Bean Veggie and Pork Stew

The title is nothing special, very uncreative in my opinion. Never the less, it makes up for it in taste. Because I am currently battling a cold, I decided to make something that was loaded with not only nutritious ingredients, but foods that will boost the immune system to help tackle this bad boy.

So here we go.

Bean Veggie and Pork Stew

Dairy-free and Soy-free

Prep Time : 15mins

Cook Time : 20-30 mins

Serves : 8

up to 1/4 cup of sunflower oil

4-5 chopped onions

3 cloves of garlic

4 potatoes skinned and chopped

head of broccoli (optional)

1/2 cup of honey

4 cups of beef broth

1 can of kidney beans (well rinsed)

1 can of chick peas (well rinsed)

1 can of diced tomatoes (use fresh tomatoes if you can)

1 pound of ground pork

1 bay leaf

Pinch of rosemary

sea salt (to taste)

 

In a pan, over medium heat, pour in sunflower oil. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are transparent. Add in chopped potatoes (and broccoli if you wish to include). Add rosemary and cook for 5mins. Add 2 cups of broth, put on lid and let cook for 10mins. While potato mixture is cooking, in a large pot, over medium heat, add kidney beans, chick peas, tomatoes, honey and remaining 2 cups of beef broth. Add potato mixture to the pot, as well as the bay leaf, sea salt and cover. In the now empty pan, cook the ground pork thoroughly (no remaining pink meat). Add the meat to the pot, stir the mixture and simmer for 5-10 mins or until stew comes to a boil. Stir and serve.

* Should you prefer a thicker stew, in a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of flour with 1 cup of water. Whisk together until there are no clumps of flour. Add to the stew and stir thoroughly. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes and stir again before serving.

* Feel free to add more seasonings to taste.

Black Bean Soup

Alright, so in order to get more protein in my system, I decided to try my cooking skills at creating a bean soup. This is what I came up with, and not to sing my own praises, but it turned out amazing! I had 3 bowls in one sitting…no judging. Anyways, hope you try it out! Enjoy!

 

Black Bean Soup

Prep Time : 5-10mins

Cook Time : 20 mins

Serves : 8

• 5 chopped onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 large carrot – chopped
• 1/4 cup of sunflower oil
• 2 cans of black beans (rinse throughly)
• 1 can of chick peas (rinse throughly)
• 4 cups of water
• 1 tsp of cumin (or to taste)
• 1 tsp of sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 bay leaf

In a large pot, add sunflower oil, onions, carrots and garlic. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent. Add black beans, chick peas, cumin, sea salt, bay leaf and water. Once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down low and cover for about 10-15 mins. Uncover, take out the bay leaf and blend mixture until smooth. Feel free to garnish each serving with parsley or green onion.

Cauliflower Soup

Due to my love for cooking, I decided to come up with my own macrobiotic soup recipe. I was nervous that, with the restrictions of the diet, I would be left with a bland soup. I am happy to report, the results were delicious.

Next time, I would like to include some carrots to sweeten up the soup a little bit, but other then that, it has now found a place in my personal recipe book. I was so excited to eat the soup that I forgot to take a picture, so I will post a picture from the next batch.

 

Cauliflower Soup

 

Prep time : 5-10 mins

Cook time : 20 mins

Makes : 4 servings (but if you’re like me and love soup, it makes 2 large servings)

 

4 chopped onions

1 head of cauliflower

1 1/2 cups of chick peas (I used canned to minimize prep and cook time)

3 cloves of garlic

3 cups of water

1 tsp of sea salt

1/2 tsp of sesame oil

2 tbsp of sunflower oil

 

In a pot, put in the sunflower oil and add the chopped onion and garlic. Let the mixture cook down slightly, until onions are translucent. Add chopped cauliflower, chick peas and stir. Pour in water. (The water should be covering all of the ingredients.) Add salt and sesame oil. Once the water begins to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15mins or until the cauliflower is soft. Blend mixture until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For those who include dairy in their diet, feel free to garnish the soup with shredded cheddar cheese.

 

If you try the recipe, let me know if it works out for you. If there was anything you added, or would/did do differently, please let me know, I’d love to hear about it.

Happy souping!