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Abstract

A method of producing an edible, shelf-stable legume and/or cereal food product comprises cooking a substrate such as legume seeds and/or cereal grains under conditions effective to maintain a total content of water in the substrate at about 20 to 60 wt % and inactivate microorganisms, lectins, enzymes, trypsin inhibitors, and hemagglutinins, while increasing protein and starch digestibility and palatability, admixing the cooked substrate with an ingredient selected from the group consisting of fats or oils, sweeteners, humectant agents, salts, edible acids, flavorings and preservatives, cooking under conditions effective to pasteurize the admixture and produce a flowable food product having a total water content of about 20 to 45 wt % while preventing the protein from further denaturing, and cooling and forming the food product into a desired shape. An edible, shelf-stable legume and/or cereal food product is prepared by the method described above. The product has a water activity (A.sub.w) of 0.65 to 0.87, pH of 4.0 to 6.0 and a moisture content of 20 to 45 wt %.

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