)
1 tbsp green pesto
1 Finely chopped red onion
290g can sliced button mushrooms (drained)
2 Finely chopped courgettes
1 Chicken or vegetable stock cube
Water to cover
Method:
Add the olive oil, onion and courgettes to a large, heated pan and allow to cook for a minute. Add the mushrooms and stir together the ingredients. Once stirred, allow to cook for a further two minutes. Add the cannellini beans and pesto and mix together. Crumble a stock cube into the pan, add the pasta and give all the ingredients a good stir. Add enough water to just cover the dry ingredients and allow to simmer for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid will thicken to a sauce as the pasta cooks. Split the dish into four equal portions and serve.
Serves 4
Nutritional information per serving: 382 calories, 9g fat, 10g protein, 63g carbohydrates3. Flageolet Bean and Broccoli Provencal with a Sweet Potato MashIngredients:
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced
½ red pepper, deseeded and sliced
½ green pepper, deseeded and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
350 g (12 oz) broccoli florets
1 x 400 g can ratatouille
1 x 420 g can flageolet beans
2 tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste
2 teaspoons (10 ml) dried oregano or basil
60 g (2 oz) black olives
A little low-sodium salt and freshly ground black pepper
A small handful of fresh parsley or basil leaves, chopped
For the mash:
450g (1 lb) sweet potatoes, peeled
125 g (4 oz) swede, peeled
200ml (7 fl oz) milk
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) dried rosemary
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and saute the onions and peppers over a moderate heat until soft. Add the garlic and broccoli and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ratatouille, beans, tomato paste and dried herbs. Cover and simmer for 15- 20 minutes, adding the olives 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Season with the low-sodium salt and black pepper. For the mash, cut the sweet potato and swede into rough pieces and cook in a little fast-boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes, until tender. Drain then mash with the milk, rosemary and extra seasoning if necessary. Serve with the bean provencal and scatter over the parsely or basil leaves
Serves 4
Nutritional information per serving: 418 calories, 16g protein, 17g fat (of which 2.8g are saturates), 55g carbohydrates, 14g fibre
June 2008
Recipes by Canned Food UK
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