Foods you should really be eating: Part 1

Lima Beans. Wait--come back here. Just give me a second to explain . . .

If you've only ever had them out of the can, you haven't really had them. Dried lima beans are about a dollar a pound (and half a pound is plenty to feed two). Fresh are best, but I've only ever had them once in my life. They can be pretty tough to find. Considering the nutritional bang you get for your buck, these babies are quite possibly the most valuable food in existence.

One quarter pound serving contains:
19 grams of fiber -- that's 74% of RDA!)
21 grams of protein -- almost as much as a piece of fish
42% of your RDA of iron

Vegetarians, rejoice. You'll be able to give blood and maybe even lift things over your head again. The rest of us: LBs will go perfectly well with some bacon!

More Home Cooking has a great recipe for succotash. I have modified it as to be unrecognizable. The thing about this dish is, you can't really fail.

Soak a half pound of lima beans overnight. Rinse, cover with four cups of water, then boil vigorously for ten minutes. Turn the heat down and leave them for a long time. Write a couple chapters of your novel. Alphabetize your books. Braid a rug. Whatever. They'll be done in about an hour and a half. Drain.

If it's summer, shuck some fresh corn and cut it off the cob; if you are in the bitter depths of January, as we currently are, stoically remove one bag of frozen corn from the freezer.

Chop up a small onion and a couple cloves of garlic. Sautee until very soft in olive oil or butter. Add salt and pepper. If you are brazen and unafraid of the seasonal food police, this would be the time to chop and add that four-dollar red pepper from Chile. These are too rich for my blood, honestly. It's not a guilt thing--I just can't pay that much for one vegetable. Also, as mentioned above, bacon could be a very good thing here. Or ham. Or even sausage. Chorizo . . . Dios mio! Yes, please.

Now add your cooked lima beans, about a cup or so of the corn, and whatever else you have lying around. I love peas, but you could add just about anything. Laurie Colwin says to add some ginger. Add about a cup of water. Simmer 8 minutes, then remove the lid and boil off the water.

Heat up a little garlic bread and voila! A healthy dinner that easily costs less than five dollars.

Eat it, McDonald's! No, really--eat it. You're looking kind of fat.