Dinner & a Movie: My Sister's "Esselstynized" Spicy Mexican Sweet Potato, Black Bean with Rice Soup and the 2012 Best Foreign Film, "The Separation"

 

My Sisiter's Spicy Mexican Sweet Potato, Black Bean, & RIce Soup

 

If you received this post via email, click here to get to the web version to see the video trailer & get all the links.

It was another crazy busy Sunday at my house.

I jumped out of bed at 6:30 am on Sunday so I could make the 8:05 yoga class with Paul, and I followed it up with the 9:30 spinning class with Lori.

Then, after catching up with friends at the gym, I was off to Whole Foods for teeccino, a couple of bunches of lacinato kale, soymilk, beets, and sprouted brown rice--followed by a quick stop at Penzey's to replenish my supply of Mexican vanilla, cinnamon, & hot curry powder.  Amazing, how quickly I use up spices now that I'm eating plant-based.

Then I dashed home with just enough time to eat lunch, shower, get all gussied up (not really!) to head downtown for the August Wilson play, "Radio Golf".   Fantastic. Funny, honest, disturbing, real-life business & politics, & it left us with a lot to discuss on the ride home.

We got home around 6:30 pm, and I immediately started to make "My Sister's Soup".   It was ready just in time to watch the end of the  "Red Carpet".   No, it wasn't instant--it took about 30 minutes to prepare--and about 20 minutes to cook.  But, we now have plenty of leftovers for lunch & dinner for a couple of days.

What's teeccino, you ask?

Over on the HHLL - Healthy Librarian Facebook page, there was a discussion about kicking the coffee habit.  It hasn't been on my "to-do" list--that's for sure.  I love my morning cup.  But, reader CP said she now drinks a delicious roasted herbal coffee, that's non-acid, naturally caffeine free, that's made from organic carob, barley, chicory, dates, almonds, natural mocha flavor, cocoa, & figs. 

I had my doubts--but I'm always up for trying something new.  

Well, I just brewed some teeccino--mixing it half & half with real coffee--OMG!  It's delicious.  Better than Starbucks, that's for sure.  Check out their website.  It's widely available at Whole Foods, natural foods stores, & yesterday I coincidently got a discount offer from Vitacost for this product--an extra 10% off of their usual 34% off retail price.  Retail:  $10.29 for 11 ounces.   Vitacost:  $6.76 + 10% off right now.  (no, I have no vested interest in Vitacost!)

 

My Sister's Soup

 

My sister is a terrific cook.  If she says something is good, it usually is.

She got this recipe from her friend, Barbie---but, there wasn't anything plant-based, or oil-free about it.

The original recipe called for 2 cans of chicken broth, 2 cans of Healthy Choice Chicken with Rice Soup, olive oil for sauteeing, 2 cups of cooked chicken, and 1/3 cup of regular peanut butter.  But, Barbie raved about it.

My sister Esselstynized it & she & my brother-in-law declared it a hit!   The chicken broth became low-sodium vegetable broth.  The chicken strips became an extra can of black beans.  The oil was scrapped. The rice became 1 bag of TJ's already-cooked frozen brown rice.  The high-fat peanut butter became Better'N Peanut Butter.  

This makes up quickly--and the only effort is in the peeling & chopping of vegetables & opening of jars, soup boxes, & cans.   All that chopping used to seem like "too much work" for me--not anymore.

 

Click here for a copy of the recipe on one page.

Spicy Mexican Sweet Potato, Black Bean, & Rice Soup

 

Serves:  8 (2 cup servings)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cubed sweet potatoes, parboil them while you cut up the rest of the ingredients

1 large sweet onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped fine

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 large red pepper, chopped

1 16 oz. jar of salsa (I used Guy Fieri's Chipotle, again)

1/2 tablespoon cumin

2--14.5 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed

6 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth (use 8 cups if you like a thinner soup or less for a "stoup")

1/3 cup Better'n Peanut Butter (low-fat), or PB2 equivalent, prepared, or real peanut butter

1 bag of TJ's frozen brown rice, microwaved (2 cups cooked brown rice)

Optional:  Add 1 1/2 cups of frozen (thawed) roasted or regular corn

Preparation:

Parboil the cut up sweet potatoes as you cut up the rest of the vegetables!

Saute all the vegetables, with the pre-parboiled sweet potatoes for 5-7 minutes, until soft

Add salsa, cumin, black beans, & broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes

Add in peanut butter. Whisk well.

Add in rice & cook 2 minutes longer.

This is loaded with nutrients!

