Gluten Free Black Bean Soup Recipe

Rich Delicious Vegetarian Black Bean Soup from the Natural Vegan Kitchen cookbook, by Christine Waltermyer

Who doesn’t love earthy black bean soup? Seasoned with cumin and the mild heat of jalapeño chile, this flavorful soup will delight the pickiest eaters.

The Natural Vegan Kitchen Cookbook is macrobiotic based, i.e. the recipes are hearty, balanced and nutritious, with simple, fresh ingredients, liberal use of sea vegetables, mushrooms and salt, but low in fat. The recipes produce wonderful food with minimal effort.

Total prep & cook time: 50 min

6 Servings

Nutrition Data Per Serving: 251 Calories, 14g protein, 2g fat, 41g carbs, 17g fiber, 237mg sodium, low saturated fat, cholesterol, good source Vit C, Iron, Potassium, Copper, very good source of fiber, Vit A and Folate. Estimated Glycemic Load 16.

Ingredients:

• 1 (2-inch) piece dried Kombu (kelp) seaweed
• 2 cups dried black beans soaked for 6 to 12 hours in water to cover
• 4 cups water as needed
• 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil or other oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced jalepeño chile
• 1 clove garlic minced (1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 cups vegetable broth (unsalted)
• 2 cups seeded and diced fresh tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayanne (optional)
• ground black pepper
• tofu sour cream for garnish
• minced fresh chives or scallions for garnish

Directions:

1. Put the kombu in a medium saucepan
2. Drain the beans and put them in the sauce pan on top of the Kombu
3. Add enough of the water to cover the beans by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, skimming off any foam that accumulates at the surface
4. Boil for 10 minutes, continuing to remove any foam. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the beans are soft. Occasionally add a small amount of cold water, as needed, to keep the beans covered while they are cooking
5. Warm the oil with 2 tablespoons of water in a medium soup pot over medium heat
6. Add the onion, bell pepper, chile, garlic, and a pinch of the salt and cook and stir for 5 minutes
7. Add the carrot, celery, cumin, chili powder, and another pinch of the salt and cook and stir for 5 minutes
8. Add the beans, broth, tomatoes, remaining salt, optional cayenne, and pepper to taste
9. If needed, add a little more broth to achieve the desired consistency. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
10. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes
11. If a thicker soup is desired, blend half the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
12. Serve hot, garnished with a dollop of tofu sour cream and a sprinkling of chives.

Savvy Veg Cooking Tips:

We had a hard time deciding which Natural Vegan Kitchen recipes to feature, but our fondness for black bean soup won out. Everybody, even our most severe testers - The Grandchildren - loved it. They also loved the simple & delicious White Beans and Greens.

For this black bean soup recipe, we used canned diced tomatoes, as fresh tomatoes in the February midwest are pathetic and expensive. We substituted cilantro for chives as a garnish, and added a squeeze of lime juice - maybe not so macriobiotic, but sympatico with the latin origins of black bean soup.

We reduced the salt to 1/2 tsp in this recipe and used unsalted vegetable broth. Reduce sodium further by eliminating added salt and using unsalted canned tomatoes. Celery and kombu are high sodium vegetables.

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