Breaking
FoodNerdy Recipes Management System
Tag

Lupine

Browsing
Food

Lupine Flour: How Healthy it is and How to Use it

Lupine flour is a gluten- and grain-free type of flour that contains a lot of protein. Here you can find out more about the nutrients and possible uses.

Lupins belong to the legumes. The seeds of the lupine plant have been used as food for several thousand years. In the Mediterranean area, pickled lupine seeds are still a popular snack with beer in restaurants today.

Here, too, lupine is increasingly on the menu: on the one hand, meat substitutes often contain lupine protein isolate. On the other hand, lupine flour is also becoming increasingly popular because it contains a lot of vegetable protein and other healthy nutrients and is easy to use.

Lupine flour: How it is made

Lupine flour is made from lupine seeds. In order to remove the water from them, they are first pressed. The resulting flakes are then soaked in water again. In this way, the protein is released from the fiber structure of the seeds. The protein mass is then heated, causing the water to evaporate. The lupine flour remains.

Lupine flour can only be made from pure cultivated lupine varieties. The seeds of wild lupins and garden lupins contain a toxic type of bitter substances. However, edible lupins are cultivated in such a way that they hardly contain this bitter substance and are suitable for human consumption. In contrast to their wild relatives, these varieties are also called sweet lupins. To produce sweet lupine flour, producers often use the seeds of the white sweet lupine. Sometimes the yellow lupine or the blue sweet lupine are also used.

Lupine flour contains a lot of protein

According to the Association for Independent Health Advice (UGB), lupins contain between 36 and 48 percent protein. This makes them an important source of vegetable protein, especially in vegan diets. Lupine seed protein contains all eight essential amino acids, including lysine. In other plant-based protein sources such as cereals, lysine is rare and found in small amounts.

The UGB also points out that unlike other legumes, lupine seeds provide basic protein that is low in purines. Purines are a natural part of many foods. The body converts them into uric acid. If you have elevated uric acid levels and need to make sure you consume little purine-containing foods, you can eat lupine flour. Elevated uric acid levels occur, for example, in gout.

Nutrient-rich lupins

Lupine flour is also a good source of certain minerals and trace elements. According to the UGB, lupine seeds contain mainly potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron. The flour also contains a lot of fiber and thus fills you up quickly and for a long time.

Lupins contain about four to seven percent fat – less than soybeans. It is mostly present in the form of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Both types are valuable for the body: the monounsaturated fatty acids help to build up the cell membrane. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (called essential fatty acids) support numerous bodily functions, such as hormone production and blood circulation.

Lupine flour and allergies / intolerances

Lupine flour is one of the types of flour that suit special dietary requirements – for example intolerances. It is starch-free and also contains no gluten. This means that people with gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity or wheat allergy can also incorporate lupine flour into their diet.

However, lupins can also cause allergic reactions – the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment warns of this. According to the BfR report, cross-allergic reactions can occur, especially in people who already suffer from a peanut allergy. In principle, people who are sensitive to other legumes such as soy (which is the case, for example, with a histamine intolerance) should initially be careful with lupins and test their tolerance with small amounts.

How to use lupine flour

Although lupine flour is made from sweet lupine varieties, the sweet lupine flour does not have a sweet aroma, but has a noticeable taste of its own. It is therefore usually added to food in small quantities and only used proportionately in baked goods. Nevertheless, there are many uses for lupine flour. This includes:

Protein shakes: Because it is high in protein, you can use lupine flour in a high-protein mixed drink. To do this, mix the flour with a liquid (water, milk or plant-based milk substitutes) and fruit or vegetables. Such a protein shake is particularly suitable after exercise. We recommend a portion of 30 grams of lupine flour for about one liter of liquid.
Baked goods: In baked goods, you can replace up to 20 percent of the total amount of flour with lupine flour. More is not recommended, otherwise the taste or consistency may change. For example, combine spelled flour with lupine flour in vegan pancakes or wheat-free bread.
For binding: Instead of starch flour such as potato flour, you can also use lupine flour to thicken soups and sauces.
Egg Substitute: Mix 1 tablespoon of the flour with 12 ounces of water and let it soak to substitute for an egg in recipes.
Instead of soy: You can also use lupine flour to prepare recipes that use soy flour.
Enrichment: You can enrich your porridge with some lupine flour. This makes the porridge creamy and richer in protein.

