Clean Creations: Herbed White Bean + Cashew Soup

Winter Storm Juno is almost here, and what better way to prepare than by making a big pot of hearty soup? This recipe is packed with protein, fresh vegetables, and as usual, is gluten-free. Note that this soup can be made veg/vegan-friendly by omitting the bacon and substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock.  

As mentioned below, it is important to soak your beans overnight and soak the raw cashews for 2-4 hours before adding to the soup.

Enjoy and stay warm!

Clean Creations: Herbed White Bean + Cashew Soup
Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
*Soak beans overnight
*Soak cashews for 2-4 hours

Ingredients 

• 2 strips bacon
• 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 leeks, chopped (white parts only)
  
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  
• 4 sage leaves
  
• 1 lb. dried great northern beans (soaked overnight)
  
• 2 quarts chicken stock
  
• ½ cup raw unsalted cashews
  
• Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
  
  

Directions

1. Cook bacon and break into pieces. Set aside.
   
2. Add olive oil to large pot and sauté leeks, garlic, and sage until soft. 
   
3. Drain beans. Add beans and bacon to pot. 
   
4. Add 1-quart chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour and a half. If beans are not tender, cook until they are soft. 
   
5. Remove soup from heat and transfer to blender. Add soaked cashews and additional stock as you blend in batches until soup reaches your desired consistency (I add about half a quart of chicken stock). Be sure to vent the lid and cover the opening with a towel as you blend. This will allow the steam to escape and prevent the lid from popping off.
   
6. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with toasted cashews, green onion, croutons, and/or Parmesan cheese.

Hope you love it as much as we did!

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Meet Jocelyn: 

Hi there! My name is Jocelyn Spurrier and I am thrilled to be a Starr Struck contributor. I was born in Washington, D.C., raised in Snellville, Georgia, attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, and have lived in California, North Carolina, and Colorado since graduating college in 2012. I moved to New York City in August and couldn’t be more excited to put down roots in the East Village.

I believe cooking is a creative process. Working with wholesome ingredients in their simplest forms has always been a source of happiness and satisfaction for me. The best diet is a flexible diet and healthy eating does not have to mean boring eating. 

I eat loads of fresh produce, lean meats, Greek yogurt, and am a lover of all sauces (curries, pesto, dressings, dips, salsas, seriously all sauce). My goal is to encourage others to eat foods that will restore your body and contribute to living a well-balanced and mindful life.

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OMG, sounds delish, doesn't it? Come to think of it, I could really go for some soup right now...

You can follow Jocelyn on Instagram for lots more amazing, healthy recipes + fantabulous pics of all of her creations.

And speaking of this insane, "historic" winter storm headed our way, just wanted to give you a heads-up that if we do lose power (fingers crossed that we won't!), I might not be able to post Tuesday and/or Wednesday. That being said, the podcast should still go up early Tuesday AM, Juno or not! Hooray!

Have a great Monday and be careful out there, fellow North-Easterners/New Englanders!

PS. CONGRATS TO WENDY M., the winner of my January Giveaway! Thank you SO much to all who participated. Stay tuned for another giveaway in March, for Starr Struck's 4th Birthday ;)