Black Bean Soup with Cornbread Dumplings

Black beans soup is eaten on the regular around here. Not always the same way but pretty much. Why screw with a good thing you know?

Now soup with dumplings. This is not (yet) a regular thing but I was making the usual blacken soup and planing on making corn bread to go with (in a pan) , when I had a moment of clarity and realized that I should just make the corn bread into dumplings and not have to deal with baking and another pan to clean. Duh. Why don’t I do this more often?

And that is it. A black bean soup, nice and thick, with light fluffy cornbread dumplings cooked in one pot. Quick, easy and all sorts of delicious. Can’t complain about that.

Now let’s get to the soup and dumplings!

The stuff. For the soup there are bLackbeans, and onion, spices, a carrot, garlic, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar. For dumplings we have flour, baking powder, salt, oil, and plant milk. Salt and pepper too.

Start by dicing up the carrot and onion and mincing the garlic.

Dump all that you diced into a big pot, along with the spices, some salt and pepper, and about 1/2 cup of water. Place on stove and cook down on medium heat until the onion is becoming translucent and the whole pot is starting to smell fragrant.

Now add in beans and tomato paste and about 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil then turn down to medium an cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Soup. Cooked and all taste but one more little step.

Remove a third of the soup and blend until smooth and then add it back it.

Dumplings. Mix dry together then add in oil and milk. Mix together unit incorporated.

While soup is still on medium heat, scoop the dumping mixture right into the soup.

Place a loose side on top of pot ans let the dumplings cook util list and fluffy which will take about 15-20 minutes.

Cornbread dumplings looking all nice in the soup.

Then you eat it. Add some avocado on top of you want. Avocado is always a good idea.

-C

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Black Bean Soup with Cornbread Dumplings

feeds 3-4

• 3 cups cooked black beans (or 2 16 oz cans)

• 1 large onion

• 1 good sized carrot

• 3-4 cloves garlic

• 1 teaspoon chill powder

• 1 tablespoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or none if you don’t like the spice)

• 1 tablespoon maple cider vineger

• 1/3 cup tomato paste

• 5 cups water

• salt and pepper

  Dumplings

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup corn meal

• 3/4 cup plant milk

• 2 tablespoon neutral oil

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Start by dicing up the carrot and onion into small pieces. Mince the garlic and then place the garlic, onion, and carrot into a large pot with the cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes, a good pinch of salt and pepper, and about 1/2 a cup of water. Place pot on stove on a medium low heat and sweat the mixture for about 10-15 minutes or until fragrant and the onions are slightly translucent.

Add in the tomato paste, beans , and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium heat and let cook for about1/2 hour. Once soup has cooked down a bit and tastes delicious, remove form heat and carefully transfer 1/3 of the soup to a blender or jar (if using a hand blander) and blend until smooth. Add the blend soup back to the pot and turn the heat back on to medium low. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Now make dumpling mixture. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl then add in the oil and milk and mix until incorporated. Scoops the dumping mixture into the soup while the soup then place a lid loosely on the pot. Cook for another 15-20 minutes or unit the dumplings are nice a n fluffy.

And when they are done, remove lid, tun the heat off, and paddle soup and dumplings into bowl. Eat. Add sliced avocado for a little more yum.

Orange Black Bean Chili

I have been on a severe citrus kick lately. Oranges, limes, lemons, kumquats. I want it all and have been eating it all. A lot of it all. Espeically the oranges which are just so good right now. We have been going through bags of them faster then ever and I am not mad about it.

Which then brings us to chili. Chili is one of the things that I make on a very regular bases. It’s beans, veggies, tomatoes, and a ton of spices. Easy as can be, most people like it, and I never get sick of it. I mean, how could you get sick of it, it is so good! Anyway. Chili, its great but have you ever added orange to it? Oh man is it amazing. Bright and acidic and sweet. The whole pot of chili just radiates more goodness, more intensity, more, moreness. (I know that doesn’t make sense but you get it.) It’s a whole new level of chili and I don’t if there will ever be a time when I don’t add orange to my chili again. Well at least during citrus season.

But enough about all that, what you really want is to just start making this orange black bean chili so you can eat it. I hear you, so I’ll let you at it.

To the chili!

The stuff. Oranges, black beans, crushed tomatoes, an onion, a couple carrots, a pepper, and jalapeños. Also lots of cumin, chili powder, ground ginger, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.

Small dice up the pepper, onion, carrots, and jalapeños. Don’t want it super spicy, don’t add the jalapeños.

All that stuff gets tossed into a big pot along with all the spices, some salt and pepper, and a little water too. Place on stove to start cooking down the veggies.