Keep Reading
By
Lifestyle

Harvesting and Growing Lupine Seeds: Instructions and Tips

Lupine seeds are a valuable and at the same time regional source of protein. You can plant the plants yourself and harvest the lupine seeds annually – we will explain to you which nutrients they contain.

The lupine is a native plant and has recently become popular as a high-protein alternative to soy. You can easily cultivate the protein-rich legumes in your garden, because they thrive in this country. They do not make any great demands on their location: they only need a little sun and not too much lime in the soil. Then nothing stands in the way of a bountiful harvest.

Harvesting lupine seeds: timing and procedure

Lupine seeds contain up to 40 percent protein, which is about the same as soybeans. But that’s not the only thing they have to offer: They also contain a lot of amino acids, vitamins, calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus.

You can also harvest the seeds yourself, but you have to be a little careful. Because you should only eat the seeds of certain breeds – the sweet lupine. Other varieties have a very high content of special bitter substances that are toxic to humans and animals. Under no circumstances should you harvest and eat unknown, wildly growing lupins in the forest or on meadows.

If you want to harvest lupine seeds yourself, you must not cut off the inflorescences of the plants after flowering. The pods, which contain the valuable seeds, are formed from these. As soon as these are dried and dark, you can start harvesting. This is usually the case in late summer. You do this as follows:

When the pods are ripe, you can simply cut them off and collect them.
You get the seeds out of them by simply squeezing them out.
Then you should clean them with water and dry them.

Sow lupine seeds yourself

You can sow the dried lupine seeds yourself. If you store them properly, i.e. in an airtight and dark place, they will remain viable for up to three years. How to sow them:

The best time to sow seeds is between March and May if you want to sow the seeds directly into the bed. Alternatively, you can grow them indoors in a pot. In this case, January is recommended.
Before sowing, you should roughen the seeds slightly with sandpaper and then let them soak in water for a day.
Then you press the seeds about two to three centimeters deep into the soil. You should leave about 15 centimeters of space between the rows.

Utilize lupine seeds

You can use lupine seeds in many ways in the kitchen. For example, you can process them into lupine flour or grist, use them as a basis for vegetarian or vegan burger patties and vegetable patties, or snack on them whole. You can also bake them, make them into spreads or use them in salads.

Keep Reading
By
Food

Lupine Coffee: What You Need to Know About The Regional Coffee Alternative

Lupine coffee is one of the best regional coffee alternatives. But can it keep up in taste? We’ll show you the benefits of the decaffeinated drink.

Lupine coffee is a regional alternative to traditional coffee beans made from lupine seeds. Lupins are also called “wolf beans” and belong to the legume family.

Why lupine coffee? Environmentally friendly and regional

Lupine coffee could become coffee specialty because: lupins are grown in Germany, for example in Bavaria. Unlike coffee beans, they don’t have to travel long distances to be transported. In addition, stricter occupational health and safety guidelines apply in Germany – regional lupine coffee is therefore usually produced under fair conditions.

According to the MDR, the legumes are considered soil improvers. The so-called “nodule bacteria” on the deep roots of the lupins store nitrogen, which serves as fertilizer for future plants. In addition, lupins have a strong main root, which can also penetrate and loosen compacted soil.

Lupins also have advantages when roasting: According to the MDR, they store heat four times longer than coffee beans and hardly lose any volume in the drum. In addition, you only need half as much coffee powder to prepare lupine coffee, as lupines taste very intense.

Prepare lupine coffee and make it yourself

If you bought coffee from debittered cultivated lupins, you can prepare it without hesitation. We advise you to use an organic product because it was grown without chemical-synthetic pesticides. The price is similar to that of normal organic coffee.

Lupine coffee is visually reminiscent of cocoa powder, but does not exude the typical coffee smell. It tastes strongly of roasted aromas. The MDR expert describes the taste as “malty and smelling of chocolate and popcorn”.

Keep Reading
By