Ingredients

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 or 2 lbs white beans
various vegetables
macaroni elbows
canned tomatoes
mild, soft spices (Italian seasoning, bazil, oregano, etc.)

Directions:

I concocted this after stomach surgery, while looking for non-fat survival meals. Boiling the beans and draining the liquid eliminates the complex vegan sugars and carbohydrates, which cause gas and bloating.

Boil a pound of beans ''til soft and ready to eat. Drain the water and rinse if desired. Very important to drain the beans if you want to be gas-free.

Cook any veggies hanging around in your fridge. I use a separate pot to cook tomatoes, sliced carrots, onions, garlic, celery, cabbage, whatever. With a hand blender I puree veggies and spices and then add this mixture to the beans which are in a large pot. Cook all this together and add anything for flavor. A handful of elbow macaroni won''t hurt, but watch your texture. I prefer it very thick, like porridge.

This is a rough guide, but you get proteins and the essential amino acids. It freezes well in serving size plastic containers.

Following stomach surgery a year ago, I could not digest meat or the slightest animal fat. I LIVED on this stuff, three times a day, and never experienced discomfort. I pureed a lot of carrots, which provided thickening without flour. As I improved, different spices were introduced (chile, paprika). One can tailor this to one''s taste; but the most important thing is to DRAIN THE BEANS. I can make a week''s supply, and need only a knife, spoon, hand blender and two pots. (I hate cleanups)

Preparation time: 3-4 hours