Creamy Thyme Butter Beans

Simple and classic, these creamy thyme butter beans aka lima beans are a family favorite, the perfect side dish for any meal. And they are so easy! 

First of all, I need to clarify what I mean by butter beans. Many in the world would call these green delights lima beans. In the southern United States or at the very least in Louisiana where I was born and many my forebears before me, they are called butter beans. 

It wasn’t until I was a full grown up that I found out that more the mature white butter beans existed. I’ll eat those too, if well cooked and soft but for my money, the tender green beans are the best. The older white ones can be quite starchy and dry but cream helps so they can also work in this recipe.

This simple recipe was my mom’s favorite way to eat butter beans. She waxed lyrical about my grandmother’s light hand with this dish. A generous pour of rich cream, a sprinkling of thyme, often dried thyme because that’s what Mo had on hand. I like to use fresh thyme, which Mom also appreciated and I was happy to cook this for her, whenever she asked.

Creamy Thyme Butter Beans

If you can find shelled fresh beans, by all means, use them. I made these with frozen beans but I've also used canned ones before, drained and rinsed. When fresh purple hull or zipper cream peas are in season, I’ve made this with them as well. 

Ingredients

1 lb or 450g frozen butter/lima beans

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste as desired

2/3 cup or 156ml heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 

Several generous grinds black pepper

Pinch cayenne

Optional for garnish: more thyme

Method

Thaw and rinse the beans with warm water. Discard any loose pods or discolored beans. 

Put the beans just covered with water with the salt in a small pot.

Bring the water to a boil then simmer the beans until tender. This could take just 10 minutes with very fresh young beans, a little longer with older ones. The instructions on my bag of frozen baby limas said to bring to a boil then simmer for 20-25 minutes! Only you can judge if they are tender enough for you. I will say, try to choose the biggest ones to test.  

When they are tender, taste a bean and see if it has absorbed enough salt to your liking. If not, add another teaspoon of salt to the water, let stand for 10 minutes, and then drain in a colander.

Return the warm beans to the pot, over a very low heat then add in the cream and stir to coat. 

Stir in the thyme. Gently heat the cream till warm through but be careful not to not let it boil. 

Add in a few generous grinds of black pepper and a pinch of cayenne. 

Serve warm, garnished with more thyme, if desired. 

Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, I grew up eating butter beans/lima beans and didn’t know they were almost universally reviled! Why do many people hate limas? Perhaps because they weren’t cooked well. Today my Sunday FunDay friends and I are trying to change that! We are celebrating Lima Bean Respect Day ahead of the official date on April 20th. All hail the might LIMA. 

Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the links below. 

• Butter Beans Curry, Maharashtrian Sprouted Usal by Cook with Renu
• Creamy Thyme Butter Beans by Food Lust People Love
• Greek Yogurt Soup With Zucchini, Lima Beans & Red Lentils by Sneha's Recipe
• Ham & Baby Lima Bean Soup by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Pizza Beans by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Southern Style Green Lima Beans by Making Miracles
• Summer Squash Succotash by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Vaal Nu Shaak by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Why All the Hate? Recipes to Convert Lima Bean Despisers by Culinary Cam

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Black-eyed Peas with Smoked Bacon

Black-eyed Peas with Smoked Bacon is a delicious, hearty dish made from dried legumes, bacon, onion and garlic, simmered long and slow in broth. It’s a real bowl of comfort food on a cold day. 

I make this dish at least once a year, for New Year’s Day, but I realized recently that I had never shared it. 

The folder with all the photos has many different pots, as evidence of the many times I intended to and took pictures to that end so don’t be alarmed if the cooking pot suddenly changes color or shape as you read on! The recipe remains the same. 

By Southern tradition, eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is meant to bring you good luck all year long. Does it work? Who knows but I know better than to test my luck by going without! 

Black-eyed Peas with Smoked Bacon

I like to use a small slab of smoked bacon which I cut up for this dish but if that’s not available to you, use an equal amount of sliced bacon or even smoked sausage. 

