Discover Healthy and Delicious Fava Beans!

Discover Healthy and Delicious Fava Beans!

Beans actually give us gas. That’s no big secret! But aside from the funny gas effect, legumes and beans do offer us lots of good benefits in relation to our health and taste. The more often we eat them, the lesser gas we get.

The ancient Egyptians about 5000 yrs ago were the first ones who enjoyed these beans. These beans have been given the distinction of being the “meatiest” tasting bean and a very good protein source for the vegetarians

A serving of these beans, normally 1/3 of a cup, only has around 80 cal., no cholesterol & just a bit of fat. These beans are also good sources of the fiber, B vitamins& potassium, as well, making it a nice helping aid for your digestive system reducing your cholesterol levels & lowering the risk of colon cancers.

So if you are feeling constipated, the best cure would be a dose of fava beans.

Where would you find these beans? The beans are conveniently sold canned, dried or fresh in your local grocery stores. The fresh ones should appear crispy and they should stay really fresh up until 1 week if you store them inside your refrigerator. Dried version of these beans could stay for as long as 1 year inside an airtight container.

After picking up these delicious beans from your favorite grocer, its time to do some easy and quick cooking. This dish is a very simple recipe that I learned way back from my mom, who’s a very great cook and specializes in Mediterranean dishes.

During my childhood, I remember that fava beans were cooked with olive oil and tomato sauce. They were very popular in quaint Greek Tavernas as well as inside my house during lunchtime.

Here are the ingredients and steps on how to cook this lovely dish.

1 lb. (1/2 kg) shelled fava beans
6 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or pressed
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground hot pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

Cooking the Beans

Place beans inside a pot with plenty of salted water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Partially cover the beans then reduce the heat to around medium. Cook the beans for about 30 minutes, or until beans are quite tender and can be popped out of their skins. Drain the beans after then set aside.

Making the Tomato Sauce

While the beans are cooking, add tomatoes and the remaining ingredients to your skillet or large pot, and stir to mix. Cook uncovered over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and mashing the tomatoes as they soften, for about 25 minutes, or until a rich, thick sauce has formed.

Add cooked beans & about two tablespoons of water into the sauce. Simmer for a few minutes to heat the beans, then remove from the heat. Serve beans warm. They are frequently eaten with bread for scooping up the beans & sauce.