Versatile Bean Soup Recipe for Good Health

Versatile Bean Soup Recipe

To save money, I like to cook good food at home. I like to save money, but one area I don’t skimp on is food quality. I don’t care about the cost, maintaining good health is saving money. Buy organically grown foods when possible.

Beans are an excellent source of plant-based protein, without the added animal fat. This makes beans a good food for weight watchers and low carb counters. Beans can be purchased in the bulk foods section of your local grocery store. Also, Costco sells large bags of Pinto beans, they are the highest quality beans I have found.

My favorite food is hot soup, it’s an especially comfort food for the cold Oregon weather. I make soup in a 12-quart pot I bought at Ikea and freeze the rest in microwaveable cookware. Soup is a versatile food, almost any vegetable can be added to it. You can make use of the vegetables that are on sale. I would suggest trying the following vegetables in your next soup; Zucchini, squash, green bell peppers, hot peppers, squash, tomatoes, and sweet onions. You can make all kinds of delicious soups, with different combinations of ingredients. You can season your soups with; spices for tacos, curry, soy sauce and tabasco. The green tabasco jalapeño has an exceptional flavor in soups.

Bean Soup Ingredients List

• Beef or Chicken “Better Than Bouillon” brand soup base (available at Costco)
• Two cans (12.5 ounces each) of Costco “Harvest Creek” brand turkey meat
• A bunch of celery
• Two packages of frozen vegetables (Normandy mix) about 20 ounces total
• A large onion
• Optional: A pound of ground beef
• 32 ounces of dried black beans
• 16 ounces of broad beans
• Add water up to approximately 2/3 of the volume of the pot.

You can also experiment with other beans and grains. There are Red Kidney, Lentils, Barley, Kidney Beans, Little Red Beans, Rice, Pinto Beans, etc. It is good to try different ingredients to match your personal tastes and benefit from different nutritional values. Research the benefits of each new ingredient you plan to use online.

Start by sorting (watch for rocks) and cleaning the Lima and black beans, then soak the beans in water for a day. Remember to pour out the water and add fresh water before cooking the beans. After that, cook the beans over medium-high heat, the beans will be done when they soften. Chop celery and onion, add to pot. Continue cooking for about 30 minutes, then add the stock (about two to three heaping tablespoons, use more or less depending on how strong you like it) and any other spices you like, no more salt added. You can add salt later at the table, otherwise the salt will concentrate as the water evaporates, making it taste saltier. Next, add the turkey meat and frozen vegetables. Bring the soup to a boil, and then turn off the stove. It is ready to eat. If you use raw meat, remember to cook it well.

You can let the soup cool and then separate it into smaller containers to freeze. I like to take frozen soup to work for lunch. So live healthier and spend less money. Cook delicious food at home, get moderate exercise, eat soup and feel better.