Sprouted Black Bean Soup
- 10 slices (nitrite/nitrate–free) bacon, chopped
- 2 medium organic onions, chopped
- 6 cloves organic garlic, chopped
- 2-3 cups homemade or organic chicken stock
- 1 can (14.5oz.) organic chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fermented ketchup
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 4 cups cooked sprouted Black Beans*
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Juice of ½ lime
- Chopped cilantro for garnish
- Sliced scallions for garnish
- Sour Cream for garnish
- Grated Cheddar for garnish
- Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat.
- Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the onions and cook, stirring until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder.
- Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring all to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15–20 minutes to blend flavors and thicken soup.
- Stir in the limejuice.
- Serve with garnishes and your favorite sprouted bread or crackers.
- NOTE: Measure your 4 cups of black beans for this recipe after they've been cooked, not as dried beans.
*To cook sprouted black beans: Place 4 cups of dried sprouted black beans in a pot with 2 quarts of cold filtered water. Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt (optional). Bring water to a boil. Stir beans, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Check the consistency of the beans (they’ll cook quicker than un–sprouted dry beans) after 30 minutes. Extend the cooking time until beans have reached the tenderness you prefer.
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 8 tablespoons organic butter, divided
- 3 (8 oz.) packages fresh mushrooms, chopped
- 1/3 cup sprouted white wheat flour
- 2 cups organic heavy cream
- 8 ounces organic cream cheese, softened
- 2 ounces homemade or organic chicken stock, reduced by half
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add mushrooms and saute 10-12 minutes or until liquid evaporates.
- Transfer to a large bowl.
- Reduce heat to medium.
- Melt remaining 5 tablespoons of butter in Dutch oven.
- Whisk in flour until smooth. whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in cream and next 2 ingredients.
- Cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes or until melted and smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in mushrooms.
- Use immediately or cool completely.
Can be frozen in zip lock bags for future use. Use 1 1/4 cup portions when freezing to replace a can of mushroom soup called for in recipes.
Wilmington Squash Soup
- 2 tbsp butter
- 6 scallions chopped in a dutch oven or soup pot saute scallions in butter for 2 minutes
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 2-3 lbs organic butternut squash peeled and chopped
- 1/2 lb naturally cured ham
- 1 15 oz. can organic diced tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp mace
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- Add these ingredients to the scallions and cook on low for 5 minutes. NOTE: Since red peppers are out of season I use roasted red peppers from the grocery. A small jar works fine. Make sure they aren’t marinated.
- Add these ingredients to your pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer about an hour. NOTE: I cut my squash in half, brush with coconut oil, place cut–side down on a roasting pan and bake about 25–30 minutes on 350 degrees. Makes peeling and chopping much easier than handling raw squash
Rick’s Rocking Gumbo
- 2 lbs large shrimp, with heads and tails
- 1 medium yellow onion halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (1/8 tsp. for less heat)
- 1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 2 Lemons halved and squeezed (I use 4 tablespoons lemon juice)
- 2 1/2 quarts quarts cold water (I use 1 ½ quarts water and 1 quart chicken stock)
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup sprouted wheat flour
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 1lb bag of frozen sliced okra (or fresh)
- 1 tsp teaspoon sea salt (I use 1 ½ teaspoons)
- 1/4-1/2 tsp teaspoon cayenne pepper (1/8 tsp. for less heat)
- 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 15oz can diced tomatoes, drained
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tbsp gumbo file'
- 2 quarts shrimp stock
- 2 lbs peeled raw shrimp
- 1 pint raw oysters
- 2 lbs frozen crawfish tails (I use 8 oz. lump crab meat and 1 ½ lbs.raw grouper, cut into cubes)
- 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
- 4-6 cups cooked sprouted brown rice
- Lots of chopped green onions and flat-leaf parsley (to sprinkle on top)
- Peel the shrimp and toss the heads and tails into a large stock pot.
- Refrigerate the peeled shrimp until ready to put into the gumbo.
- Add the onion, bay leaves, thyme, cayenne pepper, Old Bay and lemons (or juice) to pot. Cover with 2 ½ quarts water (or water and stock), allow the liquid to slowly come to a boil, then lower the heat.
- Gently simmer for 45 minutes uncovered, skimming any foam off that rises to the top of pot. Strain the stock into another pot to remove the chunky solids.
- At this point you should have about 2 quarts of broth to use in the gumbo. Cool until needed.
- You must start with a roux base, so melt the butter over medium-low heat in a large Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot.
- Add flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk, to prevent lumps. Cook the roux until it is the color of walnuts, and smells equally nutty. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and okra, and season with salt, cayenne and Old Bay. Mix in the tomatoes, bay leaves and thyme, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring until the vegetables are soft.
- Pour in the cooled shrimp stock and stir until mixture is well blended.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, add sliced sausage, and reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gumbo darkens slightly and thickens. Toss in the shrimp, oysters, and crawfish tails (or crab and grouper).
- Toss in the shrimp, oysters, and crawfish tails (or crab and grouper). Cook another 10-15 minutes and taste. If seasoning needs to be adjusted, do so now.
- Toss in the shrimp, oysters, and crawfish tails (or crab and grouper). Cook another 10-15 minutes and taste. If seasoning needs to be adjusted, do so now.