Black Bean Stew

This is no groundbreaking feat of a stew, but it was easy, quick, cheap, just a tad spicy (my mister did not even kick up a fuss), and super comforting on a freezing cold November night.  I tend to think of black bean soups as either too boring-just a cup full of beans, or super Mexican flavored.  This was somewhere else on the spectrum.  Not too spicy, not too much of my beloved Cumin, no chili powder to be found, no cilantro or lime either. What really grabbed my interest was the addition of orange zest right at the end, it just sounded so good and different and I just had to make it right away.

I found this recipe on a random round-up of one pot meals, and the original source was Runner's World, which I am not an avid reader of, or practiced runner.  In any case, I always love the idea of one pot meals, and saved a bunch of soups from this page to make later.

This Black Bean Stew in particular, was noted as a quick stew to help you shed pounds, as this stew is packed full of protein and fiber from the beans and then the spiciness from the chipotle is supposed to be good at curbing appetite and boosting calorie-burning.  Who can say no to that? Add in some other fresh veggies and you are golden.

I made a few changes and additions, but nothing too crazy. Instead of roasting the pepper and slicing it up, I diced it up and cooked it in the pot. I liked this change because the peppers kept up a bit of their crunch.  I also threw in a diced sweet potato that I had laying around and it also was a great addition, due to the texture and slight sweetness, but I would not have missed it much if I had left it out (and if I did leave it out, I would have used two bell peppers, one each of orange and red). This is a great base soup that could easily be modified in tons of ways.  The absolute best part is the orange zest, it really livens up the dish, adding a hint of summer to this cold weather staple.

Black Bean Stew
Serves 6

2 tsp Canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced thin
1 small sweet potato, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, diced
2 15 oz cans drained and rinsed black beans
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock (or veggie broth)
1 Tbls minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 Tbls cumin
1 Tbls fresh thyme
Zest from one orange
1/2 bunch of shredded dino kale
salt & pepper to taste
Diced avocado (optional)

Heat Canola oil in a Dutch oven or other soup pot over medium heat.

Add the onion and carrot, sauteeing for 5 minutes. Add the sweet potato and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add the diced red pepper and let all of this cook about 10 minutes until the sweet potatoes are just barely tender.

Add to the pot the black beans, tomatos, broth, minced chipotle, and cumin.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Taste broth and add salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender.  Toss in the shredded kale, fresh thyme, and orange zest.  Ladel into bowls and top with diced avocado.  Enjoy!



p.s. This photo looks terrible. I think I must have accidentally changed some setting without noticing, but I was so anxious to eat that I didn't bother messing with it. Forgive me?

Turkey Green Pepper Chili with Masa Dumplings

For some reason that's never been explained to me DP is constantly suggesting chili when I ask him what he wants for dinner.  I guess when I think about it it doesn't need much explaining other than chili is a delicious thing to eat.  However, it does leave me in the position of needing to come up with different ways of making chili, which I'm all too happy to be tasked to do.

So on such an occasion of a chili suggestion I decided that I'd made this dish often enough to not need a recipe for the base of it.  That I could wing no problem but what I did need was a clever pièce de résistance.  So having a huge bag of masa in the cupboard from a recent tortilla making spree I went in search of a masa related idea.  I had heard of adding masa to chili before to thicken it up but making a masa dumpling was so much more interesting and happened to thicken the chili at the same time.  It was certainly a win-win.  I also used turkey instead of beef to lighten the caloric intake.  Add in some veggies, beans and tomatoes and you're on your way to a great chili night.  I hope it's one of many for you just as it is for us.

