From my kitchen: Red beans and spring greens soup
A hearty, comforting soup, that is also healthy and nourishing enough to eat as a quick, light lunch.
When it comes to soup, I always cook a big batch and either eat it as a starter at every meal (it will keep for about a week in the refrigerator) or freeze it in separate portions for eating later. I am not sure how many people my recipe serves, it depends if you eat it in big portions or small ones, but I do not really care either. Just be warned it makes a lot of soup. And because vegetables come in many sizes, I will write 2-3 potatoes, meaning, 2 if big, 3 if average, 4 or more if small. Like always in life, you must use common sense to decide.
Ingredients:
1-2 spring greens, washed and chopped thinly;
2-3 potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped in big chunks;
250g of dried beans, soaked overnight;
2-3 onions, washed, peeled and chopped in big chunks;
1-2 carrots, washed, peeled and halved along their length;
lots of garlic;
olive oil;
optional: herbs (ex.: sage, oregano, thyme, etc.) and chilli powder.
In a pressure cooker, add one cup of water and the spring greens. Cook on high pressure for 7 min. Release the pressure and set aside.
Add all other ingredients to the pressure cooker and then add plenty of water. Remember the beans will absorb water and the contents of the pressure cooker must never dry out during cooking. Cook on low pressure for 15 min. Let it cool down and then mash all the contents with a hand blender. Add the greens and olive oil and mix well.
A note on beans: if you are not used to eating beans, they can be quite difficult to digest. However, beans are so tasty and healthy, that everyone should eat them. Nutritionally, they are packed with proteins and are an important alternative to meat. They are also packed with vitamins and fibres. So, if you are not used to eating beans, add them slowly to your diet until your gut develops the ability to digest them without problems. I am saying this because I have had this problem myself. I had not eaten beans in several years when I first prepared this soup and I really got in trouble. But I realize the solution is not never to eat beans again, but, on the contrary, to make an effort to reintroduce them in my diet.
When it comes to soup, I always cook a big batch and either eat it as a starter at every meal (it will keep for about a week in the refrigerator) or freeze it in separate portions for eating later. I am not sure how many people my recipe serves, it depends if you eat it in big portions or small ones, but I do not really care either. Just be warned it makes a lot of soup. And because vegetables come in many sizes, I will write 2-3 potatoes, meaning, 2 if big, 3 if average, 4 or more if small. Like always in life, you must use common sense to decide.
Ingredients:
1-2 spring greens, washed and chopped thinly;
2-3 potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped in big chunks;
250g of dried beans, soaked overnight;
2-3 onions, washed, peeled and chopped in big chunks;
1-2 carrots, washed, peeled and halved along their length;
lots of garlic;
olive oil;
optional: herbs (ex.: sage, oregano, thyme, etc.) and chilli powder.
In a pressure cooker, add one cup of water and the spring greens. Cook on high pressure for 7 min. Release the pressure and set aside.
Add all other ingredients to the pressure cooker and then add plenty of water. Remember the beans will absorb water and the contents of the pressure cooker must never dry out during cooking. Cook on low pressure for 15 min. Let it cool down and then mash all the contents with a hand blender. Add the greens and olive oil and mix well.
A note on beans: if you are not used to eating beans, they can be quite difficult to digest. However, beans are so tasty and healthy, that everyone should eat them. Nutritionally, they are packed with proteins and are an important alternative to meat. They are also packed with vitamins and fibres. So, if you are not used to eating beans, add them slowly to your diet until your gut develops the ability to digest them without problems. I am saying this because I have had this problem myself. I had not eaten beans in several years when I first prepared this soup and I really got in trouble. But I realize the solution is not never to eat beans again, but, on the contrary, to make an effort to reintroduce them in my diet.
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