Smoky Chipotle Black Bean Soup

The idea for this soup came from a similar soup that they serve at Whole Foods Market. As you all know, Stella loves anything that contains beans, and she's developed a taste for the spicy as well. She loves this soup from WFM, and of course was thrilled to have it prepared for her at home!!

Smoky Chipotle Black Bean Soup

2 cups dried black beans

1 Tbs Cumin

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

2 Tbs olive oil

1/2 cup onion, roughly diced

1/4 cup celery, roughly diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped

2 Tbs adobo sauce

4 cups vegetable stock

Rinse beans, cover with water and soak for 8 hours, or over night. When ready to prepare soup, drain beans. In medium sized soup pot add soaked beans, cumin, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook beans for 30-45 minutes, or until done. In meantime, heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add onion and celery, and saute until beginning to brown. Add garlic, stir and cook a minute more. Add chipotles, adobo sauce and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. When beans are cooked pour beans with their cooking liquid into soup pot, stir to combine, then puree with a hand blender (or in batches in your food processor). Serve with a dollop of Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, and a few avocado slices.

Black Bean Burgers

With all of the money spent for the Easter weekend cooking extravaganza, I hesitate to go back to the store for groceries for this week. I spent nearly a weeks worth of grocery money just buying food for the weekend. With the exception of going to the store to buy some fresh fruit and veg, this week's meals are coming from whatever I have on hand, so don't expect anything too exciting.

Last night we had black bean burgers. I had gotten the recipe from V-con a few weeks ago, and this recipe is loosely based on that. I had some mashed potatoes left from Saturday night's dinner so I chopped up some scallions, red pepper and garlic and turned those into hash browns to accompany the burgers. And of course, our ever present side of broccoli (it's the only thing green, aside from avocado, that my kids will eat).

Rob and I both concurred that the burgers were good, but slightly lacking in flavor. However, these burgers were devoured by the kids (and Mairin despises beans), so I hesitate to spice up the recipe any. I've decided that my kids just don't like "big" flavors. I hope it's just a phase, as "big" flavors are served quite frequently here. I'll share the recipe below, but you'll likely want to spice it up a bit to suit your tastes. A little chili powder and possibly some lime juice would do nicely.

Black Bean Burgers

2 cups black beans, mashed

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1/3 cup Fire Roasted Salsa

1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, kneading until wheat gluten is incorporated and a stringy texture forms. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Form burger mixture into 6 patties. Brown patties on both side. Patties will be firm to the touch when finished.

I served our patties topped with salsa and avocado slices. They would also be good stuffed inside pita bread with lettuce, tomato, avocado and salsa. Really I think the possibilities are endless with this recipe.

Enchiladas

Tonight I made the enchiladas that I blogged about last week.....you remember, the one's that my pictures were so embarrassingly bad I couldn't even post them!! These were the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas from Vegan Planet. Yes, you read that correctly, I said sweet potato. Seems that sweet potatoes have been popping up in all kinds of strange places lately, from chili to quesadillas, and now they appear in enchiladas.

This is the second time in two weeks that we've had this dish, these things are crazy good!! It's a filling of roasted sweet potato, black beans, diced tomatoes, and some sauteed garlic and onion. All that spiced up with some chili powder (and according to the recipe a diced jalapeno, which I've omitted both times, and they've had plenty of spice). You just wrap all that filling up in a tortilla, top it with some salsa (the recipe calls for homemade, but being February there's a lack of fresh produce around, so I just used some jarred salsa), and bake it for about 20 minutes. Did I mention that these are GOOOOD??

The sweet potato is such a unique flavor in a Mexican dish. It adds such a nice depth of flavor that I really can't describe. Until fairly recently I've always thought of sweet potatoes as a "sweet" dish, topped with brown sugar, cinnamon, etc. Over the past few months I've learned that sweet potato adds so much to savory dishes. I expect you'll see the tuber appearing frequently in the cold weather months around here.

Tonight we had our enchiladas served on top of some Spanish style rice I threw together, and topped with some avocado slices. We also had a side of steamed asparagus that had just a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on it. For the rice, I just cooked up some brown rice in the rice cooker. When the rice was almost finished I sauteed half a medium onion, and one large clove of garlic in some olive oil. To the veggies I added about 2 tsp chili powder and an equal amount of ground cumin, and heated it up until it was fragrant. Then, I added in the almost cooked rice and sauteed that a bit. Once the rice was starting to brown I added in the juice from the diced tomatoes I used in the enchiladas, about 1 cup of water, and about 1 Tbs of tomato paste. I stirred it all up real good, brought it to a boil, then reduced the heat, covered and simmered until the liquid had evaporated and the rice was tender. This was one of the most delicious Spanish style rice dishes I've had.

Spicy Black Beans 'n Rice

Before we get to tonight's dinner, let's go back to the Thai fried rice from last night. If you are going to make this recipe, make sure you have left-overs. I warmed up the extras for lunch today. This rice is even more tasty the second day (actually, I ate some of the left-overs cold, and they were mighty tasty that way as well).

