Black Bean Soup

I have discovered a great recipe for black bean soup. Although I don't really consider myself a "soup" person, the rest of my family loves their soup. There are a few soups which I do enjoy - they are mostly the hearty, meal in a bowl type of soups. A favorite of mine is pea soup - I'll have to get that posted someday soon.

This is a soup that simmers all day long in the crock pot. I love coming home from work to the smell of dinner already prepared. This recipe would be great for those rainy summer "non-BBQ" type of days, and makes a fine meal with a hunk of crusty bread and a side salad. It wasn't as spicy as I would have liked, so next time I might opt not to remove the seeds from the jalapeno pepper. I also throw a bit of grated Monterrey Jack cheese on the top for the sake of my kids, because for some reason it helps them see past the little bits of "green stuff".

Black Bean Soup
from Cooking Light Magazine, March 2009

1 lb dried black beans
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup water
1 tbsp ground cumin
3 bay leaves
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and finely chopped)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt

Garnish
Chopped cilantro
Sour cream
Grated Cheese

1. Sort and rinse the beans, cover with water and let stand overnight to soak.

2. The following morning, drain the beans, and add them to your crock pot along with the chicken broth, onion, water, cumin, bay leaves and jalapeno.

3. Cook on low all day (about 10 hours or so).

4. Just before serving, stir in lime juice and add salt to taste. Spoon into bowls and top with sour cream, cheese, and cilantro.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Cream of Pumpkin Soup has been a fall favorite of mine since Mario's Mom first made it for me (way back when). I'll pretty much take ANY kind of cream soup over a broth based soup, but this one is particularly good.

As an added bonus, both Claire and Marco gobbled it up, apparently without any awareness of the pure volume of vegetables per spoonful. You can make this by using 2 cups of milk instead of 1 cup cream plus 1 cup milk. Obviously the soup is much thicker and richer when you use cream, but it is still good with all milk. I won't tell you how I made mine, because you should do as I say, not as I do (or vice versa?). I'm confused. Whatever, it's your pick... just don't come complaining to me if you gain 10 pounds because I did PROVIDE you with a healthy option...

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

4 cups cubed pumpkin
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
3 tbsp butter
1 cup potato, peeled and chopped
3 cups chicken broth, homemade is best
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds for garnish

1. Saute pumpkin, onion and celery in butter for 10 minutes.

2. Add chicken broth and potato. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Let cook slightly and puree in a food processor or blender. When ready to serve, add milk/cream and reheat. Season to taste.

4. Garnish with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

White Kidney Bean Soup with Carrot Salsa

As winter slowly makes way for BBQ season here in Ottawa, I figured we better get the last of that toasty-warm-soup-comfort-food craving out of our systems before its too hot to even consider using the stove. This is a recipe I found years ago on a can of white kidney beans, that I bought by accident (actually wanted red kidney beans to make Chili). It was a fortunate mistake, because this soup has become a bit of a winter staple for us.

The soup is very healthy and my kids both love it. I should dedicate this recipe to my friend Julie, who faithfully reads my blog even though she's a vegetarian and most of my recipes are meat-centric.

White Kidney Bean Soup with Carrot Salsa

1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp coriander
2 cans (540 ml) white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper

For the Salsa:
1 carrot, grated
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add cumin and coriander, cook 1 minute. Add stock and beans. Simmer 15 minutes.

2. Blend soup in a food processor or blender until smooth. Season to taste. Return to stove to keep warm until ready to serve. 3. Grate carrot, mix with lemon juice and cilantro. Use as garnish on soup.