Garlic Spinach Salad with Roasted Butter Beans

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I love making roasted chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for a snack or to add to pretty much any salad or soup. However, I decided to go against the grain for this recipe and roast butter (lima) beans instead. Absolutely delicious! And that’s the thing about beans: as long as they are hearty enough, roast away. Oh, and P.S., if you love garlic, then you’ll love this dressing, but perhaps make sure you eat it on a non-date night!

1 x 400g tin (1⅓ cups) butter (lima) beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

2 tablespoons ground cumin

250g (5½ cups) fresh spinach

good handful of pine nuts

For the Dressing

1 whole head of garlic, cloves separated but skins on

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

juice of 2 lemons

Serves 2–3

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the beans into a mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil and cumin. Spread them out on the baking sheet with the garlic cloves for the dressing and drizzle with just a bit more olive oil. Bake for 10–12 minutes until lightly browned, then remove from the oven to cool for a couple of minutes.

Squeeze the garlic out of the skins into a food processor or blender with the remaining dressing ingredients and blend. Put the spinach into a large bowl and coat it thoroughly with the garlic dressing. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and butter beans, then thoroughly enjoy!