Spicy Black Bean Soup With Crispy Plantains Vegan And Gluten FreeWhy Black Beans Are So Good For You!

Black beans are low in fat and high in protein and fiber.

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Black Beans
Do you love black beans? If so, you're in luck as they are one of the healthiest foods in the world. In one small cup you get over half of your daily recommended amount of dietary fiber and an amount of protein equivalent to 2 ounces of meat (but without the fat and cholesterol.) They help stabilize blood sugar and support your digestive tract as well as a healthy heart.

Black is Beautiful!
Although I always encourage eating colorful fruits and vegetables to maximize the consumption of phytochemicals, the black coating of this bean is rich in anthocyanin flavonoids. 

One cup of cooked black beans is only 227 calories and provides:
15 grams of dietary fiber
15 grams of protein
41 grams of carbohydrates
Less than 1 gram of total fat, 0.2 grams of saturated fat, and zero cholesterol.
Only 1.7 mg of sodium

It also provides the following daily requirements:
64% folate - very important during pregnancy!
38% manganese
30% magnesium
28% thiamin
24% phosphorus
20% iron 

It's also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, providing 181 mg per 1-cup serving and 217 mg of omega-6 fatty acids giving it a healthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of nearly 1:1.

Advantage of Soaking Beans
It's important to soak beans before cooking and to discard the soak water. This helps remove some of the phytates and tannins that lower nutrient availability. It also gets rid of much of the substances in the beans that cause flatulence (which makes eating this dish a much more pleasant experience for everyone!) 

Spice Things Up
If you want to spice things up, buy some Rotel tomatoes! They are similar to diced tomatoes but contain green chilies and are quite spicy. I love their flavor in soups and chilies and use them in this recipe. If you can't find them in the grocery store, you can order an 8-pack on Amazon. 

If you enjoy the flavor of Rotel tomatoes, you might also enjoy Spicy Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Dahl with Cauliflower and Whole Grain Pasta. 

Plantains
Although plantains look like bananas, they are quite different. Instead of peeling them and eating them as a raw fruit, they are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They are a staple in Asia, Africa, and Central America, and served like potatoes.

Todays dish requires ripe plantains that are
dark yellow with spots, not the green ones.

Although you have never seen me fry anything, today I am pan frying these plantains in a very small amount of oil in a stick-free pan. Since there is no oil in the black bean soup, I felt that we could splurge a bit to get a nice, crisp plantain. 

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Spicy Black Bean Soup with Fried Plantains
Vegan and Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings, 8 or more if served over rice]
Requires a 5-quart soup pot or Dutch oven and 
1 large, non-stick fry pan

Allow 8 hours (or overnight) to soak the beans and about 3 hours to cook the soup.

For the soup
1 pound dry black beans (2 1/4 cups)
7 cups vegetable broth
2 cups diced onions
1 cup diced celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 cup diced, fresh cilantro plus some for garnish
2 tablespoons lime juice or more
Diced avocado (optional)

For the fried plantain
1 large, ripe plantain (darker with spots, not green)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Make the soup. Pick through the beans to remove any rocks and rinse with cold water in a colander. Place the beans in a large soup pot or 5-quart Dutch oven and cover with enough cold water so that it is at least one or two inches over the beans. Soak overnight.

The next day, drain and rinse the beans. Place back in the pot and cover with the vegetable broth, onions, celery, garlic, and pepper. Bring to a boil on high heat. Skim off the foam, reduce heat, and cover. Cook until the beans are soft, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding additional broth if needed.

Remove 2 cups of the soup and place in a blender. Return to the pot.

Remove some of the soup from the pot.

Blend until smooth and return to the pot.

Stir in the Rotel tomatoes, cumin, salt, and cilantro and cook, uncovered, until you reach the desired thickness, about 30 minutes or more.

Meanwhile, fry the plantain.

Score the plantain from top to bottom. (Plantains do not peel like bananas.)

Pull the skin away from the plantain carefully and remove.

