North Woods Bean Soup

[ElinorC]

We though the North Woods Bean soup was very good and the turkey kielbase (I used Hillshire) gave it a lot of added flavor. I used dried beans which I had cooked instead of canned beans since they give us fewer gastrointestinal problems than canned beans but otherwise I followed the recipe. The coleslaw pictured with the soup was also good and very quick to make. The soup and slaw will be repeaters.

I also made the Carmelized Onion Chicken I think that's the correct title and thought it was good but a little sweet. Not a repeater for us.

There's a few other reviews at this thread:
http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?threadid=18915&highlight=North+Woods

[Susan]

Hi Elinor~
Another review...I made the soup and coleslaw tonight. They were a hit! My dds ate every bite put before them! My two year old kept saying, "This is good soup!" I just love to find different ways to use fresh spinach. We'll definitely have these again!

~Susan~

[greysangel]

Another thumbs up for the soup!

It was nice and thick from the pureeing of the beans that you would think it was a potato based soup :) I used collard greens instead of spinach and this worked well. I also doubled the seasonings and garlic and used regular carrots.

A definite repeat and very low in points for you WW folks! 4pts for a cup in a half.

JeAnne

[Susan]

JeAnne~ Thanks for posting that you used collards. I was thinking of trying kale next time or another green. I used regular-sized carrots too. I'm a major bean lover so I may use more beans next time too.

~Susan~

[Julia1Pin]

My DH and I really liked it - and he's not usually a big fan of meat floating in soup :confused: (yes he's wierd).

I came home to discover no white northern beans, sooooo...... I used Kidney Beans. I know it sounds wierd but it's very good. The sausage I used was Chicken apple from Costco and the flavors were wonderful together. I did add some Northwoods Fire blend to it also. I will definately make this again.

[JHolcomb]

This was so good. I used kale instead of spinach and threw everthing in the pressure cooker together for 5 mintues (I like my kale "well done"). It turned out great! Smoky and savory and very hearty. I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

[Deanna]

Would anyone be willing to post the recipe?

I'll be forever grateful...and promise to return the favor!

TIA

d

[SoCal]

If I had the Jan/Feb issue, I would certainly post the recipe for you but , I haven't received my issue yet :( . Sorry! If I get it in the next couple of days and you still need the recipe, I'll be back to post it! Sure sounds like a yummy soup!

[cookingmonkey]

I made this tonight along with the slaw and we loved it. I made a few changes ( of Course :rolleyes: ) I used Sweet Italian Turkey sausage because that's what I had in. I eyeballed the seasoning so there was probably way more than what was called for. I also through in some portabella mushrooms that were on their way to extinction. It was really filling and very tasty. This will be made again in my house.

jennifer

[mmtibbs]

I received my J/F issue last Friday--I'm in North Orange County. Hope yours shows up real soon!

[Laura B]

Here you are, my dear! It's the least I could do after all those Paul Prudhomme recipes you typed up for me (will tackle those soon).

* Exported from MasterCook *

North Woods Bean Soup

Recipe By :Cooking Light Magazine. Jan/Feb 2002. Page: 143.
Serving Size : 5 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Jan/Feb 2002 Soups


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Cooking spray
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and
cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cans (15.8 ounces, each) Great Northern beans,
drained and rinsed
1 bag (6-ounce) fresh baby spinach leaves

1. Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa; saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add the broth, Italian seasoning, pepper, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Place 2 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureed mixture to pan. Simmer an additional 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts. Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1-1/2 cups).




S(Winning Points):
"4 points per serving"

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

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 13 Calories; trace Fat (4.2% calories from fat); trace Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 1mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fat.

NOTES : Pureeing some of the soup lends body to the dish. Stir in fresh spinach after the soup is removed from the heat so it won't overcook and lose its bright color.

Total time: 27 minutes

Quick Tip: Baby carrots work well for fast dinners - they're already peeled, and they cook in a flash.

Winning Points were calculated based on the nutritional information provided in Cooking Light.

