Soup Tuesday: Nýrnabaunasúpa, Chilli & Bean Soup

This was a happy accident. I was shopping in Bónus, looking for black beans. We were going to make a black bean soup, but, alas, there were known to be found. My co-worker suggested using kidney beans, which I resisted at first. However his immense encyclopedic knowledge on them persuaded me to give this recipe a try.

Like all beans, kidney beans are high in cholesterol-lowering fibre, but they also keep your blood sugar from spiking after eating, making them a great food source for diabetics or those watching their weight.

Kidney beans are native to Peru and shouldn’t be thought of as just “those beans you put in chilli.” The only thing I would add to this recipe, if your serving it to guests or at a dinner party, would be tortilla chips. This is seriously delicious, inexpensive and nutritious.

Serve with ice-cold Corona and shots of tequila.

Salud!

Nýrnabaunasúpa: Chilli & Bean Soup

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

6    Medium Yellow Onions

5    Green Chillies

3    Handfuls of Cilantro

5    Cloves of Garlic

5    Cans of Kidney Beans

3L   Cold Water

4    Cans of diced Tomatoes

50g    Chilli Powder

3    Limes

Salt, Pepper, enough Vegetable Bouillon for 3L of water

Directions:

1. Dice up your onions and sauté them in the pot with a drizzle of oil or a teaspoon of butter.

2. Chop your chillies and remove the seeds if you’re afraid of heat. Add them to the pot.

3. Finely dice your cilantro and mix it into the pot.

4. Add your garlic cloves, chilli powder and vegetable bouillon to the pot.

5. Rinse and drain your kidney beans and add them to the pot. Pour in your 3L of water, your canned tomatoes and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiled, let simmer for 20 mins, and using an emersion blender, blend the mixture into a nice consistency.

6. Simmer for about 20 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish the soup with scallions, chillies, cilantro, sour cream and a couple slices of lime. This is packed full of protein and flavour. I promise this will become one of your favourites.

Remember to share this recipe with your friends and loved ones.

Also, send us your recipes. Let’s get through this winter together.

One Soup Tuesday at a time.

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WTF is a Soup Tuesday?

As the sun yet again makes her life-draining descent towards winter solstice, it becomes clear: fall has arrived. The darkness in store will likely bring a lot of you down, but don’t fret or give up—there are a number of methods for fighting off the winter blues: Reading, lýsi, sex, drugs, alcohol, and—of course—soup. Now, doing most of those things would be mostly inappropriate, if not illegal, at the Reykjavík Grapevine’s offices (if it were one of those “appropriate” offices)—except for maybe the lýsi and reading. And of course, the soup.

Lýsi is kinda disgusting and reading is for nerds, so to combat the coming full-scale attack of the SADs, we decided to started a new tradition to help us make it through the coming winter: SOUP TUESDAYS. Yes! Soup Tuesdays! Every Tuesday, we’ll be making a different soup in our shitty little office, document the process and then show you how to make one for yourself.

You can also send us your best recipes (on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or email), with a photo, so we can share soup knowledge throughout the world. Together we can make it through the bad weather.

Solace and Solidarity in Soup.

Happy Soup Tuesday.