Black Bean Soup

 Black Bean Soup
Recipe from Food Network, courtesy of Dave Lieberman

We have tried a LOT of black bean soups, and this is my favorite by far!  It is so rich and full of flavor, even without the bacon!

Ingredients
10 slices bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1/2 lime
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish
Directions
Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.



Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/black-bean-soup-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Whole-Wheat Tortillas

SERVES: 12 TORTILLAS

 

(Taken from 100 Days of real food - ADAPTED FROM ANSON MILLS)

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour)
• ½ cup oil (I used avocado oil)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water (heat in the microwave for 1 min)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer set with a dough hook, pour in the flour, oil and salt. Beat with the paddle until crumbly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed. If your hand-held mixer comes with dough hooks those can be used as well.
2. With the mixer running, gradually add the warm water and continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Take out the dough and divide it into 12 equal sized pieces. I do this by making the dough into a big log shape that is about 8 – 10 inches long. Then I cut it in the middle. Then I cut each of those pieces in the middle and so on until you have 12 pieces.
4. Using the palms of your hand roll each piece into a round ball and flatten it out on a baking tray or board. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour.
5. Heat a cast iron skillet, griddle or 12-inch skillet over med-high heat. The pan should be fairly hot before you begin cooking the tortillas.
6. On a lightly floured board or counter top, use a rolling pin to turn each ball into a 8 to 10 inch flat circle (measure against your recipe if printed on a 8.5X11 sheet of paper). Be careful not to use more than a teaspoon or two of flour when rolling out each ball into a tortilla because too much excess flour will burn in the pan.
7. Grease the pan with a touch of oil (or ghee) and then carefully transfer each tortilla, one at a time, to the pan and cook until puffy and slightly brown, about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Set aside on a plate to cool slightly. Eat within an hour, refrigerate or freeze.

**NOTE: This was taken from 100 Days of Real Food.  Thank you!!!

Black Bean / Sweet Potato Burritos

Some of our family's most favorite recipes come from an incredible website, "100 Days of Real Food".  This is one we recently tried for the first time and LOVED it!  Whenever I make a new recipe for dinner, I ask the children to give me their HONEST opinion of the meal (one of the few times they are allowed to say if they don't like something - politely, of course!)  Each child gave this meal an enthusiastic "2 thumbs up" - so I decided I'd better record it here so we can make it again and again! :)

Thanks to "100 Days of Real Food" - this recipe comes from their recipe archive.

Ingredients
 2 sweet potatoes (I use white Cuban sweet potatoes - my favorite!)
 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
 2 teaspoons cumin, divided
 ½ to1teaspoon chili powder (depending on your heat preferences)
 ½ teaspoon salt
 ¼ teaspoon pepper
 8 ounces organic black beans, drained and rinsed (I use canned for
convenience)
 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded, ribbed, and chopped
 ½ cup chopped red onion (about 1 small onion)
 1 small jalapeno, diced (optional - I leave it out if cooking for my kids)
 6 whole-wheat tortillas
 1 cup grated organic cheddar cheese (optional because they are
delicious without)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Peel and cube sweet potatoes and coat lightly with 2 tablespoons of the
olive oil (toss in a large bowl to evenly coat). Spread potatoes evenly on a
roasting pan and sprinkle with1teaspoon cumin, chili powder, salt, and
pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until soft through but not mushy.
3. When potatoes are finished roasting, add the other 2 tablespoons of olive
oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Add red pepper and red onion and
sauté until slightly softened.
4. Add black beans to skillet and continue to sauté on low heat. Add
remaining 1 teaspoon cumin and chili powder to skillet mixture. Stir
contents thoroughly until heated through.
5. Gently add the roasted sweet potatoes to the skillet mixture along with
salt and pepper to taste. Turn to low and cover skillet to keep warm.6. Meanwhile, place the tortillas one by one in a dry (no need for oil)
stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Heat about 30 seconds
on each side.
If using cheese: sprinkle grated cheese on the tortilla after it is heated on
one side.
7. Move warmed tortilla to a platter and add the desired amount of the
sweet potato filling to each. Then fold to close and secure with a tooth
pick.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a mixed green salad topped with your favorite salsa (a
mango/cilantro/lime salsa is perfect with this recipe!). Also use leftover filling to
make quesadillas and freeze for a later meal or packed lunch.