Cooking Light Nutritional Information: Calories 227 (15% from fat), Fat 3.9g (1.2g sat), Fiber 6.7g

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[Deanna]

Thank you SO MUCH! I just LOVE SOUP!!!

Deanna

[KValley]

Another thumbs up for this soup! We loved it. I have to admit, though, the thought of pureed turkey kielbasa really grossed me out, so I added the meat after pureeing. Also doubled the garlic and added healthy amounts of Herbes de Provence instead of Italian seasoning (don't have any!).

I made herbed Peasant Bread (found on the BB); with a big salad of greens and veggies, this was a complete and satisfying meal!

[Joyce]

We also loved this soup. I fished the meat out of the mixture before I pureed, since there was not that much of it, and hubby needs meat!

[BarbaraL]

Hi, ElinorC! I can never find canned Great northern beans; only dried. What quantity of dried beans did you substitute for the two cans of beans? Thanks!

[Julia1Pin]

I forgot to add that I added mushrooms also. Very filling and yummy!

[Terrytx]

We liked this also and the Country Apple Colslaw is a new favorite!

[ElinorC]

BarbaraL,
I used half of a 1 pound bag; I think it's 1 1/2 cup dried which makes about 2 generous cups of cooked beans. I soaked them overnight, discarded the soaking water (getting rid of a lot of the sugars that make them gassy) and cooked them till tender (I think about 1 hour).

[YankeeWoman]

I made the soup last night and really enjoyed it. DH thought it was good and noted that we have had great success with CL's soup/stew recipes from the Jan/Feb issue so far. It's great to expand our list of recipes for steaming hot foods for chilly New England nights :D

[catharine]

I was so skeptical about this soup. We eat very little meat, and almost no processed products like sausage or kielbasa. DH questioned: “why did you buy turkey kielbasa if you don’t like kielbasa?” I explained that I was trying to broaden my horizons and that the BB said this soup was good (I am also trying to cook from the current issue, for once).

Even while I was making it I was doubtful – it seemed like too few ingredients to be flavorful. And yet while it was sitting in the bowl ready to eat I was thinking: this is going to be a bland waste of ingredients. . .

However, I am delighted to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the result. Whatta’ you know – the turkey kielbasa was great. Lots of great flavors here – and I get in a bean serving and some veggies. And it was so easy to make. I just might freeze some kielbasa to make this soup again.

I did take Julia1Pin’s advice to add North Woods Fire Spice. It had just arrived in my Penzey’s order the day before. What a good call – thanks Julia!

[Carolina68]

Thanks for all the tips and reviews, I can't wait to make this soup.

[eas11]

....................Even while I was making it I was doubtful – it seemed like too few ingredients to be flavorful. And yet while it was sitting in the bowl ready to eat I was thinking: this is going to be a bland waste of ingredients. . .

However, I am delighted to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the result. Whatta’ you know – the turkey kielbasa was great. Lots of great flavors here – and I get in a bean serving and some veggies. And it was so easy to make. I just might freeze some kielbasa to make this soup again......................



I had the same doubts, and was also suprised how good the soup is. Taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow, yum!

Ellyn

[Lynn B]

Thanks to all for the great reviews... this is definitely in our near future!!! :)

Lynn

[Peggy]

OK...You have all convinced me to give this one a try. I think I will put it on the menu next week. Thanks for the nudge!

Peggy

[lindrusso]

I'm glad this review got bumped up, the soup is on our menu for this weekend. Coincidentally, so is the Caramelized Onion Chicken recipe - I think I'll still give it a go.

And I think I'll do as Julie suggested - pureed meat does not thrill me either! :eek:

[funnybone]

I made both the soup and slaw last night as well, and we enjoyed it. I will definitely make it again at some point. My DH is not a spinach lover and made faces when he saw me put it in. He thought I was adding too much. Well, he commented that the spinach added some extra bulk to the soup and enjoyed it.!!!

[Grace]

I have to add my review. We thought this was a winner. Very delicious, and so easy and fast. I felt rather virtuous eating it, as I don't typically like beans all that much and while I LOVE spinach, I know I don't eat enough leafy greens, so I'm always glad to get some in whenever I can. This goes on the repeater list. I didn't make the cole slaw though, but I really want to. It will be on the menu very soon.

