When I opened up my box of organic fruit and veggies from The FruitGuys this week I saw giant green beans and stared at them for awhile. Interesting. I can’t recall a time that I’ve ever cooked with the Fava Bean. Then I Googled the bean to see how one would incorporate such a food into a recipe. Turns out that most countries, other than the U.S., use the Fava as a part of their regular diet and it’s not actually a bean; it’s a pea. The pea is also high in fiber, iron and L-dopa (dopamine), which plays a big role in activities such as memory, energy, and sex drive. This could be my new favorite food! We will be waiting for your feedback on the latter.
Servings: 2-4
Ingredients:
2 cups fava beans
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
3 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
16 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
4 tsp zest from lemon peel
Juice from a lemon
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Blanch beans in boiling water for 2 or 3 minutes, then plunge in cold water. Remove skins. Boil or steam beans for 2-5 minutes, until soft to fork prick. Drain, reserving bean water for puree. Set 1/4 beans aside for garnish. Place remaining beans in processor. Add yeast, 2 tbsp mint, 1 clove garlic and 1/2 of bean water reserve. Puree, adding more water as needed to form a light and creamy puree. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Do Ahead: Can be made ahead up to 1 hour; reheat when ready to serve (may require add’l bean liquid.)
Toss shrimp with oil, remaining garlic, salt & pepper. Grill shrimp until golden brown outside and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side. Place 1/4 puree on each plate; top with 4 shrimp per plate. Sprinkle with reserved beans, zest, lemon juice and mint.
Proportion Guide: 1/2 cup puree + 4 shrimp for women in weight loss; 1 cup+ puree + 6 shrimp for men in weight loss and for athletes.
Nutritional Guide: 1 serving of vegetables, 1 serving lean protein and just over 1 serving of healthy fat.