Slice into 3 pieces horizontally and then standing each piece on edge, slice vertically into thin pieces.

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick fry pan. Place the sliced plantains in a single layer and cook each side, turning several times, until they soften on the inside but are crispy and golden brown on the outside. 

Place on a paper towel to remove the excess oil. 

Back to the soup:
When the soup reaches the desired thickness, stir in the fresh lime juice and serve garnished with fresh cilantro, diced avocado (optional), and a few pieces of fried plantain. If you'd like, you can serve it over rice.

Per serving of soup: 319 calories, 1.3 g total fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 213 mg omega-3 and 342 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 17 g protein, 56 g carbohydrates, 13 g dietary fiber, and 390 mg sodium.

Per serving of plantain (assuming 1/2 of the oil is absorbed): 46 calories, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 16 mg omega-3 and 123 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, and 1 mg sodium.

If you've enjoyed this recipe, you can download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen, available on Amazon and iTunes.

Fat Free Vegan Lentil And Barley Soup Easy To Make - One Step, One Pot Great For "Between Holiday" Weight Loss!

Lentil and barley soup is rich in protein and fiber
and has less than 160 calories per serving!

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Watching your Weight Between Holidays
If you are trying to lose a few Thanksgiving pounds before your diet is once again challenged at Christmas and New Years, this fat-free vegan lentil and barley soup can help you out. It's rich is protein and fiber which really satisfies your appetite for only 157 calories per serving. If you're too busy Christmas shopping to cook, don't worry. This one step, one pot meal is easy to prepare. Make it on the weekend and heat it up for lunch or dinner during the week.

Transitioning to a Plant-Rich Diet
A hearty soup with lots of fiber and protein can be very satisfying for people transitioning to a more plant-rich diet. Protein from plant sources is just as beneficial as protein from meat and dairy and doesn't contain the cholesterol and saturated fat. And meat doesn't contain any fiber, one of the most critical components of any diet. 

Barley: High in fiber, selenium, and manganese.
(not gluten free)

Lentils: Hi in protein, iron, phosphorus, copper,
as well as fiber, folate and manganese.

  
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Fat Free Lentil and Barley Soup
Vegan
[makes 6 servings]

4 cups vegetable broth*
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1/2 cup dried green lentils
1/3 cup pearl barley
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 bay leaf

* or 4 cups water with bouillon cube

Place all of the ingredients in a 5 quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Bring to a boil on high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, tightly covered, and stirring occasionally, until the lentils and barley are cooked, about 45 minutes. 

Add all ingredients at once.
No need to sauté veggies in oil.

Always remember to remove the bay leaf.

Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Each serving is only 157 calories and has
7 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber!

Per serving: 157 calories, <1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 28 mg omega-3 and 216 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 g cholesterol, 7 g protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 9 g dietary fiber, and 228 mg sodium.

Wild Rice And Aduki Bean Stuffed Acorn Squash Topped With Low Sugar Orange-Cranberry Sauce, A Great Vegan And Gluten Free Entrée For The Holidays!

Stuffed acorn squash makes an attractive holiday entrée.

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Satisfying your Thanksgiving Guests 
Entertaining is far more complicated than it used to be. Besides people avoiding meat because of ethical or health reasons, far more people are passing on wheat, dairy, nuts, soy, etc. because of food allergies. If you are having a large holiday dinner for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Christmas, I can almost guarantee you that one of your guests will have some kind of eating restriction or preference. 
Always ask your guests ahead of time if they have food preferences or allergies so that it doesn't come as a big surprise when they arrive at your house and say, "oh by the way, I don't eat .....". It's best to know beforehand so that you can prepare something special or even ask them to bring a dish to share. 
Here's a recipe that avoids meat and most allergens and is elegant enough for your holiday menu.

Aduki Beans
The aduki (also called azuki or adzuki) is the same bean used in red bean ice cream, commonly served in Japanese restaurants. It's a small and delicate red bean that is easier to digest than other beans with strengthening and balancing qualities. They are traditionally served at festive celebrations and are said to bring good fortune. 
I like buying them from Eden since they are organic and packed in BSP (bisphenol) free lined cans.

