Black Bean Soup

You all know I am a huge lover of soup. There really is no designated "soup weather" for me, I can eat it and love it anytime of year. The other day I had a serious craving for black bean soup and since it was a "healthy" craving I decided to oblige.

I'm going to have a serious wake up call when I'm no longer pregnant and still have these "cravings."

Anyway, the husband is not the biggest fan of black beans. He usually prefers pinto beans if given the choice but because he's the best husband ever and knows not to argue with a pregnant lady by now, he happily ate this (and said he enjoyed it and would want it again!)

I served this over yellow rice (another craving) so it became a bit thick. You don't have to serve it this way if you want it "soupier." Hope you all enjoy it!


What you need

- 2 cans black beans, undrained
- 2 C chicken broth
- 1/2 green pepper, diced
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 T cornstarch
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- yellow rice (optional)







Directions

- In a large pot, heat 1 T oil (I used my trusty coconut oil) over medium heat

- Add the onion, pepper and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes

- While the vegetables are cooking, add one can of black beans and the chicken broth to a blender

- Puree for a few seconds. You don't want it completely smooth

- Add the pureed beans and the other can of beans to your vegetables

- Add in the spices and cornstarch and bring to a boil for 2 minutes

- Taste and add more seasoning if necessary. If you want it to be a bit spicy you can add some crushed red pepper flakes.

- Serve over yellow or white rice and top with sour cream. Yum!

This is a great and filling meatless meal and the leftovers are great too!

Husband in the Kitchen!

The husband and I try to have a date night every week. Sometimes we go out and sometimes we stay in, but we always try to schedule out time for each other each week. Our hope is that by making it a habit now, early on in our marriage, that it will be something that we continue to do in the years ahead. A while ago my husband mentioned that he wanted to be responsible for cooking dinner at least one date night per month. Well I wasn't about to turn down that offer! The first time he made dinner he did an awesome job following my jambalaya recipe (you can find it here). I had to talk him through a couple of things, but for the most part I got to sit and relax...score! This time around he made what I ended up calling Red Beans & Rice with Sausage. It was yummy and he did it all on his own! I was allowed to take pictures and brag about him on the blog. Can't wait to see what he makes next!

What you need

- 1 lb chicken sausage (spicy is good!)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 C cooked brown rice
- vegetable, chicken or beef broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- cajun seasoning, or red pepper flakes





Directions

Having fun in the kitchen! Don't worry, I sat down and let him work after this!

- Slice sausage into rings

- Heat 1 T of coconut oil in a large pot. Add sausage and begin to brown

- While the sausage is cooking, dice up your vegetables

- When the sausage is browned add the vegetables and cook about 5 minutes

- Add a palmful of salt and pepper

- Add in the drained red beans and stir

- Add in 1/4 tsp cajun seasoning or red pepper flakes

- Add in the rice and a little bit of broth and stir well

- That's it! I topped mine with some sliced green onion

- It was great! Thanks honey!

Tuscan Bean Soup with Shrimp

My husband absolutely loves shrimp. I mean really loves them. So I'm always looking for good recipes that use shrimp. This particular one is another from the Pioneer Woman. I didn't have everything on hand that her recipe calls for so I had to substitute a few things and also added some of my own. It turned out really well and the husband and I had lots of leftovers for the rest of the week! I know shrimp sounds a little odd, so if you don't like shrimp you can always substitue chicken or just leave a meat protein out all together. It's plenty filling without it! Enjoy!


What you need

- 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and tails removed
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 C carrots, chopped
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15oz)
- 1/2 C dry white wine
- 4 C broth (I used a mix of chicken and veg)
- 2 cans Great Northern Beans (rinsed)
- 2 C baby spinach
- 1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice



Directions

- Over medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven, heat a bit of oil (I used coconut)

- Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent and fragrant

- Add in the chopped celery and carrots

- Add in the tomato paste and stir well

- Add the red pepper flakes and oregano

- Add the white wine and scrape up the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan

- Add the can of diced tomatoes and the juice

- Add the rinsed white beans and stir well

- Add the broth and a bit of salt and pepper

- Let the soup simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally

- When the soup has about 5 minutes left, go ahead and prepare the shrimp

- In a medium skillet, melt 2 T of butter (or oil but I like the butter flavor on shrimp)

