Fresh Lima Bean Soup with Lemon and Mint

This soup is a combination of a fresh pea soup we learned in cooking class a few weeks ago and a cooked fava bean soup that was posted here on the blog SmarterFitter.

My husband isn’t crazy about mint so I try to keep my mint use to a minimum when he is eating. I on the other hand love mint, and we have a boatload of it our garden. However, even with my love of mint you want to keep the mint level down in this soup. I started with one mint leaf in the soup expecting to add more, one at a time. More mint would not add to the flavor or this soup. I wanted a subtle kiss of mint, and that is what you get from one leaf.

Oh well, looks like I will need to make more mojitos instead. Just kidding, really I am. ;)

Fresh Lima Bean Soup with Lemon and Mint
Serves 1

Ingredient:

1 cup of very fresh shelled lima beans (frozen would be fine here)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
¾ cup of water
½ teaspoon of basil salt
¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1 fresh mint leaf
¼ teaspoon of lemon zest, for garnish – optional
1 small mint top, for garnish – optional

Directions:

Place the lima beans, lemon juice, water, basil salt and mint leaf in your blender. Puree until the soup is completely smooth. Chill until ready to serve.

To serve, grate a little fresh lemon zest and black pepper on top. Garnish with a mint sprig if desired.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 325.75
Calories From Fat (3%) - 9.05

Total Fat - 1.08g
Saturated Fat - 0.25g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 1160.35mg
Potassium - 973.82mg
Total Carbohydrates - 61.83g
Fiber - 18.3g
Sugar - 4.56g
Protein - 19g

Comments:

This soup is cool and refreshing with a light taste of mint and lemon. I would only make this with fresh picked lima beans or frozen lima beans. Old beans would make this soup starchy, which wouldn’t be nearly as fresh tasting.

This soup would also make a nice appetizer in espresso mugs or shot glasses. It would be great with a little dollop of tofu sour cream.