Each day during Lent, Ave Maria Press will be posting soup recipes and Lenten reflections from our Lenten prayer books here on the Ave Maria Press website. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more inspiration.
Lenten Reflection
From The Ascent of the Mountain of God:
A hanger for a coat, shirt or blouse is useful because of its triangular shape. Likewise, every good spirituality is three-sided. One side of such a fruitful spirituality is morality, which involves the keeping of the commandments. The second side is our prayer and worship life. The third side is an active awareness and involvement in the work of building justice and peace.
Vegetable Four-Bean Chili
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup onions, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup carrots, cut into 1/2 cubes
3/4 cup zucchini, halved and sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 54 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 12 ounce beer
1 teaspoon salt
1 10 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly
1 5 ounce can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 5 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
Preparation
Heat oil in a heavy kettle over medium heat. Add onion, green pepper and garlic; sauté until onion is softened.
Add carrots, cover and cook 5 minutes.
Add zucchini, chili powder, oregano and cumin; sauté 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, beer and salt. Bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
Stir in all beans. Simmer, stirring carefully, until heated through.
Commentary
This recipe is one that we prepare during lent at Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, South Dakota; a Benedictine women’s community. During Lent, the Sisters have a meat-free Wednesday as well as Friday. Wednesday evening meal is typically kept light with a hearty soup, bread, cheese, relishes, yogurt and fruit.
Submitted by Ken.
