Black bean soup de-gassed... Read on

FEIJOADA LEFTOVERS: SOUP
I like this as much as I like feijoada (Brazilian Black Beans)! Basic seasoned black beans and rice with a salad isn't anything wonderful to photograph and neither are it's leftovers which is what this soup was created from ... but it's so pretty (in my humble and often argued against opinion) with the little sweet potato cubes and choped greens poking through. I ate myself a few bowls today. I served it along side some steamed brussel sprouts that I salted and sprinkled with balsamic vinegar. Humble and pleasing. . . I know a common ordinary vegetarian "po" man's meal (if he can grow sweet potatoes, that is). I used the Feijoada recipe from Bryanna Clark Grogan's Fiber for Life Cookbook (p. 115). In a footnote below the recipe she mentions the leftover idea for making the soup I did (only I didn't have leftover rice).

This meal was different than others because there were these two acorn squash that have been sitting around my kitchen screaming, "use me!", so they got just that today. I roasted 'em and stuffed 'em with my stew (temp 375 for 1 hour on old black ccokie sheet).

A dallop of soy sour cream to complete. Yum! That will teach those two old squash.

DE-GASSING BEANS
Here's a tip I picked up from Countryside magazine, it's about homesteading which I enjoy reading even though I do love every modern convenience I own. Someone wrote in with a question on how to de-gas beans and many people responded, some with ridiculous suggestions. One person wrote in claiming to be a chef at a Chacago upper class mexican restaurant, he said that he used the herb EPAZOTE when he cooked beans and customers have commented on how the food at his restaurant didn't make them gassy unlike other places they have eaten. This got my attention! I found the herb at Penzey's spices and use it regularly... I won't say it cures, but does help alot. I use double the serving portion listed on the spice bag and always follow a bean meal by eating a few slices of candied ginger.

Also, if my meal was distressing I drink a cup of fennel tea, made simply by soaking 1 Tbsp fennell seed in very hot water until it gets flavorful, stir and sweeten with stevia. I made ice tea with this in a quart jar also, 2 Tbsp seed in a tea ball soaked in hot water. Leave on the counter until room temp, refrigerate, drink as you please... I do this regualrly when I serve alot of beans and in the summer when we have alot of cabbage family veggies. DH now enjoys my brew and knows why I do this, before he just thought I could digest better than others (tee hee!).