Lima Beans are Good for your Heart

For years I've said I despise lima beans; they're always so dry and tasteless. Since I'm a person willing to try just about any new food or recipe, when I saw fresh speckled lima beans at the farmer's market this past Saturday I decided to take a risk on them. Lima beans are often called butter beans, I think because everyone assumes lima beans are terrible and butter beans sounds so much better.

To enhance their flavor I smoked two turkey thighs with hickory chips (in my Anuka smoker, so thankful I found this one at an estate sale in Florida). After smoking I cut the meat off the bone and into small pieces. I sauteed half an onion till translucent and added the smoked turkey meat to cook the rest of the way. Then I added the fresh lima beans and two cups of water and two tablespoons of butter. I added fresh thyme and oregano from my garden, and a pinch of cloves and dash of paprika, two tablespoons of brown sugar, a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar and worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. I cooked the beans for about an hour.

The cooked lima beans turned a silky brown color and were delicious. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the finished beans because we were too busy eating them. Ha. If they have lima beans again this coming Saturday I'll get them again. I am sure fresh lima beans make all the difference in their taste. I read lima beans are good to lower cholesterol, good for the heart and good for diabetics. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.