Beans for the week ahead....

CHECK! Last night I soaked two different types of beans for meals this week. Lima Beans and Black Beans (Soaked separatley for two different meals).

I soaked the dry bean rather than buying the cans- its less expensive, its easy, its less waste, and its less salt. You just soak the dry beans in water overnight, rinse the next day, then simmer over low heat for a few hours (without salt, salt dries out the beans).

After the beans simmered for a little while, I added shallots, garlic, onions carrots, and peppers to both. I added sliced potatoes to the lima beans which made the soup much thicker.

The lima bean soup is seasoned with fresh herbs of thyme, sage, and rosemary, and freshly chopped ginger root.

The black beans are seasoned with fresh cayenne pepper, onions, fresh oregano and fresh thyme. When the black beans are finished I will serve them with brown rice, fresh cilantro and fresh tomato salsa.