Beans, beans they're good for your heart!

In a house of meat eaters, we tend to do a fair share of meatless meals, non of which are deprived of full bodied flavour and still brimming with essential nutrients for thriving little bodies.

This Mexican style black bean and veggie soup is sure to satisfy on a chilly winters day, leaving you warm and full of jumping bean joy.

Serves 4 -6

Prep time: 10 minutes plus pre soaking beans over night

Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients :

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red capsicum, deseeded & chopped

2 celery stalks, diced

1 carrot, diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbs ground coriander

2 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight

400ml crushed tomatoes, organic, plus 1 can of water

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock (preferably homemade)

1 cob of sweetcorn, kernels removed

1/2 bunch coriander, chopped

1 lime to serve

Avocado, diced, to serve

Method:

In a heavy based saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the onions until softened and translucent, around 5 minutes, then add in the vegetables, garlic and spices and cook stirring for 5 minutes until the spices are fragrant.

Add in the drained beans, stock, tomatoes and water and bring to a simmer, cook covered with a lid on a low heat for around 1 hour until the beans are tender, season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.

Add the sweet corn and simmer for 10 minutes then finish the soup with chopped coriander.

Serve warm in bowls topped with diced avocado and a squeeze of lime.

* If you are in a hurry and haven’t soaked your beans, try using 2 tins of organic black beans rinsed and drained. You will need to cook your soup a little in reverse and add the beans towards the end once the veggies, tomatoes and spices have been cooked and are flavourful.

My almost 4 year old foodie says, as she came to sit down to this dinner “Mum we should have some corn chippies with this!” So bless her little heart, that’s what we had!

The next day, when there was a little bit left and it was now a little thicker, and not quite enough for full bowls each we enjoyed the left overs served with fluffy white quinoa and it was like eating a complete new dish.

Love that mum and dad can pimp up there own with extra coriander, lime & chilli flakes! YUMMMM

*Spices are absolute powerhouses of nutrients, and its a great idea to get your littlies used to some full bodied flavour, enhancing our food using spices and citrus etc is a good way to minimise the use of salt in our foods. Remember that salt should not be given to babies or toddlers as it puts strain on their little kidneys. However when using salt for family cooking chose only a good quality sea salt and use with restraint.

*Beans are an underrated source or fibre and plant based protein, they’re full of essential nutrients supporting a healthy heart and are great for lowering cholesterol. Beans contain very little, to no saturated fats making them a great meat alternative.

*Try adding in plant based proteins to your families diet instead of meat at least once a week for heart health and sustainability of the planet.