So I bought some dried Lima beans from my local organic zero waste shop, check them out at the link here https://www.omnomzerowaste.co.uk/ , as I have previously used tinned Butter beans from Tesco and I wanted to try a new butter bean based recipe.
I've done plenty of curries, chili's and typical UK veg and veg stock based casseroles and have a pretty standard mix of herbs or spices that go in those. One of the less common spice combinations I use though are Smoked Paprika and Turmeric which along with garlic and black pepper give a pleasant flavour often with a kick that doesn't burn or overpower your taste buds like curries and chili's often do.
I also like to use a lot of tomatoes and tomato based passata sauces along with red peppers or sweet ramiro peppers when I can get them, along with onions and mushrooms. I tend to consider this combination as 'Spanish style' as Spanish chicken sauce for example tends to have that kind of combination.
So I started with the Lima beans which had been soaked over night and supplied the majority of the bulk or base to this new dish for me and went from there.....
I had run out of my usual veg stock cubes so I knew my usual veg stock and veg gravy granules as my sauce main flavours which I would use for typical UK produce wouldn't cut it, so I went with the Smoked Paprika & Turmeric combo which then forced my hand regarding the veg that would go in this dish and thus turned it into a Spanish style bean and red lentil casserole.
It's important to mention the quantity of Red lentils used is important, they are there to add a little extra texture and bulk. But if you use too many it will turn out like a thick mince that overpowers the veg. The emphasis needs to be on the veg as the main make up of the dish, you could even leave the lentils out and stick purely to veg, but red lentils are an excellent protein source and vital if you are on a plant based diet. Also worth noting the Lima beans are a protein source too.
Quantities and ingredients used in order ( makes 8 portions) :
450g of dried *Lima beans (dried weight prior to soaking overnight - weight effectively doubles with water)
250g of *Organic Red Lentils (no need to soak) *purchased from OmNom Zero Waste
6 Salad tomatoes chopped into quarters
2 White onions sliced
350g of White button mushrooms left whole
3 Red bell peppers sliced or large chopped
500g jar of Passata or use multiple tins of organic chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons of Turmeric (also available organic from zero waste shops)
2 teaspoons of Smoked Paprika (also available organic from zero waste shops)
1 teaspoon of Ground Black pepper
1 teaspoon of Garlic salt (or add garlic to suit with a sprinkle of salt)
1 pint of hot water to mix with all the spices and then pour over the dish
1 bag of salad potatoes or normal, or enough to accompany the amount of portions you are making...
I made my dish in a slow cooker but cooked my potatoes separate as they would not fit the cooking dish if I wanted 8 main portions, if you just want 4 portions overall I would cook them within the dish to boost their flavour as they absorb the spices of the main dish.
I actually roasted my salad potatoes separately and sprinkled them with minimal oil (I don't usually use oil as I'm whole food plant based) some cayenne pepper and ground cumin and chili powder to give me a spicy side dish. I left the skins on , boiled them them roasted.
I made enough portions of the roasted salad potatoes that I could store and reheat again in a non stick pan along with my main dish extra portions that I freeze and thaw when needed. I do this as I get lazy and won't always cook a fresh portion of potatoes or pasta or rice etc for some dishes.
If you made the above dish in a big portion then serve what you need and let the rest cool, store in Tupperware and freeze for later use. I just remove a portion from the freezer when I go to work and it's defrosted at room temperature for when I get back. Either that or defrost for minimum of 24hrs in a fridge.
Disfrutar!