I’ve Been Bamboozled + Simple Veggie Bean Soup (Instant Pot + Stove Top)

vegan-wfpb-simple-veggie-soup

Did you know that it gets cold in Hawaii?

Well, I’ve been bamboozled because I’m sitting here wearing a sweater, a scarf, long pants and socks when I thought I’d be sporting a sarong year round. Now, understand that I use the word “cold” loosely here. Right now it’s 70°F / 22°C, which you might laugh at, but to me, this is take a hot bath and then cozy up on the couch with a fuzzy blanket and a Turmeric Latté weather.

And I don’t know about you, but when cooler weather makes its way through the windows, nostalgia slips right in with it and I’m brought back to my childhood when school would be cancelled due to layers upon layers of powdery white magic, covering the high desert of New Mexico.

My mom would build a huge crackling fire in our fireplace and lay a wool blanket down on the floor in front of it. Then she would place a soft red checkered flannel sheet on top of the wool blanket to lock in the warmth and protect against the scratchy wool. My nest was nearly complete and I patiently waited, while mom prepared homemade hot cocoa and toast with butter, cinnamon and sugar.

When everything was ready, I would cozy up on the floor next to the fire, sip my hot cocoa and eat my warm, sweet toast with melted butter while I watched the snow fall outside and listen to stories on vinyl. Annie was my favorite, but 101 Dalmatians was a close second, followed by The Velveteen Rabbit. My entire childhood was happy and magical, but this is one of my most happy and cherished memories.

When I got older and moved away for college, my friends and I would watch the snow fall from the warmth of the school cafeteria. My school was a 12 story building, nestled in downtown Denver with massive windows facing the Rocky Mountains. We drank coffee and ate huge blueberry muffins as we talked about art and life and witnessed the silent peaceful white powder envelope the city until it was a twinkling wonderland.

Years went by and my venue for watching winter’s performance changed. I now watched snow pile up on Washington D.C. from the comfort of my warm living room. The blanket of winter transformed the bustling and hurried city into an eerily quiet, calm and peaceful metropolis, giving everyone a chance to catch their breath. My girlfriend and I would watch the snowfall from our big, overstuffed couch, while we ate French cheese and drank Bordeaux in the middle of the day.

While I hold all of these memories close to my heart, one of my favorite comedians, Iliza Shlesinger sums it up best: “Girls love cold weather, but they hate being cold.”

For as many happy memories as I have of snow and watching its beauty, I hate being cold (#FirstWorldProblem). This is one of the reasons that I moved to Hawaii.

Even though it’s not technically cold here and there’s for sure no chance of snow, I have all of my memories and happy associations with cold weather. And more often than not, they include comforting food and drinks. rich hot cocoa, strong coffee with thick cream and intoxicating wine. Toasted bread with melted butter and sweet sugar, soft blueberry muffins and sharp, rich cheese.

So for me, as soon as cooler weather hits (AKA 70°F / 22°C), my mind subconsciously drifts to happy, comfy memories and it triggers a desire for the food and drinks that went hand in hand with those memories.

But here’s the thing. I don’t eat or drink most of those things anymore, so it’s important that when those triggers and desires come up, that I stop, check in with myself and make a mental note that it’s not a blueberry muffin that I want, or buttery toast or a glass of Bordeaux, those items are just happy associations that I have with cooler weather. That’s it.

Once that’s locked in, I can easily move past the desire and make something comforting for my pie hole that fits my lifestyle circa 2016.

Often times, before we can eat really healthy on a consistent basis, we must first recognize and understand our connection with food, especially foods that aren’t doing us any favors to our overall health and well-being. If you need help with healthy eating and would like to explore a whole food plant based lifestyle, check out Plant Fueled Life.

Because the business of eating healthy isn’t just about what we eat, it’s also about why we eat.

Do you have any cold weather associations when it comes to food? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Today’s recipe is super simple and delicious. It’s the perfect thing to cozy up with and enjoy the cooler weather (whatever “cooler” means to you).

