Black Bean Soup

Hi Y'all.  Let me tell you... I love some black beans.  I even grew some on the garden a few years back and have already bought some new seed beans for this year.  This soup is actually made from canned black beans but you know it's not really a problem, with the proper equipment, to can them yourself in an afternoon.  Then you would have lots of jars to go to.  But they are pretty cheap in the grocery.  I prefer the organic kind and let me give you a tip... if you drain and rise the beans you will cut down on the flatulence dramatically.  If that's a problem for you.  I know when the word "beans" is brought up in certain circles, facial expressions can change in an instant.  That trick would probably work on any canned bean and it is well worth a try and the time and effort.  Here's a hearty and lovely winter time black bean soup recipe for you.  I don't have an end result picture as I got a little too excited and was hungry... both times I made it.  :)

Some ingredients are not pictured.  Like the garlic or the broth, or the carrots because I picked them out of the bag of frozen veggies that time.  I also added leftover chicken the the first batch.

The soup actually doesn't stay this color.  Once the black beans get cooked in good the soup gets darker.  I served ours with cheese quesadillas and another day with tortilla chips.  I froze the left overs to have for lunch.  Also you can use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for a more vegan approach.  

Here are a few other black bean dishes I've shared in the past.

Black Beans and Rice

Black Bean Delish Side Dish

Canning Dried Beans

Cowgirl Veggie Burritos

On The Menu

On The Menu: Comfort food.  Sometimes there's just nothing better.  A warm bowl of soup or chili to warm you from the inside out is all you need after coming in from the cold.  These two recipes are for sure on our menu for the next couple of weeks.  Shaun's not a bug soup person so I have to spread the time between recipes.  The black bean soup, I have already thought, would be perfect for lunch with maybe a green salad or quesadillas. Yum!

As always, click on the picture or the title of the recipe to be directed right to the source.

Chicken & White Bean Chili

Photo and Recipe Credit: thewaytohisheartblog.com                       

Easy Black Bean Soup

Photo and Recipe Credit: abeautifulmess.com                                  

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Photo and Recipe Credit: thepioneerwoman.com    

Monday Night Minestrone

Photo and Recipe Credit: me! peppysis.blogspot.com    

On The Menu

On The Menu is a new series that I am test driving.  I thought of it at the grocery when I found asparagus on sale for ninety nine cents a pound or bundle and instantly had a brilliant asparagus soup recipe pop into my head that led me over to get some heavy cream.  I tried to make my new topics easy enough for me.  This one is especially because I love to grocery shop, and cook and bake, and always have a plan in mind of a certain dish to hit our table.  This is where the blog comes in and the opportunity to share with you what I am so excited about making.  Lucky for me Shaun is a very willing participant when I am trying new recipes... except for the green smoothies... he's not really into that.  Here are two recipes that will be On The Menu at our house this week.

Asparagus Soup

Photo credit: from the blog Manger by Mimi Thorisson

I love asparagus.  I mainly like to prepare it along side a fish dish with rice until I found Mimi Thorisson's recipe on her blog Manger.  I adore her blog with it's stories and pictures and fabulous food and recipes.  She also has a new cookbook out that I am currently waiting for at the library.  The first time I made this soup... number one I made a mess trying to use my old blender and number two I also made big fat parmesan croutons to go with the soup and had some scrumptious venison summer sausage slices too.  With our outdoor temperatures dropping significantly this week this soup will be perfect to warm us up inside.

Peach Ginger Kale Protein Smoothie

Posted by fp Julia on Free People Bldg 25 blog

I will tell you this... it just took me forever to find the smoothie recipe floating back through my pc history for the last two days.  I knew I should have bookmarked it!  I knew it was before I went to the grocery store Saturday morning because I made a mental scan through the ingredients I had on hand and the ones I needed to pick up.  I love smoothies... especially green ones.  Remember my very own favorite green smoothie?  I don't make it as often as I'd like to mainly because the price of avocados goes out the roof when they aren't in season.  Right now they are about a dollar twenty five a piece.  But you can always get kale and frozen peaches.  The hemp I didn't have but a quick trot in the health food store helped me out.  I didn't get the powder... just the seeds.  I like to use them in my granola bars and on my breakfast toast and figured the blender would chop them up anyway.  

