Tomato and Butterbean Stew

Tomato and Butterbean Stew

I onion, finely Chopped
I chopped courgette
I chopped de seeded red pepper
I handful of kale or spinach finely chopped
I chopped carrot
3-4 handfuls of frozen butter beans
3 large cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped.
Two tins tomatoes
I teaspoon Marigold Veg Bouillon
I dessertspoon coconut oil

Method:
Melt the coconut oil in the pan and stir-fry the onion and carrot and courgette for 3-4 mins. Then add the garlic and stir fry for another minute or so before adding the tins of tomatoes and kale or spinach. Add the marigold Veg boillion powder, stir very well. Add the Butter beans Allow to simmer for another 5- 10 mins until the vegetables are cooked to your liking

Variations:
This tomato based sauce lends itself well to using all kinds of vegetables. You could use mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli.
The vegetables can be cut or cubed very small to reduce cooking time or make the dish more attractive to small children
Add some chunks of  white fish which has been skinned like cod or haddock, along with the butter beans. Chunks of fish cook very quickly, about 5/10 mins. 

A note on butterbeans, or indeed black eyed beans, soya beans or any other beans you may wish to use in soups stews and stir fries. Buy the dried ones, you can get them at any health store. They require soaking overnight, followed by boiling....all have individual cooking times. Stop them from cooking beyond the point where they can just be bitten.Then drain them, allow them to dry for a while in a colander, and freeze them in bags. Then they are ready and available any time you need them, and more importantly they are not soggy or overcooked which, in my humble opinion, the ones in cans are.

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