I have a confession to make – I love Ina Garten from food network! I love her show, her recipe and her easy entertaining ideas. Here is her recipe for Rosemary white bean soup that’s easy to make and perfect for a light dinner or first course. Most nutritionist and health expects(except for Paleo diet folks) agree that all beans and legumes are healthy for us. Each one has different nutritional properties though. To bump up the nutritional value of this soup, in addition to white beans, I added some Lima beans.
Not just any Lima bean but baby ones that are much higher in iron. The beans are mild in taste and do not overpower the white beans. A lot of people have low iron and feel tired, anemic. To increase the iron absorption, add some vitamin C to your meal like Ina’s grapefruit and avocado salad.
Want more tips on healthy easy swaps that do not take more time nor money? Use red onion in place of a white one. Red or purple onions have a special compounds called flavonoids, which are the primary source of pigmentation. We all love their unmistakable vibrant color. The most important of the flavonoids is quercetin, an antioxidant compound with numerous health benefits. If you don’t have red onion on hand, don’t worry about since traditional Spanish yellow onion contains these compounds as well.
Bought a big bunch of rosemary for the soup? Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays with olive oil. Not only it will save you money, it will also save you time when you need to sauté some rosemary in olive oil for your next recipe – just throw one of those cubes in sauté pan and let it sizzle.