[Ralph]

This was on the menu tonight & was really good. Made it with the slaw as advertised, but I used a 12oz. bag of "Rainbow Salad" mix (broccoli hearts, cauliflower hearts, carrots, red cabbage) since I couldn't find slaw mix today. Will definitely store away for future menus.

[beejayw1]

Made it, loved it, will keep it!

(And I made a double batch because I didn't want to have the kielbasa sitting around the house, so I'll be taking it into the office tomorrow for lunch!)

[Peggy]

Excellent soup recipe! We had it tonight and it is definately a keeper. Didn't have quite as good of luck with the cole slaw. First I used the wrong disc in my food processor and the cabbage came out in very thin shreads. Must have been distracted. I like the apples and raisins in it. It was just a little on the vinegary side for my tastes.

Peggy

[SQ]

The soup was great. As for the pureeing, I just pureed over 1/2 the beans before adding to the soup and it came out great. Also, threw in a few leaves of fresh kale and then had to supplement w/about 5 oz. of frozen spinach. (Thought I had more kale at home than I actually did). It was a big hit.

However, the apple slaw received mixed reviews. Eventhought I cut the sugar way down (and halved the raisins) it was still too sweet.

[Linda in MO]

I made this last night and we loved it! I didn't think my 6 yr. old would eat it, but he gobbled it up. I had to use turkey smoked sausage because I couldn't find kielbasa, and I used a 1/2 a box (5 oz.) of frozen spinach I had up in the freezer. I just thawed and drained it and added it at the end. It worked out great. I was also a little generous with the Italian seasoning. This had a lot of flavor and was filling and satisfying.

I also made the Country Apple Coleslaw and we really liked it. My 5 yr. old wouldn't eat it, but I dipped some of the apples out for my 17 mo. old and he liked them. I didn't have very high hopes for this, but I was pleasantly surprised. I shredded my own cabbage and carrots and wasn't sure how much to use, so I made 1 1/2 times the dressing. Now my microwave smells like vinegar! :eek:

[HUNGRY!]

I'm just bumping this up because I loved this soup! I made it this weekend for dinner guests and we all loved it. I added penzey's northwoods seasoning too (not fire, just regular) because I figured the names matched so it would probably taste good.

I served it with the cauliflower olive and sun dried tomato salad (j/F 02). I didn't puree anything like the recipe said because I didn't know if my guests liked olives and I wanted them to have the option of eating around them. I liked this one too; very simple but good and different from the usual salad. I am eating the leftovers for lunch today.

[lindrusso]

We tried this one and really liked it. My husband turned his nose up at the recipe, but I made him try it anyway and he liked it! Good thing I'm the one choosing the recipes - who knows what we'd miss out on! :)

[RebeccaT]

Finally got around to trying this yesterday, and we loved it! Actually, I loved it more than DH, who had to add Tabasco to get the heat he requires. I used Hillshire Farms Lite Smoked Sausage, which we prefer to the keilbasa, and it was so flavorful! I also used more seasoning and garlic than was called for - since, after all, more is more!

Made the Country Apple Coleslaw to go with it as well, and I really liked it. I was out of raisins, so I substituted Orange Craisins (sweetened dried cranberries) and they were SOOO good! I might use a bit more vinegar next time to give it a bit more tang, but we thought this was a definite keeper.

[Mamasue]

I made this soup today for lunches during the week. It is so yummy and quick to make. I added a couple stalks of celery (diced) and used a 48 ounce can of chicken broth because I had a large can and didn't want to store another 1 1/2 cups in the frig. I will be adding this to my favorites file! :) I bet that this would also be good with chicken sausages.

[rosen]

Even though this thread is getting a little long...I want to add that this soup is SO wonderful. I have made it a half dozen times & altered it a little every time w/ consistently great results. With the last batch I opened a third can of Northern Beans, drained & rinsed them & then pureed them w/ just a ladle full of the soup broth. This worked out really well & will do this all the time in the future!
Also wanted to let everyone know that this freezes really well. The beans don't get mushy....not that it would matter much....since that would just help the soup get even thicker.

