Roasted LIMA beans

This week I was craving salty roasted chickpeas, but alas, I had no chickpeas to roast! So I whined a little bit, and thought about walking down to the store...but then I paused and thought to myself, "Kirsten, do what you tell your clients to do and be flexible and versatile with your ingredients". Enter canned lima beans. I don't even remember buying these lima beans, but am I ever glad they were sitting in that pantry of mine. And you should be glad too, because this 20-minute recipe is perfect for adding a quick punch of vegetarian protein to any meal. Enjoy!

Serves ~4.

THE COMPONENTS:

1 can of lima beans (a.k.a. butter beans)
1 tbsp cajun spice mix
2 tbsp olive oil (I prefer butter flavoured olive oil, but any kind will do)
extra salt and pepper to your liking

THE TOOLS:

can opener
colander (or strainer)
baking sheet
oven
your hands!

THE HOW TO:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 F. Drain and rinse the lima beans, and shake off the excess water. Spread the beans on a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil. Next sprinkle on the cajun spice mix, salt and pepper, and mix everything together with your hands. Spread out the seasoned beans in a single layer and place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy your cajun lima beans piping hot or cooled to room temperature. Add them to soups, salads, pastas, stews,...or whatever your heart desires.

Store any leftovers in the fridge, if you haven't devoured them already.

THE DIETITIAN REVIEW:

I have confidence that this recipe can be replicated with almost any type of bean and a plethora of herb/spice blends. Like great northern beans with onion powder, thyme, and dried mustard. Or pinto beans with cumin, garlic, and fresh squeezed lime. The options are endless. Some of the firmer bean types may take a few extra minutes to roast, but just keep an eye on them and take them out when they are golden and flaky.

In case you are new to Jasper Nutrition (and my bean/pulse obsession), you can check out my top 5 reasons for loving pulses and some recipe ideas to eat more of them here. But in short, you will be hard-pressed to find a more nutritious food than pulses. Not to mention that eating Canadian pulses helps to support your local farmers and economy. Win-win.

Check out Pulse Canada and Alberta Pulse Growers for more information about pulses and even MORE RECIPE IDEAS.