Black Bean Island

Legumes are a big source of protein in a vegan diet. Kidney beans, lima beans, black eyed peas, soy beans, and  lentils are all great. I eat them every chance i get, but my favorite by far are black beans.

 They are nutrient dense, taste great with very little effort, and they're cheap.
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=2
You can get a 5 lb sack at pretty much any bulk bin store for around 3 bucks. I cook 2 or 3 lbs at a time and once cooked they last about a week. So you definitely get you moneys worth. Plus canned beans are kind of grodey. That goop you have to pour out and rinse off just ain't right.

All you need for the beans is fresh garlic (3-4cloves), ground cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt.
I don't own a pressure cooker or a Crock Pot so we're doing this old school!

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add beans. There should be about twice as much water as there are beans. The beans will expand and most of the water will steam away. Drop the heat down to simmer or as low as it will go. Put a lid on and leave them alone. After about  for 3-4 hours I like to go in with a potato masher and bust them up. The beans that have cooked faster will break apart and make a nice thick broth. This is when you'll add garlic and all seasonings (Season to taste) Cover them and let cook for another 3 hours.When they're done, the beans should be soft and there will be a thick black broth. Voila!  Black bean soup.

You can serve it with Quinoa, brown, or white rice. I used white rice today because it holds shape the best. Put the cooked rice in a cup to form a little dome and dice up some tomato and avocado

Welcome to Black Bean Island