Tonight’s recipe and accompanying bible verse come from The Book of Deuteronomy.

It is a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity – where you will not lack for anything; a land whose stones are iron, and from whose mountains you will quarry copper. Deuteronomy 8:9

Rena references the Babylonian Talmud during her bible study. It suggests that the reference to “stones of iron” is a metaphor for those who will build the land. According to the Talmud “any scholar who is not as tough as iron is not a scholar.” Those building Israel are its scholars – requiring a strong will and a strong faith.

It is important to remember during the journey of Lent to be “tough as iron” in keeping your Lenten promise, in resisting temptation, and in enriching your belief.

To accompany a verse on iron, Rena created a black bean soup as black beans are rich in iron. I halved her recipe as I only need to feed two of us. If you want to make this a completely vegetarian one-pot dinner simply substitute vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock. Rena suggests pureeing the soup to a desired consistency, I omitted this step.

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, undrained
• 1 can (15 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/4 C chicken broth

Steps:

1. In a pot saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook until onion is tender. Add beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Serve with crusty bread. And provide shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for topping, if desired.

*This recipe is adapted from Eating the Bible by Rena Rossner*

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