Good morning! I’m a little off schedule these days. Last week I was in Portland for Veg Fest and yesterday I returned from a 48-hour trip to Milwaukee to represent The Soyfoods Council at a health fair (checkout my brief write-up and a delicious TVP/black soybean nacho recipe that I came up with for the fair here.)
I’m feeling a little off and not entirely sure what time zone my body is on.
When I got home yesterday I was hungry and on a mission – cook from my pantry and the cupboards. My Pantry Project is going on, after all. I had spent some time on the plane reading the textbook for the cancer prevention class I’m teaching in Colorado Springs Saturday so I was slightly obsessed with grains and beans for a stew. I ended up making more of a soup (because when I’m experimenting with a bean and grain combo in the pressure cooker I tend to error on the side of too much liquid to avoid burning). I grabbed mung beans and spelt berries – both terribly neglected on a shelf in my pantry closet – and realized I didn’t have much else in the house. I had some rouge celery and a small red onion on the verge of use it or lose it so I chopped up both and then scoured the cupboards. I spied one of the items Marukan Vinegar provided me in the sample box was a Yuzu Ponzu soy dressing.
Okay: mung beans, soy dressing…how about some tofu for creaminess and, hey, what about those hibiscus petals I impulsively bought in the bulk spice section of Mountain Mama and have yet to use? I just went for it.
And I’m so glad I did.
This was a wildly satisfying soup (use a little less water and you might end up with a stew!) and I hope you’ll try it. Though slightly odd, it’s an extremely delectable (and quick and simple) recipe!
Mung Bean Spelt Soup
Keywords: pressure cooker, soup/stew, vegan, beans
Ingredients (Serves 8)
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 cup dry mung beans
- 1 cup dry spelt berries
- 5 cups water
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 14.5-ounce can quartered artichokes
- 1/2 teaspoon each, ground: ginger, cumin, and coriander
- 2 teaspoons hibiscus flower petals
- 1/2 cup soft silken tofu (undrained)
- 1/4 cup Marukan Yuzu Ponzu (or soy sauce + a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice)
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Saute celery and onion in an uncovered pressure cooker with a splash of soy dressing (or soy sauce). Add beans, spelt berries, water, tomatoes, artichokes, spices, and hibiscus to the pressure cooker. Cover. Cook at high pressure for 12 – 14 minutes (17 minutes for me at 6,200 feet above sea level).
Allow for a natural release.
Blend tofu and soy dressing (or soy sauce) while pressure is naturally releasing.
Remove the pressure cooker lid and stir in the blended tofu. Add pepper and serve.
Amount per serving: 223 calories, 2 g fat, 8 g fiber, 12 g protein, and 19% daily value of Vitamin C and Iron.
