Lima bean & root vegetable stew

Lima beans are delicious and nutritious. This recipe pairs these happy little legumes with turnips, potatoes, kale, and carrots in an aromatic broth. Most of the measurements are estimates and you can use more or less of an ingredient without fear - for example, you can use more broth & make this a soup!. I used some herbs that I harvested from my garden this fall and put in the freezer, but fresh or dried herbs would work fine as well. The fennel root is optional - it was something I had in the freezer and needed to use up.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons tomato paste
16 ounces water or vegetable broth
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small purple-top turnips, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 small bunch kale (about 4-5 stalks)
1 cup diced potato (about 2 small)
1 cup diced fennel root
1 16 oz bag frozen lima beans
sage - 2 large fresh (frozen) leaves, chopped or teaspoon dried
tarragon - 1 tablespoon fresh (frozen) or 1 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method
Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, then simmer, covered, for about half an hour or until the vegetables are done.

Sweet potato-kale burritos

I spent a fair amount of my childhood in Texas eating Tex-Mex, so this recipe feels like "home" to me. I probably make burritos using this method about once a month, on average, and it's always such a quick and delicious meal. I cheated by using a microwave to cook the sweet potatoes, kale, and peppers/onions - it would be better done in a skillet, but I was in a rush!

Ingredients

All hail the sweet potato!

1 medium sweet potato, peeled, diced into about 3/4" pieces
1 small bunch kale, tough stems removed, chopped medium-fine
1 cup chopped bell pepper and onion  (I used frozen from Trader Joe's)
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t salt, or to taste
4 whole wheat wraps/tortillas
1 can Eden Organics refried black beans
about half a jar of Appalachian Naturals Veracruz salsa
About 3/4 cup shredded "cheddar" (Daiya or soy cheese - could also use something like this vegan queso)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a microwave-safe bowl, toss your chopped kale, sweet potato, and peppers/onions with about a tablespoon of water and the cumin and steam, covered, in a microwave for 4 minutes. Stir, check for doneness, and cook for another minute or two until your sweet potato is done. Meanwhile, divide the refried black beans among each of the wraps, spreading onto most of the surface of each one with a spatula. When your sweet potato/kale mixture is done, spoon onto each of your wraps. Take each wrap, fold in the sides, roll up into a log, and place into a rectangular baking dish. The dish should be sized so that your burritos are snug against each other and snug against the sides of the dish. Once all the burritos are lined up in your pan, cover them with the salsa and cheese (I like my burritos covered, but not drenched - to each her own) and pop into the oven for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!