Tomato and Vegetable soup
Aug
LUNCH/DINNER
Tomato and Vegetable soup
- 3 portions tomato and vegetable sauce
- 600 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 400 g Cooked kidney or adzuki beans
- 6 tbsp Sour cream Optional
Tips / Notas
Tips / NotasDried beans contain many phytates and oxalates that tend to join the nutrients such as calcium and inhibit its absorption in the body. Soaking and cooking them properly, dramatically reduces the effect of these substances, so it is worth taking the time to soak the beans very well before cooking. This is of particular importance for vegans and vegetarians whose diet beans are essential.
METHOD
1. Put your tomato sauce (thawed if using your freezer stock) in a pan and add the beans with the liquid in the tin and the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes or until your beans are nice and soft. That’s all!
2. If you prefer a smoother texture of for small babies, you can blend the soup in the processor or using a hand-held blender directly in the cooking pan. The smooth version may be served with a dollop of sour cream or mascarpone for a more grown up version.
3. Note that some tinned cooked beans contain salt and sugar and are therefore not suitable for small babies and should probably be avoided all together. If this is the case, drain and rinse your beans well before using.
4.If you prefer to cook your own beans, allow for roughly half the weight of the indicated cooked bean and do not forget to soak overnight (at least 8 hours). After soaking them, drain them and add them to a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Let them boiled hard for about 15 min and then lower the heat until you have a very gentle simmer and cook for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or until nice and soft. Alternatively, you could use a pressure cooker and once the steam starts coming out, lower the heat and cook on a very low heat for 45-50minutes.
Dried beans are high on phytates and oxalates that are known to bind to nutrients such as calcium and prevent their absorption by the human body. Soaking and properly cooking your beans reduces the effects of these substances dramatically so it is worth taking your time to soak any beans before cooking them thoroughly. This is particularly important if you are a vegan/vegetarian and beans are an integral part of your diet.