Mediterranean Lima Beans!

Hello! I know its been almost a week since I updated the blog, my apologies, life, as you know, has a way of intervening occasionally. If you follow @orbitingvegan on twitter, or you "like" Orbiting Vegan on Facebook, I have been posting a snippet or a picture here and there. Hopefully if you aren't already doing so, you will think about it, I tend to share links and articles via tweet or status update that don't generally make it onto the blog, so there are some great resources coming your way if you start following my tweets and Facebook posts.

Of course, since I've been out of the blogosphere for a few days, I have a backlog of things to share, but I want to begin with the Mediterranean Lima Beans, as promised, that I served with the tomato caper couscous last week. So let's just jump straight in shall we?

This tasty gem comes to us from where else, but the Veganomicon. I'm sure you've noticed I turn to the same cookbooks time and time again, and hope you're encouraged to invest in one or two of them. They really are tremendous resources, and generally sit magnificently on any adequate counter or shelf space designated for cookbooks.

Here's the biz:
1 pound dried Lima beans, soaked 8 hours (I couldn't for the life of me find dried Lima beans anywhere, not even at the great and powerful Whole Foods. As a result, I used frozen beans, so there was no need to rehydrate them.)
2 quarts organic, filtered, organic cooking water :-)
2 bay leaves

Sauce biz:
1 veggie bouillon cube
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, thoroughly smashed to little bits
1 medium yellow onion, chopped without pleasantries
1 small carrot, shredded
28 oz diced tomatoes
2 tbsp wine vinegar
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley
3 tbsp fresh mint

Bring the Lima beans to a boil with the bay leaves, in the organic, filtered, rag nic cooking water (preferably fat-free extra virgin organic cooking water, but let's not be picky). Then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, during which time you can prepare the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375. Be certain that you have the oven switched to "vegan" mode, you might have to consult the instructions on how to do this, or ask your Clome. If you don't have a Clome... [see picture below]



Use a large Dutch Oven to prepare the sauce, this way you can simply add the drained beans and bake them all in one fell swoop. Over medium heat, cook the garlic in the olive oil until it begins to sizzle, add onions, and cook until they are tender and translucent. Then add the carrot.

A note about the bouillon, the book says to fully cook your Lima beans, then at the end make the bouillon using a cup of reserved liquid from the boiling water. This will really prolong the process, and truthfully, I consider myself very lucky to have the time to come home and prepare a nice meal everyday, but I realize it's a privilege, and many of us simply don't have that kind of time. If this is you, just spoon out a cup of water and dissolve the bouillon in it when the time comes. As long as your oven is in vegan mode, it won't make a difference.

So at this point add the bouillon, tomatoes, vinegar, syrup, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste. Bring it to a boil, then simmer 10-12 minutes.

Add the beans, parsley, and mint, cover, and pop that sucker in the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. As soon as its cool enough to eat, have at it.




For those of you who may feel strongly that you don't care for Lima beans, I especially urge you to give this a go. Or possibly a-go-go. The flavor of the beans is very subtle compared to the other favors in the dish, but their creamy texture is a big part of what makes this meal so delicious!






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Location:Lima Bean City, Arkansas