Green Baby Lima Beans | Camellia Brand

The Difference Between Lima Beans and Butter Beans

Julie Koppman — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 16:44:29 +0000

You may have wondered what the difference is between creamy favorites commonly called lima beans, and the velvety staple referred to as butter beans. And you wouldn’t be the first.

Lima Beans vs. Butter Beans

Well, rest assured; the two are actually one in the same. There’s no difference between lima beans and butter beans, though sometimes they’re sold at different stages of maturity. As a matter of fact, our Large Lima Beans packaging actually states Butter Beans in parentheses, just to clarify. The younger green-hued beans are often called Green Baby Limas and are more tender than their larger counterparts. Despite that, all varieties come from the same plant. Interestingly, whether you prefer to call them lima beans or butter beans is a result of your own geographical traditions and how your family and friends refer to them.

A Southern Staple

Regardless, these tasty beauties have been a Southern staple for generations. Often cooked with ham or bacon and served over rice, they’re high in fiber and trace minerals, super hearty, and offer a deliciously creamy, velvety, and well, buttery flavor. If prepared right, they offer a lush creamy goodness encased and embraced by a firmer, shape-holding skin.

We pronounce “lima” beans like this: “lime” with an “a” on the end. However, these New World native beans originally came from Lima (pronounced “LEEma”), the capital city of Peru. These luscious legumes have made themselves at home all over the Americas, and especially so in the South.

How to Cook Lima Beans, aka Butter Beans

Whatever you insist on calling them, what’s important is how you cook and enjoy them! Here are some of our favorite recipes for lima beans, “aka” butter beans.

Instant Pot Southern Large Limas with Ham Hocks

Mushroom & Butter Bean Ragù with Cheesy Grits

Simple Southern Lima Beans

Butter Beans with Pickled Pork or Smoked Ham Hocks

Vegetarian Lima Beans with Mushrooms

Lamb Shanks with Garlic & Butter Beans

The post The Difference Between Lima Beans and Butter Beans first appeared on Camellia Brand.

Healthy, Hearty Soups & Stews: Help Yourself

Julie Koppman — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 15:08:58 +0000

When the temperature dips, and you’re craving something warm to take the chill off and fill your belly — it’s hard to beat healthy, hearty soups and stews. In fact, a favorite soup or stew is the ultimate one-pot meal. The flavors tend to meld and taste even better together the next day, and the large quantity means you’ll enjoy quickly re-heated leftovers for the coming week (or the benefit of freezing for later). The following recipes offer something for everyone and are loaded with savory beans and healthy vegetables, while a few feature flavorful meats as well. Delicious, nutritious, protein-packed and full of fiber, these soups and stews are a great way to get everything you want and need, all in one satisfying bowl.

White Bean, Sausage and Tortellini Soup

White Bean, Sausage and Tortellini Soup is a great weeknight dinner because it cooks quickly and easily in an Instant Pot or multi-cooker. Featuring Italian turkey sausage, Great Northern Beans, fresh cheese tortellini and baby arugula, it’s got all the makings for pleasing kids and adults alike — and packs a nutritious punch. Just add a loaf of crusty bread, and dinner’s ready. The next day, fill a thermos with leftovers for a hot and filling school lunch.

Beans and Greens Soup

Beans and greens is a classic Southern combination, and a soup version is a delightful way to experiment with those ingredients. Our master recipe features basic guidelines and quantities and is meant to be personalized to your taste, encouraging you to try different varieties and combinations of beans, vegetables, greens, broth and seasonings. And whether you make it vegan, vegetarian or with chicken or beef broth, you’ll love the end result. For a complex, flavorful soup that’s incredibly satisfying, we used Green Baby Limas with a variety of onions and vegetables, plus vegetable broth. A real winner.

