MIGHTY MUNGBEAN & TOMATO SOUP

It's been so cold recently but I'm loving the crisp, frosty days! I've had to bring Grace my wee chicken into the house since the temperature has been -7C the past two nights! I'd never forgive myself if she froze to death!! She has been happily eating porridge for breakfast with coconut oil, raisins, sweetcorn and sunflower seeds and washing it down with a good glug of kombucha, which she loves!   She is a discerning chicken for sure!

Anyway I thought I'd share another of my favourite soup recipes, which is just the job for lunch on a freezing cold day! This one is adapted from a macrobiotic recipe, acquired during my studies to become a macrobiotic health coach, which I am, but I find the macrobiotic way too bland and restrictive for my liking, so I adapt the recipes to suit my taste!

So mung beans are very small dark green beans, mostly eaten as beansprouts here but they are also delicious cooked! Like all beans, mungbeans are packed with fibre, protein and minerals with major benefits for our health. They lend themselves very well to soup and make a pleasing change to the more common lentils, which most of us are familiar with.

I do think its wise to introduce new foods, most of us have a limited repertoire of recipes and sometimes get stuck in a boring food rut, which is where Nourished by Nature comes in!
I never cook or eat boring or bland food, life is too short for that, I embrace all the wonderful natural flavours and enjoy vibrant good health as a result!

Soup is one of the easiest things to make, and the varieties are endless! It's just such a brilliant way of sneaking more veggies and wholegrains into the diet.

One of my favourite things is a big bowl of steaming hot soup, served with a slice of home made sourdough bread!

The simple things are sometimes the best...

Most supermarkets and natural food stores stock mungbeans and they keep for ages.

So this soup is thick, nourishing, tomatoey, flavoursome and stick to your ribs delicious!
Here is my recipe

MIGHTY MUNGBEAN & TOMATO SOUP

Ingredients
1 cup of mungbeans (approx 200g)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 glug of rapeseed oil
1 onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, finely diced
1 stick of celery, chopped
1 leek, finely sliced
1 courgette, diced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 litre vegetable stock (Marigold or Kallo are good)
freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Rinse the mungbeans, then add to a pot with 2 cups of water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for around 15 minutes. I add a piece of kombu seaweed to any beans or lentils which tenderises them and adds beneficial minerals.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onion, leek and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes with a pinch of sea salt.
3. Add the carrots, celery, courgette if using, tomatoes, stock, cumin, turmeric and black pepper.
4. Add the cooked mungbeans, along with any remaining cooking water and gently simmer for another 20 minutes.
5. Taste for seasoning and add more stock if it's too thick.
6. Enjoy!

                               ....your health in your hands......