Pinto Bean and Yam Soup (with yummy carrots and kale)

This is a relative inexpensive soup to make, since beans are cheap. Spend a little extra on the organic produce. 

Ingredients:

2 cups dry pinto beans, soaked overnight

6 to 8 cups water

4 cloves of garlic peeled

one 2 inch piece of kombu seaweed (available at whole food type stores and new seasons in Asian food section) Emerald Cove Kombu Seaweed also available from Amazon.com

Cooking your beans with kombu add natural salt flavor to the beans and also contains enzymes that help increase the digestibility of cooked beans, really important if you are a meat eater, who isn't used to eating high amounts of beans and fiber. 

I highly suggest cooking your own beans. Yes, its a lot more work than opening a can, but they taste totally different when you cook your own, and greatly reduces salt intake which all beans are packed and cooked with. To cook your own beans, soak beans overnight in water, drain, and add to about 8 cups of water, 2 inches of kombu, and 4-6 peeled  whole garlic cloves. Simmer on low for about an hour until beans are squishy and soft. 

If you are short on time, you can use 3 cans of organic pinto beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly.

2 tablespoons cooking oil. I use safflower oil because it is more stable at high heat.

1 large onion chopped (used sweet white)

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

2 small yams, peeled and diced (yams NOT SWEET POTATOES)

3 carrots, peeled and cut into circles

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

8 cups of bean cooking stock (minus garlic and kombu) or water if using canned

one 28-oz can of fire roasted tomatoes (yum!)

2 or 3 ears of corn cut off the cob, or 1 small bag of organic frozen yellow corn

1 small bunch of black (purple) kale, finely chopped

1/2 lime

2 or 3 teaspoons of Herbamare (seasoned sea salt) or regular salt

Optional (I don't like spicy food, so I made mine without, but it still has tons of flavor without the spice). Optional items that I did not add will be italicized.

1 or 2 jalepenos,seeded and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

1 cup chopped cilantro

1. In a large soup pot or stew size ceramic casserole pot, heat oil and saute onions for about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, (jalapenos), yams, carrots, cumin, paprika, and (chipotle powder). Saute for 5 minutes to coat veggie's in seasoning. Add 8 cups of reserved bean stock or water (hint: bean stock will greatly increase flavor. I used the bean stock). Stir well to remove any stuck veggies or spices.

3. Add cooked beans, fire roasted tomatos, and corn. Mix well.

4. Cover pot and simmer on low for about 20-25 minutes until veggies are tender, but be careful not to over cook. Soups tend to continue to cook for a while after removed from heat.

5. Add chopped kale, (cilantro), lime juice (if using the little bottle, one good 1-2 second squirt will do), and salt/herbamare. Simmer 5 minutes. Taste. Enjoy. Add more salt or lime at needed!

Ok, so here is recipe number one! Hope everyone enjoys it! Its wonderful for a dark rainy day, such as today.

Nutrition Facts Based on 8 servings per recipe. Canned tomatoes are probably contributing to high-ish salt levels. Provides 334% of vitamin A and 94% of vitamin C!

Nutrition Facts A-Star Pinto Bean and Yam Soup
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	238
Total Fat	2.4g
Saturated Fat	0.3g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	543mg
Carbohydrate	46.9g
Dietary Fiber	10.4g
Sugars	9g
Protein	9.4g
Vitamin A 339% Vitamin C 94% Calcium    10% Iron 16%