childhood trauma.

January 4, 2006 6:27 AM

I hate lima beans. And yet, I need some lima bean recipes...

I've recently been given a bunch of canned lima beans (I didn't realise lima beans could get any grosser.), and since I'm a starving artist who's looking to get back to her pre-holiday healthy lifestyle, I'd like to try to use some of them.

Like I said, I hate them, but I think it's mostly just the texture I disdain, and it's been years since I last tried them, so maybe my tastebuds have changed. Either way, I'm willing to give them another go, if the right recipe comes along. Thanks!

posted by digifox to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

If it is just the texture, you could puree them in any bean soup, or make a spread (think hummus), for example like this recipe.
posted by davar at 6:39 AM on January 4, 2006

Indian food is totally the way to go with lima beans. The texture is harder to dwell on when mixed with other veggies and a little spice.

Try this vegetable makhani recipe (scroll down to the second recipe).
posted by Alison at 6:41 AM on January 4, 2006

a persian resturant I go to uses lima beans in their saffron rice. pretty damn good. and I don't like lima beans, either.
posted by lester at 6:42 AM on January 4, 2006

The soup is a great idea, especially when confronted with canned beans.
posted by rxrfrx at 6:53 AM on January 4, 2006

Eesh, as a fellow lima-bean-hater, I've got to say that you're giving yourself quite a challenge. Lima bean-lovers disdain the canned limas.

Perhaps mix them with other beans and make a sort-of version of foul medames with a lot of garlic.
posted by desuetude at 6:57 AM on January 4, 2006

Saute a diced onion, add a can of spinach, a can of lima beans, and a can of tomatos, salt & pepper, and simmer it all for awhile. Serve by itself or over rice. (It's just as good without the lima beans, but they aren't that distracting even to me, a fellow h8r.)
posted by leapingsheep at 7:30 AM on January 4, 2006

Was in a similar situation a few years ago, but with a giant bag of dried! Second the ful medames... to make like greek style fava beans, add a tin of passata or chopped tomatoes to the recipe. Hummus recipes work with any beans, even kidney beans, and especially lima. I also did them blended smooth with cooked onion, mushrooms and sage for a pate-like spread.
posted by methylsalicylate at 9:28 AM on January 4, 2006

No specific recipes here, but be sure you rinse them really well before you use them to help cut down on the dreaded 'canned bean' taste. And also, lots and LOTS of garlic.
posted by Space Kitty at 10:37 AM on January 4, 2006

Heating the beans will also kill some of that canned taste. And garlic. Use garlic. Lots of garlic. If you don't like garlic, find some spice or other flavorful ingredient that you like. Bacon might work. Oooh, bacon would probably help a lot.

Do you have a soup recipe that you like, say for chicken/beef or vegetable soup? You may add a can of just about anything to such recipes to add bulk/ use up a can. Try that, it's a pretty good way to use up a chicken carcass after you've roasted the bird and eaten most of the good bits, and will save money over canned soups.
posted by bilabial at 10:46 AM on January 4, 2006

Response by poster: Thank you, everyone! Some delicious-looking recipes here!

I can safely say "delicious" because, without going grocery shopping, I made a pretty fantastic soup earlier this afternoon. Maybe lima beans can safely be introduced into my diet. (Well, I don't know if I'd go that far, but the soup is yummy.)

Sauteed garlic and red onions tossed in with the beans, and the rest of a cucumber I had. Salt, pepper, basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. I let it all simmer and get herb-y for a while before throwing it all in the blender. Put it back on the stove, and added some wild rice, and let it go for a while longer. Maybe it's all the herbs, but it sure did work.

I can't wait to have it with a chunk of brown bread for lunch tomorrow. (I also can't wait to go grocery shopping, and try out some of the recipes you've linked. Thanks!)
posted by digifox at 12:36 PM on January 4, 2006

Puree puree puree! Saute some onions and garlic, add chicken stock, and then add whatever other veggies you have on hand (i'm thinking broccoli would be good, or maybe zucchini), then add the beans, then puree it all. It'll be like a purreed potato-broccoli soup, but the starchy creamy-ness will come from limas instead of potatoes. Or just follow a hummus recipe and subsitute the limas for the chickpeas. Or make chili - with meat and peppers and spiciness, you probably won't notice the limas any more than you'd notice any other kind of bean in there. Or you could try slowly baking them with some kind of oily and spicey coating for an hour or so. , and you get a yummy crunchy snack; I can only assume you'd get a similar result with lima beans.
posted by Kololo at 1:39 PM on January 4, 2006