Ingredients

1 lb or 450g dried black-eyed peas 

5 1/3 oz or 150g smoked bacon

1 medium onion

4 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2-3 bay leaves

Fine sea salt to taste

To serve:

hot pepper sauce

cooked rice

parsley for garnish, if desired

Method

Put the black-eyed peas in a large pot and quick-soak by covering them – plus a couple of inches more - with boiling water. 

Put the lid on the pot and leave the peas to soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the peas.

Chop the onion.

Chop the garlic and cut the bacon slab into thick pieces. 

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the smoked bacon, black pepper, cayenne and bay leaves and stir well. 

Add in the rinsed black-eyed peas and give the whole pot a good stir. 

Pour in the stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the peas are very soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check occasionally to make sure the stock hasn't evaporated completely, adding a little more water, if necessary.

Taste for seasonings, and add salt and more freshly ground black pepper, if needed. Some smoked bacon can be quite salty so it’s best to wait till the end of cooking time before adding salt. Discard the bay leaves. 

Serve the black-eyed peas with some hot pepper sauce, if desired, over cooked white rice. In southern Louisiana, we would also serve this with a homemade relish we call chow-chow. Garnish with a little chopped parsley, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes make with dried beans. Many thanks to our host Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. Check out the links below.

• Black-eyed Peas with Bacon from Food Lust People Love
• Indian Style Bean Salad from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Instant Pot 13 Bean Soup with Ham from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Instant Pot Mexican Pinto Beans from Making Miracles
• Meatless Shepherd's Pie from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Protein Rich Devil's Food Muffins from A Messy Kitchen
• Punjabi Style Chitra Rajma Masala with Homemade Rajma Masala from Sneha's Recipe
• Rajma Pulav - Kidney Beans Pulav from Sizzling Tastebuds
• Slow Cooker Chicken and White Bean Soup from Our Good Life
• Vegan Butter Bean Beetroot Salad from Cook with Renu

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Jersey Slow Cooker Beans

The perfect dish for a leftover ham bone or pork knuckle, Jersey slow cooker beans are a traditional meal in the Channel Islands, baked in a bean crock. 

Given the many, many vintage bean crocks I see on the shelves of charity shops here on the island of Jersey, not many families are using those to cook the Jersey bean mix still found in grocery stores. I can only assume that they are using slow cookers or perhaps even pressure cookers. 

Back in the olden days, the Jersey bean crock was filled at home and baked overnight in a nearby baker’s oven as it cooled down, since homes didn’t have modern ovens as we do now. 

Most recipes online agree that a mix of beans is essential, as is some type of pork and/or beef. These days, the meat tends to be pork belly, pork knuckle or ham but years ago, it was pig’s trotters, that is to say, feet and beef shin. For my money, something on a bone adds the most flavor, hence my use of pork knuckle or ham.

Cheap cuts of meat add a lot of flavor and, of course, beans are fairly inexpensive as well, making Jersey slow cooker beans a filling meal for farmers and townies alike. 

Fun fact: People native to the island of Jersey are known as “Jersey beans” because of this ubiquitous traditional dish! Once upon a time it was pejorative but now they’ve embraced the nickname and use it proudly. 

Jersey Slow Cooker Beans

The traditional mix includes at least six different kinds of beans, including the most enormous butter beans I’ve ever seen. Check out my photo of the beans below but you can use whatever mix of beans you have on hand. One old article I read said that Jersey bean crock was a great way to use up the leftover odds and ends of your bean supply.

Ingredients

1 pork knuckle or ham bone, with some good meat still on

1.1 lb or 500g mixed dried beans

1 medium carrot

1 medium onion

2 stock cubes (preferably ham, if you can find it, but chicken or vegetable will work)

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

If you have time or have planned ahead, you can soak the beans overnight in cool water. If, like me, you are slow off the mark when meal planning, boil a full kettle of water and pour it over the beans in a heatproof bowl. 

Cover the bowl with a plate and set a timer for one hour. 

When the hour is up, if using the quick soak method, or the next day, if soaking overnight, pour off the water and rinse the beans in cool water. 