Turkey Green Pepper Chili with Masa Dumplings
chili improvised. masa dumplings from here

• 1 lb. ground turkey (or any other ground meat you fancy)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tblsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, de-seeded and minced
• 2 (15 oz.) cans of cooked black beans, rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can of pinto beans, rinsed
• 1 (28.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 (15 oz.) can of roasted tomatoes with juices
• 1 tblsp. cumin
• 1 tblsp. ground ancho chili powder
• water
• salt and pepper
• cilantro for garnish (optional)
• 3/4 cup masa
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Heat olive oil in large dutch oven over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and saute until translucent.  Add garlic, bell pepper and jalapeno and saute until bell pepper is soft.  Add turkey and break up into small pieces with spoon until most of the pink is cooked out of the meat.  Add cumin, chili powder and S&P until fragrant.  Add black beans, pinto beans, diced and roasted tomatoes and cover with just enough water that all veggies and beans are submerged.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer until soup thickens just slightly.  Check seasonings and adjust if necessary. 

While that simmers make the masa dumplings.  In large bowl combine masa, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add butter and work into flour mixture with a pastry cutter (or fork) until butter resembles corn meal with a few large chunks.  Stir in buttermilk just to combine.

Add dumplings by the tablespoon to the simmering soup.  Cover with a lid and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve soup with a dumpling or two in each bowl and garnished with cilantro.  I also slipped in a few avocado chunks and some cotija cheese I had on hand for good measure.  Enjoy!

Roasted Mushroom, White Bean, and Kale Soup

This soup is deceptively amazing.  I know that it looks so normal and sounds boring, but somehow as if by by magic these totally normal ingredients combine to make a totally soul-warming soup, perfect for a cold winter day.  It is this type of magic that makes me love soup!

In addition, though this soup is creamy in appearance and texture, there is not a drop of cream or cheese in it, making it a healthy alternative to richer winter soups.  This soup could easily be adapted to be vegetarian or vegan without sacrificing anything, simply by leaving out the sausage and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.



Inspired by this post, I made a handful of changes that I think made this soup extra amazing.  I will be remaking this again and again.  Here is the recipe as I made it:

Roasted Mushroom, White Bean, and Kale Soup.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. mushrooms, quartered (I used plain white mushrooms, but a variety would be great)
• 1 large sweet onion, quartered
• 1 regular yellow onion, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly crushed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 10 fresh sage leaves
• 10 stems + 1 tablespoon leaves fresh thyme*, divided
• 3 garlic and herb chicken sausages, casings removed (leave out for a veg version)
• 4 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth can be substituted for a veg version)
• 2 cans (15 oz) white beans, drained but not rinsed (I used great northern but cannellini would also work)
• 1 bunch of kale, ribs removed, sliced thin (I had about 4 cups once chopped up)
• Additional salt and pepper for seasoning

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss mushrooms, garlic and onion in olive oil, adding 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. (I separated the mushrooms from the onions and garlic before roasting because later you want them separate! You can separate them after roasted if that's easier for you.)
3. Spread on baking sheet. Add sage leaves and stems of thyme and toss them around slightly so they get a little bit coated with the oil. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes then toss everything around a bit and roast for an additional 15 minutes.
4. While vegetables are roasting, pour a glug of olive oil into a dutch oven and warm over medium heat.  Add the sausage and cook, breaking the sausage up into crumbles. 
5. Add 3 cups of the broth, 1 can of beans, a pinch of salt, a few grinds of pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves to the pot and bring to a simmer.
6. When the vegetables are done roasting, let cool slightly. Separate mushrooms from other roasted vegetables (if not already separated).
7. Place into a blender the last cup of broth, the 2nd can of beans, along with the roasted onions, roasted garlic, and slightly crispy roasted sage (remove the stems of thyme).  Blend until smooth.
8. Add pureed bean mixture into the dutch oven, stirring in until smooth. Add roasted mushrooms and chopped kale to the pot. 
9. Let simmer for about 10 minutes to soften up the kale and let the flavors meld a bit.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
10. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve. 
11. Don't forget a delicious loaf of bread to soak up all the tasty herby broth!

 Note:  *Dried herbs may be substituted for fresh at the rate of one part dried herbs to three parts fresh.


Watch the magic!