Black Bean Soup with Sunflower Seed Cashew Cream

I’m on a soup kick lately, mainly because they are so easy—and a great way to get a ton of veggies together in one simple meal. I’ll be honest, most weeks, I don’t have a master plan about what I am going to eat. But I do I reach into the pantry on Sunday night and start soaking some buckwheat, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas and beans. On Monday, I cook everything up (setting aside half of the lentils to make sprouts). When everything is cooked, I toss them into a glass container in the fridge. If you have these staples cooked and ready in the fridge, it makes meal prep that much easier for you all week long.

It’s starting to get cold here in Chicago and one night after a particularly bone-chilling walk from yoga to the car, I decided—I want soup when I get home. Black beans were ready for me in the fridge, so I got to work. In no time, soup was on.  

Print this recipe: Black Bean Soup with Sunflower Seed Cashew Cream

Serves 2-4

Tools:
Blender
Chef’s Knife
Large stock pot
Large glass bowl

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
Soup
1 cup dry black beans, soaked and then cooked, to yield 2 1/2-3 cups (here’s how)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
4 cups pure water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp fine ground sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tbsp coconut oil

Sunflower Seed Cashew Cream
1/4 cup cashews, soaked
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked
1/3 cup pure water
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp fine ground sea salt

Let’s get started.
Soak black beans in a large bowl full of pure water overnight. If you want, after you soak them, rinse well and let sit (covered with a towel) on the counter for a day to sprout them (here’s how) a bit.

Remove ribs and seeds from peppers and dice.

Dice onion.

Place onions and peppers in the stockpot with coconut oil and heat to medium-high. Stir occasionally and cook for 10 minutes.

Prepare your fresh cilantro and mince your garlic. Set aside some cilantro for garnish.

Add to the stockpot and stir. Now, add cumin, coriander, chipotle pepper and lime juice—give a stir. Cook together for about 2 minutes, and then add water and cooked beans.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer together for about 20 minutes.

While simmering, blend all Sunflower Seed Cashew Cream in the blender until super smooth. Transfer to a glass container, set aside.

Take half of your soup and put it in the blender. Mix until smooth and then fold into remaining soup mixture. You can easily blend all of the soup if you want a puree—I just like a bit of texture.

Add salt and pepper to your soup and season more to taste if you like. Serve in a bowl, and top with cream, fresh, chopped cilantro and fresh cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Tips & Adaptations:
1. It’s best to use fresh, soaked beans instead of aluminum-soaked canned beans. Make the time to prepare them the way your body wants them—and the taste is so much better this way, too.
2. You can easily sub cooked green or brown lentils for black beans.
3. Fold in some chopped kale.
4. Don’t blend it at all, have a chunky bean soup.
5. For some beneficial essential fatty acids, stir 1 tbsp of chia seed into the soup once cooked.

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