Slightly tender and smells amazing.

Now add in the beans, the tomatoes, and the zest and juice of an orange. Mix it all up, set it back on stove and keep on cooking,

Done and ready.

Now eat your chili, with extra orange slices to squeeze all over it of course. And maybe you want to serve it with some corn bread? That is entirely up to you, but who would be made about it?

-C

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Orange Black Bean Chili

Serves 4-6 people

• 1 pound cooked black beans drained (about 5 cups or 3 cans)

• 5 cups crushed tomatoes (or 2 28oz cans)

• 2 oranges (navel or cara cara work)

• 2 carrots

• 1 large onion

• 1 bell pepper

• 2 jalapenos (optional)

• 2 heaping tablespoons cumin

• 2 tablespoon chili powder

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder

• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

• salt and pepper

Start by chopping up the veggies. Small dice the carrot, the onion and the pepper. If using jalapeño, dice that into small little bits too. And remove seeds for less heat or leave them if you like it. Once that is all cut up, dump it all into a large heavy bottom pot along with the cumin, chili powder, garlic and ginger powder, and about a teaspoon or so each of salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup water, mix it all up, and place the pot on stove on medium heat and start to cook the veggies and spices until they begin to smell fragrant and are ever so slightly tender, which should take 5-10 minutes.

Now add in the beans, the tomatoes, and the zest and juice of one orange. Mix together and keep cooking on medium heat, partially lidded, for about 45 minutes to an hour, stirring once in a while, until the chili has thicken and tastes good to you.

Once done, season to taste with more salt and pepper and either stir the juice of the second orange into the whole pot or serve with slices of orange to squeeze on top.

Eat. Store any left overs in fridge. Tastes delicious cold too.

Baked Beans

I made baked beans last week for a side to dinner with the mr and Barb. They ate them all. I didn’t get more then a spoonful. I was sad for me, but also was like “Shit, if I had known you guys were bean fiends, I would be making baked beans like all the time.”

And maybe not all the time, but I made them again this week. And again, they ate a lot, but I got me some this time, and I will probably make them again next week too because they will be perfect for Thanksgiving. See, homemade baked beans are a thing of beauty. Sure you can buy them in a can and be just fine, but these baked beans, well these are waaaayyyy way better. These baked beans are soft (not canned bean soft) and tomatoey and a little spicy with a tang. Not sickly sweet, (not sugar added) and not too salty.. They are just about perfect. You can eat them on their own, toss them into salads or wraps, stick on some toast, serve as as side, or just eat them cold straight from a jar from the fridge right before bed. (your loved one will thank you for that). Plus they are baked in the oven and I love me a good warm oven on a cold day. And the obvious, but all the protein and all around goodness. A great dish to serve if ever you need to feed people like me who don’t eat meat. It’s a win win win win.

Baked beans in all their glory. No cans in sight.

The stuff. White beans that were soaked overnight, strained then added back to a pot with 6 cups of water. Also have crushed tomatoes. an onion, a few cloves of garlic, chili powder, mustard powder, apple cider vinegar, and some salt and pepper.

First step is to start boiling you beans. But while that is happening, mince garlic and chop the onion into really small pieces.

Toss the onion and garlic in a pan and cook on medium low until soften and fragrant.

Cooked beans. All you need to do to cook them is place the pot with soaked beans and water on high, bring to a boil, then turn heat to a medium. Let beans cook until tender. It should take about an hour and a half.

Beans are cooked and the garlic and onion are soften so now all you do is combine everything together. Don’t drain the beans, just toss in the tomatoes, the vinegar, the spices, and a few pinches of pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir in all together,

Looks like soup right? This is right before you stick it into the oven.

Now look at that, oven baked beans. The best part… The crispy sides. ALL MINE!

Not much left to do but eat them. Straight up with a hunk of bread. That is a good way to start anyway.

Enjoy your beans!

-C

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Baked Beans

Makes a big pot of beans

• 1 pound (2 cups) white beans soaked in water for at least 8 hours (I used great northern but navy would be good too)

• 6 cups water or veggie stock

• 3 cups (or a 28 oz can) crushed tomatoes

• 1 onion

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili pepper

• 1 tablespoon mustard powder

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

• salt and pepper

Strain soaked beans and place them into large oven safe dutch oven almond with the water and stick on the stove. Bring the beans to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook util the beans are tender. Should take about 1 1/2 hours.

