Cuban Black Bean Soup

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Cuban
Black Bean
Soup

Dinner

This recipe is from The Culinary Institute of America’s The Diabetes-Friendly Kitchen cookbook
(2012, John Wiley and sons)

I Love Me Café ®

Photo Credit: CIA/Ben Fink

   INGREDIENTS

  • 12 ounces dried black beans
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 sachet d’epices (2 cloves, 1⁄8 teaspoon allspice, 1⁄8 teaspoon cumin seeds, and ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns)
  • ½ ounce bacon, minced
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • ¾ cup diced onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 lemon, thickly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons toasted and chopped ancho chile
  • 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno
  • ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • ¾ cup cooked barley, brown rice, or mixed-grain pilaf
  • ½ cup wilted spinach, chopped

    The Diabetes Friendly Kitchen Cookbook By Jennifer Stack
    This recipe is from The Culinary Institute of America’s The Diabetes-Friendly Kitchen cookbook (2012, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Until I tried black bean soup with the lemon, sun-dried tomatoes, and sherry vinegar this recipe uses, I was never crazy about it.  spinachGarnish with wilted spinach. – Jennifer Stack


MAKES 6 SERVINGS

1. Soak the beans for 8 to 12 hours in enough cold water to cover by 3 inches or use the short soak method*. Drain the beans and simmer in the chicken broth with the sachet until the beans are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the sachet.

2. In a large sauté pan, cook the bacon until the fat renders and the bacon begins to crisp. Add the canola oil. Add the onion, garlic, and cumin and sauté until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.

3. Add the lemon, ancho and jalapeño chiles, tomatoes, oregano, salt, and onion mixture to the beans and simmer until the soup is flavorful, about 15 minutes more.

4. Remove and discard the lemon slices. Remove one-third of the beans from the soup and purée in a blender or food processor. Stir the puréed beans back into the soup. Stir in the vinegar.

5. In a small bowl, combine the cooked barley, rice, or pilaf and the spinach until well mixed. Serve each bowl of soup garnished with some of the rice mixture.

*The short soak method:  Place the sorted and rinsed legumes in a pot and add enough water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring the water to a simmer, then remove the pot from the heat and cover. Let the legumes steep for 1 hour.


Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories 298, Protein 18 g, Carbohydrates 51 g, Fiber 16 g, Total Fat 2.5 g, Saturated Fat 0.5 g,
Sodium 386 mg

3 Bean Chili

3 Bean Chili

I Love Me Café

This comfort meal tastes best when prepared with company, accompanied by lots of conversation.

Dinner

3 Bean Chili

®

3 Bean Chili

I Love Me Café

This comfort meal tastes best when prepared with company, accompanied by lots of conversation.

Dinner

3 Bean Chili

®

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3/4 cups onions, diced
  • 1 cup red or green peppers, diced small (I like to use various colors)
  • 1 ½ cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 8 oz* of organic chickpeas, canned or soaked and ready to cook as shown in chart
  • 8 oz of pinto beans, canned or prepared as shown in the chart
  • 8 oz red or black beans, canned or prepared as shown in the chart
  • One 28 oz can of diced tomatoes with their juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • ½ tablespoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon tumeric

3 Bean Chili

Makes 8 cups: each serving is one cup

Directions

1.  Put the beans all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil

2.  Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour, until the acidity of the tomatoes becomes neutralized and all the flavors have been blended to savory perfection


Chef Angela: Once you set the pot to simmer, go read a book, meditate or enjoy some family time. The chili can be served with brown rice, quinoa, or a side of fresh green salad. Optional: add a teaspoon of creamy low-fat Greek yogurt.


Debbie’s Nutrition Notes:
This dish combines the nutrition power of three legumes – chickpeas, pinto beans, and black beans. Because they are high in fiber, they are digested slowly to help stabilize your blood glucose.  They are also an excellent source of plant protein, vitamins and minerals.

Angela’s Lentil Soup

Angela’s Lentil Soup

Angela’s
Lentil Soup

This savory soup makes a hearty
meal served with a triangle
of multi-grain pita bread and
fresh Greek salad.

Lunch

– Angela

I Love Me Café ™

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ½ medium carrots, diced
  • 1 ½ stalks celery, sliced
  • ⅓ cup onion, diced small
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of of cumin
  • 5 cups spring water
  • 1 cup crushed organic tomatoes, preferably from a glass jar
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • An 8 oz. bag green, brown or black lentils
  • Cilantro (optional as a garnish)

Angela’s Lentil Soup

Makes 8 servings: One cup per serving

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, carrots and celery

2. While they sauté, spread the lentils out on a large plate to check for any stones

3. Add the water, tomatoes, lentils and remaining ingredients, and bring the pot to a boil

4. Cover and turn down heat and simmer until the lentils soften, about 25-35 minutes

5. Take out the bay leaf and spoon the soup into individual cups

Garnish with cilantro right before serving


Chef Angela: I often use spices to substitute for salt in my recipes. In this case, I add 1 ½ teaspoons of cumin. I make a double portion of this soup once a month and freeze the leftovers in individual servings for lunch, last minute dinners, or mid-afternoon snacks.

Debbie’s Nutritional Notes: A serving of lentils provides abundant benefits: high fiber content, vitamins, minerals, and protein. Best of all, lentils are low in calories and are an excellent choice to promote healthy weight loss. (Plus, they also help lower cholesterol and blood glucose.)