(Crockpot) Black Bean Soup with Wakame

Black bean soup is a great way to get your daily servings of legumes. I decided to make some soup this week even though it's hot in the Mid-Atlantic region. We have an air conditioner, right?!

As I was looking through the standard black bean recipes, I remembered that I had some dried Wakame in the cupboard and thought it would be a good addition to this flavorful soup.

Wakame is a sea plant (doesn't sea plant sound better than seaweed?!) often added to soups or salads and used mostly in Asian cooking. It is commonly found in its dry form at either Whole Foods Market or an Asian grocers.

Sea plants are extremely beneficial in the diet. Nutrient rich, sea plants contain up to 10x the amount of calcium as whole milk. Naturally high in other minerals such as iodine, magnesium, and sodium, sea plants often retain their salty flavor from the ocean. If you have ever had Miso soup then you are already familiar with Wakame.

Because this soup has so many strong flavors, the Wakame is barely detectable.

Black Bean Soup w/ Wakame

4 slices of bacon, chopped

1 large onion, diced

1 8oz package of mushrooms, sliced

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C chili powder

2 T ground cumin

2 T dried oregano

2 t mustard seeds

10 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 lbs dried black beans rinsed and picked over

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can plain tomato sauce

1/4 C dried Wakame

1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 T olive oil

Directions

1. Put beans into a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cooking for an additional 15 minutes. Drain and put into crockpot.

2. In a skillet, add olive oil, onions, bacon, mushrooms and mustard seeds. Saute for 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Add mixture to crockpot.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the crockpot, stir and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.


Steps 1 and 2 can be done the night before.