Black Bean & Tofu Soup

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 1 1/2 cup black beans
• 8 cups water
• 3 strips Kombu
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 big carrot
• 1/2 medium onion
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 1/2 cup spinich
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/8 cup green onions
• 8 oz. tofu
• 4 medium mushrooms

Directions:

Serves 6-8.

Wash the beans. Put the water, the beans, the salt, the bayleaf, the kombu, both kinds of oil, and the soy sauce in a large pot. Crush the garlic and put that in too. Bring it all to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Let this brew cook for about 2 1/2 to three hours. In the last hour of cooking, throw in all the sliced veggies except for the green onions and the tofu. When the soup is done (i.e. the beans and carrots are soft) sprinkle green onions on top.

Comment: kombu is a kind of seaweed. It makes good soup stock and also improves the digestability of beans. You can find it at most natural-food stores. Also, this makes for a very hearty soup. If you want something less dense, cut down on the veggies. This recipe is pretty robust; changes can be made and it will still turn out OK (less oil, salt, etc). Enjoy!