Mashed Lima Beans with Red Pepper Sauce and Roasted Vegetables

The holiday season is here!  Thanksgiving is less than a week away and Christmas is right around the corner.  The trees are shedding their leaves and the air is cooling; meanwhile many of us are developing recipes for this year's Thanksgiving feast. 
I was asked by Cathy, a fellow blogger (What Would Cathy Eat?), to create a healthy Thanksgiving recipe, and I ended up with a fantastic substitute for mashed potatoes.  These mashed lima beans are almost as rich and creamy as traditional mashed white potatoes, and much healthier.  Lima beans are naturally starchy, and unlike potatoes they achieve their buttery texture without the use of animal fat or butter substitutes.  Lima beans are high in fiber, protein, iron, folate and magnesium.  In just one cup of lima beans, or one serving of these mashed limas, you will be attaining 29% of your daily value for protein and more than half of the daily value for fiber.  The fiber and protein present in beans will make you feel full quicker; but that's not it, your body will absorb the nutrients more slowly, preventing a spike in blood sugar.  When the body absorbs nutrients from complex carbohydrates, like lima beans, more slowly, the body is energized for longer. 

Once cooked you'll notice how tender and mushy the beans become, making it easy to mash them to your desired buttery consistency.  To fancy the lima beans up a bit I added some White Truffle Oil.  This pairs beautifully with the roasted garlic, fresh thyme and black pepper.  This is a simple dish, but I recommend cooking your own beans as opposed to using canned; this way you'll have the creamiest texture possible, and left over bean liquid, which I used to make the red pepper sauce.
I roasted my three favorite fall vegetables to complete the dish: sweet potatoes, beets and Brussels sprouts.  Any roasted veggie will pair well with these mashed limas.

Eating a healthy Thanksgiving meal full of fiber, fresh vegetables and whole grains won't cause an uncomfortable rise in blood sugar and the whole family won't be stuck in a food coma after dinner.  Instead, you will leave the table full of energy, joy and hopefully abounding gratitude.

Speaking of gratitude, I'd like to thank Easy Canvas Prints for gifting me with a lovely canvas print of the prettiest beet.  I wanted a professional print of one of my food photographs, and I'm so happy to have this photo hanging on the wall of my new kitchen, it's fabulous!

If you're looking for more healthy Thanksgiving recipes please do visit the What Would Cathy Eat blog.  On the blog Trudy of Veggie Num Num shared her recipe for vegan style Green Bean Casserole, and if you're anything like me you'll be drooling at the photos : )

Mashed Lima Beans with Red Pepper Sauce 

and Roasted Vegetables

( I recommend using white truffle oil in this recipe; though it is expensive, a little goes a long way.  Alternatively, pumpkin seed or walnut oil will both lend interesting flavors.  Any combination of roasted vegetables will complement this dish.  When roasting vegetables, chop them all about the same size, coat in olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and roast in the oven for 20-40 minutes at 350°.  To roast garlic, cut the top off of an entire bulb, coat with a bit of olive oil and roast with the other vegetables on the same baking sheet.  Keep in mind that the veggies may cook at different times, ie. Brussels sprouts cook much quicker than sweet potatoes.  I baked the beets whole separately, then cut them smaller and roasted them along with the other veggies. )

1 lb uncooked lima beans. Soaked overnight (at least 8 hours) and drained.

2 cloves garlic, roasted (recipe follows)

2 tbsp white truffle oil

1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, minced

1 tbsp Aleppo pepper, or 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

2 tsp sea salt, season to taste

Red Pepper Sauce:

1 1/2 cup liquid from cooked beans

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, roasted

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp sea salt 

To cook lima beans:

In a large pot bring 8 cups of water to a boil.  Add presoaked beans.  Bring the beans to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Beans will take 45-60 minutes to cook.  In the meantime prepare and roast the vegetables and garlic.  

Once beans are cooked remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon, making sure to shake or press out as much liquid as possible. Place beans in a large bowl.  Add roasted garlic, truffle oil, minced thyme, pepper and salt; stir well and add more seasonings to taste.  

The red pepper sauce will be made in a food processor.  Blend bean liquid from the pot and all other ingredients until incorporated.  

Serve mashed lima beans this Thanksgiving with red pepper sauce and roasted vegetables as delicious accompaniments.  

Happy Holidays!