Serves 8--2 cup generous servings

 

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's Sis Spicy Mexican Sweet Potato Black Bean-2 cups
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	297
Total Fat	2g
Saturated Fat	0.1g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	363mg
Carbohydrate	55.2g
Dietary Fiber	12.8g
Sugars	13.1g
Protein	10.5g
Vitamin A 280% Vitamin C 178% Calcium    12% Iron 24%

 

The Movie:  The Separation 

 

I had never heard about this marvelous Iranian film until it opened in my town this past Friday.

We saw it on Saturday night with 2 other couples & all of us were mesmerized.   Hands-down, this is a "must-see" film.   Powerful, disturbing, painful to watch--with the kind of real-life conundrums that can happen to any family.  Caring for an elderly parent with Alzheimer's, wanting to make a better life for oneself & one's children, being out-of-work, keeping a marriage together when you're bombarded with unresolvable impossible challenges.   And then throw in the strict Iranian legal system and a black and white religious code--well, you can only imagine.

Don't miss this film if it's available where you live.  And if it's not, put it in your Netfilx queue now.  Full disclosure:  It's in Farsi with English subtitles--but, you'll soon not even notice.

 

"Step lightly into "A Separation" if you are caring for an elderly parent, going through a divorce or wrangling for custody of your child.

These painful themes are explored in writer-director Asghar Farhadi's finely crafted drama that has already collected shelf-loads of major film awards (including last night's Best Foreign Language Oscar).

It teems with conflicts involving class, generations, responsibility, mental health and good old-fashioned lying.  In the end, it's all about morality. 

When you're pushed against the wall to the brittle end of your emotions, how do you react? 

'A Separation' ends with a whimper, not a bang, but that is essential to Farhadi's realism.  

How often do life's most challenging situations end neat and clean?"    Clint O'Connor, Plain Dealer Film Critic

 

If you do not see the video trailer on you screen, click here.

 

 

Comments

[Gael in Vermont]

A Separation won best foreign film so I hope it will be available on the big screen in my area. My neighborhood friends walked my "red carpet" into my home last night and each brought a dish reminiscent of one of the nominated films. We had such a great time! I made Hearty Shepherd's Pie with mushrooms and lentils...not that Margaret Thatcher ate shepherd's pie...but we ate plant-strong! Your sister's soup sounds like a must-make! Thanks for sharing, Deb!

[Cherie Perkins]

I love it that our favorite doc's name is becoming a verb. This soup is just like one I make but it's a chowder - instead of the peanut butter try a can of creamed corn and instead of the beans try baked tofu.

[lani]

I had seen A Separation a few weeks ago and thought it very powerful..I actually would like to see the other nominees for foreign film but will have to wait awhile for those, I'm afraid.Going to try your sister's soup this week!Lani

[Marilou Garon]

I too, switched to Teecino! I actually brew it in my stovetop Italien espresso maker. I have to really be careful not to use too much, however, because it brews to a very dark, black espresso! It tastes really good and this, from a "real" coffee fanatic! It's a tad sweet, however, so I find it better to drink it black or with non-sweetened milk. My first try was with sweetened Silk soymilk and that was just too "desserty".

I'll definitely see Separation, but I also urge everyone to also go see Mr. Lhazar. It was the foreign film in nomination from Canada, and filmed in my hometown of Montreal. I'm of course sad we didn't bring home the Oscar... Maybe this soup will give me a bit of comfort! :)

[Anne]

You must also try to see the wonderful Canadian French language film in the same category, "Monsieur Lahzar". It's excellent!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2011971/

[Karen Marie]

@Cherie, thanks for the alternative to PB. I'm not sure how PB will taste in a soup, so would prefer to use corn as you suggested. Otherwise, sounds delicious!

[Sue in Denver]

Hi Healthy Librarian!!
This past weekend, I had the honor of attending a program hosted by my heath guru, Dr Esselstyn, and by the author of the fantastic China Study, Dr. Colin Campbell, at Kripalu in Stockbridge, MA. I was not disappointed! I wanted to let you know that Ann Crile Esselstyn, during her presentaton on Sunday morning, gave a shout out to your blog! The only "downer" of the whole weekend was finding out that caffeine is now on Dr. Esselstyn's list of foods that will damage the endothelial lining. It was not mentioned in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, but I had recently seen it on his website and was hoping that it was a typo! :-) Oh well! I've been thinking about giving it up anyway...From Esselstyn's mouth to my ears! Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Campbell were so gracious--they could not get a moment to themselves--everyone wanted to talk to them--and they both were so kind and accomodating! Anyway, wanted to let you know about your "mention"--and to thank you again for your wonderful blog! Oh--by the way, Dr. Esselstyn did mention that he does not believe in "smoothies"--even the all-vegetable ones. He thinks it's important to CHEW the greens. Since I eat whole greens in addition to my smoothie, I think I will adjust by decreasing the amount of smoothie and increasing the amount of greens that have not been Vita-Mixed, thereby covering all my bases!

