Baked Lima Beans

We've all been feeling a bit under the weather this past week, especially J, who seems to have caught a nasty cold on the plane ride home. So, in true Manon style, I've been turning to the best form of medicine out there to help fight off the germs in our household: food. Yesterday, I made a hearty veggie soup with some root vegetables from our CSA box. Today, I threw together a chicken soup with some leftover chicken pieces we had. I also made these delicious beans, which turned out to be the perfect comfort food for the cloudy day we had today: 

Baked Lima Beans 
Adapted from: http://www.beardandbonnet.com/mediterranean-style-baked-lima-beans-gluten-free-vegan/

1/2 lb. dried lima beans (I used small ones but large would work too)
1 quart water
1 bay leaf
1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth or water
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow or white onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
freshly ground coarse black pepper

Rinse the lima beans and soak them overnight for 8 hours. In the morning, drain them and place them in a crockpot with fresh water (the water should cover the beans by about an inch or two). Cook them on low heat for about 6 or 7 hours or until tender.

When they are done cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or medium sauce pan. Add the garlic and onion, cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, stock, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, agave syrup, spices, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes so that the sauce thickens and the flavors meld together. After 10 minutes, mix in the lima beans and bay leaf (if using a dutch oven) and bake beans for 30 minutes (covered), stirring occasionally. If using a sauce pan, transfer the sauce to a casserole dish, mix in the beans and bay leaf, and bake (covered) for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid for the last 5-10 minutes to reduce the sauce a little bit more. Allow beans to cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Serves 3-4

Enjoy!