Kidney Bean Soup (using dry beans)
7 cups vegetable broth or water (or a combination of both)
1½ cups dry kidney beans, soaked overnight (or 1 cup kidney beans, soaked, and ½ cup black beans)
1½ cups brown rice
1–2 cups chopped onions
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
½ t salt
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
6–10 cups, loose packed, chard, spinach, beet greens, kale, or other flavorful green
3–4 large cloves garlic, crushed or chopped fine
2–4 tablespoons minced basil or 2 – 4 teaspoons dried
2–4 tablespoons minced parsley or 2 – 4 teaspoons dried
1–2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste
Drain beans. In a large pan, add beans and broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add rice, onions, Rotel tomatoes, salt, and mustard. Simmer for about 1 hour. As beans and rice cook, tear greens into small pieces, discarding stems and veins. When beans and rice are tender, stir in greens, garlic, basil, and oregano. Add salt to taste. Add water if needed. This can be soupy or not as you prefer. Cover, and cook for 10 – 15 minutes, or till greens are wilted and tender.
Kidney Bean Soup (using canned beans)
5 cups vegetable broth
2 cans Rotel tomatoes
1–2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ cups brown rice
3 cans Kidney beans (or 2 cans kidney and 1 can black beans)
6–10 cups, loose packed, chard, spinach, beet greens, kale, or other flavorful green
3–4 large cloves garlic, crushed or chopped fine
2–4 tablespoons minced basil or 2 – 4 teaspoons dried
2–4 tablespoons minced parsley or 2 – 4 teaspoons dried
1–2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt to taste
Put broth, Rotel tomatoes, onions, and mustard into a large pan. Add rice, cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 30 minutes. (As rice cooks, tear greens small, discarding stems and veins.) Add beans and cook for 15-30 minutes till rice is almost done. (You can add canned beans with or without their liquid, but if you add the liquid, you will need to add no or very little salt.) Stir in greens, garlic, basil, and oregano. Salt to taste. Add water if needed. Make it soupy or not as you prefer. Cover, and cook for 10 – 15 minutes, or till greens are wilted and tender.
Note:
This soup freezes well. If you plan to freeze some, remove it from the soup pot before adding the greens. Then, add greens once you have defrosted the soup. This way you don’t lose a lot of the greens nutrients in the freezing process.