1/2 cup serving of Aduki beans provides:
110 calories
7 g protein
19 g carbohydrates
5 g fiber
Only 10 mg sodium
High in Iron, phosphorus, magnesium & folate

Aduki beans are small, delicate red beans.

Here's a low sugar cranberry sauce flavored with orange juice and orange zest that is a great topping for this stuffed acorn squash recipe. But it will complement any Thanksgiving meal. Make it earlier in the day so it has time to cool and thicken. Or, make it the day before and refrigerate after it cools at room temperature.

Low sugar orange-cranberry sauce
Vegan, gluten free
[makes 8 (1/4-cup) servings]

12 oz package of fresh cranberries, washed
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/3 cup Sucanat or other organic cane sugar
Liquid stevia to taste for added sweetness

Heat the orange juice, zest and sugar in a small saucepan stirring until the sugar dissolves. 

Add the cranberries and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and cook until all the cranberries pop and the sauce thickens (8 to 10 minutes).

Remove from the heat and add stevia a few drops at a time until it reaches the desired sweetness.  Don't add too much or it can become bitter. I usually add about 8 drops.

Let the cranberry sauce cool at room temperature. It will thicken as it cools. Store in the refrigerator.

Per serving: 66 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g cholesterol, 0 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates and 1.5 g dietary fiber and 1 mg sodium.


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Wild Rice and Aduki Bean Stuffed Acorn Squash
Vegan, gluten and lactose free
[makes 4 servings]

2 cups cooked brown and wild rice mixture
2 acorn squash, vertically cut in half, seeds removed
2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 can no salt added aduki beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons gluten free, low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup low sugar cranberry sauce (see recipe above)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook a mixture of wild and brown rice, according to manufacturers directions, enough to yield 2 cups of cooked rice. Meanwhile, cook acorn squash.

Cut acorn squash in half and place on a cookie sheet or shallow roasting pan. Cover with foil and bake until a fork easily pierces the flesh, about 1 hour.

Cut acorn squash in half vertically

Cover with foil

While the squash is baking, heat the oil in a large sauté pan and cook the onions on medium heat until soft and slightly brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the beans, soy sauce, agave nectar and black pepper and cook for several minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the squash halves are cooked, remove them from the oven. Scoop out about half of the squash leaving the shell and about 1/2 inch of squash. Chop the removed squash into small pieces.

Add chopped squash to the pan of beans. 

Mixture of beans, onions, squash and seasoning

Stir in the wild rice mixture. 

Stir in the cooked wild and brown rice

Stuff the squash with the bean and rice mixture and cover with foil. Place in the oven and bake until warm, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Cover with foil and bake until heated

Serve with a tablespoon or more of low sugar cranberry sauce. 
Enjoy!

Serve with cranberry sauce

Per serving: 369 calories, 3 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 12 g protein, 76 g carbohydrates, 10.3 g fiber and 374 g sodium.

Warm Vegan Farro Salad With Roasted Crimini Mushrooms, Asparagus, Red Bell Peppers And Leeks

This warm Farro Salad is packed with veggies and is less than 200 calories per serving!

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Farro
Farro, or Triticum dicoccum (it's Latin name), is a whole grain in the wheat family. It is often mistaken for spelt but is actually more similar to barley with its wonderful, chewy texture. Unfortunately it is not gluten free but it is rich in protein and fiber and contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. 
If you have the time, soak farro overnight. It will shorten the cooking time and reduce phytic acid which can bind important minerals. But for culinary purposes, this isn't necessary so if you forget to soak it, just rinse well and cook it a bit longer. 
Here's a warm salad with mushrooms and lots of veggies. I cook them all in a single roasting pan so clean up is minimal. 

Farro is similar to barley with its chewy texture.

Roast mushrooms and veggies in a large shallow pan.

