oooh, mama; we just had THE most delicious dinner thanks to Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., and his wife Ann. My honey, an M.D. himself, picked up Dr. Esselstyn's book, Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease, when he heard about it at an environmental/functional medicine meeting he was attending. I'm really glad he did.
Dr. Esselstyn, a former surgeon, researcher and clinician at the Cleveland Clinnic, challenges conventional cardiology by posing the revolutionary idea that the heart disease epidemic can be abolished by changing our diets. His book details the dramatic results of patients who followed a plant-based, oil-free diet. While I'm not a vegan, I do LOVE plant-based recipes and actually keep Dr. Esselstyn's book among my most valued cookbooks because the recipes are simply decilicious. Our dinner tonight was no exception...
Best Black Bean Soup
Makes 7-9 servings
- 4 cups water or vegetable broth (I used brussel sprout broth from earlier in the week)
- 1 large, chopped onion (1 cup)
- 10 medium garlic cloves, chopped (I used half that)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 cup chopped bok choy (I used chopped kale)
- 1 large bell pepper, chopped (1 cup) (I used red pepper)
- 1.5 cups orange juice (I squeezed the juice from one orange)
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced (2 cups) (I used one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes as decent fresh tomatoes are nowhere to be found at this time)
- 1 large sweet potato, steamed and cubed (1 cup)
- black pepper, to taste (oops, I forgot that)
- cayenne, to taste (didn't include that either)
- chopped green onions, cilantro and salsa (oops; didn't add those either but did top the soup with diced avocado — a no no on Dr. Esselstyn's diet but, hey, I don't have heart disease)
Soak dry beans overnight. Place in heavy soup pot with 4 cups of water or broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer about 1 1/4 hours... or use canned beans.
Stir-fry onions, half the garlic, the cumin and carrots til tender. Add bok choy, remaining garlic and bell pepper. Stir-fry another 10-15 minutes, until everything is very tender.
Add vegetable mixture to beans, scraping bowl carefully. Stir in orange juice, diced tomatoes, and sweet potatoes. Add black pepper and cayenne pepper.
Puree some or all of soup in batches in blender or VitaMix. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Served topped with chopped onions, cilantro and salsa. Enjoy!
I served our soup with drop biscuits made from Elana Amsterdam's Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook (and my husband loved those too). The meal was nutritious, delicous and filling... and, joy joy, we have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.
Leslie Hamp, Creative Catalyst
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