Cranberry Bean Dish

One of my most favorite dishes become plentiful in the Autumn Season. The Farmer’s Markets right now are plentiful with fresh shelling beans. I love the color of the cranberry beans and when sauteed with fresh cherry tomatoes and shallots they are delicious. The wonderful thing about fresh beans are that they don’t need soaking. Just shell and boil in water until soft. They have a wonderful nutty flavor and they are packed with protein, fiber, potassium, B vitamins and more. Cooked tomatoes release lycopene which is an incredible antioxidant and cancer fighting food. The beans and tomatoes together are a wonderful immune booster.

Ingredients

1 lb fresh cranberry beans (you can also find them dried at health food stores. You will have to soak them in water overnight)

Basket of fresh cherry tomaotes

1 Shallot

3 TBS Olive oil

Smoked Paprika

Sea Salt

Bread Crumbs

Grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh herbs

Simply boil the beans in enough water to cover them over twice. They are usually done in 15 minutes but check by biting into one to see if it is soft. Saute the shallot in olive oil and then add tomatoes. (I also sometimes cover the tomatoes in olive oil and roast in the oven for a fire roasted flavor.) Once tomatoes and shallots are golden and a bit caramelized add the beans. Add more olive oil, herbs, paprika, salt, breadcrumbs and at the end the parmesan cheese.