Here’s To A Warm Stormy Night In

Hurricane season is still going on here in Florida. Even though it isn’t going to hit us directly, we are still getting rainy weather from it. It’s in those nights that having a hot bowl of a hearty bean soup with fresh baked Italian bread or a piece of gluten-free bread would be nice.

Now this isn’t just a cannellini bean soup, this one has seaweed in it. I couldn’t resist. I love Asian ingredients – mostly Korean and Japanese. I tend to eat seaweed often. However, being acne prone it isn’t a great thing to do. Still, it’s difficult to resist. Seaweed is so versatile that it can be used in multiple ways. We know that kombu is often used in beans, yet I use nori, wakame, or even miyeok. Miyeok is used for birthday soup. Yum!

Usually when you make a bean soup, some kind of green leafy vegetable is used, like kale, mustard greens, or collard greens. Yet because I love seaweed, I thought it would work better and give it a salty aspect without having to add any as well as adding that extra special Asian feel. I also add a touch of gochujang. Always adding a little Korean to the dish in some way. I love Korean flavors. It’s a part of me. Which is strange considering I’m not Korean. Between the creaminess of the beans, the slight saltiness of the sea vegetables, and the kick from the gochujang; it’s pure heaven. Eating is Heaven. – Korean Proverb