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Fast and Furious Cook’s Black Bean Soup Recipe

‘Tis the Season to Eat Smarter

Here we are at the start of the new year and already the television and radio campaigns are hitting us with weight loss, exercise commercials and stories. I heard a story on the radio this morning on bariatric surgery for those who just can’t seem to lose weight. That is one serious way to try and lose weight stapling your stomach! Surgery is not something to take lightly. I have watched the television show The Biggest Loser enough to have seen interviews with some of the contestants that had this type of surgery to lose weight. It didn’t work for any of them or they wouldn’t be on the show.

 

Hot and healthy soup.

Hot and healthy soup.

I was over weight(topping out at 190) for about ten years towards the end of my twenty year cooking career and was lucky to be able to figure out what worked for me without having to try something as radical as surgery. I’m no expert on nutrition, but from my experience I can tell you it’s not rocket science to eat healthy. I dropped most of my thirty pounds in 60 days from eating a low fat, low sugar diet of my own design, and ate that way for the next two years. I kept off the weight and felt great!

 

I’ll share the key points of my current eating and exercise program with you to see if it can help those of you who might want to lose weight and feel better.

 

Eat three meals a day at the same time each day.

Eat low fat, low processed foods, or non processed foods.

Don’t eat past 6 pm, or whatever time is four hours before going to bed.

Exercise at least thirty minutes per day six days per week. Walking or bike riding is great!

Eat enough that you don’t feel deprived.

Have a splurge meal once every week or two, or splurge snack.

Eat lots of vegetables and beans.

Eat an apple a day.

Consult with a doctor, and or nutritionist.

See yourself as being thinner, and enjoy the ride.

 

After I got off this strict way of eating about twenty years ago I gained some of the weight back, but kept refining my eating habits until just three years ago fine tuned my eating to where I don’t have to worry about gaining weight again. Now I eat a diet of about 80% vegetarian/vegan meals to 20% meals with meat. Most of the meat I eat is wild salmon from Alaska, a sustainable healthy food source. I also eat chicken, and lamb two to four times per month.

 

Most of the recipes I have developed here on my blog are to reflect what has worked for me. I believe they are simple, healthy recipes that will work for you too. After all, the recipes reflect 42 years of cooking experience! What’s most important after the fact that they are healthy is they taste great too! Give it a try and see if this is the year you start eating healthier, and feeling better using my Fast and Furious Cook recipes.

 

Here is one of my favorite soups for you to start the new year right. It’s a black bean soup recipe I developed that takes about 25-30 minutes start to finish that tastes great and is good for you too! Please give it a try and leave your comments. Feel free to share with family and friends too.

Fast and Furious Cook’s Black Bean Soup

 

the ingredients

the ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil, or water, see note

1/2 cup yellow onion diced small

1/2 cup celery diced small

1-2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups cooked black beans

salt and pepper

 

In a two quart pot saute onion, celery and garlic on medium low heat stirring often for five minutes.

Add cumin and continue cooking on medium low heat for three more minutes stirring often.

Add stock and increase heat to medium high while stirring well. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking for five minutes.

Add beans and simmer for five to seven minutes.

Using an immersion blender puree the soup, or a tabletop blender will do.

Taste the soup and add salt and pepper if needed.

Serves two but is easily doubled.

 

Note:

For a lower fat version use 1/4 inch of water instead of oil when sauteeing the onions, celery and garlic.

Top with a bit of steamed rice or quinoa if you like. I used a quarter cup of cooked quinoa in mine.

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9 Responses to Fast and Furious Cook’s Black Bean Soup Recipe

  • Mary Gough says:

    Kurt, this soup recipe sounds wonderful! Now that old Man Winter has come a’callin’ soup will be daily fare in our household. I’ll be fixing this black bean one!

    • Kurt Jacobson says:

      I hope you like it as much as I do. I fix some sort of black beans at least twice a month. Last night I made a casserole with a layer of fresh zuchinni, salsa, then black beans, fresh jalapeno slices and white cheddar cheese seperated by flour tortillas. Yummy!

  • Linda Bunge says:

    Looks like a very good and quick soup as long as I start with canned or already cooked beans. I will give it a try.
    On the subject of bariatric surgery. Like anything else it is not magic the magic weight loss bullet. You still have to develop a healthy lifestyle. For many people it does work but I would never suggest surgery of any kind without serious consideration of the possible bad results. All surgery carries risk.
    What it does seem to be almost magic for is diabetes. They are doing the surgery now on people with type two diabetics, who are not necessarily obese. Blood sugar levels improve and the patient may be able to stop all meds. Healthy eating and exercise are still important of course.
    I have a good friend who was on insulin for his type 2 diabetes as well as bp meds. His lab results were showing declining kidney function. Since the surgery (almost a year ago) he is off all diabetic meds and his bp meds and his kidney function has returned to normal. He has also lost 40 pounds and is now well within the healthy weight range.
    It is a fascinating development. I’ve heard differing theories as to why this happens. I haven’t read any long term studies yet. We’ll have to wait a few more years.

    • Kurt Jacobson says:

      Thanks for your comment. I find that interesting that bariatric surgery can help someone with diabetes. I have a close friend or two and a family member that have type 2 diabetes and it is a serious disease. I’m no doctor but the best thing seems to be to eat healthy and exercise regularly to keep from getting diabetes and other health issues many of us face. Lowering stress scores high on the health meter too.
      Please let me know what you think of the black bean soup.

      • Linda Bunge says:

        You are absolutely correct, prevention is by far better than any cure!
        Have a great , fun and healthy 2014.
        Linda

  • Dixie says:

    This reminds me that I have a bunch of organic black beans in the pantry…Will be a great soup for John…he just got his braces put back on and cannot chew well…having a hard time finding yummy recipes that will help him eat and keep the calories low.

  • Ida Collins says:

    I thought this might be fun for the kids to try black bean soup. Do you use canned beans?

    • Kurt Jacobson says:

      Hi Ida! Yes sometimes I use canned black beans when I haven’t had the time to cook dried beans. Both ways work well.

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Did you ever come home from work or a busy day and thought you didn’t have time to cook a healthy great tasting meal? Many of us have this problem, but there is a way to conquer that beast. You just need the recipes, basic supplies and support of this blog to get you through it. I have learned over the last twenty years how to create great, healthy meals in very little time. You don’t need to be a chef to make this work for you. I have done the hard work of developing a plan for you.
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