Chipotle Black Bean Soup

Since school has started up again, I've been motivated to get back into some kind of routine. I'm blogging again. I'm cooking more often. I'm trying to exercise on a regular basis. One of my other goals is to prepare a healthy lunch for dh and myself. He works at home and now that the kids are gone it's easy to fall into the old ham sandwich rut.

When I saw this Chipotle Black Bean Soup recipe over at Cinnamon & Spice, I knew it would be perfect and I wasn't disappointed. Easy to throw together using ingredients I always keep on hand, this recipe is definitely a keeper. Canned Chipotle peppers add the right amount of heat and echo the smokiness of the bacon. I served it with some cheese quesadillas, made with some delicious Chipotle Cheddar I picked up at the market last week.

Chipotle Black Bean Soup
Recipe from Cinnamon & Spice

4 slices bacon
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic
2 15 ounce cans Black Beans
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15 ounce can chicken or vegetable broth
1 7.5 ounce can diced green chiles
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced(or more-if you like it very spicy)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Chile powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
Sea salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper, to taste
Sour cream, lime wedges and spicy tortilla chips, for serving


In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan fry the bacon. Remove the bacon when cooked
and drain the grease all but a tablespoon. Rough chop the bacon and add it back to
the pan with the onion. Saute until tender and translucent, add garlic and saute for a
few more minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 35 minutes.
Serve with sour cream, avocado and/or tortilla chips.

"Fast Food Fix" Taco Bell Mexican Pizza

The kids could eat tacos every night I think. Unfortunately they prefer their's of the meat-and-cheese-only variety. I'm all about the veggies and toppings. Here's a recipe that makes it easy to compromise: "Fast Food Fix" Taco Bell Mexican Pizza. Each individual "pizza" can be customized to suit each person's tastes. DS had his with only meat and cheese and mild sauce while I had mine with refried beans,tomatoes and hot salsa. These were easy to make and pretty quick since you bake them all in the oven at the same time. This is definitely a recipe I'll be pulling out on a regular basis.










"Fast Food Fix" Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Recipe courtesy of Devin Alexander

1 1/2 teaspoons Taco Bell Seasoning Mix (see below)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons water
2 ounces 96 percent lean ground beef (about 1/4 cup)
2 flour tortillas (7"), 98 percent fat-free
3 1/2 tablespoons canned fat-free refried beans
2 tablespoons mild picante sauce
1/4 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) finely shredded fat-free pepper jack cheese
1/2 ounce (about 2 1/2 tablespoons) finely shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 ounce (about 1/4 cup) finely shredded low-fat yellow Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the seasoning mix, chili powder, paprika, and water. Stir until smooth. Set aside. Preheat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until drops of water sizzle when splashed on the pan. Crumble the beef into the pan. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until no longer pink. Stir in the reserved seasoning mixture.

Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until no liquid remains. Remove from the heat. Cover to keep warm. Place the tortillas in a single layer on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until just crisp and starting to brown. If air pockets form during baking, carefully pierce with a fork and press down to deflate.

Leave the tortillas on the baking sheet. Spread 1 tortilla evenly with the beans, leaving a bare 1/2-inch border. Evenly spoon the beef mixture over the beans. Top with the remaining tortilla. Spread evenly with picante sauce, leaving a bare 1/2-inch border.

Sprinkle on the cheeses in layers, first the jack cheese, then the mozzarella cheese, and last the Cheddar cheese. Top with the tomatoes and onions. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the cheeses melt. Cut into 4 wedges.

Makes 1 serving: 445 calories, 30 g protein, 67 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 2 g sat. fat, 9 g fiber Original Taco Bell Mexican Pizza: 550 calories, 21 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 31 g fat, 11 g sat. fat, 7 g fiber

October is National Chili Month: Sponge's Mom's Chili

Cold weather has finally reached the Midwest. With temperatures dipping into the 20's I can't deny autumn has arrived. Cold weather and falling leaves always make me start to think of football games, bonfires and hearty, steaming bowls of chili.

Way back in the dim and distant past when the internet was a new concept, I discovered a recipe for chili on AOL that has become a family staple. Sponge's Mom's Chili was one of the first recipes I found online and definitely the most enduring. I didn't cook much back in those days and this idiot-proof recipe was the one thing I could make with guaranteed success. I have no idea who Sponge is and the recipe isn't up on AOL any longer, but if anybody knows Sponge, tell him his mom rocks!

Since October is National Chili Month, this is the perfect time to have a great bowl of chili. One thing I always do to chili to make it extra special is to serve it with lots of topping options: cheddar cheese, spaghetti and sour cream, of course. But jalapeno pepper slices, Parmesan cheese, your favorite salsa, or hot sauce, diced onions and even guacamole, can make any chili recipe shine. At home, I usually top everyone's bowl the way I know they like it. When we have company I usually set out bowls of toppings, buffet-style and let everyone serve themselves. Simple and easy to prepare ahead of times, it always gets rave reviews, perfect for any fall get together.


