Pumpkin-Black Bean Soup

[beachgal]

Made this last night--it's the third time I've made it and it's always so good and so easy! Other than the onion and garlic, everything is canned, so it's really quick! My comments are in bolded, red brackets.

Pumpkin-Black Bean Soup
From Cooking Light: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/re..._id=11 73768#
This Caribbean-inspired soup combines pumpkin, black beans, tomatoes, and sherry. It's topped with a tangy shower of queso fresco [feel free to use RF feta instead]. Use vegetable broth to make this a meatless meal.

1 1/2 cups drained diced canned tomatoes
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
2 tablespoons dry sherry [can be left out]
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco [see italicized note above]
1/2 cup sliced green onions
Pumpkinseed kernels (optional) [these make the meal...definitely include them!]

Place tomatoes and beans in a food processor; process until about half the beans are smooth. Set aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add cumin and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add bean mixture, broth, and next 3 ingredients (through pumpkin); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in sherry. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 6 bowls; sprinkle each serving with about 2 tablespoons queso fresco and about 1 tablespoon green onions. Garnish with pumpkinseed kernels, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

CALORIES 175 (16% from fat); FAT 3.1g (sat 1.2g,mono 1.1g,poly 0.2g); IRON 3mg; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 139mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.2g; SODIUM 785mg; PROTEIN 10g; FIBER 9.3g

Cooking Light, APRIL 2006

[Loriann7]

Hi Laurie, I went to buy the ingredients and found all but the "1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled queso fresco".... What and where can I find this???????

[cottagebythesea]

I had trouble finding that cheese, too, but I finally did find it in the cheese section in one of our local grocery stores. IMHO, though, the cheese is very bland, almost tasteless. Next time I may just use a RF feta cheese instead.

This soup is absolutely delicious and filling, I'm going to be making it often!

[Loriann7]

OK, I'LL go get some feta to put in it.... I did ask the cheese department at wegmans, they usually know this stuff, but never heard of it.

Thank you Cottage

[Betsi]

This sounds marvelous! I will have to try this - soon!

I just wanted to point out that canned tomatoes are a bit of a "danger zone"... when I first started SBD I went to make chili with canned tomatoes already in my cupboard and it had a surprisingly high level of high fructose corn syrup! Yuck!

I suppose it goes without saying that you've gotta check the ingredients list on every package, just figured I'd add an extra reminder.

[JulieJ08]

Originally Posted by Betsi

This sounds marvelous! I will have to try this - soon!

I just wanted to point out that canned tomatoes are a bit of a "danger zone"... when I first started SBD I went to make chili with canned tomatoes already in my cupboard and it had a surprisingly high level of high fructose corn syrup! Yuck!

I suppose it goes without saying that you've gotta check the ingredients list on every package, just figured I'd add an extra reminder.

You probably had canned tomato sauce. You'll find lots of canned tomatoes that are nothing but tomatoes and preservatives like calcium chloride, citric acid. I never had any with any kind of sugar in them, even before I was avoiding sugar and HFCS. Glad you caught it!

[Betsi]

Hmm, interesting! I just checked, and it was indeed Del Monte diced tomatoes (the green pepper and onion type) that had high fructose corn syrup as its third ingredient. I guess I was just unlucky! Sorry for the false alarm there. Glad it's not as common as I was afraid it was.

[tomandkara]

Has anyone tried making this in anything other than a Dutch oven? I wonder if it would work just on the stove top in a regular pot? Or in a crock pot???

[sophie]

Hi Kara
Welcome back. I always make this soup in a stainless steel stock pot on top of my stove with no problem. Its a delicious soup.
take care
Sophie

[tomandkara]

Thanks, Sophie!

[cottagebythesea]

I've made this soup several times, and always in my crockpot. It comes out great every time. although you may want to add more liquid to it if you don't want it too thick.

[CyndiM]

I'm going to try it in the crockpot tomorrow