Thick, hearty soup and a salad make a warm and welcoming vegetarian dinner. This soup freezes well. If you have time, make double and you will have another meal ready.
Jicama is a root vegetable with thin brown skin and crunchy white flesh. It can be eaten raw or cooked. The nutty flavor and crisp texture are refreshing with the thick soup. If jicama is unavailable, any crunchy vegetable such as broccoli can be used.
Three Bean Soup
1 cup diced red onion
½ cup diced carrot
½ cup diced parsnips
¾ cup canned red kidney beans, rinsed and well-drained (about ½ 15-ounce can)
¾ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and well-drained (about ½ 15-ounce can)
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
4 cups canned peeled tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chile powder
Salt and ground black pepper
Whole-wheat baguette
Place onion, carrot, parsnips and ¼ cup water in a large saucepan. Saute 5 minutes. Add kidney beans, chickpeas, lima beans, tomatoes, vegetable broth, 1 cup water, cumin and chile powder. Break up tomatoes with a spoon or knife and bring to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, place bread in a 350-degree oven to warm for 5 minutes.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with reduced sodium beans, tomatoes and vegetable broth and served without bread) contains approximately 586 calories, 30 g protein, 7 g fat, 111 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 640 mg sodium and 30 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: 7.5.
Cucumber and Jicama Salad
2 tablespoons favorite vinaigrette
1 tablespoon diced red onion
2 teaspoons seeded, chopped jalapeno pepper
1 cup peeled, sliced cucumber (cut large slices in half)
1 cup peeled and sliced jicama, (about same size as cucumber)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pour dressing into a salad bowl. Stir in onion and jalapeno pepper. Add the cucumber and jicama and toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition information: Each serving (prepared with reduced-fat vinaigrette) contains approximately 45 calories, 1 g protein, 1 g fat, 8 g carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 8 mg sodium and 4 g fiber.
Carbohydrate choices: ½.
Food on 01/01/2020