Peel and chop your carrot and onion. 

Add the beans to the slow cooker, along with your pork knuckle or ham bone. 

Tip in the chopped carrot and onion. Pour in water to cover everything. Rather than add salt, I like to use stock cubes which add salt AND flavor. Add those in now. 

Cook on high for 6-7 hours.

When the beans are tender, transfer the pork to a plate with a slotted spoon. Discard bones, cartilage and gristle and return the meat to the bean pot. Season the mixture to taste with fine sea salt and black pepper. 

Serve, as is traditional, with crusty bread. 

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing slow cooker recipes. For some of us, it’s still too warm in our kitchens to turn on the stove and for others, the cooler weather of autumn is upon us and we need warming dishes. Slow cookers are great for both needs. Check out the links below.

• Beef Tips with Gravy in the Slow Cooker from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Crockpot Mexican-Style Shredded Beef from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Jersey Slow Cooker Beans from Food Lust People Love
• Slow Cooker Beef and Potato Stew from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings from Our Good Life
• Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Apple Cider from Palatable Pastime

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Artichoke Tuna Bean Salad

This tasty Artichoke Tuna Bean Salad is easy to toss together but it’s full of flavor and makes a wonderful starter or light meal. 

One pantry staple we are never without is tuna in a can. Many an afternoon I hear the snick-snick of the can opener and either my husband or daughter is opening a can to eat with fork, straight from the can. It’s one of my favorite things to eat as well. 

That said, often of a morning you will find me boiling eggs in the Instant Pot, just to make my southern-style tuna salad. Where I come from, tuna salad has to have boiled eggs in it! I love to eat it on soft sandwich bread or piled high on Triskets. 

Back in my college days, what I called tuna surprise was one of my favorite meals. It required just three ingredients: noodles, cream cheese and a can of tuna. 

Bonus Tuna Surprise recipe: Just boil the noodles and drain. Add the cream cheese to the hot pot of pasta and stir till melted. Add tuna and stir again. This is seriously delicious and a relatively cheap, warm bowl of comfort food. If you want to get fancy, pour the whole pot in a casserole dish and bake till browned on top but that step is not really necessary.

Artichoke Tuna Bean Salad

This recipe is adapted from one in New York Times Cooking. According to the original author, it’s a mainstay in her house since it uses ingredients she usually has on hand for an easy light meal. I added a few ingredients but would still wholeheartedly agree.

Ingredients – Serves 4-6 as a starter

1 jar (6.5 oz or 185g) marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained and 1/4 cup or 60ml marinade reserved

1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced 40g

1 small red chili pepper, minced

2 teaspoons cider vinegar 

1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 (12-oz or 340g) can water-packed albacore tuna, drained

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or borlotti beans, drained through a strainer and rinsed

Several sprigs Italian parsley leaves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Baby spinach to serve, if desired

Method

Place the onion and chili pepper in a bowl and add the vinegar. Leave to marinate. 

Pour the vinegar into 1/4 cup or 60ml of the reserved artichoke marinade and then whisk in the Dijon mustard and yogurt. Add a pinch of fine sea salt and a few good grinds of black pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the artichoke hearts, beans, onion and chili pepper.

Add the tuna and pour on the dressing. Toss gently to coat. Garnish with parsley. 

Serve as is or put a small handful of baby spinach on each plate then top with the artichoke tuna bean salad. 

Enjoy!

It’s the second Friday of the month which means it’s time for my Fish Friday Foodies to share recipes. Today’s theme is Fish from a Can. I love this theme! Canned fish is tasty and convenient. I always have sardines, tuna, anchovies, smoked oysters, salmon, etc. in my pantry so I can’t wait to see all the other canned fish recipes. Check them out below. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. 

• Food Lust People Love: Artichoke Tuna Bean Salad 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Keto Tuna Melt Chaffle 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Smoked Clam Dip 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Spicy Salmon and Potato Croquettes 
• Palatable Pastime: Tuna Melt
• Culinary Cam: Growing an Appreciation for Tinned and Jarred Fish + an Anchovy-Artichoke Egg Salad Recipe

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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Creamy White Bean Mushroom Pasta

This Creamy White Bean Mushroom Pasta is full of flavor from brown butter, baby bella mushrooms and a healthy helping of salty feta. Comfort food for sure!

