Nearly white creamy kidney bean soup ~ good for your cognitive health?

nearly white kidney bean soup puree served with cilantro

Here is my recipe for a super healthy white kidney bean soup. Kidney beans, originated in Peru, just one of the many new world foods that are found everywhere. The Italians call these ‘ frijoles blancos’ cannelloni beans. They are rich in proteins, fiber, Thiamine, iron, magnesium. They are touted to lower cholesterol, reduce wrinkles, repair oxidative stress, detoxify, combat cancer and best of all they enhance cognitive functioning. Here is an excerpt from an summery of their goodness as described by Natural Food Series.

Thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, supports the functioning of brain cells thereby enhancing the executive cognitive abilities and white kidney beans are a great source of thiamine. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that promotes good cognitive health and thiamine is found to enhance the growth of this neurotransmitter.

This soup will be loaded with iodine and vitamin A, most of the B vitamins, healthy fats and salts. When prepared properly and with gratitude, it will increase your access to your inner wisdom!

Organic plant-based Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of White Kidney beans

• 1” strip of kombu seaweed

• 2 cloves of sprouted garlic

• 1-2 yellow onions

• 4-5 turnips or rutabaga

• 3-4 stalks of celery

• 1-2 large carrots - I prefer white for this recipe, but I used orange because I had them

• 2 cups of chopped mushrooms

• 2 cans of coconut milk

• 2 TBS nutritional yeast

• 2-4 TBS ground cumin

• A few bay leaves

• Bunch of cilantro (or parsley if that is your deal)

• 2-3 TBS grey sea salt (the kind that lowers blood pressure)

• White pepper corns, or ground white pepper

Preparation steps (allow 1 day to soak the beans, and about 1 hour total prep time to prepare)

1. rinse and soak the beans with at least 2” of water above the beans and a tsp of baking soda. The water should be warm, keep it covered and in a warm place for about 24 hours. It helps if you change the wanter out at least once during this process. If you are lucky, you will see the beans start to sprout. (Soaking releases their binders that keep the nutrients dormant)

2. place the soaked beans and strip of kombu, bay leaves and peppercorns in a pot of water with at least 2” of water to spare and bring to a biol. You will notice foam on the water as soon as it boils, that must be skimmed off - it is scum, not going to kill you, but not the healthy part of the beans. Let the beans simmer to a very low rolling boil for up to 45 minutes and start to prep all the other foods you will add to the cooking beans.

3. mince your garlic and set aside. If you are lucky enough to have sprouted garlic, you will have fully bio-available nutrients. If the minced garlic sits for at least 10 minutes, you will have all the antimicrobial effects of the garlic infused into your soup.

4. chop up the onions and start to sauté them slowly in olive oil or coconut oil in another pan. When the onions are nearly clear, add the garlic to sauté with the onions for a couple minutes.

5. chop up the turnips , celery and carrots and add them to the pot of cooking beans after about 20 minutes. (note, if you would like to remove the kombu, do it before you add any extra ingredients, most of it’s iron and iodine have infused into the water by now)

6. After about 30 minutes, add the remaining spices and browned onions and garlic and mushrooms.

7. Once the beans are soft, you can turn the heat down and add the coconut milk.

8. Let the soup simmer for about 5 minutes more and make a major decision to serve it chunky or put it in the blender and puree it.

9. Chop your cilantro or parsley and add it to the hot soup in the serving bowl.

Enjoy!

soaked white kidney beans are twice the size of dried

soak your beans in warm water with baking soda and see if you can get them to sprout

add your kombu for healthy iodine and trace minerals. I used some broken pieces here

scum rising to the top of the initial boil ~ skim this scum off with a skimmer

spouted garlic has extremely bio-available nutrients

chopping or pressing garlic releases its anti-bacterial properties

letting your garlic rest for up to 10 minutes before cooking helps maximize it's antibacterial benefits when cooking

sauté your onions to release their bitterness

I added some whole cumin and the garlic near the end of the sautéing onions

turnips are a fun white ingredient, lighter in taste than potato

use a white carrot to make the soup even whiter

I like a chunky chop

celery adds potassium and vital nutrients and rounds out the flavor of most soups

chop your mushrooms coarsely

high simmer or low boil in total for about 45 minutes or until the beans are soft

add the coconut cream, every soup needs a fat to help you absorb the nutrients

add your cilantro or parsley as a garnish. Both are loaded with minerals

pure in a blender for a smooth soup

pure served with chopped cilantro