Black Bean Soup

Soup for the week...

I decided that I will make my Black Bean Soup for this week’s soup.  I find making a soup once a week to have for quick lunches is great, and I can also freeze some for a wider variety later.  So far, I have the Turkey Chili and the 8 Can Taco Soup frozen for those days when it just ain’t gonna happen!. 

I have been making this recipe since about 2003.  It is a favorite of mine.  I normally use dried beans that I soak overnight, but I decided that this time I will use canned beans for time’s sake.  I’ve never done that before, so it will be a bit of an experiment.  It is not difficult to make, but time consuming, in that you have to think ahead of time to soak the beans, and it takes a good hour and a half to two hours to cook.  But, it’s great to make for those Fall/Winter weekends when you are stuck inside.

Here’s the OriginalRecipe: (From South Beach Diet Book)
1 ½ C DriedBlack Beans
6 Cups Water
               (Soak beans overnight it 6 CWater)
2 Tbs OliveOil
1 Onion,Chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
1 Celery Rib, Chopped
Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 Teaspoon Celery Seeds
Juice of 1 ½lemons (a few tablespoons)
Optional For Garnish: 1 lemon, celery leaves

Drain soaked beans.
Heat oil in large pot over md heat, add onion, garlic, celery and sautee.  (Mmmm smells Soooooo good!) for about 5minutes, until tender. Add beans and fresh 6 cups of water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, or until beans are tender.
Remove half the beans to a food processor or blender and process.  This is what makes it seem creamy.  Add the pepper and celery seeds.  Return pureed beans to pot and heat, stirring until soup thickens..  Stir in lemon juice.

Here’s how I changed it for use with canned beans:
I used 4 cans of beans and 2 quarts (8 C) of water. I brought to a boil, then simmered for 30-40 min.

It tasted pretty much the same, and I didn’t have to worry about if the beans were done enough.  Though, overall it was a little more brothy than with dried beans.  I also prefer this with salt… though if you are using dried beans DO NOT use salt until they are completely done.  Beans will not soften with sugar or salt!  Did you know that?  I didn’t until about 10 years ago…
Happy Fall Soup Making!

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