What are the world's healthiest foods? Well, according to WHFoods one of them is buttery lima beans. And, when you add spinach, you make them even healthier!
Besides being a natural cholesterol lowing food, lima beans give you lots of fiber and protein. They're great for folks with diabetes, insulin resistance and hypoglycemia. These buttery lima beans and spinach are stick-to-the-ribs comfort food. They keep you going long and strong for hours.
This energy you get from eating a bowl of these beans is because you're getting energy while stabilizing blood sugar. It's what we call 'slow burning energy'. You're not dealing with the spikes. Ups and downs. Things that you eat that after 30 minutes, you get the jitters.
Now you can buy dry baby limas or large limas. I love the large ones because they're heartier and seem to have a buttery taste to me. Plus, you can almost eat them with a fork! My Mom would make lima beans often when I was growing up in West Virginia. It was a filling cheap dinner. One that we kids ate regardless of whether we liked them or not (which I LOVED them!).
If you think they're just a 'soup' to be eaten in a bowl, look at these other ideas from WHFoods for lima beans:
A Few Quick Serving Ideas
- If you can find whole lima beans in the market, you can serve them as an appetizer sprinkled with seasoning just like edamame (whole soy bean pods).
- Mix puréed lima beans with chopped garlic and your favorite fresh herbs. Use this spread as a sandwich filling or a dip for crudité.
- The heartiness of lima beans make them a great soup bean, especially when added to a soup that features root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, beets, and/or rutabagas.
- For a twist on the traditional native American dish succotash, make lima bean burritos. Fill corn tortillas with lima beans and corn kernels, and then top with chopped tomatoes, avocado and scallions.
- Blend cooked lima beans and sweet potatoes together. Serve this tasty dish on a plate accompanied by your favorite grain and fresh vegetable.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bag dried large lima beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups vegetable broth + 4 cups water
- 1 package beef onion soup, dry mix
- 1 ½ tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. coarse ground pepper
- ½ tsp. red chili flakes
- 1 (10 oz.) packaged previously frozen creamed spinach (can use regular chopped frozen spinach or fresh spinach)
- 1 cup ham, diced, optional
Instructions
Notes
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