black beans
Black Bean Coconut Soup
10/03/09 Filed in: Soup
I stopped at my local Whole Foods for lunch and a short shopping list yesterday. I planned my errands to end at this location so that I could enjoy the free internet and lunch. Nothing I had to buy was immediately perishable so I gathered the items on my list and then headed for the prepared foods area. I picked up a brown rice veggie roll and then went over to check out the soups. They have a large selection at this location and several are usually non dairy.
I happen to love soup. It is one of my favorite food mediums. Soups are a great way to clean out the fridge, mixing little bits of this and that veggie to a forgiving base like lentil or bean. Soups are also a great way to experiment with different spice combinations. I always walk down the soup aisle and take the lid off to allow the smell to rise up. I read the ingredients tag and pull up a ladle full from the bottom to appreciate the main ingredients. I decided on a black bean soup made with coconut milk. I also love coconut and was looking forward to the creamy flavor with the beans.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the black bean soup because the coconut taste was very faint. The soup was still good so I gobbled it up along with my roll and decided to make my own version at home. So here it is, the first installment of Black Bean Coconut Soup. It has the creamy texture and taste of the coconut plus some basic indian spices to add comfort and warmth.
First, take two cups of dried black beans and soften them in a pressure cooker or soak them overnight.
Place the soaked beans in a large soup pot with 4 to 6 cups of water depending on how dense you would like the soup. Add one can of lite coconut milk and stir.
In a seperate saute pan, add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and heat. When the oil is ready add one diced serrano pepper and stir one minute. Add one chopped onion and saute a few more minutes. Add the curry, tumeric, and ginger to the pan and saute for two more minutes. Add green pepper and saute an addition two minutes.
Place the onion mixture in with the beans and add the salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes. Taste and adjust spices if necessary. Add the chopped greens of your choice. I had some lovely greens from my beets which I used, but kale, swiss chard, or spinach would also work well. Cook until greens have softened.
Serve as soup or with brown rice. Add a squeeze of lime over the top for some added twang if you like. Enjoy!
Ingredient list:
Two cups dries black beans
1 onion chopped
1 can lite coconut milk
1 green pepper chopped
1 serrano pepper diced
2 teaspoons curry
2 teaspoons tumeric
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons salt
two to three cups chopped greens
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