Three Bean Soup Recipes:

Well Folks, as a Bean-Loving Vegetarian I'm always on the look out for delicious bean recipes. Today when I opened a can of  Bush's Garbanzo Beans I noticed there was a recipe on the back of the can AND their web address: www.bushbeans.com where you can get more recipes, soooooo...here's two that I am going to try. As always, links to original sites are included

Sweet and Spicy Soup with Black-Eyed Peas and Sweet Potato Recipe - Bush’s Best

Contrasting flavors of sweet, spicy, and earthy combine in this thick, hearty soup. It's equally tasty served hot or cold.

Sweet and Spicy Soup with Black-Eyed Peas and Sweet Potato

1/2 red bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable broth
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can sweet potatoes, drained and cut into chunks
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 pinch dried thyme
1 pinch dried basil
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch dried rosemary
1 pinch garlic powder
1 pinch onion powder
1 pinch mustard powder
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch coriander
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley



Set oven to broil. Brush red bell pepper lightly with olive oil, and place cut-side down on a baking sheet. Place sheet under broiler, and broil until pepper is blackened and blistered. Remove from broiler, and when cool enough to touch, peel skin. Chop pepper into bite-size pieces.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, celery, and garlic; cook until onion is soft and translucent.
Mix in water, vegetable broth, tomatoes, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, and chopped bell pepper. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Add bay leaf, thyme, basil, oregano, and rosemary. Mix in garlic, onion, and mustard powders. Stir in cumin and coriander.
Bring contents to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, covered, until sweet potatoes begin to disintegrate, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and cracked pepper to taste. Stir in fresh parsley, and serve.

Split Pea Soup with Rosemary

http://recipes.bushbeans.com/recipe/89199/split-pea-soup-with-rosemary.aspx

Rosemary adds a distinctive, earthy flavor to this wonderful split pea soup.

 

 

• 6 slices bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 (10.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups green split peas
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1. Place bacon in a large pot, and cook over medium heat until crisp. Stir in onion, leek, carrot, and garlic; cook until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Pour in chicken broth. Stir in split peas, bay leaves, and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover, and simmer until peas are cooked, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Split Pea Soup with Tofu

http://recipes.bushbeans.com/recipe/71574/split-pea-soup-with-tofu.aspx

This thick and creamy soup is perfect to warm you up on a rainy day, and the ingredients are very simple.

 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 4 small red potatoes, diced
• 1 cup peeled, diced carrots
• 1 pound dry green split peas
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (16 ounce) package soft tofu
• 1 (6 ounce) bag fresh spinach, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion and garlic until tender.
2. In a large pot, mix the onion mixture, potatoes, carrots, and split peas. Pour in the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour.
3. In a blender or food processor, blend the tofu and spinach until creamy, and mix into the pot. Season with basil, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking 1 hour. If the soup becomes too thick, add water. Serve hot and enjoy.

"Bon appe-cheap" Cider Baked Beans

I don't know if it's because I am poor or because I am 'older' or because I'm  both old and poor and you can even toss in a little bit 'gimpy' but I  digress..... Anyways;  like simple meals and because I'm a vegetarian  and I've had  Lapband Surgery I need to put a little thought into my  meals to be sure to be getting  50-60 grams of protein in my diet.  Well this just sound delicious -and- I just so happen to have a crock-pot,  ~BUT~ before I get the the recipe, let me leave you with this amusing little 'ditty'



Cider Baked Beans

from The Frugal Life News by Donna Watkins

Recipe by: Judith Finlayson | from 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes
Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients

2 cups (500 ml) assorted dried beans
2 onions, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, peeled and thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp (10ml) chili powder
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
1 tsp (5 ml) cracked black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick piece, about 2 inches (5 cm)
1 cup (250 ml) apple cider or juice
1 cup (250 ml) water
½ cup (125 ml) maple syrup
2 tbsp (25 ml) cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tbsp (25 mL) cold water

Directions

1. Soak beans according to either method in Basic Beans. Drain and rinse and set aside.

2. In slow cooker stoneware, combine beans, onions, celery, carrots, parsnips, garlic, chili powder, salt, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, apple cider, water and maple syrup. Cover and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours, until beans are tender.

3. In a bowl, combine dissolved cornstarch with 2 tbsp (25 mL) hot cooking liquid from beans and stir until smooth. Gradually add up to ¼ cup (50 mL) hot bean liquid, stirring until mixture is smooth. Return mixture to stoneware and stir well until sauce thickens.

the recipe at  http://recipes.aarp.org/recipes/cider-baked-beans.

Beans, Beans The Musical Friut, The More You Eat The More You Toot

The Humble Bean is so under rated. Bean can rescue your food budget  and repel unwanted guest at the same time. Now that's multitasking at it's finest.


Listen To This Song About Beans While You Read.




 No,  Jelly Beans don't count
 


Get Into The Bean Scene by The Duke University Medical Center

There's an old tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day to ensure prosperity for the rest of the year. But if you want health as well as wealth, you may want to make a New Year's resolution to eat more legumes the rest of the year too. These humble beans boast big benefits for those who eat them often: they can reduce your risk of heart disease and strokes, help prevent cancer, and even save money.   $$$$$$


The beans that come packed with these benefits are the starchy legumes: green peas, navy beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, and more exotic varieties like garbanzos, black beans, lentils, and fava beans.


Despite their beautiful differences in color and taste, all the legumes have similar nutritional value. A serving (1/3 cup of cooked beans) contains around 80 calories, no cholesterol, lots of complex carbohydrates, and little fat. In addition, beans are a good source of B vitamins, potassium, and fiber, which promotes digestive health, relieves constipation, and may even help prevent colon cancer and reduce blood cholesterol (a leading cause of heart disease).
Not used to eating lots of legumes?


Here are some tips on incorporating more beans into your diet.


* Beans can be included in the pasta, bread, and grain food group--the base of the USDA's food pyramid, from which you should eat 6-11 servings each day.
But while they make a great side dish--think three-bean salad or baked beans--legumes are also a good substitute for meat. Even healthy cuts of meat, like lean meat and chicken, generally contain 150-225 calories per three-ounce serving as well as some saturated fat and no fiber (and they're more expensive than beans). And you don't have to go vegetarian to reap the benefits of legumes--start slowly, eating beans instead of meat twice a week.


* Legumes don't contain complete proteins like meat, but as long as you eat grain or dairy products over the course of the day, you will meet your nutritional needs. Many traditional bean dishes already contain these combinations--think of beans and rice, bean burritos, split pea soup with crackers.


* If you experience intestinal discomfort when you eat legumes, try changing the soaking water several times when you prepare dried beans, or switching to canned beans. The processing they go through gets rid of some of the gas-producing substances (just remember to rinse the beans well to wash off excess salt).


* Drinking adequate fluids and exercising regularly can also help your gastrointestinal system handle the increased dietary fiber. As you include more beans in your diet, your body should grow more accustomed to fiber and not experience as much intestinal gas.


* One last tip to help you avoid a common misadventure in bean-cooking: Beans will grow on you. Literally. Since the average dried bean triples in size when cooked, be sure to use a big enough pot so that they don't boil over.


Happy eating!
http://www.healthandgoodness.com/article/eating-beans.html