Sometime while the beans are cooking, mince garlic and chop the onion into very small pieces. Place in a skillet and cook on medium until the onion and garlic are soften and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside until beans are cooked

Preheat oven to 425

One beans are tender, dump in the cooked garlic and onion, the tomatoes, the spices, the vinegar, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir it all together and place into the oven. Bake for about 2 hours, staring about ever 30 minutes, until the bean sauce is nice and thick. If at any point you think they have gotten to dry, just add more water. Pull the beans out of oven once you are happy with the sauce consistency. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

And then eat them. As a meal, as a side, or as a snack. Beans are good anytime.

Any leftovers should be stored in the fridge. Beans can be reheated very easily on the stove top. Just place the pot back on stove, stir in a little water and cook til hot.

Beans are also fantastic eaten cold from the fridge.

Vegetable Soup

Whether you are stuck at home because you have the flu or because you do not want to leave the house for fear of turning into a human popsicle, or maybe even you just don't want to because this is the first weekend that you have no plans, no obligations, no parties, well then you are in good company. 

Unfortunately for me, I have to leave the house. I have obligations, I am getting over the flu, and I am pretty sure I am going to turn into a popsicle because when -8 is the high for the day, well, it's bound to happen. 

But lucky for me I already made the soup, in my fitful sicky, but able to think about and eat food again state. Yes I had the flu, or better yet, the stomach flu. And the stomach flu and food do not mix. Even the thought of food would send me reeling and it was just no good. I seriously thought I would never be able to think or better yet, eat food again without turning straight to the bucket. But I will stop there because you don't need to hear about my misery. Anyway, the death spiral subsided and food was no longer the enemy. I actually wanted (kinda of) to eat again. So food it was to be.

Because it was my first day back to food, I really wanted to take it super easy. (Before I made this soup I actually boiled a carrot until it was mush and ate that just to test my tummy)  Nothing heavy, obviously hot and warming, not to spicy.  Just soothing and nourishing. And I didn't really want think about it and worry about it and spend much time in the kitchen. Sure I could have bought a can of soup but actually no, canned soup is not for me. And I know the mr would have thrown something together for me but I was determined to be a slightly productive human and do something with my day even if it was minimal.  I had to make the soup, I had to do it. 

This soup was exactly what I needed and could not have been any easier to make. Chop up some shit, toss it into a pot, and walk away (or nap on the couch) for a little while. It can be done on the stove, in a slow cooker, or if you have a Instapot and want to do that, I should say go for it. And I am not saying this because I was starving, but  this was one dang fantastic tasting soup. Right in every way. It's going on my semi permanent soup rotation for the next few months.    

No bad after 48 hours of dying and no food. (stupid flu)

The stuff. Carrots, celery, a small rutabaga, and and onion. A red potato, a parsnip, some green been, garlic, canned tomatoes, navy beans,  thyme, rosemary, a bay leaf, and salt and pepper.

Note here that all this stuff was already in my house. Say you do not have a rutabaga or a parsnip, it's totally fine. You can add 

Here is the hardest part. Chop it all up into little pieces. All of it all mixed together, just get it chopped.

And toss it all into a big pot with he green beans, a handful of dried beans, and the spices.

Add in the can of tomatoes

Then fill the pot with water.

Now stick the pot on the stove and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a little lower the medium and loosely cover with a lid. 

A couple hours later, once the beans are cooked and the veggies are tender, you got yourself a big ol' pot of some fantastic home made, easy as can be, vegetable soup. 

Chunky, hearty, and easy as can be. And the best part is that I have left overs and we all know that left over soup is the best soup. 

Stay warm, don't turn into a popsicle.

-C

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Vegetable Soup

Makes a big pot of soup

• 2 carrots
• 3 stalks of elery
• 1 onion
• 1 small rutabage
• 1 red onion
• 1 parsnip
• 2 cups frozen green beans 
• 1/2 cup navy beans
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1 28oz can  (no salt added) crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon roasemary
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 bay leave
• salt and pepper
• water

Note. You might not want rutabaga in this or you might want to add some cauliflour or peppers, so go for it. It's a pretty adaptable soup so use what you got and like. 

Grab all you raw veggies, give them a quick wash, then chop them all up into bite sized pieces. Mince up the garlic. Dump it all into a large heavy bottom pot. Add in the frozen green beans, the dried beans, the spices and the can of tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and  enough water to cover the everything 3-4 inches. 

Place pot on stove, bring to a boil, then reduce heart to medium low and loosely cover wit a lid. Cook, giving it a stir once in a while,  for a least 1.5 hours ( can cook all day on long on simmer if you like)  or until the beans are coooked through and the veggies have soften. Add more water if needed.

Serve when you are ready to eat. Refrigerate leftovers.