Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

Ever since we got back from vacation I've been on a healthier eating kick. There's nothing like eating snacks and pizza for a week to motivate me to try something new, and this one was super yummy. I found this soup quite a while ago from two peas and their pod, which is a blog that I don't really follow regularly, but where I occasionally find some good recipes to try out. This soup is colorful, flavorful, and relatively easy. I definitely recommend it. I was also surprised at how spicy it was. I guess I had forgotten that there were red pepper flakes and chili powder in there. :)

 

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

1 T olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped (I used one large and one small because I like sweet potato and it definitely didn't seem like too much... I think it was just right)
1 roasted red pepper, chopped (I used jarred because I didn't want to roast a red pepper just for this soup. I had never purchased a jarred roasted red pepper before but it smelled super duper good right when I opened it. bonus. I also used some of the juice from the jar as part of the 2 cups of water below.)
2 cans low sodium vegetable broth (15 oz. size)
2 cups water
3 cans low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 T chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
Dash of red pepper flakes
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add in the onion and cook until tender. Add in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the sweet potato and roasted red pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add in the broth, water, black beans, and tomatoes. Stir well.
4. Add the chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Stir and toss in the cilantro. Stir again. Let the soup simmer on medium low for 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft.
5. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

I didn't use any of these, but she says you can garnish the soup with cilantro, avocado slices, cheese, tortilla strips, and/or sour cream. 

I had to put the soup on medium-high for part of the 30 minutes because my potatoes just weren't getting soft, and I didn't end up adding any salt and pepper at the end because I thought it tasted great. However, I didn't get the low sodium versions of beans and vegetable broth so you may want to add some salt if you do get the low sodium stuff. I served it with buttered wheat toast which was super good to dip in the soup broth. Yum yum yum. I'm looking forward to lunch leftovers tomorrow. :)

Mac and Cheese with Roasted Poblano Chiles

Kara and I have been looking for quite some time for a good mac and cheese recipe. I think we finally found it - we loved this dish! Even though this is a slightly spicy recipe, variations should be pretty easy. The hardest part of the recipe was timing everything - I'd suggest doing the peppers first, and putting the noodles in to cook about when you start the Bechamel sauce.

Mac and Cheese
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 large fresh poblano chiles
Sea salt
1 lb dried pasta
4 cups hot Bechamel sauce (recipe included)
8 oz sharp white cheddar, grated
8 oz sharp orange cheddar, grated
8 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano or Asiago, grated
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 c breadcrumbs

Bechamel sauce
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
4 c whole milk, heated till steaming
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Peppers:
Lay chiles on the sides on a gas burner and turn flame on high. Roast chiles, turning with tongs, until skins are evenly charred, about 10 minutes. (We put them in the oven on high broil).
Steam until cool in a closed paper bag (we put them in a covered bowl), about 15 minutes. Under cold running water, rub off burned peel. Then discard stems, core and devein chiles, scraping away all seeds, and cut into long thin strips.

Pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to instructions on package until just tender. Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl (do not rinse) and toss with butter.

Bechamel Sauce:
Melt 6 tablespoons butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking often, without allowing flour to brown, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in hot milk. Add salt and nutmeg (and black pepper, if desired). Return to medium heat and bring to simmer. Continue to cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sauce has thickened to texture of melted ice cream, about 10 minutes.
Add cayenne, paprika, mustard, and Tabasco to sauce.
Stir all but one cup of the grated cheeses into the bechamel sauce. Heat, stirring until cheese just melt and sauce is smooth.

Pour the sauces over the pasta in the bowl. Add chiles and stir. Spoon into a buttered 9x13 baking dish . Top with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake at 400 until pasta is heated through, sauce is bubbling, and top is browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand on a rack for 5 minutes. Serves 8.