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Lima bean baby food recipe


Lima Bean Puree or Green Mashed Potatoes Recipe

"Silky Smooth Lima Bean Puree"

 

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Ready In:
15mins
Ingredients:
6
Serves:

ingredients

  • 1 (10 ounce) package baby lima beans
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter

directions

  • In a small sauce pan heat the lima beans, chicken broth, rosemary, salt and pepper to boiling. Reduce heat and let simmer for a few minutes until limas are heated through, approx 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the lima beans reserving approximately 1/2 cup of liquid.
  • Place hot lima beans back into the sauce pan. Add butter and chicken broth in 1 Tablespoon increments as needed. Either with a masher or with an emersion blender (I use the emersion blender) puree the lima bean/butter/broth mixture until silky smooth and they resemble "green mashed potatoes". If they seem too dry, add some more of the reserved chicken broth until the consistency is to your liking.
  • These are a healthy alternative in our house and everyone loves them. Even the veggie haters always leave raving about these lima's!

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Easy Lima Beans - Ahead of Thyme

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Let's talk about lima beans. The first time I tried them, I was about 12 years old, at a friend's house and I hated them. They were boring and bland. So one day, when my mom randomly made them, I was quite hesitant to eat it. But, I succumbed to the pressure and tried these beans once again. I was pleasantly surprised. Lima beans can actually be tasty and full of flavour!

Health Benefits of Lima Beans

If you don't normally eat these beans, or have never tried them, I don't know what you are waiting for! Lima beans are packed with protein and a wide array vitamins and minerals. They are particularly a good source of copper, manganese, folate, iron and cholesterol-lowering fiber.

They also provide numerous health benefits including:

  • promoting heart health,
  • producing energy, and
  • stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Plus, they are readily available in your local grocery store. So no excuses! You can find them dried, canned or frozen. This recipe uses dried lima beans, since it is the only type that I have tried to make so far.

How to Prepare Dry Lima Beans for Cooking

To prepare the lima beans for cooking, you will need to do the following:

  1. pick them over to remove any small stones or debris that may be hiding in your beans.
  2. pre soak the beans for at least 8 hours or overnight. This will help the beans cook faster, and remove some of the gassiness from the beans.

How to Cook Lima Beans

So what is the secret to make them tasty? There really is no secret at all. There's no complicated way to cook them, nor is there a rare, secret ingredient. In fact, all it takes is a few basic ingredients to bring these beans to life: onions, garlic, turmeric, italian seasoning blend (which consists mainly of basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme), salt and pepper. Yup, that is ALL!

The key is that once everything has cooked in the saucepan, turn off the heat and set it aside (still covered) for at least 20 minutes. This is crucial! It enables the flavours from this combination of ingredients to really settle into the sauce to create the flavourful creaminess and richness that is so apparent in this dish. That's right, the creamy texture comes from the beans, not from any dairy. This dish is completely 100% vegan!

You can even create a more substantive dish by adding other hearty vegetables. Both carrots and potatoes taste incredible in this dish, hence why I added the carrots (which are optional). Adding corn or sweet potatoes will also result in a great stew.  Experiment a little and see what works for you! 🙂

Serve hot or, once ready to serve, simply reheat the beans on the stove. Give them a taste and add more salt, pepper or italian seasoning as required. I love to keep this meal gluten-free and vegan by serving over a warm plate of Basmati rice. If you are not on a strict diet, you can also serve this with a dinner roll or homemade biscuit.

How to Store Cooked Lima Beans

If you realize that you have made too big of a batch, no need to panic! This recipe makes excellent leftovers! I personally think they taste even better the next day. They also freeze very well. So well, that I usually double this recipe just to freeze the rest. It makes my life so much easier on a weekday when I am super tired and do not feel like cooking! I just take one of these out in the morning and it is thawed out by the time I get home. I only need to reheat and possibly add more salt or seasoning.

More Bean Recipes

  • How to Cook Dried Beans
  • One Pot Red Kidney Beans
  • 20-Minute One Pot Lentils
  • Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
  • Warm Lentil Salad with Butternut Squash

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Easy Lima Beans

★★★★★

4.8 from 31 reviews

  • Author: Sam | Ahead of Thyme
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 cups
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Lima beans don't have to be boring and bland. Bring them to life by making them tasty and full of flavour with this easy to follow recipe.

  • ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup dry lima beans, pre-soaked
  • 1 carrot, chopped or sliced (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend (consisting mainly of basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  1. In a medium frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
  2. Saute the onions for 2 minutes and then add the garlic and turmeric. Continue to saute until the onions are soft and translucent. Set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the lima beans, sautéed onions and garlic, carrot, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
  4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer (covered) for 40 minutes until the lima beans are soft and tender. If the beans are still hard, continue to cook and check every 5-10 minutes until the beans are soft and tender.
  5. Turn off the heat and set the saucepan aside for 20 minutes (still covered).
  6. Reheat for serving. Add more salt, pepper or italian seasoning to taste.

Notes

How to store: Store lima beans in an airtight container and store the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat on the stove or microwave.

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Sides
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: easy lima beans, how to make lima beans, easy butter beans, how to cook beans

How to Use Leftover Lima Beans

A great way to use any leftovers is in a Homemade Veggie Burger with Lima Beans. So delicious and flavourful.

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Lima beans - benefits, harms and contraindications.

Recipes containing lima beans

Lima beans are a variety of legumes. The fruits of this bean have gained wide popularity all over the world! The birthplace of the product is the city of Lima, located in Peru. Hence the name. Lima beans have moon-shaped nucleoli. Color depending on the degree of maturity and varietal variety - light beige, gray. The taste of Lima beans is tender with a characteristic starchy, delicate bean aroma. The product is used for cooking first and second courses, sauces, salads. nine0003

Lima beans: benefits for the body

  1. strengthens joints, bones, teeth;
  2. maintains visual acuity;
  3. improves bowel function;
  4. improves the condition of the urinary system;
  5. prevents the formation of malignant processes;
  6. increases immune resistance;
  7. cleanses the body of toxic substances.

Lima beans are recommended for dietary nutrition, as they contain a large amount of fiber and starch. The product provides a long-lasting feeling of satiety, while not forming the basis for uncontrolled weight gain. Lima beans contain trace elements that strengthen the heart muscle and blood vessels. nine0003

Lima beans: harm and contraindications

  • allergic to this and other legumes;
  • diarrhea, constipation;
  • acute cholecystitis;
  • pancreatitis;
  • ulcer, gastritis in the acute phase;
  • children under 3 years of age;
  • breastfeeding period.

Caution should be taken when eating lima beans with a tendency to flatulence. It is worth abandoning legumes in the diet a few days before and after abdominal operations, childbirth. Lima beans will have to be abandoned in case of acute kidney diseases (pyelonephritis, stone disease, chronic renal failure). nine0003

Composition, calories, nutritional value per 100 grams

The quantitative content of a particular substance in the composition of the product varies depending on the variety, class and degree of freshness, as well as the applied processing method.

Calories

  • 325 kcal.

Energy value