Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Greens and Beans



Vegetables and I are still a work in progress. It's true I've dropped 185 pounds via DDPYOGA and clean eating, but I've yet to develop a burning passion for eating my veggies as regularly as my nutritionist (and DDP and Terri Lange) say I should.  Often, I modify their obtrusive texture by transforming them into velvety purees or comforting soups.

Case in point:  the succulent soup recipe below that my significant other (a trained chef) made me last night for dinner. He adapted it from the cookbook that Albany, N.Y.'s incomparable Cafe Capriccio published 20 years ago.

It's a simple, easy recipe that I love for both its flavor and ability to deliver a nutritional punch of fiber, greens, and in this case, protein (I made it the main course by topping it with two eggs poached in chicken broth).  It was a glorious meal, not just because it tasted so good, but because I evaded the dubious task of having to down a big bowls of cold greens. Instead, I sat down to a nice, piping hot bowl of THIS!




Greens and Beans

4 large cloves garlic chopped
1 1 pound can cannelini beans
1 large bag spinach or one head kale
5 strips bacon cooked and chopped (not crisp)
6 cups chicken stock (we used Swanson's low-sodium)
3 twists fresh pepper
dash sea salt
Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Tbs. bacon grease

In a large wok or Dutch oven, blanch garlic and olive oil and cook until just softened over medium heat. Add greens and wilt. Add beans, chopped bacon, and stock, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve.  Optional: sprinkle with Peccorino cheese (a sheep milk cheese similar to parmesan); or top with two eggs poached in chicken broth.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing. I recently ordered DDP Yoga and am so inspired by your story. I would like to adopt a Gluten free diet like DDP suggests, but it seems like such an overwhelming task. The exercise seems more feasible. Do you have other favorite recipes you could share??

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  2. Please don't let it be overwhelming. I made the changes gradually so I could live with them. I wanted a house of bricks, not something forced or fly-by-night. Check out the recipes on this blog under the 'Hips' category as well as my Youtube channel where I post some gluten-free recipes. http://www.youtube.com/user/StaceyM11/videos .

    There are some great gluten-free blogs out there as well, including
    http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com
    http://glutenfreehope.blogspot.com

    Explore them all, and most importantly, enjoy your food and the learning process!

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  3. Thanks for the recommendations!

    P.S. I made up a patch of this soup the very night you posted it (but substituted turkey bacon) and loved it. My (naturally thin) husband wouldn't try it. (His loss!! It's delicious.) So, I've been eating a lot of left overs. ;)

    I usually like scrambled eggs (1 whole w/ 3 egg whites) in the morning, and I usually add 1/4 c. feta and 1 cup fresh spinach. But yesterday I realized I'd run out of both, so I tried scooping out 1/2 cup of the broth/spinach from the soup to make a weird omelet. It was so good! And...a few beans snuck in, and while I thought it'd be gross in the omelet, it was really good!! So, this morning I made it again, except I just scooped out 1/2 cup of everything (beans and all!) and it is excellent! What a versatile recipe you've given us! Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. You're very welcome AKK. Chef Bill and I are THRILLED to hear you're enjoying the soup recipe...and making some delicious discoveries with it. Being adventurous with ingredients, textures, and flavors is major fun - we do it all the time.

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  4. Stupid question how many is the soup qty for?

    Thanks
    Becki

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