[CindyWeightWatcher]

We loved this soup, my DH continues to request it!
I also could not find canned great northern beans
so I used cannelli beans instead. It was a substitute
I found on the foodsubs.com list (a site recommended
on the Board).

[islandgirl]

Cindy WeightWatcher,

I found the great northern beans in the soul food section at the Stop and Shop here on Nantucket, which is no way a "super"-sized store, so I'm pretty confident that they would have them at a Stop and Shop near you. The soul food section here is actually right next to the canned bean section, so take a look the next time you're shopping. I now pick up a few cans on every shopping trip so I can make this soup whenever I want!

[eas11]

Cindy, look in the International food isle, where the Latin food is. Goya makes them. I've bought them at Stop & Shop and Shaws.
Ellyn

[CindyWeightWatcher]

Great, I'll take another look. Thanks for the info.

[BarbaraL]

Like CindyWeightWatcher, I haven't been able to find canned great Northern beans either. For one recipe, I used some other white bean I could find in a can; for another, I used dried great Northern beans and soaked them overnight. Both worked fine, but I'll keep looking. Maybe like the elusive chipotle peppers in adobo, they'll eventually materialize in the grocery store!

[funnybone]

Just bumping this up because I KNEW the recipe looked familiar. I picked up the Simple Suppers edition and saw it there on page 22. I'll be making this again tonight - and hopefully will enjoy it as we did the first time.

[Linda in MO]

This is one of my 7 yr. olds favorite soups (mine too for that matter). He LOVES it, so I make it quite a bit. I always serve it with Jiffy corn muffins. Yum!

[Deanna]

I just used five cans of great northern beans for the contessa's white bean-rosemary soup. I think they were Bush's beans, I'll check in a bit. But they should be available nationally.

d

P.S. This soup (North Woods) is FABU!

editing to say the great northern beans are 'Allen's' brand

[chefjon]

DW and I had this as leftovers last night and both times, loved it. It's a great hearty, cool/cold weather soup. I couldn't find great northern beans, and subbed white kidney beans instead. I don't think it affected the nutritional analysis. I also added one canned chipotle in adobo sauce. It gave it a nice kick on first serving, and even nicer when re-heated. Definitely on the favorite soups list now.

[Linda in MO]

Originally posted by chefjon
I also added one canned chipotle in adobo sauce.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention I always add some Penzey's chipotle powder to this soup. Yum!

[sunberst]

fab!

1/2 bag of fresh baby spinach (i think the fresh is a must here), double the spices & garlic & 3 trader joe's jalapeno chicken sausage links.

i pureed 1 1/2 cups of the soup mixture & had no problem pureeing in some of the sausage! sure pureed meat sounds gross, but that is just a mental thing. it tasted great. and since my sausage was jalapeno chicken, it helped distribute the spicy jalapeno flavor throughout the broth.

this soup also looked beautiful. the fresh spinach was vibrant & the consistancy of the broth was perfect- not too think not too thin. gorgeous white beans nestled in next to pieces of chicken sausage & pretty orange carrots. just loved this soup.

['lil cooker]

A big thumbs up!
This soup was GREAT - I made an "almost vegetarian" version. I used 6 oz. of Soyrizo, added @ 1/2 tsp. of Northwoods Fire Seasoning (which was not necessary - the Soyrizo gave plenty of "kick") and cooked my own dried beans. I measured out 3 cups of cooked beans, and used the bean broth instead of the chicken broth (only had to add @ 1/4 cup of extra water). I cooked the beans according to "Beans with Aromatics" (my usual way to cook white beans)from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I added 2 tsp. of Penzey's Chicken soup base, but the Knorr Vegetable Cubes would probably work great for a completely vegetarian meal.

An interesting note - the soup was spicier the next day! Seems the Soyrizo went to work overnite, infusing the soup with lots of heat. I will make this again, and again, and again.... kiddos were not totally enthralled but they did eat it! Served with the Prairie Fields Soy and Wheat Bread (Jan/Feb 04).