Lima Beans in Lechon Sauce

Yes, more ethnic flair today! My husband, Mike is Filipino American, and grew up eating vast amounts of this sauce. The word lechon means pig, so you can imagine what he ate it with. The sauce itself is vegan, and is sweet, spicy, tangy, and garlicy, and can be found in most Asian markets.

To pay homage to all the pigs that were sacrificed for us before we became vegan, I chose to pair this sauce with some giant meaty lima beans. I didn't go to much trouble preparing this dish, although I could've wrapped everything in banana leaves and put on some Filipino karaoke! To everyone's relief, I opted instead to serve it with a glass of ice-cold calamansi (sweet lime) juice, to finish off the theme (because let's face it, nobody wants to hear me sing)... whew!

Ingredients:

2 C. lima beans (soaked overnight and cooked al-dente)
1 C. onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
one bunch of collard greens, stripped from stem and chopped
1 C. tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 C. lechon sauce (I like the spicy version)
1 C. water
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. agave nectar
2 T. nutritional yeast flakes
3-4 bay leaves
cracked black pepper

Spinz:

When you boil your beans, add the collard greens about 5 minutes before the beans are done- they should still have a slight bite to them. Drain, and set aside. Saute the onion in a little vegetable oil on high heat, stiring until it starts to turn brown. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or so. Add the beans and collard greens and stir to combine. Add the remaining ingredients (lechon sauce, water, soy sauce, agave nectar, nutritional yeast flakes, bay leaves, and tomatoes). Let simmer until the beans are nice and soft. Remove the bay leaves, add cracked black pepper to taste, and serve over steamed rice.