Black Bean Soup

Growing up in Arizona, Mexican food was part of my daily diet, but I never really cared for beans. After switching to a plant based diet my taste buds quickly changed and now I can't get enough of them!

I created this soup one afternoon when I was craving some beans but didn’t feel like making my usual black bean quinoa salad. It was a cool night, and soup was on my mind.

I love making soups from scratch, especially when I have my homemade veggie stock on hand, (you can substitute with whatever veggie stock you have on hand, but there’s nothing like homemade).

The soup is not too spicy (which made it great for my kids to try), full of good, wholesome ingredients so you won’t feel guilty about having seconds, and to top it off, the soup is a great source of plant based protein. Beans are a power house when it comes to nutrition- full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. 

Getting enough fiber in your daily diet is key in maintaining your health. Most people, including kids aren’t getting enough fiber in their daily diet, and your body ends up paying the price. Why not try swapping just one meal a day to a plant based meal, like this Homemade Black Bean Soup.

The recipe serves 4-6 adults and can easily be doubled to make extra for a weekday lunch or quick last minute meal. The soup will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer, just reheat the frozen soup in a crock pot.

Homemade Black  Bean Soup

Here's what you need...

2 cans of black beans, drained

2 tbsp veggie stock concentrate* + water

1 brown onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 chili, chopped

2 small tomatoes, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander 

1 lime, juiced

1 avocado

fresh cilantro

... And now, how to prepare.

• Drain black beans while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, do not rinse the beans
• Sauté onion in a saucepan for 2-4 minutes or until translucent and aromatic
• Healthy hint- I sauté my onions in a little veggie stock over medium heat, instead of using oil. 
• Add garlic and chili to sautéed onion and sauté another 30 seconds
• Add in tomatoes, cumin and coriander to mixture and sauté another 1 minute
• Add half the black beans to the saucepan and mash the other half with a potato masher or fork, then add smashed black beans and veggie stock to saucepan and mix well. 
• Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to a simmer
• Simmer black beans for 10-20 minutes 

Garnish the soup with sliced avocado for some healthy whole food fat and top with diced tomato and cilantro. 

I like to serve my soup with either blue corn chips or my homemade whole wheat tortillas. 

Enjoy!

Notes

*   Vegetable stock can be substituted for veggie stock concentrate and water- just use ½-1 cup vegetable stock.

*   Vegetable bouillon cubes equivalents, 1 cubes = 2 tbsp veggie stock concentrate

Black Bean Soup

Growing up in Southwestern U.S. Mexican Food was part of my daily diet, but I never liked beans. I thought beans were disgusting and tasted like dirt, but after switching to a plant based diet my taste buds quickly changed, and now I can't get enough of them!

Getting enough fiber in your daily diet is key to maintain your health. Most people don't get enough fiber and your body pays the price. Just swapping 1 meal a day to a plant based meal will not only help you get in more fiber, but will make you feel more energized to get you through your day. 

Beans are a good source of plant based protein and are a power house when it comes to nutrition- full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals that you just can't get in meat based proteins. 

Homemade Black  Bean Soup

Here's what you need...

2 cans of black beans, drained

½ -1 cup veggie stock, enough to cover the beans

1 brown onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 chili, chopped

2 small tomatoes, diced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander 

1 lime, juiced

1 avocado

fresh cilantro

... And now, how to prepare.

• Drain black beans while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, do not rinse the beans
• Sauté onion in a saucepan for 2-4 minutes or until translucent and aromatic
• Healthy hint- I sauté my onions in a little veggie stock over medium heat, instead of using oil. 
• Add garlic and chili to sautéed onion and sauté another 30 seconds
• Add in tomatoes, cumin and coriander to mixture and sauté another 1 minute
• Add half the black beans to the saucepan and mash the other half with a potato masher or fork, then add smashed black beans and veggie stock to saucepan and mix well. 
• Bring to a boil, then lower temperature to a simmer
• Simmer black beans for 10-20 minutes 

Garnish the soup with sliced avocado for some healthy whole food fat and top with diced tomato and cilantro. 

I like to serve my soup with either blue corn chips or my homemade whole wheat tortillas. 

Enjoy!

Twice Baked Potatoes- Vegan

Vegan Twice Baked Potatoes with 

Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad

When I first adopted a plant based diet over 8 years ago, I tried to make vegan twice baked potatoes using tofu. They were ok, but I didn't really care to use tofu in all of my vegan dishes. So when I discovered garlic buttah- a vegan substitute I learned how to make from my plant based cooking course- I gave them another try, and wa-la! Vegan Twice Baked Potatoes were born. 

They were so yummy, even my non-vegan friends had no idea they were dairy free. Next, I'm going to have to try this on my Veggie Shepherd's Pie.

Ingredients

2 large baking potatoes

½ a head cauliflower, flowerets 

1 cup Garlic Buttah

¼ cup non-diary milk

salt and pepper, to taste

chives or seasoning for garnish

 How to prepare

• Slice baking potatoes in half, lengthwise and steam until fully cooked and you can insert a knife easily through the center. 
• Chop cauliflower flowerets and steam until done- I steamed my potatoes and cauliflower at the same time, just checking cauliflower to make sure not to over cook.
• Once potatoes have cooled down enough to handle, scoop out center of potatoes, being careful not to break the skin. Set skins on lined baking dish.
• Preheat oven to 325F/220C
• Add scooped out potatoes, steamed cauliflower, garlic buttah and non-dairy milk to a large bowl and smash until all ingredients are blended together into a smooth, creamy mixture. Taste, and add salt and pepper if desired.
• Spoon mixture back into potatoes skins and brush with a little veggie stock mixed with a 2 tbsp of garlic buttah- this will help the potato brown.  
• Bake on a lined baking dish or tray for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes start to brown on top. 
• Garnish with chives, pepper, chili, or any other seasoning you like
• Serve as a side dish to a salad, like my Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad, or as a light meal

Enjoy!