NAVY BEAN SOUP (VEGETARIAN)

Today was cold & rainy: a perfect day for cooking!  I made roasted beet salad, then decided to make navy bean soup using the beet greens.  I have never had navy bean soup with ham in it, so I make a vegetarian version.  If you prefer to use ham hocks, simply add them to this recipe.  If not, enjoy my meat-free version.  

INGREDIENTS

2 cups	Navy beans (measure dry*)
2 Tbsp	Butter, olive oil, or fat of choice
1	Onion, diced
3	Garlic cloves, minced
2	Celery stalks, diced (use the leaves if they are on the stalk)
4	Carrots, diced
1	Bell pepper, diced
6 cups	Water or stock of choice
2	Bay leaves
3 sprigs	Thyme, leaves removed from stems (or 1/2 tsp dried)
3 sprigs	Rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
2 cups	Beet greens, swiss chard, spinach, cabbage, or greens of choice (optional)
To taste	Cayenne pepper
To taste	Ginger powder (or use 1 Tbsp fresh, sautéed with the onion)
2 sprigs	Parsley, chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)
2 Tbsp	Red wine vinegar or lemon juice
½ tsp	Salt

PREPARATION

1.       Rinse the beans, & then soak 8 hours in water.  Drain when you are ready to make the soup (use 3 cups of water per 1 cup of beans).  If you don’t have that much time, do this instead: in a large pot, bring the beans to boil in water (6 cups water for 2 cups of dry beans).  Once boiling, turn off the heat & let the beans soak for 1-2 hours.  Drain the beans.  *If you REALLY don’t have time, use 1.5 cans of beans, drained & rinsed.

2.      In a large pot (mine was 4.5 qt), sauté the onion & garlic in butter or oil until translucent.  Add the celery & bell pepper; sauté another minute.  Add the carrots & mix well.

3.     Add the water, thyme, rosemary, & bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, then cover & simmer for 1 ½ hours.

4.     Add the beet greens, parsley, cayenne pepper, vinegar, ginger powder, & salt (omit or reduce if you use canned beans).  Simmer another 10 min, and then remove the bay leaves.  Taste & adjust the seasoning to your preference.

5.     Enjoy!  

INGREDIENT HEALTH BENEFIT INFORMATION (from World's Healthiest Foods)

Navy Beans

Celery

Carrot

Bell pepper

Onion

Garlic

Parsley

Thyme

Rosemary

Following Eat Right For Your Type?  Click here to jump to Dr. D'Adamo's Typebase Index to see how the ingredients in this recipe work for you.
Do you want to learn more about the Blood Type Diet?  See the links I have posted in the left column of this site under the heading "Learn More About the Blood Type Diet."