Sprouted Black Bean Soup
Categories: Blood Vacuity, Heart Blood Vacuity, Heart Fire, Heart Qi Vacuity, Mexican, Soup, Vegan, Vegetarian

Sprouted Black Bean Soup
2 quarts water
2 cups dried black beans sprouted
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
½ yellow onion chopped
½ green and ½ red bell pepper chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp ground cumin
Sea Salt
Directions: Pour water, beans, ¼ cup of oil, bay leaves and garlic into large soup pot on high heat. Bring to a boil. Immediately decrease heat. Simmer while preparing remaining ingredients. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp of oil in large saucepan on medium heat. Add onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, celery, chili powder and cumin, cook and stir for about 7 minutes or until onion is translucent. Transfer bell pepper mixture to soup pot. Bring soup to a boil. Cook for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Season with salt to taste.
Serving Size: 6 to 8
TCM Pattern: HT heat; HT qi or xue xu
TCM Evaluation: Sprouted black beans are sweet and neutral, invigorates blood; olive oil is sweet, sour, astringent, neutral, clears heat, promotes body fluids; garlic is hot, acrid, removes blood stasis and food stagnation; Onion is pungent, clears heat and relieves toxicity; bell peppers are slightly warm, pungent and sweet, promote blood circulation, reduces swelling; tomatoes are sweet, sour and cold, promotes fluids and clears heat; celery is sweet, bitter and cold, calms Shen and clears heat; Chili powder and ground cumin are warming and invigorating; sea salt is salty, sweet and cold, harmonizes and promotes digestion.