How to handle black beans

 

I love it when a whim turns into something great. I had a few cans of black beans one winter day and felt like making the usual black beans and rice was just not enough. 

Nope. Not on this particular day. 

What we needed around here was some soup. Steamy, smokey and flavor packed.

See the recipe below.

It's cold. We need soup.

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Some ridiculous things happened this week. The temperature dropped to 5 degrees, all the schools and many businesses closed. There was no snow, but the metro-Atlanta area did observe a few cold days.

I still have no idea what 5 degrees feels like. I didn't participate. I too, a native Floridian, paid my respect to the Hawk by staying at home. But what I do know is that the occasion called for some soup. Good soup.

My favorite is the Zuppa Toscana from the Olive Garden restaurant chain. But as previously discussed, I was not going outside. The good news is: Google. People of the internet have figured out the recipe and shared it with the world!

Below is my version.

Soup is ON

Fall is in full effect. My air conditioner has officially gone into her off season.
There's no need for the heat just yet either.

Now is the right time to get extra cuddly, wear fluffy socks around the house and long pajamas. Those twins Fleece & Flannel have come out of hibernation, where they were resting in a bin with the scarves and sweaters in the back of the closet.

But I digress. Soup, that's what we're here for. This weather requires it. Warms you right up.

This combination of white beans, kale and a few extras hit the spot. And it's so quick and easy

Ingredients
** 1 package (4 to 5 links) Italian Sausage chopped (optional)
1 can Diced Tomatoes
2 cans Navy Beans
1 Onion
1 bunch of Kale
Mushrooms
1 cups water
2 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 tbsp olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes

Cook your sausage in a separate pan if you plan to include any. Shrimp is another good protein for this soup if you don't care for sausage.

Pour olive oil in the bottom of the pot, when it's heated add our onions and chopped up kale, and saute until the onions are translucent. Add broth and water, let simmer. Rinse and drain your beans then add to the pot along with the tomatoes. Simmer and season with spices. Finally add your protein of choice, or none at all. It's great without the meat too.

Enjoy.

Ode to Mushrooms

It began with the truffle oil that I practically stole from Mashalls. They had it priced at $5.99.  When I saw it my pulse quickened and my heart leaped for joy. It was a mere $5.99! This stuff is usually at least $20 for a few ounces, which is why I've never, ever purchased any. I love the stuff though. It is the essence of mushrooms. What could be better?

Truffle oil is made from truffles (not the chocolate kind but the fungus). They're relatives of the mushroom, the siddity side of the family. These fungi grow slightly submerged in the dirt so they're hard to find, which explains the high price for actual truffles and the oil. They have an earthy and rich flavor. I used the oil to make the savory pastries above and a soup.

Mushroom Cup Recipe

Ingredients

Sandwich Bread

Onions

Baby Portobello Mushrooms (or any you can get)

Cheese (Parmesan, Provolone, whatever you like)

Truffle Oil

1. Take some sandwich bread and roll it flat with a roller.

2. Stuff it into the slots on a muffin tin set aside

3. Dice up some mushrooms and onions really fine

4. Saute the mixture in a pan with a little bit of olive oil (or butter)

5. Once they're tender, toss in some cheese, let it melt.

6. Stir in some Truffle Oil!!!!

7. Spoon this mixture into the bread cups

8. Bake until the bread toasts up

9. Take out of the oven and drizzle more oil over the finished cups.

Once I was done stuffing the mushroom cups, I had leftover stuffing and juices were in the pan. I decided to build a soup. I took some leftover steak that we had for dinner and sliced it really thin. I tossed that into the pan and then added a little bit of cream, broth and of course, the star of the dance was the truffle oil.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

My coworker had a taco salad the other day that had my mouth watering for some Mexican fare. That night I made a B-line toward Wal-mart on the way home. I bought some Sam's Choice Black Bean and White Corn Salsa and worked up a nice lil taco dinner for the family. But since I didn't finish the jar of salsa, I was itching for something more to do with it. Then the freak cold snap had me in soup-making mode so I dreamed up this interpretation of Chicken Tortilla Soup. There are no tortillas so I'm calling it Southwestern. It came out pretty tasty, a lil spicy, a lil tangy and a lot of yummy.