Warm Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables
Vegan
[makes 6 servings]


For the farro
1 cup farro 
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt for water


For the roasted vegetables
1 pound asparagus, trimmed, 1/2" slices
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 pound crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 cup sliced leeks, bulb and lower leaf portion
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil


For the salad 
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.


Rinse farro well and place in a saucepan with salted water. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer, cover and cook until it reaches the desired texture (30 to 45 minutes if unsoaked). 


Place asparagus, bell pepper, mushrooms, leeks, thyme, garlic, pepper and salt in a large, shallow roasting pan. Drizzle oil over the vegetables and mix thoroughly. Roast in oven for about 25 minutes stirring the mixture half way through. When done, remove from oven.


In a small cup, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, oil and salt. Set aside.


Place cooked farro, roasted vegetables, dressing and chopped parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Top with additional parsley or freshly ground black pepper if desired. Serve warm.


Per serving. 198.4 calories, 5.3 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 9.0 g protein, 31.5 g carbohydrates, 7.0 g dietary fiber and 301 mg sodium.

Vegan Eggplant, Portobello Mushroom, Red Bell Pepper, Tomato Sauce On Gluten Free Corn-Quinoa Pasta

This low fat pasta sauce is packed with veggies.

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Do Not Fear the Carb
I know, it's January and everyone is on a diet, joining a gym and trying to shed the pounds they gained during the holidays. But that's no reason to totally give up pasta. Just make sure you don't cover it with a high calorie sauce and limit your serving of pasta to a few ounces.


Italian Americans Love their Gravy!
Somewhere between Southern Italy and Brooklyn, my Italian ancestors decided that sauce was "gravy" and instead of using it to delicately coat and flavor pasta, they decided to use it to drown it.
I'll never forget my first trip to Italy. I was at my friend Isabella's house and she decided to make pasta. She took out a very small saucepan to make the sauce. I wondered how on earth she was going to make "gravy" in such a tiny pot! That was probably the first time I had ever eaten pasta with the "appropriate" amount of sauce. Surprisingly, it was quite good.
I still love to use a lot of sauce on my pasta dishes but instead of making fatty, meaty gravies like my grandparents did, I make sauces that are packed with veggies that are low in fat and high in powerful plant chemicals. 

Instead of meat, I use plenty of veggies in my sauce.

Eggplant, portobello mushrooms, red bell pepper and crushed tomatoes make up this delicious low fat pasta sauce.

Selecting your Pasta
Pasta is only a problem in our diets when we select brands made from highly processed flour that is low in fiber. Pasta made from highly refined flour causes your blood sugar to spike which triggers a surge in insulin. Diets high in these "high glycemic" foods can lead to type II diabetes. 
If you are not sensitive to gluten, whole wheat pasta can be a good choice as a 2 ounce serving can provide 5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. If you are glucose intolerant, there are some very good brands that even a fussy pasta eater can enjoy.
My absolute favorite gluten free pasta is made by Quinoa Corporation. Their Ancient Harvest Quinoa Supergrain pasta is made from a blend of non-gmo corn flour and organic quinoa flour. A 2 ounce serving of their rotelle provides 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. Not quite as high in fiber as those made with whole wheat but higher in fiber than white pasta. Most important, they are safe for those who have celiac or gluten sensitivities. The best thing about quinoa pasta is that it has a good texture and can be cooked "al dente". It doesn't fall apart like many of the gluten free pastas made from rice and other grains.

Ancient Grain Quinoa makes my favorite gluten free pastas! 

If you can tolerate wheat, select a whole grain pasta rich in fiber and protein.

