Mixed bean soup

Since the year began I committed myself to eating a more plan-based diet. It’s a delicious way of eating and personally, easy on my digestive system. Below is a beginner friendly vegan/vegetarian soup that is perfect for lunch and/or dinner.

What you need:

• A bag of mixed beans or mixed beans soup
• Vegetable broth (low in salt)
• Onion (both dried and fresh)
• Garlic (both dried and fresh)
• Mushrooms (white)
• Green pepper
• Tomatoes
• Herbs of your choice. For example bay leaves, oregano, thyme
• Seasonings of your choice
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. The night before measure 1 cup of beans and soak overnight. This is very important to do as they are dried beans that will be faster to cook the next day if you soak them in water the night before.
2. The next day, rinse off the beans that had been soaking the night before with clean water. Drain the beans and place them in a large pot.
3. Pour in a box of vegetable broth and add extra water (cold) as needed. Make sure there is enough liquid to cover the top of the beans. Add a drop of oil or a bit of butter to the pot so the beans don’t stick together.
4. Cook beans on medium heat; bring your mixed bean soup up to a rolling boil on medium heat and cook at this temperature until they are done. Add more water (hot) to the pot as needed during the cooking process. It takes at least 1.5 hours for the beans to cook. Keep in mind cooking time varies depending on your stovetop appliance.
5. Half way through the time for beans to cook start adding some herbs of your choice.
6. About 15 – 20 minutes till your mixed bean soup is done add in fresh vegetables of your choice. I used onions, garlic, white mushrooms, green pepper, tomatoes and the remainder of my herbs.
7. Finish cooking your mixed bean soup until all ingredients are done. You can test to see if the beans are completely cooked when they are soft to the touch.

xo,

Eseeri