- Add in the shrimp, parsley and lemon juice

- Cook until the shrimp turn pink and set aside

- Add in the baby spinach just before serving the soup

- Serve up the soup and add some shrimp on top. I also added some grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I love hummus! It is such an awesome snack and/or meal and can be eaten with practically anything. The other day at the store, garbanzo beans were on sale so I bought a bunch. I put them in salads a lot but had never tried to make my own hummus. I also had a couple of red peppers to use up so it seemed like a no brainer to experiment with them! What better way than to make my own hummus? This came out really delicious despite not having all the ingredients for a "proper" hummus and it is WAY cheaper than store bought. Do any of you have a favorite hummus recipe?

What you need

- 1 1/2 C garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 C roasted red peppers *see below*
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T sesame oil (not pictured, sorry!)
- 2 T water
- Salt and pepper to taste








Roasted Red Pepper Instructions
Yes, they sell jars of already roasted red peppers but it's super easy to make your own!

- Rub each pepper with coconut or vegetable oil. Don't use olive oil because it will burn.

- Place peppers on a baking sheet and put under the broiler until they start to blister and blacken

- Carefully flip the peppers over and return to broiler until the other side blisters and starts to blacken

- Let the peppers cool completely before touching them! They will be very hot!

- Gently remove the stem, seeds and ribs and peel off the skin. It should remove very easily. Cut in half and make sure all the seeds and ribs are removed.

- And there you have it! Roasted red peppers!


Hummus Directions

- In a food processor, add the beans, peppers, garlic, cumin, cayenne, water, salt and pepper

- Put the top on and pulse the processor a few times just to get the ingredients combined. Stream in the olive oil and sesame oil until it reaches desired consistency. Taste to check seasonings and adjust if necessary.

- I served mine with GF crackers and topped the hummus with some paprika, parsley and feta cheese. This was my lunch today along with some fruit. Yum!

Chicken Chili

I apologize for ignoring this blog for a while! Once we got back from our beach vacation reality hit me square in the face and I haven't had much time to sit and write! Hopefully I'll be back to a regular schedule soon! Ok...on to the recipe for today!

I love making soup. I'm one of those people that enjoys hot soup even when it's hot outside (which is a good thing because it is HOT in Florida right now). Whenever I'm unsure about what to make for dinner, I can easily throw together a broth or cream based soup and add whatever vegetables and spices I have on hand. This recipe is one of the husband's favorites. It's easy, cheap and filling which makes it one of MY favorites too. You can easily change it to whatever you like or have in your fridge or pantry, but I kept it fairly simple this time around. Enjoy!

What you need (I forgot the ingredient picture because I'm smart like that)
- 1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or leftover rotisserie chicken)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2-3 stalks celery, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 - 3 cans of white beans (I used 2 cans white kidney beans and 1 can northern beans)
- 4 cups GF chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- handful of fresh baby spinach, chopped
- Toppings: cheese, green onion, sour cream (optional)

Directions

- If you are using uncooked chicken, go ahead and throw them in the oven. I cooked mine with salt, pepper and cumin and a drizzle of olive oil for 20 minutes.

- Chop up your onion, celery and garlic

- Heat up 1 T of oil (I used coconut) in a large stockpot and add in the onion, celery and garlic.

- Let it sweat out a bit and add in some salt and pepper

- And some red pepper flakes

Obviously I used precise measurements for these things!

- Add in your rinsed white beans and stir

- Add in 4 cups of chicken broth

A side note about chicken broth...READ THE LABELS!! I was surprised to find that a lot of brands contain wheat in them (swanson and college inn are NOT safe). I usually use the organice low sodium kind from Whole Foods or Progresso is also safe. Ok, I'm done now.

- Add in the cumin, garlic powder and chili powder

- Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

- By now your chicken should be cooked and cooled. Go ahead and shred it up!

- Add your chicken to the broth mixture and stir. Cook another 2-5 minutes.

- Right before serving add in the chopped spinach, you don't want it to get too wilted

- Top with whatever toppings you like and enjoy!

Have a GREAT weekend everybody!