L

Legumes
A large plant family including beans, lentils, peanuts and peas.

Lentils
An ancient legume that comes in many varieties, from common brown-green lentils to red
lentils to yellow lentils to lentils le puys (a tiny sweet French variety-great in salads). Very
high in protein and with a full-bodied, peppery taste, lentils are great in everything from stews
and soups to salads and side dishes.  
 
Lima
Also known as "butter beans", these popular, white beans are most commonly used in their
dried form, although fresh lima beans are exquisite. Lima beans have a very delicate outer
skin, so they seem to do best when cooked in salted water (don't even think about this with
other beans), which helps hold their skin in place. See, once the skins loosen, the limas turn
to mush--although then you can use them to cream soups or make dips. Baby lima beans are
simply smaller, with tougher skins and a sweeter taste.