Fall Pinto Bean & Yam Soup

Hello! We are all still too busy to blog, apparently. I have big plans for the weekend that include posting some photographs of what we have been up to the last two months....

Ari is 8 weeks old today.

Sigh.

In the meantime, here's a recipe for a fabulous fall soup we tried recently--we loved it and I know you will too. This recipe comes from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook written by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre--our local co-op's resident nutritionists.

FALL PINTO BEAN & YAM SOUP

2 cups dry pinto beans, soaked overnight

6 cups water

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1-2 inch piece kombu seaweed

(my beans had bugs in them...ugh...I substituted with two cans of pinto beans from my pantry!)

2T extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

2 small yams, peeled and diced

3 carrots, cut into rounds

1T ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

8 cups water

28 oz diced fire-roasted tomatoes

2-3 ears of corn, corn cut off cob (I used a 16oz package of frozen corn)

1 small bunch black kale, finely chopped (I used collards--store was out of kale)

1 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 lime, juiced

sea salt or Herbamare, to taste

Rinse and drain soaked beans, place into a 6 quart pot with the water, garlic and kombu, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 1 hour, or until beans are soft and mash easily. Remove pot from heat. Drain beans and reserve the cooking water.

To make the soup, heat olive oil in a large 8 quart pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute for about 5 mins. Then add the garlic, jalapeno peppers, yams, carrots, cumin, paprika, and chipotle chili powder. Saute and stir for another 5 minutes then add water. Mix well to remove any spices that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Then add the cooked and drained beans, tomatoes, cut corn, and chopped kale, mix well. If the soup needs more liquid then add some of the reserved bean cooking liquid.

Cover pot and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Add chopped cilantro, lime juice, and sea salt or Herbamare to taste.

Let me know if you try it!