Sponge's Mom's Chili
Recipe adapted from Sponge's Mom's recipe

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper, or more, to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt

Brown ground beef and onions. Drain. Coat meat mixture with dry ingredients and place in pot. Add tomato sauce and 2 cans of water. Add stewed tomatoes and 1 can of water. Add beans. Stir. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add toppings of your choice and serve.

Black Bean Enchiladas

After spending Labor Day at a nearby state park, we were tired and hungry by the time we made it home. Too tired to run into the grocery store so dinner needed to be something we had on hand. Since we had no meat, I grabbed a can of black beans and pulled up a recipe for Black Bean Enchiladas by Jill at Simple Daily Recipes that I'd bookmarked earlier.

I knew these enchiladas would be good. So far we've loved every recipe we've tried from Jill's site. These Black Bean Enchiladas were easy to throw together, used ingredients that I normally keep on hand and were a hit with the kids as well as the adults. (Jill's advice to make a few all cheese enchiladas was right on the money!) This is one that will definitely show up on our table several times during this hectic school year. Did I mention they were delicious? So much so that I didn't even realize that I forgot to take pictures until after the enchiladas were all gone! Instead, you get a picture of me playing around with my favorite birthday present: my new kayak!

Black Bean Enchiladas
Recipe by Jill at Simple Daily Recipes

12 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 cans Ranch Style Black Beans
1 teaspoon cumin (optional)
your favorite salsa
sour cream

Preheat oven 400F degrees. Mist a 13×9x2-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray, cover bottom of dish with one can of black beans and stir in the cumin. Line up the cheese, onions, and green pepper to build the enchiladas.

Now for the BIG TIME SAVER - place a paper towel on a small plate, stack the tortillas on top, cover with other half of towel, then cover with microwave safe bowl that will fit over tortillas. Microwave on high for 50 seconds to 1 minute. Tortillas will be hot, soft and pliable, be careful not to burn yourself.

Work quickly to fill tortillas with approximately 2 tablespoons of cheese, a little onion, a little green pepper then roll up and lay in dish seam side down.

KID FRIENDLY TIP
Fill half the dish with cheese only enchiladas and the other half with the works. Be careful to remember which side is kid friendly. I usually lay the enchiladas perpendicular to each other.

After you fill the dish, pour the next can of black beans over the enchiladas, use any leftover cheese, onions & peppers to garnish the grown up side. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until hot. Serve with salsa, sour cream.

My Kitchen My World: Jamaica!

I went to Jamaica a few years ago, back in the days before I had children. Never in my life have I seen such a beautiful location. I was a little apprehensive about the trip. After we booked, the island was hit by a hurricane and rocked by a political coup. Lots of people canceled their travel plans but we felt it was a now-or-never situation and we went anyway. It turned out to be a great vacation! The weather was awesome. The people were friendly. The rum punch was delicious. ;-)

I still remember having the most delicious French Onion Soup in our hotel restaurant. I've tried to duplicate it for years and haven't even come close. The soup was topped with the most incredible cheese from a local dairy. The flavor of the cheeses (and their butter!) was to die for. Nothing like what I've found here in the U.S. The other part that makes it so hard to duplicate might be that we were eating by candlelight on a private balcony over looking the Ocho Rios Bay. Hard to recreate that here in Indiana. The cornfields don't provide a similar ambiance, kwim? LOL!

This week, My Kitchen, My World is visiting Jamaica and I couldn't be more excited! We are serving one of our family favorites: Jerked Chicken Skewers. (I think the kids will eat almost anything on a skewer. Serve them a chicken breast and they'll turn up their noses but thread it onto a wooden spike and they are all over it!) We paired it with Salsa Rice with Black Beans. Add a little store-bought mango salsa, a Bob Marley CD and some rum punch and you're all set for your tropical get-away!

Don't forget to visit My Kitchen, My World and see what Jamaican deliciousness everyone else came up with!

Jerked Chicken Kabobs
Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon stick
1 red onion, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh thyme sprigs
1 lime, juiced
3 garlic cloves
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
Salt and pepper
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except chicken; puree until smooth. Add all but 1/4 cup of the mixture in a 1 gallon plastic sealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high. Skewer chicken pieces and grill on 1 side for about 5 minutes. Flip and grill the other side until cooked through and grill marks appear.

Salsa Rice and Beans
Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller

1 cup rice, regular or instant
1/2 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium sauce pot, cook rice according to package instructions. When the rice is half way cooked, add black beans, salsa, and cook about 10 minutes for regular rice and 3 minutes for instant rice .Continue cooking rice. Remove the pot, using a spoon, stir in chopped cilantro and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

Black Bean Confetti Salad

What do you do when you realize it's time to leave for a party and you've forgotten to shop for the ingredients of the dish you intended to make?Make pantry-friendly bean salad, of course! This Black Bean Confetti Salad from The Smitten Kitchen was a great choice. It looked pretty. (Much prettier than in the photo. We were in a hurry and I didn't have enough time to get a good shot.) And it was quite tasty. Very flavorful without being heavy or overwhelming. Perfect for a picnic on a hot summer day.


