Hearty and Healthy Fava Beans
It's no secret that beans give you gas.
Yet aside from this noxious side effect, beans and legumes offer other benefits relating to health, taste, and - with more frequent inclusion in the diet - less gas.
The tastiest kind? Fava beans.
Enjoyed by Egyptians 5,000 years ago, this type of bean is acclaimed as the most meaty-tasting and is a great source of protein - a good resource even for vegetarians.
One serving, which is usually one-third of a cup, contains only about 80 calories, zero cholesterol, and little fat.
It's a good source of B vitamins, fiber, and potassium, too, thus promoting digestive health, preventing colon cancer, and reducing cholesterol.
And if you're constipated, there's no cure more natural than the fava bean.
How do you pick them out? Favas are sold fresh, dried, and canned.
Fresh favas should be crisp-looking and stay fresh if stored in the refrigerator for no longer than a week.
Dried, on the other hand, can stay fresh for up to a year in airtight glass containers.
So what do you do after you pick up your fava beans? For quick and easy cooking, you might find the following recipe useful.
It's a simple one, learned from my mother, who is a wonderful Mediterranean cook.
When I was a little girl, in my home country, fava beans cooked in tomato sauce and olive oil were popular not only in Greek taverns by the beach, but also at lunchtime at home.
Here's how to make them: Ingredients 1 cup fava beans 2 tbsp olive oil 1 can tomato sauce salt and pepper to taste Directions 1.
Bring saucepan with six cups of water to high heat, until the water boils.
2.
Drop fava beans in water.
Boil for fifteen minutes.
3.
Lower heat to medium, and leave beans until soft.
4.
Pour tomato sauce and olive oil over beans.
5.
Add salt and pepper, and keep checking beans until they reach desired tenderness.
When done, add the cooked fava beans as a side dish to a main course, or have them as a main course themselves.
Either way, you'll be getting the nutrients you need while enjoying a delicious meal.
Who knew scrumptious and healthy could be found in one - and be so easy to make!?
Yet aside from this noxious side effect, beans and legumes offer other benefits relating to health, taste, and - with more frequent inclusion in the diet - less gas.
The tastiest kind? Fava beans.
Enjoyed by Egyptians 5,000 years ago, this type of bean is acclaimed as the most meaty-tasting and is a great source of protein - a good resource even for vegetarians.
One serving, which is usually one-third of a cup, contains only about 80 calories, zero cholesterol, and little fat.
It's a good source of B vitamins, fiber, and potassium, too, thus promoting digestive health, preventing colon cancer, and reducing cholesterol.
And if you're constipated, there's no cure more natural than the fava bean.
How do you pick them out? Favas are sold fresh, dried, and canned.
Fresh favas should be crisp-looking and stay fresh if stored in the refrigerator for no longer than a week.
Dried, on the other hand, can stay fresh for up to a year in airtight glass containers.
So what do you do after you pick up your fava beans? For quick and easy cooking, you might find the following recipe useful.
It's a simple one, learned from my mother, who is a wonderful Mediterranean cook.
When I was a little girl, in my home country, fava beans cooked in tomato sauce and olive oil were popular not only in Greek taverns by the beach, but also at lunchtime at home.
Here's how to make them: Ingredients 1 cup fava beans 2 tbsp olive oil 1 can tomato sauce salt and pepper to taste Directions 1.
Bring saucepan with six cups of water to high heat, until the water boils.
2.
Drop fava beans in water.
Boil for fifteen minutes.
3.
Lower heat to medium, and leave beans until soft.
4.
Pour tomato sauce and olive oil over beans.
5.
Add salt and pepper, and keep checking beans until they reach desired tenderness.
When done, add the cooked fava beans as a side dish to a main course, or have them as a main course themselves.
Either way, you'll be getting the nutrients you need while enjoying a delicious meal.
Who knew scrumptious and healthy could be found in one - and be so easy to make!?
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