WHITE BEAN SOUP

Did you know that if you put the word "healthy" in a recipe name people are less likely to try it? Well this soup is healthy but it is also very delicious. My husband said it was "very good" which is great praise since he is not vegan. Good thing I doubled the recipe because there was only enough left for me to have for lunch tomorrow. If you want to make it easier and faster, use canned beans.

The recipe is by Michelle Blackwood, RN at “Healthier Steps”: Vegan White Bean Soup

Is there a difference between lima beans and butter beans?

No, they are the same thing.

Why are some lima beans green and some white?

The green limas are immature and fresh whereas the white limas are mature and dried.

What is Mirepoix?

It is the classic French base of onions, carrots and celery used for soups and other recipes. The classic ratio is 2:1:1 onions to carrots to celery.

How do you pronounce Mirepoix?

Here is very short video of different chefs pronouncing “Mirepoix”: How to Pronounce Mirepoix

WHITE BEAN SOUP

Ingredients for single batch

4 cups cooked white beans or 8 oz dried beans-use Navy, Lima, Cannellini, or Great Northern (I used baby lima beans)

2 cups vegetable broth or water (I did not pre-cook my beans so for a single batch used 1 cup prepared Vegan Ham Flavored Broth, 1 cup reduced sodium vegetable broth, and 2 cups water)

1 medium onion, chopped (After chopped was 3/4 cup)

I also added 1 stalk celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium potato, diced (I did not add)

1 medium carrot, diced

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon ground paprika (I used 1/4 tsp sweet paprika and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika)

2 Tablespoons coconut milk (Did not use)

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes or 2 teaspoon fresh leaves chopped (I used dried)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 sprig of fresh (I used dried)

Pinch ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste (I added just a bit at the end of cooking, otherwise each person added to their own bowl)

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes

I added 4 oz frozen chopped spinach

Instructions per Healthier Steps

1. If you are using dried beans, prepare 8 oz of dried beans by sorting and washing.

2. Soak in water to cover for 8 hours or overnight. The following day, drain and rinse beans and cook in water until tender.

3. Place beans, water, onion, garlic, potato, carrot, marjoram, paprika, coconut milk, parsley, thyme, allspice, salt, cayenne pepper, bay leaf in a large pot.

4. Bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer for 30 minutes or until desired thickness is reached. Add yeast flakes, check the seasoning and serve immediately.

What I did:

1. Soaked dried baby lima beans overnight in water. Drained the beans the following morning.

2. Dry sauteed onion, carrots, and celery over medium heat in a large stock pot. Added a splash of water when wanted to stick, stirring frequently. Once onions translucent and vegetables softened, added garlic and sauteed another minute.

3. Added dried beans, broths, water, and spices as indicated in the “Ingredient” comments.

4. Cooked over low simmer, covered, for 2 hours until beans tender. Removed bay leaf.

5. Pureed 3 ladles of soup in a high speed blender (6 ladles for double batch). Added back to the soup pot.

6. Added frozen spinach. Stirred and simmered until warmed.

7. Added nutritional yeast.

8. Tasted and added just a bit more smoked paprika and cayenne. Added a little salt and some fresh ground pepper.

9. Served with corn bread.