Black Bean Soup for Lent

February 10, 2016

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Moon Pies are now just crumbs on our faces as Mardi Gras has come to a successful end. It's time to straighten up and fly right, and our diets are a good place to start.   Many people give up meat for Lent, at least on Fridays. I gave up all meat, every day, except for seafood one year, and just about passed out cold Easter morning. What I did to that ham after church wasn't pretty, so I won't be doing that again. But if you are in need of a healthy, meat-free dish, you'll love this black bean soup recipe.   Last week, in my post about school lunches, I told you now that my son eats at home every day, I've been searching for nutritious recipes that will fill him up.   This recipe is from The Fresh Market web site, and turned out to be a complete meal for me and a great accompaniment to a big sandwich, apple, and a slice of lemon pound cake for my son.   I omitted the avocado and "nutritional yeast" ( I don't even know what that is! All I had was the non-nutritional variety - ha). It turned out fine, so I guess it was a good call.  

Simple Black Bean Soup

Serves 8
Cooking dried beans is low maintenance and a great value. Make sure to plan ahead and allow time for soaking the beans. Serve with hot sauce or salsa, if you like.
Ingredients:
  • 1 pound dried black beans (about 2 1/2 cups), rinsed
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 ripe avocado, chopped
Method:
Soak the beans overnight or 6 to 8 hours prior to cooking. Drain and rinse. In a large pot, bring 1/2 cup water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in cumin and chipotle and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add drained beans and 10 cups water. Bring soup to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until beans are tender. Remove 4 cups soup and carefully puree in a blender. Return puree to pot and stir in cilantro, nutritional yeast and lime juice. Spoon into bowls for serving and garnish with avocado.
Nutritional Info:
Per Serving: 120 calories (25 from fat), 2.5g total fat, 15mg sodium, 20g carbohydrates, (7g dietary fiber, 2g sugar), 7g protein.
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