Cuban Black Bean Soup

Research shows that people who eat soup as a first course eat fewer calories the rest of the day. This delicious soup is low fat, high fiber and easy to make. It also freezes well. Make a big batch; freeze half! You'll have an easy first course to serve next week.

For a light supper, eat this with bread. The protein in the bread will complete the protein in the beans. (Be sure to eat green vegetables during the day. This meal is light on those.)

Oh, if you want a dip, my brother-in-law Robert suggested I make the recipe but use only 4 cups of broth. He eats that with fat free chips watching tv.

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Makes 8 cups. This is 16 small cups of soup or 8 generous bowls.

Time: Once the beans have soaked, the soup can be prepared in 30 minutes in a pressure cooker. It probably takes all day simmering in a crock pot.

Cost: Gosh, the whole recipe probably costs $3.00 at most. A pound of beans is $1.20 at my local store (when they aren't on sale.) A can of broth? I don't know, $1.00. (I make my own from chicken carcasses.)

Ingredients

1 lb dried black beans
2 T olive oil.
2 Tablespoons chopped garlic
1 diced green bell pepper
1 diced jalepeno pepper
1 large onion diced
6 cups canned chicken broth
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 to 1 lemon)
1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed oregano
1/8 th teaspoon tabasco sauce (optional)

Procedure

Before starting, rinse black beans in cold running water. Cover with water. Make sure water stands at least 2" above the beans. Soak 4-8 hours. (If you want to soak over night, and cook the next evening, drain the beans in the morning. Cover with water. Place in the fridge until you need them.

Sauté garlic, onions, green pepper and jalepeno pepper in olive oil. (If you have a small pan, do this in batches.) Drain beans. Place all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Seal pressure cooker and place over high heat. The cooker will pressurize in approximately 5 minutes. Once it is pressurized, set the timer to 10 minutes. Lower heat slightly; make sure the pressure remains high. After the timer rings, allow the pot to cool naturally until the pressure releases and you can open the cooker safely. (This takes about 5- 10 minutes).

You may also place everything in a crock pot and cook all day. I haven't tested that method, but I estimate it will take 6-8 hours an normal elevations. (If you live at high elevations and love beans, I really, really recommend a pressure cooker.)

When fully cooked, the beans should be soft. Using an immersion blender, or some type of masher, mash some of the beans to make make a sort of "sauce". Don't mash completely, it looks more interesting if you can see the recipe started out as beans!

Adjust seasonings, adding salt or tabasco if you wish.

Serve in small cups or large bowls.

Lucia