Chew on This

Here in Calgary, we are in our 5th straight day of deep freeze.  Actually all of Western Canada is in the same situation.  Coaxing my frozen Land Rover out of hibernation has been another challenge - Let's just say that a Land Rover is not a Calgary winter vehicle - this has been the most costly vehicle I've ever owned, and I will never recommend one to anybody! But this isn't really my point today.  I think today is a perfect day to document some of my latest hearty, healthy cold weather comfort foods.  The following recipes are my own creations, often based on the classics, but modified to suit my budget or to improve nutritional values.

Power Boost Black Bean Soup

This version of Black Bean Soup will help your immune system cope with the challenges of deep freeze weather. Packed with good, fibre carbs for fuel, and a variety of nutrient dense veggies, this is a low fat, one pot meal will appeal to the whole family.

Ingredients:

Olive oil - enough to coat bottom of pot

1 - onion diced

3-4 cloves garlic - chopped

1 med sized sweet potato - med diced

1/2 head cauliflower - chopped florets

1 green pepper - chopped

2 med carrots - chopped

4 cups fresh packed spinach

1 14oz can tomatoes - or 4 fresh

2 cans black beans - drained and rinsed (can use more beans if you are feeding a crowd, and you can add white or kidney beans for 1 of the cans if need be)

4-6 cups stock of any flavour or hot water (you may need to add some salt if only using water)

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 Tbs ground cumin

1 Tbs ground turmeric

Chili flakes to taste or 1/2 tsp ground chili powder (add a little at a time and taste after a few min. of adding or it could get too spicy for the kids!)

black pepper to taste

low fat sour cream or Greek style plain yogurt

fresh lime wedges

Do it this way:

In a large pot, saute onions and garlic on med heat for 3 min.  toss in the next 4 veggies and cook for 5-10min, making sure the onions don't burn.

Sprinkle on the wheat germ and Cumin and Turmeric to coat the veggies.

Add the tomatoes spinach, 1 can of beans, and stock.

Simmer for 10-15 min until veggies are tender.

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.  Now, none of the veggies are identifiable to anyone under the age of 16.

Put pot back on low heat and add the other can of beans along with the hot pepper or chili powder to taste.

If you need salt and pepper - add it here. Heat for 5 more mins.

Serve this with garlic toast or hunks of artisan bread, a green salad, and top each bowl with a spoonful of sour cream and lime wedge.

Don't freak out about the long ingredient list - you can use as many or as few veggies as you like - although the onions, garlic and tomatoes are a must - and you don't really need the wheat germ, but it gives you a nice fibre, vit.B and folate boost.

More recipes to follow

I'm still looking for dishes that include wild game and foraged fodder - so if you are a hunter,(or the wife of one) send something in to me!