OK, on to tonight. Inspired by the Dalai Mama's Beans n' Cornbread, I made spicy black beans 'n rice. I had planned to make cornbread to go with it as well, but again, as I was getting my stuff together this morning to get organized for dinner I realized that I was out of canola oil. This was apparently a bad organizational week for me. I have no idea how I overlooked that I was missing ingredients for two planned meals. Well, with only olive oil on hand, I had to scratch the plans for cornbread.....don't think it'd taste quite the same with olive oil, ya know??

This was a very delicious, very flavorful meal. And also very quick and easy. Mairin will only touch beans if she doesn't know she's eating them, which wasn't the case with this. So, this meal was a no go for her. I served Stella beans 'n rice, only I dished out her beans before I mixed 'em in with the good stuff!! Rob and I both enjoyed the meal, although, I think it could have been a little less spicy......I'd definitely reduce the amount of cayenne next time. Rob, on the other hand liked it how it was. I served it over some steamed medium grain brown rice, although you could use any rice you have on hand.

Spicy Black Beans

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes

6 cups cooked black beans, drained

3 Tbs ground cumin

1 Tbs smoky paprika

1 Tbs cayenne (this is how much I used, I suggest less, unless you like a lot of spice)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat 2 Tbs EVOO over medium-high heat. Add onions and green pepper and saute until beginning to soften. Add garlic and saute for a minute more. Add undrained tomatoes, beans, and spices. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve over rice.

South of the Border

It seems that all of my posts recently have been a day behind. I can't seem to find the time to do everything in the evening before I'm ready to crash (although last night I didn't really do much of anything unless you count laying on the couch watching Gray's Anatomy as doing something!!). Maybe I'll get better about posting about my food on the day we actually ate it, maybe I won't, who knows.

Last night we had a little south of the border inspired dinner; black bean quesadillas, cilantro lime rice, home made guacamole, and store bought tortilla chips.

Quesadillas are always my go-to dinner when I'm pressed for time, and well, because of my aforementioned date with my couch for some Gray's, I was pressed for time last night!! For the rice, I used white jasmine rice because it was what I had in the pantry. I cooked it in the rice cooker, and when it was finished, squeezed in the juice of 2 limes, the zest of one lime, about 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro, and some salt to taste. I also went ahead and threw in the squeezed limes, put the lid back on the rice cooker and let the rice continue to steam with the limes in there. This rice is out of this world!! We decided last night that it would also be good as the base for a Thai curry (note to self, Thai curry on the menu for next week). The quesadillas were just store bought tortillas, some smashed black beans, a little diced onion, a little diced tomato and a sprinkle of cilantro. The guac I've blogged about before, and you can find my recipe on that post.

While it wasn't much, it was an extremely satisfying meal that we all enjoyed.

Bean and Corn Tortilla Lasagna

Last night we had my dad and step mom over for dinner so they could visit with the girls before we leave on our Holiday Vacation. I decided to make a repeat of a meal we had a few weeks ago, Bean and Corn Tortilla Lasagna, from ED&bV. Rob loved this dish when I made it before, so I knew it was a satisfying vegetarian option for the meat eaters. My dad and Sandy both loved the dish, and as far as I know, they didn't even miss the meat. You may recall from last time that I had changed the recipe slightly to make it in a smaller casserole dish. Well, this time I followed the recipe exactly, and to be honest I think Rob and I liked it better last time. Stella again gobbled hers up like the little piggy she is. Mairin was a little more hesitant, and in the end, ate Weetabix for dinner (again!!).



To go along with the lasagna I made a fresh guacamole. For this I use one ripe avocado, smashed. Sprinkle with a tad of sea salt, and squeeze half a lime over it. Mix in one chopped roma tomato, half a small onion diced very small and a handful of cilantro leaves and stems chopped. When the dish is intended for adults only I add in one jalapeno pepper also diced small. Knowing that the girls would be eating the guac last night, I left the jalapeno out. I also served some tomatillo salsa from Whole Foods Market along with the guac and chips.

Lastly, and un-food related, I just wanted to share the view out my kitchen door (I wish I'd taken it about 2 days ago though before the wind came and blew off half the leaves). I often look out onto my back-yard while I am cooking and think of how fortunate I am. The trees are lovely in fall (they are lovely in the summer too, but the fall colors are just spectacular). We are blessed with such a beautiful home and beautiful surroundings, and I just felt like sharing..........thanks Rob!!

Lazy Sunday Morning Becomes Lazy Sunday Evening

Well, the slow and lazy morning became afternoon, and then it became evening. Yep, it was a full day of lazy. At 5pm we finally decided we should take our pajamas off and go outside for awhile. So, we threw on some clothes and caps and hauled our butts outside. We took a walk and played on the swings for awhile before coming in to make dinner.

