Tomato Soup with Black Beans and Spinach
Time to prepare: 30 minutes from start to finish
Prep Work: Very little
Serves 4
(Thank you, South Tulsa Living magazine for publishing this recipe in your March 2015 issue.)

Ingredients Needed:
1 15-ounce can black beans, no salt added, drained and rinsed
3 cups vegetable broth
1 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes, no salt added
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce, no salt added
1 cup salsa
1 tsp. cumin
2-3 tsp. chopped garlic
3-4 cups of fresh baby spinach leaves
½ cup nutritional yeast (you can use a bit of Parmesan cheese if you prefer)
Bragg Liquid Aminos (or reduced sodium soy sauce)

Directions:

Place drained beans, garlic and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Add the canned chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, until the soup is heated through, another 5-10 minutes.

Serving up:

Place one cup of spinach leaves in the bottom of each soup bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast (or 1 tsp. of Parmesan cheese) and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of Bragg’s (or soy sauce). Ladle hot soup into bowl over spinach leaves and let sit for one minute, just until spinach is gently wilted. Eat up! YUMMERS!

Notes: This soup is very easy to put together. My husband commented that even 'he can make it' and does.  Jeff cooks up a double batch of this soup in the crock pot when he goes out to our Colorado cabin and eats it throughout the week.

I got the original recipe idea from The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook. The book’s recipe called for black-eyed peas and frozen spinach. I started with the original recipe and then tweaked it to suit my personal tastes. I prefer black beans and fresh spinach. You can use whichever you like best.  I've used navy beans and kidney beans, too. They all add a slightly different flavor to this heart healthy soup. If you use the frozen spinach, you’ll want to add it in when you’re simmering the soup until the spinach is heated through.

Corn is another nice addition to this soup. Just add a cup of frozen corn to the simmering soup until the corn is tender. You can add additional vegetables, if you like. Onions, celery and even some leftover baked potatoes work nicely with the other flavors.

This soup is even better after it’s been allowed to sit in the refrigerator for a day or two. I love to make enough to eat once right away and then have plenty for leftovers.

Easy Tomato Soup

Our weather has finally moved into fall's cooler temperatures.  Days are shorter and winter solstice is just around the corner.  Time to heat up the kitchen and whip up some delicious hot soup.  

I take major shortcuts with the recipe so that I can prepare this tasty nutritious meal in a hurry.  

There's lots of wiggle room to accommodate your personal tastes.  Here's how I make mine:

Soup Base:

1  15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (low sodium, organic or no salt added, if possible)

1 11.5 oz. can V8 Juice Original, low sodium

1 small can of sliced mushrooms with juice

That's it for the soup!  See?  I did say it would be simple.

Empty contents of  these cans into a microwaveable dish, cover and heat thoroughly (heat in a saucepan on the stovepot, if you prefer).  Season to taste but the flavor of the fire roasted tomatoes comes through deliciously without any additional seasoning.  Try it without adding extras, see what you think.  Then adjust to your taste buds. I like mine soup chunky.  However, if you have an immersion stick blender, give it a whizz and make your soup base a puree.  And if you are in a REAL hurry, try eating the soup  sans any additions.  It's pretty darned good :-)

Now for the sauteed additions.  Go wild and stir fry your favorites.  My 'go-to' veggies are baby Portabella mushrooms-sliced in half or quarters, bell peppers--green looks nice in this dish, and onions sliced thin.  This is a good start.  Chopped celery compliments the flavors of this soup nicely...and water chestnuts, sliced and packed in water, also add a perfect crunch.  Zucchini?  Yum!  Throw it all in your non-stick pan, saute with a little veggie broth or water.....and let the flavors blend.  This is a good time to add your favorite spices.  Maybe some chopped garlic?  Cumin?  Celery seed?  Love them all.  And yes, I realize I have a double helping of mushrooms in this recipe.  I like mushrooms.  These FunGuys make me happy.

Zap your soup base for another minute in the microwave, so it is hot when you ladle it into bowls.  Spoon healthy portions of sauteed veggies into each portion of tomato soup and sprinkle with a bit of nutritional yeast flakes, ground flaxseed or a few sliced almonds and fresh ground pepper.

YUMMERS!