Ingredients
1 large Chicken Breast
1/2 Jar Salsa (of your choice, I like Sam's Choice Black bean and White Corn)
2 cup Chicken Broth
1 cup of water
Spices (Cumin, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Cilantro, Salt, Pepper)
Small Onion
1 Can of Corn
1 Can of Ranch Style Beans (or Pinto)
Cheddar Cheese

1. Season Chicken Breast with spices and cook in oven for 15-20 minutes on 350. Baking it keeps it juicy and moist.
2. Sautee an Onion in a medium saucepan, when they turn translucent, pour in broth, water and salsa, start building a flavor base with the spices.
3. Pull the chicken out and use a pair of forks to pull it apart (or you could just cut it up with a knife) I like the texture of the shredded bits.
3. Add corn and beans and chicken to the broth.
4. Continue to season to taste.
5. Top with cheddar and serve or eat.

Creamy Crab and Tomato Bisque

On Sunday it rained in Atlanta. Then that turned into snow. The snow came down for hours. I'd call this my first official snow. I've been living here for about 5 years now and have seen it ice, light snows, hail, but never this much white. I mean we actually had inches of it.

I built a snow man with it, had to push it off my car, drive in it. And I actually had to make use of my Nissan's defrost feature just to see through the windshield. But that's not the point. The cold, the snow and an uncommon ingredient in my refrigerator all inspired me to try another "first"

I decided to try a bisque. Tomato soup and grilled cheese is a classic and comforting combination, but I had to do my own take. I had some crab meat at home, and I intended to use it. This was a seafood lover's weekend. That seafood lover is me and since I was home alone nothing stood in my way. (like a husband who rejects the idea of consuming aquatic creatures)

Now maybe this isn't a formal "bisque" made with all the right techniques and ingredients, but it's a bisque to me. And I paired it with some provolone-filled grill cheese sandwiches. Mmmmmmm Good.



Ingredients
6 oz. Crab Meat (not the artificial stuff)
Onions
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Chicken Broth
Spices (Oregano, Nutmeg,Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper)
1 cup Spaghetti Sauce (Ragu Traditional)

1. Throw some diced onions and the crab meat in a pot, let the onions cook down a bit
2. Add the spices
3. Pour in some broth, let it warm through, then some spaghetti sauce.
4. Pour in the cream and then start tasting...add the spices until you get the right flavor.

Curry Comfort

Monday was one of those days when I just could not WAIT to eat my lunch. It's been a practice of mine since I hit the Real World, to pack my leftover dinner for lunch. So me and the husband always know what we're eating for lunch. If dinner wasn't so stellar, we may forfeit what's in our tupperware and venture into the nearest food court.

However, when dinner is fantastic, we count the minutes until it's an acceptable hour to eat lunch. For me, that's about 11 a.m. On Monday, the countdown began much earlier than usual. In fact, I considered eating my lunch for breakfast.

I made a coconut curry soup. It's a Thai classic that I indulge whenever possible. It occurred to me that I could make my own. Of course it's more Chaundra than Thai, but I definitely borrowed their concept.

It was a success. Husband declared it was off the "Chizzain" and opted to eat it a second night instead of the fresh dinner on the stove. I was heartbroken when I saw him finish it off.

Ingredients
Chicken Breast
Mushrooms
Green Beans
Red Potatoes
Green Peppers
Onions
Chicken Broth
Yellow Curry
Coconut Flakes
Heavy Cream

1. Slice and season 3 chicken breasts
2. Sautee chicken, onions and peppers in a pan while bringing 3 cups of water to a boil. Once the chicken is cooked, add contents of pan to boiling water and reduce to a simmer.
3. In a separate pot let coconut flakes simmer in about a cup of heavy cream.
4. Add 3 cups of chicken broth to simmering pot, then continue seasoning broth to taste (add preferable amounts of: garlic powder, cayenne, curry, nutmeg)
5. After about 45 minutes drop mushroomsm, potatoes and green beans in pot. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 15 minutes.
6. Strain cream from the coconut flakes. The cream will be infused with coconut flavor.
7. Pour warm cream into soup and stir to combine.