It's going to be a good week in the kitchen here!  

end of the week soup

Since it's getting colder out, since we have left over veggies and since I really do enjoy soup, for the last few weeks I have been totally taking advantage of the three and making soup for lunch on Thursdays at the day care.  Until today I was the only one enjoying it.  I usually only make a small amount for myself but when the kids saw me dipping my grilled cheese sandwich in my bowl they got curious and wanted to try.

I tell you, when I was introduced to minestrone soup my life changed.  Tomato based soup with basil accents and pasta floating not to mention vegetables swimming around is heaven in a bowl to me.  When I make green beans, mixed veggies or carrots as a side at lunchtime for the kids there is generally some left.  I would much rather throw them in a pot and gobble up the nutrients than throw them away.

My soup here consisted of about 1/4 cup tomato juice, 1/4 cup left over pizza sauce, 1/8 cup green beans, 1/8 cup mixed veggies, some garden zucchini  1 cup or more of water and 1/4 cup macaroni.  Bring it to a boil before adding the pasta and stir like crazy once you add it.  Mine always wants to stick to the bottom for a reason that I have yet to figure out.  This makes enough for me to have for lunch and sometimes enough to freeze half for a different day.  Who knows... looks like I will be sharing it more!

recipes i want to try

I have been craving some really odd foods lately.  Not odd to everyone, just to my normal or "used to" diet.

1.  This Pizza Bread by Tidymom.net looks fantastic!   Although I would probably leave the chicken out for me.  I am in need of a baking stone.  I broke my stone from Pampered Chef some years ago and am wanting a new one with all the bread baking lately.

2.  The Ultimate Leaning Bellini from Macaroni Grill is one of my favorites.  I have to try this recipe especially since I have my new Vitamix in my hands!

3.  I had my first falafel burger at the Pharmacy in Nashville not long ago and have been looking at recipes to make my own ever since.  This recipe for falafel from Gourmandelle looks easy and very good!

4.  This winter has been a long and cold one it seems and soup has been on the menu in our house quite a bit.  This lentil soup from The First Mess seems very rich and divine tasting that I cannot wait to make it soon.  And it will be soon because Spring is on it's way... yay!

Hey you guys... I also found a daily food journal that is pretty cool that I am going to try myself and thought I would share it with you as well.  I like that I can log what I eat, glasses of recommended daily water and exercise which I badly need to begin again.  

I found the food journal at ThirtyHandmadeDays and just love it.

BTW, Happy Birthday to my sister Marty!!!

Monday Night Minestrone

It's a big change from my old Monday night routine of a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich with potato chips and a dill pickle spear to go along with the Antiques Roadshow.  Not that Shaun minds that yummy combination for a Monday night meal which was my forever go-to when I was a single gal!  Seriously, he said that I was going to turn into a bacon, egg and cheese if I wasn't careful.  Monday nights have definately taken a turn in especially in the last several weeks since I discovered this delicious concoction. 

After trying some of the best soup I'd tasted in a while, I came up with my own version that in my opinion may just have it beat!  Gee whiz the smell coming from the kitchen with his soup is fantastic and paired with a simple grilled cheese sandwich it makes for a perfect and quick Monday night meal.

The following recipe is based on what I used that I had on hand.  I use pasta sauce and tomatoes that I canned last year.  The pasta sauce is purposely pretty chunky with tomatoes and I love it!  It's also a great chance to use frozen vegetables that have been laying around in the freezer for who knows how long. 

I also used basil that I froze last year from the garden.  It's so simple to do and handy to have.  You just chop it up fresh, place it by the tablespoonful in ice cube freezer trays, top with water and freeze.  Once they are frozen just pop them out and put them in freezer bags to use whenever a recipe calls for fresh basil.  Fantastic in soups like this one!

Monday Night Minestrone
1 medium sized can spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce
1 large can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 chicken bullion cubes, or 2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 chopped onion
1 bag mixed vegetables such as a bag of frozen carrots, celery and onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup each zucchini and squash (from the garden last year)
3/4 cup macaroni noodles, uncooked

In a large pot combine the first 8 ingredients, bring to a boil and let cook for 20 minutes.  Add zucchini, squash and noodles.  Cook for 10 to 15 minutes more stirring often to prevent noodles from sticking to the bottom. 

Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese on top and a grilled cheese sandwich on the side.  Absolutely scrump and lucky for me it goes perfect with my Antiques Roadshow!

Maybe sometime I will figure out how I can link the recipe to where it can be printed easily!  Now wouldn't that be handy for ya!