Recession Friendly recipe - Black Bean Soup

Chris is a freelance artist and I am just wrapping up my stint as a humanitarian aid worker. And while this may sound carefree and somewhat romantic to you, it also translates to little to no income.

I've been toying with a few recession friendly practices that not only save money but are also nutritious.

The other week, I was hung up on spicy black bean soup. Incidentally, there was a recipe in Gourmet magazine. As I read it, I realized it was very similar to a soup I made some time ago with red lentils.

Beans are a great source of protein and fiber. Incidentally, they are also incredibly cheap. You can get a solid pound of uncooked black beans from the dollar store. When cooked, they come out to about six cups! This soup will keep for a few days and is great with sour cream and chives, if you can spare the dough. (But if you can, you might as well invest it in more staple foods and less garnishes).

Here is my version of black bean soup. You can throw a jalapeno in there for some fire, if you like, but I don't think its necessary. You can make this with red lentils and any myriad or combination of beans.

1. Get some beans. If you're feeling spendy, feel free to buy two cans. If not, go to the dollar store, get a pack of beans and soak them overnight.

2. Heat up a good soup pot. A non stick one is great for this because there is a surface good for a bit of stir fry action which will ensue next.

3. Chop up a medium sized red onion or white onion. Sweet onions aren't good for this, but beggars can't be choosers, so whatever works, go for it. Chop up 2-3 cloves of garlic.

4. Heat up some oil, olive is preferable. About 3 tblespns. Get it nice and oily, your spices will soak it up. You're on about medium to high heat.

5. Throw in one tblspn of the following: cumin, oregano, chili powder. Stir, stir, stir until it is nice and coated. About three minutes. Smells good! Throw in a bay leaf if you have it lying around. If not, don't spend money on it, its not crucial.

4. Throw in two cans of beans or two and a half cup of soaked beans. Add 20 oz of water.

5. Boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer.

6. You're waiting for the beans to get soft. Give it about 20 minutes at least, maybe more if you used soaked beans. I like to do it until I see a few beans break out of their shell.

7. You're done! This part is optional, but frankly, not for me, cos I like my soup at least partially smooth. I take half of the soup, throw it in the blinder and blend it thoroughly and then mix it back with the unblended batch. That's it!

Tons of fiber, tons of protein, and its gonna keep you warm through winter. This soup is great with cornbread (also cheap!).

More recession friendly tips to come!

5. Get it to a nice boil, then turn it down and simmer.