VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good

by Mark Bittman

GREENS AND BEANS SOUP MAKES: 8 SERVINGS TIME: 1½ TO 2 HOURS, LARGELY UNATTENDED Greens and beans is among my favorite combinations, and you’ll never run out of options. Start with dried beans if possible (use any you like; see Big-Batch Beans); their cooking liquid is deeply flavorful and gives the soup a rich texture. (To use canned or pre-cooked beans, follow the tofu variation below, using 8 cups of beans.) I like hearty greens here, like kale or collards, cooked until tender, but not to the point of disintegrating; you could also use broccoli raab, escarole, spinach, or cabbage. Just make sure to either remove any thick stems (larger than ¼ inch) or chop them up and give them about 10 minutes in the broth before adding the leaves, so everything becomes tender at the same time. For a thicker, heartier broth, mash some of the beans with a potato masher before adding the greens; or puree half of them in a blender or food processor and add back to the soup. Note that it’s just as easy to make a big batch of this soup as a small one, so you can double the recipe and freeze serving-size containers to bring to the office. ¼ cup olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 tablespoons minced garlic ¼ teaspoon red chile flakes (optional) 2½ cups dried beans, any kind, rinsed, picked over, and soaked if you have time 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste Black pepper to taste About 3 pounds kale, collard greens, broccoli raab, or escarole (see the headnote), washed and roughly chopped 1 Pu...