Did you know you can beans locally?

Well you can!  I have been purchasing Baer's Best Beans, a local company from So. Hamilton MA.  Of course, I am buying them at the local mecca...Sherman's market.   They have a great variety.  For the recipe below I used their mung beans and light red kidney.  I have also bought their black beans.   I stopped buying canned beans years ago due to the high sodium content and the processing that has to happen to get them in the can.  Maybe I am imagining things, but since I took the last of any canned item out of my diet, I  feel much healthier.

Yes, I know that a can is easier when you do not think a head.  What I do is take a mix of dried beans and put them in a container to soak in the refrigerator.  Then they are there when I need them.  It also encourages me to eat more beans as they will go bad after a bit...I pay too much for good food to let it go to waste.

In my constant attempt to include more of the said beans into me meals, the other night I decided to add them to a a simple soup I have been making for the last few weeks.  It has perfected what was already a pretty nice soup.  I first had it in Italy.  One of those classic Italian dishes that contains a few simple ingredients.  It was  cabbage and potatoes with a touch of garlic and olive oil.  Simple and yummy, but missing a protein component.  This was because there was a second course that would contain a meat item.  There is no second course here in my normal life (or meat for that matter!)..so I had to add the protein in the form of beans to the actual soup...I do love that all in one meal.

I used a mixture of mung, kidney, chick peas and lentils.  I boiled them in a small pot to separate from the soup to start.  I chopped 1 small head cabbage and tossed it into a large stock pot.  Potatoes (which can still be found from local farms!) where peels and cubes and added to the cabbage.  I then filled the pot with water to cover the cabbage  (~8 cups).  
Bring to a boil and cook until potato is tender (~20 minutes).

You want to strain the cabbage and potato but reserve water.  I save all the liquid in a large bowl, as shown here.

I then add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 chopped garlic clove to the pot.  Saute for a few minutes and then add back the cabbage and potato as well as the beans.  Mix all together and let cook for a couple of minutes.  I stir this a lot to mix in the garlic and oil.   Add salt and pepper.

Slowly ladle the liquid back into the pot.  Add all or most or as little as you want.  I end up using almost all of it.

End result is a healthy, complete and wonderfully delicious meal.

Note the change from the boring white bowl that I normally use...this new colorful bowl is hand crafted by a local maker Crissy Ann Ceramics and purchased at the Somerville Snow Mall.  I should have been Christmas shopping but I could not resist this fun little dish.  I now eat all my bowl related meals out of it.  You can visit her blog at http://chrissyannceramics.blogspot.com/.  She also has products on Etsy...

Hope you enjoy this soup and maybe are inspired to buy a similar bowl.

Now I must think about Friday's meal.  Hard to believe that I was put in charge of vegetables for Christmas Eve dinner!

Stay happy and healthy!
~L