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Gael: The Separation will come to VT for sure! Love hearing about your Oscar party & your Shepherd's pie ala Iron Lady. Did you really find a red carpet?

@Cherie: Thanks for the tip about using creamed corn! Never would have thought of that sub for PB. Great idea for baked tofu, too. Care to share your soup recipe? You sound like such an adventurous & creative cook. And thanks for telling us all about teeccino. Yum!

@Lani: glad to hear you saw Separation & also loved it--although not surprised--we have similar film tastes, I think. I also want to see all the nominees. The foreign nominees are always worthwhile films & so different than what Hollywood produces. Maybe I'll just add them now to my Netflix queue & wait.

@Anne & Marilou: Thanks for the recommendation of Mr. Lhazar! I hadn't heard of it! I also got emails from other readers recommending it. I'm so glad you all don't mind when I blog about movies, too--and that many of you appreciate the same ones.

@Sue in Denver: Thanks so much for telling us about the Kripalu weekend! Sounds like it was fantastic. Thrilled that Ann gave HHLL a shout-out---and not at all surprised about Dr. E's mention of no smoothies. I understand where he's coming from--and that's fine. I'm still drinking my very veggie version of them--with no qualms whatsoever. I know how my body feels with them--and without them. Glad you got to meet Ann, Essy & Colin in person. They are all extraordinary, in my opinion!

[Ellen (Gluten Free Diva)]

This soup looks fantastic!!!!!! I can't wait to try it!

[Leslie]

How does Better'N Peanut Butter compare to PB2?
DIL

[Health Librarian]

@Leslie: PB2 is the healthier choice--just defatted peanut flour with a touch of salt & sugar for some flavor. PB2 is half the calories of Better'n Peanut Butter, too--even though BTPB has 85% less fat than real peanut butter. BTPB 2 TBS serving has 55 calories of sweetener & added weird stuff in it, although it's 1/2 the total calories of the real thing.

BTPB: Better'N Butter--85% less fat--it's made with defatted peanut flour & some weird ingredients like tapioca syrup, grain syrup, vegetable glycerine & dehydrated cane juice--2 grams of fat, 2 gr sugar--but it's already mixed up. It's sweetish--I like it in chocolate hummus & to mix into soups that call for peanut butter. The creaminess of it gives a better taste when a recipe calls for peanut butter. But, if you're spreading peanut butter on an English muffin or on a cracker/sandwich--go for PB2--tastes fine, less junk in it, less calories.

PB2 Nutritional Info:

Nutrition facts:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PB2: Powdered Peanut Butter
Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, sugar and salt.
Serving size: 2 Tablespoons (12 grams)
Servings per container: 15
Amount per 2 Tablespoon serving (when mixed with water):
Calories: 45
Calories from fat: 13

Value and % Daily Value*

Total fat 1.5 g 3%
Saturated fat 0 g 0%
Trans fat < 0.01 g
Cholesterol < 0.01 mg 0%
Sodium 94 mg 4%
Total carbohydrate 5 g 2%
Dietary fiber 2 g 8%
Sugars 1 g
Protein 5 g
Vitamin A < 1%
Vitamin C 0%

Calcium <1%
Iron 0%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the Lab Rat would say---that's way more than I wanted to know. Just tell me in 2 words!!

[Leslie]

That was the perfect amount. I wanted the whole run-down. I am certainly not concise when I speak...:)

[Pam Wright]

This soup is fabulous! I think Dr. Esselstyn recommends that people increase greens and decrease grains/ starches if they want to lose weight, so I added green peppers and celery (onions + celery + peppers = the culinary "holy Trinity" in Cajun / Creole cooking), cut the rice to 1 cup. Used PB2.

"Kicked it up a notch" with chipotle chili pepper and smoked paprika. Yowzaa!

[Mike]

I did not change a thing (hard to believe, I know) when making this for my family.
Everyone really like it and used the "keeper" term often. My compliments to your sister
HL.

I may have told a small lie. I added lots of chopped cilantro on top of mine.

[The Healthy Librarian]

@Mike---a supreme compliment coming from you--a master chef--with a picky palate. Glad to hear it was a hit with your family! I'll pass your compliment on to my sister. Love the idea of adding cilantro.

@Pam--glad to hear you also liked it--and great idea to add that holy Trinity. Good to hear that the PB2 worked just fine--much better health choice than the real thing--or Better'n Peanut Butter.

[Mary Martin]

Oh my I love love LOVED this recipe. It was easy and I don't have the defatted PB yet but will get there when I find it but did have to MAKE myself stop eating it. I am forwarding it on to my family and friends Thank you again for all the time effort and love you put into your work. I really appreciate it!