Cranberry Bean Soup (No Added Fat)

I bought some fresh cranberry beans from a nearby farmers' market this past weekend. I love cranberry beans and haven't seen them dried (or fresh) for sometime now.

I sauteed some onion and baby ginger in a small Saladmaster stock pan for a few minutes, then added the fresh beans, enough water to just cover the beans, a diced carrot, a green (not quite ripe) tomato that I also bought at the market, a vegan bouillon cube, garlic powder, and salt. I brought to a boil and cooked, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, then covered and simmered on low heat for  20 minutes. I then mixed in a chopped roasted bell pepper that I had also purchased from the market, and served, along with a cucumber-caper-Ume plum vinegar salad and brown rice noodles.

Results

I was going to serve the beans as the main course, which I did, but it turned out a soup rather than a more firm plated dish. I am not normally so excited about soup, but my whole family loved the entire dinner, especially the soup. It came together so nicely and with just the right punch of flavor. Wow!

Ideas for the future

I love cooking with my Instant Pot, but it was fun to make a bean dish stovetop today. Of course, the convenience of dried beans is great, but I quite enjoyed using fresh beans today and should look for them again. I should make more fresh bean soups and regular bean dishes.