Split Pea and Ham Soup

You’ll love this heartwarming Split Pea and Ham Soup from our friend Mary Foreman at DeepSouthDish.com. Chopped onion, celery and carrot are cooked in bacon fat and combined with Green Split Peas, herbs, stock, a meaty ham bone or smoked ham hocks, and then simmered over low heat till the peas are broken down and thick. For over-the-top “croutons”, we made a grilled cheese sandwich with smoked gouda and sourdough bread, cut it up into tiny squares and added a sprinkle of them on top — along with crispy bacon crumbles. Talk about feeling all warm and toasty inside.

Yellow Split Pea & Butternut Squash Stew

Creamy, hearty and filling with a bright blend of spices and seasonings, our vegan Yellow Split Pea & Butternut Squash Stew is an aromatic dish similar to Dal. And its big flavor comes from the use of curry, turmeric, cumin and cinnamon. Along with onions, carrots, garlic and fresh ginger, the combination of spices and vegetables with the Yellow Split Peas and butternut squash make for a wonderful stew. A sprinkled of pepitas on top, and freshly mashed avocado toast alongside it add color, crunch and healthy fat – creating a super healthy meal.

Beef & Lentil Stew

Hearty and comforting, this Beef & Lentil Stew is a true crowd-pleaser. A great dish for Sunday dinner that’ll reward you with leftovers during the week, it uses boneless beef chuck cut into 1-inch cubes, along with celery, carrot, onion, spices, beef broth, diced tomatoes and Lentils. A bit of red wine and fresh Italian parsley are stirred in at the end for wonderful flavor. The meat gets tender, the lentils creamy, and the whole thing offers up delicious stick-to-your-ribs goodness.

The post Healthy, Hearty Soups & Stews: Help Yourself first appeared on Camellia Brand.

Can Soul Food Be Vegan? Yes Indeed.

Julie Koppman — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 20:26:47 +0000

Sweet Potato Soul

Jenné Claiborne calls herself a Georgia peach living in Los Angeles (by way of NYC). A vegan lifestyle blogger, she shares delicious and easy-to-make recipes, cooking videos, and healthy eating tips on her Sweet Potato Soul blog. And she has just released her first cookbook – also named Sweet Potato Soul – featuring 100 vegan soul food recipes that riff on Southern cooking in surprising and delicious ways.

Plant-Based Southern Staples

Reviving the long tradition of using fresh, local ingredients creatively in dishes like Coconut Collard Salad and celebrating the plant-based roots of southern staples with Bootylicious Gumbo and New Orleans-Style Red Beans & Rice, Jenné is an avid fan of Camellia beans, preferring to cook with nutrition-packed dried beans. She loves that they’re an excellent source of fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, folate, and antioxidants, and that they play a role in lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer.

The Vegan Journey

Watch a video from her recent talk, cookbook signing, and dish demonstration at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum (SoFAB) in New Orleans, sponsored by Camellia Beans, and learn more about her vegan journey, eating healthier, and how to get great meatless umami flavor in vegan dishes. In the Sweet Potato Soul cookbook, Jenné explores the narratives surrounding iconic and beloved soul food recipes, as well as their innate nutritional benefits — discussing how dandelion, mustard, and turnip greens, okra, and blackeye peas are nutrition superstars — and how to make them super tasty, too.

Recipes from Jenné’s New Cookbook

A few of the delicious bean-based recipes from her cookbook include Creole Red Bean Sausages, Turnip the Heat Butter Bean Soup, Blackeye Pea Hummus, and Sweet Potato Hummus. Here, she’s happy to share two of her favorite cookbook recipes that feature large lima beans and green baby lima beans: Pan Fried Butter Beans & Greens and Southern Buddha Bowl.

Pan Fried Butter Beans & Greens

Southern Buddha Bowl

Jenné Claiborne has been on the Today Show, and her recipes have been featured in The New York Times, Well + Good, Shape, and Refinery 29. She also has more than 295K YouTube and social media followers; check her out on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

The post Can Soul Food Be Vegan? Yes Indeed. first appeared on Camellia Brand.