Eggplant, Portobello Mushroom, Red Pepper, Tomato Sauce
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes ~ 6 cups, enough for 1 pound of pasta]


1 lb eggplant, unpeeled, diced
Salt for sprinkling
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper (1 large)
1 large portobello mushroom, 1/3 pound, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 cups crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped


Place diced eggplant in a steamer basket and sprinkle generously with salt. Toss so the salt is distributed. Let the steamer basket sit in the sink for 15 minutes or until the eggplant sweats.  Leaving the eggplant in the steamer basket, rinse off salt and steam until cooked - about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Sprinkling the eggplant with salt and allowing it to "sweat" removes the bitterness. If you are using small eggplants that don't have many seeds (like Chinese, Japanese or Sicilian zebra or graffiti eggplants), you can eliminate this step and just steam the eggplant.

While the eggplant is steaming, heat oil to medium heat in a large saucepan and stir in red pepper flakes. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook for another minute.
Add red pepper, chopped mushroom and salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until peppers and mushrooms are soft. 
Add wine and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add steamed eggplant, basil, crushed tomatoes and bring to boil.
Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. 
Adjust salt and add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Top with fresh parsley and serve on your favorite pasta.


Per 1/2 cup serving of sauce: 58.7 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0.2 g saturated fat, 23 mg ALA omega-3 and 236 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.4 g protein, 10.9 g carbohydrates, 3.4 g dietary fiber and 199 mg sodium.

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup With Fresh Figs - Gluten Free, Low Calorie And Low Fat

Big mugs are a convenient way to serve soup

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Happy November!
I can't believe November is here already. This is the month of my FAVORITE holiday - Thanksgiving! So you'll be seeing lots of recipes preparing us for that wonderful feast. It's also time for warming foods as the weather turns cold. What's better than hot soup?


The Last of the Figs
I never know what's available where you live but we are finally seeing some figs here in northern California. I'm going to put some in the freezer so that I can make this soup later in the month. I haven't tried making this with dried figs. I would imagine they would need to be rehydrated for hours and cooked longer than the fresh ones. If anyone gives that a try, please send in a comment. Another thought is to substitute the figs with another sweet fruit like chopped apples or ripe pears if you cannot find them. I hope you have access to some fresh figs because they pair beautifully with the butternut squash.

We had a very cool summer so figs were very late this year

Low in Fat
Most recipes begin with cooking the onions in oil but that's really not necessary. If you are trying to eliminate excess fat in your diet, you can just cook the onions in the broth along with the other ingredients. To get a touch of fat on the palate, I stir in a teaspoon of Earth Balance right before serving. This adds less than a gram of fat to each serving. If you are going totally fat free, you can eliminate the Earth Balance completely.
I'm not a believer in living fat free. It's good to reduce unnecessary fat. Especially if you are trying to loose weight or reverse cardiovascular disease. But dietary fat is important, especially omega-3 fatty acids found in flaxseeds or wild salmon, or other good fats found in avocados, nuts and seeds. Many of our important vitamins such as A, D, E and K are fat soluble and need dietary fat to be best utilized in the body.

Freeze figs when in season so you use them in winter dishes

Add fresh figs in the last 10 minutes of cooking

Blend soup until smooth but don't over process

Stir in a teaspoon of earth balance at the very end

Butternut Squash with Fresh Figs
Vegan, Gluten Free
[serves 4]


5 cups veggie broth
5 cups cubed butternut squash
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 packed cup chopped fresh figs
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Pinch or two of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Earth Balance vegan buttery spread (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste


In a 5 quart Dutch oven, add broth, butternut squash and onions and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.
Add figs, salt and cayenne and cook another 10 minutes.
Put soup in a blender and process until smooth but don't over process.
Return mixture to the pot. Adjust salt, if needed, and stir in lemon juice.
Stir in 1 teaspoon of Earth balance. (If you want a fat free soup, you can skip this step)
Serve in 4 small bowls or mugs and top with fresh thyme and freshly ground black pepper.


Per serving (with Earth Balance): 161.3 calories, 0.9 g fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.0 g protein, 38.2 g carbohydrates, 6.4 g dietary fiber and 861 mg sodium. 

Per serving (without Earth Balance): 153 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.0 g protein, 38.2 g carbohydrates, 6.4 g dietary fiber and 851 mg sodium.