Again, dinner came from ED&BV (and I promise to lay off of it for awhile after this, my next 3 days of meal plans do not involve opening this book!!). Tonight we had Bean and Corn Tortilla Lasagna with Avocado. I changed the recipe slightly because we didn't need a 9x13 sized dish of this for just the 4 of us. So, I halved the amount of tomato sauce used, halved all of the spices, but kept the original amount of garlic, beans and avocado, then assembled it in a small Corningware dish. I didn't measure the amount of corn I used, I just sprinkled some on until I thought it looked right. I also didn't measure the amount of cheese I used, again, just sprinkled it on until it looked right (by the way, I subbed shredded cheddar jack for the vegan cheese). Then I baked at 400 until the cheese was melted and bubbly.

It was incredibly easy to make and tasted fantastic! Rob claimed to not be hungry prior to dinner, but somehow managed to eat 2 pieces of this lasagna (go figure). Stella didn't approve upon first try, but eventually decided that she loved it and couldn't get enough. Mairin flat out refused to eat hers. But when faced with the possibility of getting a cupcake for dessert she quickly decided that she'd eat it, and lo and behold, she even liked it (oh, the wonders of bribery!!)

This is definately one for all of you meat eaters to try. It's going on my list of meals to make when my non-veg friends come over (wait, I guess I mean when anyone comes over, as I don't actually have any veg friends.......except you HM-D, but I don't expect you guys to be over for dinner anytime soon, although we'd love to have you!!)

A Nice Evening for a Bowl of Chili, and a Bonfire

It was cold today. And worse than that, it was cold and gray. It was truly a stereotypical fall day. It was a perfect day for a bowl (or 2) of chili. We'd been invited to a Halloween/Fall party and bonfire and we were to bring a dish to share. Chili was what I brought to share.

I make a Vegetable 3-Bean Chili. It's my adaptation of a recipe that I got off of a Rachael Ray episode. I know how a lot of my fellow bloggers feel about RR, but I like her. Granted she doesn't make a lot of vegetarian friendly meals, but she does inspire a lot of people to cook at home (and remember, I'm just recently vegetarian, so I myself have made a lot of her meals). And she's just so darn personable. I mean, when you watch her on t.v. she feels like someone you went to high school with or something, ya know?

Anyway, I don't know the exact recipe (I've been making it so long I kind of know it by heart now), and I don't have exact measurements because I basically just make it by taste, but here's a pretty close guesstimate:

2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or EVOO in Rachael Ray speak)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper (or hot pepper of your choice), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced.
sea salt
1 Tbs ground cumin
2 Tbs chili powder (plus more to taste)
5 cups vegetable stock
2 cups cooked kidney beans
2 cups cooked black beans
1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 can vegetarian refried beans

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Saute peppers, onion and garlic until vegetables begin to soften. Season with salt, cumin and chili powder and cook for about a minute more. Deglaze pot with vegetable stock. Then add in kidney beans, black beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Let simmer for awhile (I don't really know how long, just until you are about ready to eat I guess). Stir in 1 can of refried beans to thicken chili. Taste and season accordingly with more chili powder and/or salt.

Since we aren't vegan we like to eat ours with a dollop of sour cream and a little sprinkling of cheddar cheese. I also add in some chopped cilantro leaves when I have them.


I also made the Chipotle Lime 2-Bean Hummus from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan to bring along and share. I let Rob have a sample after I whirled it up in the food processor, and he couldn't stop eating it. It really did turn out delicious, and we have plenty left over (I made a double batch) to snack on tomorrow. I think next time I will add slightly more chipotle hot sauce, but other than that, it was perfect. We dipped tortilla chips in it, but we're going to be trying it very soon as a burrito filling.

Black Bean Pizza

Tonight was a throw-back to our college days. While attending IU Bloomington Rob and I ate A LOT of pizza! Tonight I made my re-creation of Cuban Black Bean pizza from Aver's Gourmet Pizza. I've been making my own pizza crusts for quite some time now, and it's always so time consuming.......all the kneading and waiting and kneading and waiting. So, the past few times we've had pizza I've made the dough in the bread machine. I'll never go back to making the dough by hand. We still get the same great, satisfying taste of homemade pizza crust without the work. I've been using a recipe that was on the back of a yeast packet, but I'm in search of a whole wheat version for the bread machine if anyone has one they want to share.

So, to make the pizza, I topped the dough with cilantro pesto. Layered with with black beans, shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced roma tomatoes, sliced onions and a few pepperoncini rings. I can't really give you much of a recipe, as I didn't measure anything, but I can give you the method and you can create your own from there.

For the pesto I just threw one bunch of cilantro, about 1/4 cup of pine nuts, and 2 cloves of garlic in the food processor. Chopped it up really fine then with the machine running, drizzled in olive oil until it looked the right consistency. I smeared this over the dough then layered with black beans. Again, I can't tell you an amount, but it was about a cup of beans. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella, add tomatoes, onions and peppers and bake at 425 for about 10-15 minutes.

This pizza is delicious, and you have to try it. It wasn't exactly like Aver's but it was pretty close.