Realizing that encouraging people to watch their calorie intake is not restricted to Peel Region, we are most pleased to demonstrate that Vegetarian Monday has international appeal by bringing everyone a recipe from Southern California. Dr. Vera Heidolph and her Vet Bus Crew have pledged to join us in enjoying the variety of new tasty recipes being shared for Meatless Mondays.
The Vet Bus is a truly new innovative form of surgical veterinarian medicine. Dr. Heidolph and her dedicated team bring weekend veterinarian medicine to neighborhoods that are often devoid of such services, routinely performing dozens of badly needed surgical procedures at a nominal relative expense to loving animals and their concerned owners. Dr. Vera Heidolph dearly holds her Hippocratic oath to her chest. The Vet Bus also specializes in weekday house calls to some of San Diego’s more exclusive residential areas, bringing comfort and convenience to pets and owners alike. They truly have the best interests of our furry friends in mind, and therefore were happy to participate in meat-free Mondays.
This week’s recipe comes courtesy of the Vet Bus, and will certainly keep you warm on this chilly and snowy start to the work week. We hope you will give it a try and enjoy!
Cuban Black Bean and Potato Soup
Serves 4
This soup may only serve two because everyone always goes back for seconds and sometimes thirds!
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, sliced
6 cups cooked black beans, low-sodium if canned
Water
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
Bay leaf
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 small potatoes, chopped
Diced red onion for garnish
Sauté the onion, peppers, and garlic over medium heat until they are soft. Puree the onion, garlic, and peppers, creating what is called a sofrito. Add about half the beans and puree these with the sofrito plus enough water to create a semi-thick soup. Return this to the pot and add the remaining ingredients (except the potatoes and garnish). Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the potatoes and continue simmering until they’re soft. Remove the bay leaf (or eat around it). Garnish with diced red onion.
Making It Simple: Forgo pureeing the onion, garlic, and peppers and simply leave them intact in the pan. Next, add 1 16-ounce can vegetarian refried beans and 2 16- ounce cans black beans instead of pureeing the beans as called for in the standard recipe. Add enough water to create a semi-thick soup and proceed as normal.
The Gourmet Touch: Use white balsamic vinegar instead of white wine vinegar.