Simple Veggie Bean Soup

Instant Pot and Stove Top Directions
Author: Molly Patrick

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow onion, chopped (120 g)
  • ½ cup celery, chopped (70 g)
  • ½ cup carrot, chopped (75 g)
  • 4 tablespoons green onions, chopped (use the green and the white parts)
  • 1 cup tomato, chopped (140 g)
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 2 cups cannellini beans (345 g)
  • ½ teaspoon dill
  • ½ teaspoon basil
  • ½ teaspoon marjoram
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon black pepper (about 5 turns)
  • cups water (590 ml for Instant Pot / 3 cups or 710 ml for Stove Top)
  • ¼ cup parsley, chopped (5 g)
  • 1 cup bok choy, chopped (45 g)

Instructions

Instant Pot Directions

  • Press the sauté button on the Instant Pot and allow the inner pot to heat up for two minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrot, green onions, tomato, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (leave the lid off). Add a splash of water if things start to stick.
  • Turn off the Instant Pot and add the beans, dill, basil, marjoram, paprika, salt, and pepper, and stir. Add the water and stir again. Lock the lid into place and make sure the nozzle is in the sealing position. Use the manual setting and set the timer for 5 minutes.
  • When the time is up, use the natural release method. When the pressure is released, take the lid off and allow the soup to cool for about 10 minutes.
  • Take about one cup of soup out of the pot and blend it in your blender until it’s creamy and smooth. Pour the blended soup back into the pot, add the parsley, the bok choy, and stir. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
  • Serve and enjoy your delicious, comforting soup!

Stove Top Directions

  • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrot, green onions, tomato, and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water if things start to stick.
  • Add the beans, dill, basil, marjoram, paprika, salt, pepper, and water, and stir. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and place the lid on the pot at an angle.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes or until the veggies are soft.
  • Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
  • Take about one cup of soup out of the pot and blend it in your blender until it’s creamy and smooth. Pour the blended soup back into the pot, add the parsley, the bok choy, and stir. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
  • Serve and enjoy your delicious, comforting soup!

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Our Sweary Saturday Love Letters are written by our ex-boozer, ex-smoker, plant-loving co-founder, Molly Patrick.

14 Comments

  1. Olga Phelps on November 13, 2016 at 2:40 pm

    This looks so good! Quickly falling in love with your site!

    • Clean Food Dirty Girl on November 13, 2016 at 5:39 pm

      Thanks for the love Olga!

      xo
      Meghann
      Team Dirty Girl

    • Brenda on November 1, 2017 at 12:22 pm

      same. can’t wait to make this.

  2. sharon on March 3, 2017 at 7:44 am

    I would imagine the stove top version should freeze fairly well? So grateful for you Molly and your generosity to share these recipes!!
    TIA,
    Sharon

  3. sharon on March 3, 2017 at 7:49 am

    Also meant to mention I’m hoping to triple or quad this recipe (for travel coming up) I think I can do that with this recipe? I know some recipes are trickier when you try to make multiple amounts.
    Any thoughts?
    Thanks again!
    Sharon

  4. Melissa Snyder on May 31, 2017 at 12:00 pm

    I’m not a fan of parsley so I used cilantro instead and it was delicious. And so easy. Love this site 🙂

  5. Colleen on November 30, 2017 at 11:41 am

    It seems like such a small amount of water for all those vegetables and beans – are you sure you posted the correct measurement? Thanks!

    • Team Clean Food Dirty Girl on November 30, 2017 at 2:43 pm

      Hi Colleen,

      Yep, it’s correct. Because you are using already cooked beans the water volume is less.

      Let us know if you try it!

      Karen

  6. Clare on March 15, 2018 at 7:32 am

    5 stars
    This looks amazing! Am just getting used to my instant pot, coudl I sub the bok choy for kale or spinach? 🙂

    • Team Clean Food Dirty Girl on March 15, 2018 at 8:26 am

      Hi Clare, Yep! Kale or spinach would sub just fine for bok choy.

      Karen
      Team Dirty Girl

  7. Michelle on April 9, 2018 at 6:56 pm

    5 stars
    This was absolutely AMAZING! I’m going quadruple batch and freeze it. Thanks team Dirty.
    Lots of love
    Michelle

    • Molly Patrick on April 9, 2018 at 8:17 pm

      So glad you liked it!
      xo
      Molly

  8. Amy on September 19, 2018 at 11:56 am

    Wow here in Scotland if it was 22 degrees we would all be at beach saying how warm it was ? I love the cold weather but not so much the rain that usually accompanies it! The soup looks delicious and I will definitely give it a go. All these recipies are making me NEED and instant pot!!

    • Team Clean Food Dirty Girl on September 19, 2018 at 12:02 pm

      Hi Amy! Thanks for stopping by our corner of the internet all the way from Scotland! Molly has lots of delicious soups on the blog and yes, an Instant Pot (or any other pressure cooker) is useful kitchen tool that I’ve grown to love and will do my best to never be without from now on. What makes the Instant Pot so attractive is that it will turn itself off based on a timer, unlike a regular stove top cooker where you need to actively monitor it and turn off the heat. So, the IP (or an equivalent electric pressure cooker) makes for a little less worry and more time to focus on other things. ~Karen

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