Convenience Foods – Two Sisters Soup

My idea of  ‘convenience food’ is being able to make something delicious without leaving the house. I keep a supply of ingredients in the house (overflow is stored on food shelves in the basement) so I have everything I need to make Two Sisters Soup.

Here are some techniques I use to save time and/or food when preparing this recipe:

1. Use potato broth from last weekend’s mashed potatoes. I save and freeze the water left in the pan after cooking vegetables. I keep adding these liquids to a jar in the freezer until I am ready to make soup that calls for water or stock. I often add a vegetable bouillon cube to perk up the flavor since this vegetable water is light in flavor (but should contain some nutrients from the veggies).
2. Keep a bag full of sliced red peppers and jalapenos in the freezer purchased when they were a “good deal.” It takes almost no time to grab what I need, chop it up and add to a recipe.
3. Cook extra beans when preparing a dish; either freeze the extras or plan recipes around the extra beans. You can also use canned beans, if you prefer.
4. Keep a baggie of chopped raw garlic in the freezer. It doesn’t take more than 20 minutes to prep 2 or 3 bulbs of garlic using your food processor and it will last a long time.

Be sure to toast the spices (lightly!) to bring out their flavor and don’t be afraid to add the lime juice. Adding a little lime juice or vinegar to a soup right before serving balances and brightens the flavors.

Two Sisters refers to the native people’s habit of companion planting beans, corn and squash. Serve with cornbread if you’d like to include the third sister.

Two Sisters Soup

½ t whole coriander

1 ½ t cumin seed

1 -2 T olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 T minced garlic

1 medium red pepper, chopped

2 C butternut squash, cut in ½ “ dice

1 small jalapeno, minced

1 t salt, plus more to taste

5 C water or mild vegetable stock

2 C cooked pinto beans

2 T fresh lime juice, or to taste

Finely chopped cilantro, to taste

Lightly toast the coriander and cumin seed in a heavy bottomed ungreased pan over low heat. Pulverize in a spice grinder (or clean coffee grinder) and set aside.*

Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sautée the onion until it is translucent. Add the garlic, pepper, squash and chile and cook for several more minutes. Add the toasted ground spices and 1 t salt.

Add the stock and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 -30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and lime. Sprinkle cilantro on top and serve.

* You could probably carefully toast already ground spices, if you don’t have the whole spices. I am not sure of the conversion.