Heart Healthy Bean Stew

I know just the title of this blog entry sounds gross, but let me just tell you that I fixed this for supper yesterday and even JARED gobbled it down and said it was good! And I have to say it was quite filling and "stick to your ribs" kind of good.

White Bean and Garlic Stew

2 15-ounce cans cannellini or great northern beans (about 3 cups)
1 head garlic (the whole bulb--15-20 cloves)
2 tablespoons water (I don't know why, and I forgot to put it in)
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium yellow onions, chopped (And I hate onions, so I cut mine big enough I could see to pick them out)
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley (I forgot to put this in too)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I was in a hurry! I forgot to put this in too)

Break the garlic bulb into cloves and peel off the skin. If you'd like, chop one of the cloves, but leave the others whole. If some of the cloves are very large, you may cut them in half lengthwise.Spray a large, non-stick pan lightly with olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until it turns a rich, medium-brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and sauté for 1 more minute.Add the beans, tomatoes, bay leaves, and water. Cover the pot and simmer for about an hour, adding water if it gets too thick.Stir in the salt and pepper. If you're serving the stew right away, add all the parsley and the lemon juice. If you're serving it later or at room temperature, add the parsley and lemon juice right before serving.

Serve over brown rice. (I used Uncle Ben's brown rice)

Makes 6 servings. Each contains: 246 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (3% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 385mg Sodium; 15g Fiber

So with all that I forgot and just left out.....this was a delicious recipe! I wonder what it tastes like WITH those ingredients I left out! The world may never know! :)

If you want to see the original recipe and a picture of what it looks like if someone ELSE cooks it (mine was thicker than this), try this link.