I know they are fairly caloric as legumes go, but they came in my CSA basket this week. Now what do I do with them?

First you have to double-shell them. Remove the beans from the outer pods, then boil the beans in their hulls for 2-3 min. Rinse the beans with cold water and then cut a small slit in each bean and squeeze the inner bean out of the hull. Discard the hulls. At this point, you can just eat the beans. Since they are a little high in calories, I like to mix them with other lower calorie veggies.

You can make a puree out of them by boiling them with chicken broth and garlic until they are very tender and then running them through a blender or food processor. I've never tried this, so I don't know how good it is.

Here are two recipes that I've had a lot of success with:

Fava Beans and Snow Peas

• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 5 oz snow pea or snap peas (or a combination)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp lemon zest (or 1/2 lemon sliced very thinly) (optional)
• 1 cup fava beans (double-shelled)
• Sliced scallions (optional)
• Sliced fresh basil, minced dill, or minced chives (optional)

Heat olive oil in large, non-stick saute pan over high heat. Add peas, garlic, and lemon. Saute for a few minutes until peas are crisp-tender. Add fava beans and cook for one minute more. Add scallions and or fresh herbs, if using and toss just until slightly wilted.

Makes 2 servings at about 145 calories each.

Fava Beans with Onions and Fennel

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 oz sliced onion
• 2 cups diced fennel (6 oz)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, coursely ground
• Several sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Several sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
• 2 cups fava beans (double-shelled)
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Heat oil in large, non-stick saute pan over medium-high. Add onions, fennel, fennel seeds, rosemary springs, thyme sprigs, salt and pepper and saute until onion is just tender. Add chicken broth and fava beans and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Stir in lemon juice and serve warm or at room temperature. Pick out and discard the rosemary and thyme sprigs before serving.

Makes 4 servings at about 150 calories each. I've also sometimes added 2 cups (about 2 1/2 oz) chard along with the fava beans. This adds a little less than 20 calories per serving.

I'd make foule (an Egyptian chili dish). You can google "foule mudammas" for a full recipe, but it's basically fava beans, olive oil, onion, tomato, cumin, parsley and lemon juice. Mix it all up and serve it with injera, pita, or maybe even put it over rice.

....."with liver and a nice Chianti."
~ Hannibal Lector

lol re: liver and chianti...that has to be one of the most memorable lines in the movie!

I made a risotto with fava beans once and it was delicious. Not exactly low cal, but maybe you could make it a little healthier. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com.

Barbara already did a great job explaining the work involved (they are worth it in my opinion.) I love them tossed with ww pasta with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of parm. YUM!

that was my thought.....