The Black Bean Diaries - Souper Soup

Both M & H are always looking for quick & easy meals that pack a nutritional punch. We've posted a couple of bean-centric dishes before here and here, but it's cold and rainy this week, so we figured a soup would be the perfect comfort food for a rainy night.  Ohh, and this is probably one of the healthiest  recipes you'll ever make -- you remember that childhood rhyme, beans beans, they're good for your heart.....we'll stop there....moving on...

M assembled this recipe after searching high and low for a black bean soup that had the different flavor layers she was looking for.  The difference in this one over those she'd previously made, is adding tomatoes, avocado & a pinch of nutmeg.  She has to give credit to Shape Magazine, Runners World, Ina Garten, and many, many others (ahem, Pinterest).  Here's what you do...

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans, drained
1 yellow onion, peeled & diced into small pieces
5 garlic cloves, crushed, then minced
4 carrots, peeled & chopped into small pieces
1 cup tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil

Optional Toppings
avocado, (make sure it's ripe, there's nothing worse than an un-ripe avocado)
red onion
corn bread/any bread really
tortilla chips

Spices:
Paprika - 1 tablespoon
Cumin - 3 tablespoons
Cayanne Pepper - 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon (some like it hot, some don't)
Cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon
Nutmeg - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt & Pepper - to taste

What you'll need:
Dutch oven or large-ish pot
Cutting board & knives
Peeler
Food processor or blender

Directions:
To cut down on instructions, I listed what you need to do to the fresh ingredients above so that I don't have to list them here.
  
1. Once you've finished slicing and dicing above, slowly heat the olive oil in your dutch oven/large-ish pot until it's hot, add the onions, cook for 2 minutes.

2. Add carrots & garlic to the mixture, cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.

3. Add your spices & tomatoes, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the veggies are soft.

4. Add the black beans to the mixture, then add water to the pot until it reaches about a 1/2 inch above the vegetables.

5. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes covered.  Make sure to check the pot every once in awhile to stir or add more water if necessary.

6. Remove the cover and cook for another 30 minutes.

7. Pour your soup into a blender and pulse until you get a consistency to your liking.

8. Serve in bowls with whatever topping you like, my favorite is with a few slices of avocado and corn bread on the side.  Enjoy!

*Sidenote - I took pictures with my iPhone and unfortunately NONE of the finished product pictures came out good enough to post (lame) so I'll make it again next week and take better pictures, I promise!

Do you have any go-to black bean recipes?

The Best Roast Chicken

Now that the holidays are over, many of us are looking forward to some mellow nights in cuddling on the couch and eating comfort (but healthy) home cooked meals.  Both H & M are trying to limit their meat intake, but sometimes we just crave a cozy chicken dish. And let's be honest, the way a roasted chicken makes our homes smell is reason enough to make it!

We cannot stress enough that this is the EASIEST recipe, but looks and smells like you're a professional chef when its done.  M has made the Perfect Roast Chicken recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook a million times, tweaking this and that to see what works best.   Below is her adaptation, but most of the credit goes to, Ina Garten. 

Shopping list:

-1 5-to-6 lb roasting chicken (hormone-free organic is best)

-kosher salt

-freshly ground black pepper

-fresh rosemary

-1 lemon, halved

-1 head garlic, cut in half cross-wise

-2 tablespoons butter, melted

-1 large red onion, peeled, thickly sliced
-paprika (a couple of shakes, probably a teaspoon or so)

-5 or 6 bay leaves

-1 cup chicken stock

-2 tablespoons all-purpose flower

You will need:

-roasting pan

-kitchen string

-carving board, or large cutting board

-sharp knives

-tin foil

Recipe

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

2. Remove giblets, discard.  Rinse chicken inside and out, remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers.  Pat outside dry

3. Put chicken in roasting pan, salt & pepper the cavity, then stuff with 1/2 lemon, rosemary, entire garlic head, bay leaves. Place other half of lemon on the top of all the stuffing.

4. Tie legs together with kitchen string

5. Brush entire outside of chicken with butter

6. Liberally sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of chicken

7. Turn chicken over so that wing tips are tucked under the body of the chicken

8. Place onion slices around the chicken
    
9. Put in oven and roast uncovered for 1.5 hours (or until juices run clear when cutting between leg & thigh)

10. Once it's ready, remove from pan, place on cutting board/platter, and cover with tin foil until you're ready to carve. (The chicken smelled so good when I took it out of the oven, that I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished product, whoops!)

Quick gravy (makes about 3-4 servings, double if necessary)
1. Add 1 cup chicken stock to pan and heat on high for about 5 minutes to reduce liquid.
2. In another bowl, add 2 tablespoons of chicken drippings from roasting pan to 2 tablespoons of flower.  Mix well.
3.  SLOWLY add your chicken drippings/flour mixture to the chicken stock, reduce heat and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or so.
4.  Voila!  Quick & easy gravy.

Carve chicken, and put gravy over meat, potatoes, and any vegetable sides you want (we prefer roasted potatoes and carrots/broccoli).  

photo credit

What's your favorite comfort food recipe?