Fava Bean Tops

What’s the verdict on calling yourself a ‘Foodie’? Is it the same thing as declaring yourself a Liberal or is it more obnoxious like calling yourself ‘mysterious’ or ‘aloof’? Is it one of those things that is perfectly acceptable to have other people describe you as but an eye roll to say that you are one yourself? I’m very curious to hear feedback, it could explain why the room has been going silent on me lately…

Anyways, one of the best perks of my job is that I occasionally get free food! Not just things like iceberg lettuce but fun new products & produce!

This week I was asked if I wanted to try Fava Bean Tops and report back, which I will do with you!

Fava Bean Tops are really beautiful, sort of a lighter spinach with stems that are hollow. I might say it’s a cross between spinach and celery for what seems like high water content. (I have no idea)

The internet tells me they are a perfect food for weight loss and that sometimes they come with flowers which you can eat too which would be AWESOME.

I tried three things with my tops: Fava Bean top loaf, pasta, & salad.

 

The salad wasn’t anything special since we didn’t have a whole lot in the kitchen, but I wanted to see how the leaves tasted on their own. They were like ‘spinach light’ because they had the same texture and consistency but didn’t have that sort of heavy iron after-taste that spinach has.

Verdict: Fava Beans for salad is a go!

Next I stir-fried some onions, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vegan Parmesan, and Fava bean tops for some simple pasta. This was excellent but mostly because a deep love for vegan Parmesan is starting to fester. The leaves behaved just like spinach- too long on the heat and they whither and get gross looking. But again it was a lighter version of spinach without any sort of heavy taste.

Verdict: Fava Beans are a lot like spinach….

Finally I made Fava Bean Loaf which I LOVED. It gave the bread sort of a sweet pea taste but very subtle. It also gave the bread a green look which gave the illusion of being healthier than white bread…

Here’s what I did:

• Added 1 tbsp of dry active yeast to warm water and let sit for 5 mins
• I added the bubbly mixture to 3 cups of white organic flour
• I put 2 cups Fava Bean Tops in the blender with 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
• I put the milk mixture in the bowl with the yeast, water, and flour
• Before kneading I added 1 cup rolled oats, a pinch of salt, and 1 tsp of sugar
• I kneaded for 10 mins, let it rise for 1 hour, kneaded again for like 3 mins and put in the oven at 350
• At 45 mins I had hot delicious bread

Verdict: Basically Fava Beans are a nice alternative to spinach especially if you’re not a fan of it raw.

My conclusion? Not worth pushing the elderly and children out of the way to grab some in the grocery store but grab some so you can call yourself a Foodie.