This soup is always a treat when the weather begins to cool down from a steamy summer. It offers immunity-boosting properties and nourishes the body with fiber and protein. The aduki beans are one of the easiest beans to digest. Adding in the kombu also aids in the digestion of the beans.
Ingredients:
1 TBSP grapeseed oil
1/4 Cup sweet (vidalia) onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 inch of kombu (can be purchased at a health food grocer, generally in the Asian section)
1/2 C organic carrot, sliced
1/2 C organic celery, sliced
1/2 C maitake mushrooms
1/2 C shiitake mushrooms
1/2 C green beans, cut in quarters
3 C water
3 C low-sodium organic vegetable broth (Pacific or Imagine are my favorite brands)
Handful pea shoots
1 can Eden Organics Aduki Beans
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Pour oil in heated soup pot. Add in onions and
sauté until translucent - approx. 5 minutes.
2. Add in cumin and continue to
sauté for another 2 minutes or until you smell the beautiful aroma of the cumin.
3. Add in carrot, celery and mushrooms and continue to saute for another 5 minutes.
4. Add in water and vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
5. Once water starts to boil, turn burner to "low" and add in the green beans, aduki beans, kombu and salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Let simmer for 15 minutes and add in pea shoots two minutes before serving.
*If you want to add in probiotic benefits, dissolve 1 TBSP miso in hot water and mix in to your soup bowl right before serving. I also recommend taking out the piece of kombu (which expands once cooked) and dicing it into bite size pieces then adding back in to the soup. The minerals in kombu (and all sea vegetables) are beneficial to our bone health and an excellent non-dairy source of calcium.