Let me just say right now that this is not the prettiest dish I’ve ever made. Those dark mushrooms are super flavorful, cooked in brown butter, but they aren’t very attractive. Would I prefer some golden chanterelles for this? Of course. But who can afford that many chanterelles? If only they weren’t so expensive.

No worries though because I can assure you that when you taste this pasta, its looks won’t matter! 

I’m often on the lookout for meat-free meals that are made with plant proteins like beans and legumes and are, of course, super tasty. That way no one misses the meat. This dish feels indulgently creamy because of the blended beans but when divided between six people, the calorie count per portion is quite reasonable. If you've been eating too many holiday treats, this dish will help balance that out.

Creamy White Bean Mushroom Pasta

This recipe is adapted from a vegan one on BiancaZapatka.com. I had good intentions on keeping it vegan but I didn’t have any non-dairy cream. And if I was going to use cow cream anyway, I might as well brown some butter, right? In for a penny, in for a pound, the feta at the end boosted the creaminess, salt and flavor. Its addition was also a good decision.

Ingredients to serve six

1 lb or 450g pasta of your choice (I like linguine.)

For the sauce:

1/4 cup or 60g butter

2 lbs or 900g baby bella mushrooms 

1/2 large onion (about 5.1 oz or 145g)

4 cloves garlic

1 can (15oz or 425g) white beans, drained and rinsed (I used navy beans.)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2/3 cup or 155ml cream

1/2 cup or 120ml vegetable broth

7 oz or 200g feta cheese, crumbled

Freshly ground black pepper

For garnish:

fresh parsley, optional

To serve:

Freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, optional

Method

Clean the mushrooms and cut off any hard stem ends. Slice a third of them, cut the second third in bite-sized pieces and chop the last third. (Or cut them all one way. I just like the mix of textures when they are cooked.)

Peel and dice the onion finely. Peel and roughly chop the garlic cloves.

Rinse and drain the white beans and blend them with the cream, nutritional yeast and chopped garlic cloves in a food processor or with a hand blender until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to blend smooth, you can thin it with some of the vegetable stock. It’s all going into the pan together eventually.

Heat the butter in a pan and cook until the milk solids separate and the butter browns. 

If you need better instructions on browning butter, check out this link: https://www.cookingactress.com/2013/04/browned-butter-how-to.html My friend, Kayle, will show you how to do it. 

Add the mushrooms to the brown butter and pop the lid on your pan. 

Cook covered until the mushrooms release their liquid, stirring occasionally. This takes just a few minutes over a high heat.

Take the lid off the pan and keep cooking them until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are relatively dry and golden.

Add in the diced onions and sauté for about 2-3 minutes or until they are softened and translucent.

In the meantime, cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions.

Once the onions have softened, add the vegetable broth and the bean puree to the pan. 

Stir well. Bring the sauce to a boil then turn it down to simmer for a few minutes.

Add in the crumbled feta and a few grinds of black pepper. 

Stir to combine and warm the feta through.

Once the pasta is al dente, drain off the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the sauce to serve.

Garnish with chopped parsley if desired and put freshly grated Parmesan on the table so folks can help themselves.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are all sharing pasta for the holidays. Check out all the links below. Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Christmas Penne Pasta from Making Miracles
• Creamy Basil Sauce Served With Spaghetti Pasta -Vegetarian from Sneha’s Recipe
• Creamy White Bean Mushroom Pasta from Food Lust People Love
• Shrimp and Crab Stuffed Shells from Palatable Pastime
• Spinach Ravioli with Pan Fried Scallops from Our Good Life
• Tenderloin Tips over Lemony Pappardelle from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Tortellini Soup with Sausage & Kale from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
• Pasta with Roasted Tomato Sauce from Mayuri’s Jikoni

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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