I may not have mentioned this, but as soon as DH and I get back from Japan, we’re going to be moving to a brand new apartment in the area. Sounds great, right? Yes, but have you seen my freezer? No? Well, let me just tell you, it’s not a place for the weak of heart. I freeze GF baked goods (especially bread, sliced and sealed in a ziploc freezer bag), beans made from scratch and cooked in the slow cooker, and homemade “tv dinners” of leftover GF veg stews and soups. I always appreciate leftovers three times as much a month or so later! Well, terrific, except our freezer was getting so full not only could I not find anything, but things would jump out at us whenever we opened the door. Oops! Danger, Danger, Freezer Ahead! Since school ended I made it my personal mission to go through some of the frozen goodies I had been storing. I had lentil soup (with some freshly made saffron yogurt), smoked potato pot pie, and all sorts of yummy GF things as I wanted them, and I had never appreciated my own cooking more! When I could finally see the back of the freezer again (DH was amazed) I reorganized our freezer and realized it was time to start baking up some of those lovely frozen beans. I was bummed when I found out there weren’t any black beans in there, especially since I’d hoped to make a Mexican black bean soup for dinner one night. But, I did find some frozen red beans- and decided to think outside the box and come up with my own version of a Mexican… red bean… soup. Happily, I seemed to like red beans just as much as black and this soup met with both my and DH’s approval. It’s funny, because hot soup seems like a winter thing. But, on a hot summer day, a slow simmered soup can really hit the spot without heating up the kitchen (or the chef) too much. Pair it with rice in the rice cooker and you have a great, balanced meal.
|
Vegetarian Red Bean Soup Recipe
|
||
Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped 4 cloves of garlic diced 3-4 cups red beans (slow cooked) 1-2 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 red pepper, chopped 1 tbsp fresh oregano 1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped 1 28 oz. tomatoes 4 cups vegetable broth or filtered water 1 tbsp. tomato paste 1 cup roasted corn 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. paprika 1 tbsp. fresh marjoram 2 tsp. honey or agave nectar juice from one half of a lime fresh avocado chopped for garnish
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large soup pot and add onion. Let it cook for a few minutes and add garlic and cumin. Let the garlic and onion go translucent and then add the red pepper. Add red beans, fresh herbs, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Add water and roasted corn and simmer for 10-20 minutes. Add the rest of your seasonings (Salt, paprika, and marjoram) and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the honey and lime, mix and adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve with a sliver of lime, cubes of avocado, and yogurt if desired. (Optional!)
Notes
A perfect weekday dinner with rice.
|
||
|
When I returned from my month long trip to India and then Austria, one of the things I was most looking forward to was being in my gluten-free kitchen again. Silly? Maybe, but being away from home, especially somewhere where you don’t speak the language, can offer all kinds of dining challenges, and I was pretty tired of the gluten-free staples I’d relied on overseas. Potatoes and cold salads can be tasty, but I was ready for some variety. The first meal I prepared when I returned home was boring, but something I always crave after a long flight- gluten-free pasta and tomato sauce from a jar with Parmesan cheese. Gourmet, no? Ok, maybe not. But to me it is the ultimate comfort dish. DH enjoyed it as well when I switched from rice pasta to Mrs. Leepers corn pasta. But that’s not a very blog-worthy meal, and I have so many things to post about from my trip. Posts on the drawing board include…
