White Bean-Rajas Soup

When I first saw the name of this recipe, I assumed it was Indian, as in 'White Bean-King's (raja) Soup. To the contrary, rajas are cooked or pickled peppers in Spanish, so it is the poblanos in the recipe which lend their name to the soup.

Coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup chopped white onion, 1 cup chopped and seeded poblano chiles, 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (I was a trifle short, and only had about 1/3 a cup), and 2 minced garlic cloves; saute for 5 minutes.

Add 14-ounces of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 (15-ounce) rinsed and drained can of navy beans, 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice and 1 tablespoon ground cumin. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

For the topping, the original recipe called for Monterey Jack and sour cream; luckily, vegan versions of both exist! Try the Monterey Jack from Vegan Gourmet, and Tofutti's Better Than Sour Cream.

A serving is 1 and 1/2 cups of soup topped with 3 tablespoons shredded vegan Monterey Jack and dolloped with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vegan sour cream. Each serving is 380 calories.

Cost:
white onion $0.82
poblano chile $2.00
canned navy beans $2.19
lime $0.59
vegan Monterey Jack $4.39
vegan sour cream $2.79