2016-01-07

Loaded Black Bean Soup

How was everyone's New Years?  We spent ours going out to an early dinner at a nearby pizza place/bar, then headed home to watch Star Wars Return of the Jedi that Kevin had got for Christmas from my parents.  The days leading up to New Years Eve were spent around the house in sweatpants (me mostly knitting enjoying my new yarn, and Kevin writing the outline to the book he is starting to write).

Sweatpants time is soup time in our house, so I took this recipe written by Jill Nussinow that is in both the Instant Pot recipe book as well as her cookbook, The New Fast Food.  (Featured on this blog here as well.)  I've altered it a bit to include more beans, spices, veggies, and corn.  A soup can never have too many things in it in my opinion.  This recipe can EASILY be adapted for the stove top with a bit more cooking time and using only canned beans.  Please see my notes below the recipe.

Speaking of Jill... have you heard about Jill's new cookbook, Vegan Under Pressure that is being released on January 12th (pre-orders are available now)!?  I was lucky enough to be contacted by Jill's book agent to feature a recipe and a giveaway on the blog this coming month.  I have gotten a peek at the recipes and I can't wait to share one with you!  Stay tuned!

Loaded Black Bean Soup
(adapted from Jill Nossinow's original recipe, which you can find here)
Serves: 6
Time: 10 minute prep, 5 minute saute, 7 minute high pressure, natural pressure release, 1 minute high pressure, quick release


Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 large celery ribs, diced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried oregano (or 2 Tbsp fresh)
1 1/2 cups dried black beans, soaked for 8 hours
6 cups vegetable broth (homemade or low sodium preferred)
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1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn, non thawed
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salt to taste
cilantro to garnish
soy yogurt to top (optional)


Instructions:

  1. Prepare all ingredients before beginning.
  2. Sauté the onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes in a heated pressure cooker, adding water as needed to prevent burning.  Add in the carrot, celery, and spices.  Stir well to mix and sauté for 2 more minutes.
  3. Add in the soaked dried beans and vegetable broth.  Lock the lid and set to cook at high pressure for 7 minutes (those with an InstantPot can alternatively use the soup function for 7 minutes).  When the timer is done, allow the pressure to come down naturally.
  4. After the pressure has been released, carefully remove the lid.  Use an immersion blender, or scoop several cups of the soup into a blender.  Blend until about half of the soup is creamy, leaving quite a few small chunks behind.
  5. Add in the canned black beans and frozen corn.  Lock the lid and set to cook at high pressure for 1 minute.  Once the minute is up, carefully quick release the pressure.
  6. Serve hot with cilantro to garnish and soy yogurt/sour cream to top.  Leftovers will thicken up in the fridge and the flavors will marinade to make the soup even better the next day!



Notes for adapting for the stovetop:

  1. Prepare all ingredients before beginning.
  2. In a large soup pot, water sauté the onion and garlic.  Add in the carrot, celery, and spices.  Stir well to mix and sauté for 2 more minutes.
  3. Add in 2 cans of washed and drained black beans along with the vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on.
  4. Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the soup.
  5. Add in the 3rd can of rinsed and drained black beans as well as the frozen corn and cook for an additional 10 minutes without the lid.
  6. Serve hot with cilantro garnish and soy yogurt to top.  Leftovers will thicken up in the fridge and the flavors will marinade to make the soup even better the next day!



Health and Happiness,

Amy

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the recipe Amy, the soup looks great! Are you still following UWL plan and if you are , how is 8th going?

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    1. Hi Mary, Thanks! I stopped following the UWL plan a month or so ago and went back to Nutritarian with a focus on lots of veggies and 1 oz nuts daily. While doing UWL, I noticed that my fingernails were dull and not shiny like they used to be. Adding back in a bit of nuts/seeds has resolved that.
      UWL taught me some great lessons of having veggies for breakfast more often, using lower fat bean based sauces, and to remove food triggers such as chocolate and crackers.
      -Amy

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  2. Looks yummy except the soy products. The more I research soy, the less of it I eat. Not because much of it is raised GMO. It's the bio chemistry of soy. I encourage all your readers to do the research. A good meat substitute I have recently started eating is a product called Quorn. But, of course, the best food is whole foods, not processed. Thanks for your blog.

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    1. Hi Judy, I didn't put any soy yogurt on my soup, as it's not usually something I have on hand. That is just what the original recipe stated.
      I don't mind soy products (non GMO of course) from the research I have found on it. Soy products do have phytoestrogens, but they work much differently in our bodies than estrogen we naturally make (or that meat eaters obtain from animal foods). Phytoestrogens actually have a way of helping to clear out excess hormones in our bodies that can be troublesome for cancers of the reproductive organs (breast, prostate, etc.).
      My rule of thumb is to stick to the least processed soy forms such as beans, tofu, and tempeh, homemade soy yogurt; and stay clear of the highly processed forms like soy ice cream, soy meat substitutes, and soy protein powders. Also, I try to rotate soy products in as I do with other beans on a once or twice a month basis.

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