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.

Blueberry Cobbler

I realize that nobody's posted anything on here in about a year, and that the last bajillion posts were by Mindy, so I figured it's about time that I post something. Earlier this week Mindy and I went blueberry picking at a local farm a couple of miles from our homes. I ended up with almost 6 cups of blueberries so I came home and found this recipe online. There were some other ones, but they usually involved orange juice, which I didn't have at the time. I had never made a cobbler before and I think it came out so darn good I had to make it again... two days later.

Blueberry Cobbler

      Filling:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (fresh is best, right?)
• 1 teaspoon melted butter (I used a tablespoon because I read it wrong and it was delicious, so whatever you want to do here)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

     Topping:

• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

combine sugar, cornstarch, and water in a saucepan, heat to boiling, stirring constantly, then boil for a minute or two (it turns clear and goopy when it's ready). Add the blueberries and pour into a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart pan/pyrex/pie plate/whatever. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with melted butter. For the topping, combine the dry ingredients, then add the melted butter to the milk and add that to the dry ingredients. Mix it until it comes together in a ball, then drop by spoonfuls onto the blueberry mixture. Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes until topping is golden brown and goop is bubbling. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

You know it's good because Lydia kept asking for more... she didn't even have to finish a bite before she'd ask for another.

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

recipe altered slightly based on recipe from AllRecipes.com

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 slice onion

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed (optional)
4 whole cloves (I used ground cloves)
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste

In a stockpot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, cloves and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender or just pour it into a blender and blend it up until smooth.

In the now empty stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with sugar and salt, and adjust to taste.

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We are this with grilled cheese sandwiches and I added a few basil leaf bits to the top of my soup. Yum!

Stir Fry Sauce

Stir Fry Sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sherry or Chinese cooking wine (I skip this or add a little extra soy sauce)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1+ tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp peanut oil (I just use more sesame oil instead)
3 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger or 2-3 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1tsp - 1 Tbsp minced garlic (opt.).

In a small bowl, combine the stock with the soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch slurry, vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut oil until shimmering. Add the ginger and crushed red pepper (and garlic) and cook over high heat, stirring, until fragrant and golden. Add the stock mixture and boil over high heat until thickened and glossy, about 1 minute.

A reviewer on Allrecipes.com (where I got this from) said: I usually add some garlic and some fresh orange juice instead of all that stock and 1/4 t. salt - I think this is really nice because it gives you a lot of sauce - I don't like a dry stir fry, especially over rice.

Kung Pao Chicken

This recipe is very tasty and is quite similar to the Spicy Chicken with Snow Peas recipe I just posted. I love the hot chile paste and I always love water chestnuts!

Kung Pao Chicken

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
2 tablespoons white wine (or not - I just left this out)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 ounce hot chile paste
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts
4 ounces chopped peanuts

To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.

Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.

Perhaps less cornstarch or more water if you like it thicker and make double or triple the sauce.

Spicy Chicken with Snow Peas

We had a big bag of snow peas to use so I tried a few new recipes. I'm realizing that chile paste is a great way to really kick up the spiciness.

Spicy Chicken with Snow Peas

Olive oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 pouch (3.5 ounces) boil-in-a-bag long grain brown rice
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 Teaspoons chile paste with garlic
1 teaspoon bottled fresh ginger
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1.5 cups matchstick cut carrots
1 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers
2 cups snow peas, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Place 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add chicken cubes and cook until all sides have turned white and the center is no longer pink, about 7-10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Start cooking rice according to directions on the package, but omit the salt and fat. Once rice is done cooking remove from heat, but keep warm.

Combine sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chile paste and ground ginger in a small bowl.

Coat the skillet with cooking spray and add sesame oil, heat over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and bell peppers, saute for 2-minutes. Add the cubed chicken and snow peas to the pan and saute for an additional 1-minute. Remove carrot, pepper, chicken, snow pea mixture from the pan and set aside.

Return pan to the stove; over medium-high heat add soy sauce mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook mixture until it has reduced to 1/4 cup (about 1.5 minutes) stirring constantly.

Divide the rice amongst four plates and place chicken/vegetable mixture over the rice. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of sauce over each plate and top with 4 teaspoons of chopped peanuts. This recipe serves 4.