Beans and Greens a Slow Carb Soup Idea.

The sprinkle of cheese is optional.

I am seriously thinking homemade bread and cheesecake for Sunday (binge day) and it is only Tuesday!!

But for now I am happy with the lunch dish I just enjoyed. It is a cool day and I love soups and those types of things. Last week I enjoyed split pea with ham and turnips and in that vein I have made a bean soup combined with greens and it is quite tasty.

I am calling it Beans and Greens and it is a combination with baby lima beans, bacon, and Swiss chard.

Ingredients:

2 C. dried baby Lima beans (or any other dried bean would work fine)
2 Qt. homemade chicken stock (or low sodium store bought stock)
1 pound of bacon diced and fried crisp, drain grease and discard
1 lg. chopped onion
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch fresh Swiss chard (remove stems and cut leaves into 1/2" strips)

Parmesan cheese for garnish *optional

Soak beans in water to cover plus 2" overnight. Rinse well and discard any bad beans.

Cover with 1 1/2 Qt. chicken stock, add onion, garlic, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours and taste for seasoning and to see if beans are done. Check occasionally and add additional stock as needed. Cooking times vary according to age, type, and dryness of the beans. 

I used beautiful Rainbow Chard.

Stir in the Swiss chard and cook a few minutes until it has wilted.

Add the crumbled bacon just before serving and garnish each serving with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese if desired.   I doubt it is permissible on the diet but my husband  loves any kind of cheese on his soup.