Broad Beans, also known as Fava beans are so good for you, you should eat them with everything! They are high in fibre and have around 25grams of protein per 100g. They’re also rich in B vitamins and iron among other goodies.

Steam until tender and serve as a green veg or leave to cool and stir into any salad bowl.

And try out these easy recipes…

BROAD BEAN SALAD

Ingredients

Broad Beans
1 finely chopped red pepper
1 finely chopped or grated onion or shallot

Dressing
6 tablespoons of nut or olive oil
2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of chopped herbs

Method

Steam or boil broad beans until tender but not too soft
Drain and allow to cool
Mix red pepper, onion and herbs together
Stir into broad beans and serve.

BROAD BEAN PASTA SALAD

Ingredients

6oz/ 175g/ 2 cups of pasta shells
4-6oz/ 100-175g/ 1 cup of broad beans
1 bunch of watercress, chopped
1 small carrot, grated
Preferred salad dressing

Method

Cook pasta until tender but not too soft
Drain, rinse in cold water, drain again and leave to cool completely
Steam or boil broad beans until tender, drain and allow to cool
Mix all ingredients; pasta, beans, carrot and watercress together in a large bowl
Add salad dressing and serve.

BROAD BEAN SOUP

Ingredients

1 medium sized potato, peeled and diced
1 onion, finely chopped
A little oil or butter
Vegetable or chicken stock
Broad beans
Seasoning (pepper, herbs etc;)

Method

Heat oil or butter in a large heavy based pan and gently fry diced potato and chopped onion until soft.
Keep on a low heat and stir to prevent burning
Add stock and as many beans as the pan will hold!
Bring to the boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until beans are soft
Season to taste with a little black pepper, herbs or both

*For non-vegetarians, add a little chopped, cooked bacon in the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

BROAD BEAN PATE
*If you like coriander (cilantro) you’ll love this one!

Ingredients

2lbs/ 900g/ 5 cups of shelled broad beans
2 teaspoons ground coriander (cilantro)
2 teaspoons ground parsley
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
About 4 tablespoons of olive oil

Method

Cook beans until tender, drain and reserve liquid
Blend beans and herbs in a blender
Add garlic
Thin the mixture with a little of the reserved liquid to make a thick puree
Slowly stir in the oil until the required thickness of pate is reached
Taste and stir in extra seasoning if needed.
Serve on toast or crackers

Bon Appetit!

Linda x

P.S. Branching out from broad beans for a minute, this veggie cookbook has just gone on my wishlist!

1001 Homemade Vegetable Recipes

Enjoy Everyday With Homemade Vegetable Cookbook!

Although this isn’t a vegetarian book, the recipes are angled in such a way that encourages people to eat less meat and more fruits and vegetables, and it presents a variety of vegan choices.

1001 Homemade Vegetable Recipes