Well, three soupy type dishes in one week. It’s excessive, but what else sounds good on these chilly winter-like nights? Not salads…although I should definitely be eating more of those. I’m thinking I will make a roasted winter veggie salad for you guys…we had one over Thanksgiving and it was the perfect warm-ish salad for a drizzly day. Kind of like this flavorful, healthy, easy peasy slow cooker soup. All you do is chop your veggies, soak your black beans overnight, and throw everything into the crock pot first thing in the morning. That’s it, and you will be in heaven with how good this soup smells.
You may be wondering why I suggest soaking the black beans overnight. There are two reasons. One, beans naturally have a substance called phytic acid that binds to nutrients in your gut, making it very hard for your body to absorb these nutrients. Two, the sugars in beans are what give some people that gassy feeling after eating them. By soaking the beans in water, something acidic and some salt, this removes both one and two from the equation. It’s SO worth it and it all happens while you sleep. Fresh, dried beans taste a lot better than the canned variety too:)
I made a simple lime yogurt sauce to garnish mine and I highly recommend if you have plain yogurt in your fridge. Simply whisk together yogurt and the juice of one lime, and you’ve got a very tasty sauce to add to your soup. We also added bacon, per usual these days. Enjoy this healthy, fiber and protein-rich, vegetarian meal!
- 1 lb dried black beans - soaked overnight with 2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp salt
- 7 cups low sodium veggie broth
- 1 onion - diced
- 2 red bell peppers - diced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (or 1/2 tsp if you like things spicier)
- 1 tsp hot sauce - I used tapatio
- Toppings
- Lime Yogurt (3/4 cup plain yogurt with the juice of 1 lime, whisked together)
- Green Onions
- Chopped Bacon
- Soak your black beans overnight - cover the beans with 2-3 inches of water, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or some lemon juice
- In the morning, rinse the beans in a colander and place in your crock pot
- Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the toppings) to the crock pot and set on low until you're ready to eat - mine cooked from 8am - 7pm, so you really can't slow cook these too long
This soup looks so delicious and beautiful, Katie! Gorgeous photography, I want to dive in head first!