Black Bean Confetti Salad
Recipe from The Smitten Kitchen

2 cans black beans, (15 ounce) drained and well-rinsed
4 bell peppers, a mix of colors, chopped into a small dice
1/2 super-large or 1 medium white onion, chopped into a small dice
Juice of one lime
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Optional: If you’re the kind of person who loves cilantro, it’s a great match for this salad.

Mix beans, bell peppers and white onion in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk remaining ingredients into a vinaigrette. Ideally, you’ll have a 1/2 cup of dressing. Pour it over the bean mixture, toss it well and adjust seasonings to taste.

Salsa Rice with Black Beans

This tasty side dish was a great accompaniment to the Grilled Chicken with Jalapeno Caramelized Onions we had for dinner last night. I have to admit that now I've made more Robin Miller recipes that we liked than those we haven't. I guess I didn't choose well at first. Lately they've all been winners! This one is quick and easy to make from pantry staples. It's a flavorful dish but not too spicy, depending on what type of salsa you use. Even dd liked it (after getting past the idea of actually eating a bean!)

Salsa Rice with Black Beans and Corn
Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller

1 cup rice, regular or instant
1/2 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium sauce pot, cook rice according to package instructions. When the rice is half way cooked, add black beans, salsa, and cook about 10 minutes for regular rice and 3 minutes for instant rice .Continue cooking rice. Remove the pot, using a spoon, stir in chopped cilantro and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

Black Beans and Rice

Today is ds's 18th birthday. That's been fun. We went to pick out a new bicycle for him to take with him to college after school and then we all went out to dinner at the restaurant of his choice: The Outback. It's a lot nicer when the kids get older and start picking decent places rather than fast food joints. Not as much fun however, is the fact that while we were having a birthday party, all my friends were off at the big pasta dinner before tomorrow's race. It's kind of depressing to miss the race after running it for the past two years. It's not like I could run it even if I wanted to try. Between injuries and that horrible six week bout of the flu, thirteen miles isn't even an option. Dh and I thought about running the 5K instead but since I'm still 10 minutes off my 5K time it just didn't seem worth leaving here at 4 am to drive 2 hours to run/walk three miles in the cold rain. ::sigh:: I know there will be other races. We've already picked out a fall HM so we can get seeded for next year's mini. And this year we won't be injured all summer so we'll be able to take advantage of all those local races. It still sucks though. :-(

Here's my favorite go-to recipe for breakfast and/or lunch these days. Black Beans and Rice. I always try to keep a supply of already cooked brown rice and black beans in the refrigerator. It comes in handy when I want to throw a hand full of beans onto a salad or into a bowl of soup. Rice can be quickly stir-fried with a few veggies for a quick lunch or light dinner. But most often I stir up up some brown rice and black beans, mix in a little fresh salsa and top with a bit of cheese. Quick. Easy. Healthy. :-)


Black Beans and Rice

Brown Rice, cooked
Canned black beans, rinsed and drained
cheddar cheese, shredded
fresh salsa

In a large skillet saute rice and beans until heated through. In bowl, mix rice-bean mixture with salsa and top with a sprinkle of cheese.

Holy Frijoles, Batman!

The weather has been great for running. It seems -- at least for the moment -- that Spring has arrived. Of course it's hard to get too excited when the weather man is forecasting temps way below normal for next week. Oh yeah. With lots of rain too.

So even though the weather has been perfect for running outside lately, I haven't been doing much of it. My friends have though. The River-to-River Relay was this weekend. The R2R is an 80 mile relay through hilly southern Illinois. Eight people make up a team and each team member runs three legs of about 5K each throughout the day. It's hot, hilly, brutal ... and tons of fun! My former team ran their hearts out this weekend and placed 2nd in the Female Masters division. Go Tailwinds! Several members of my local running club ran the Boston Marathon today. They all did great but Tom D really rocked it, placing 5th in his age group. Go Tom! Watching Robert Cheruiyot fly up those hills today has really inspired me to get more serious about my training. I even went out and did a couple miles before dinner tonight!

While I haven't much been in the mood for running much lately, I have been in the mood for spicy Tex-Mex food. The other night I mixed up a batch of these beans to go with the Pork Carnitas I made. I love these beans because they are great as a side dish or rolled into a tortilla for a quick lunch, on top of a salad or even cold from the fridge!

I love cilantro. I think it's my favorite herb. I can't get enough of it. Unfortunately dh despises it. I usually make the beans and leave out the cilantro then separate out some for dh and then add all the cilantro to the remaining beans and let it simmer for a minute before serving.

Frijoles Teresa's Way

2 cans pinto beans, canned
4 slices bacon, chopped into 1 inch squares
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 cups chicken stock
1 pinch salt
1 can diced tomato, with jalapeno peppers

In a heavy pot cook the bacon pieces until well done. Do not undercook the bacon. Add 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, 3 tablespoons cilantro, and chopped onions to hot bacon. Cook until onions are transparent. Rinse beans until no foam remains. When onions are ready add beans, cumin, and chili powder. Stir and add 2 cups of chicken stock. Turn heat to medium low. Add salt and stir. Cook beans slowly until fork tender (approximately 1 hour). Stir often to avoid burning the bottom. Add more chicken stock as needed. Add tomatoes, remaining garlic, and cilantro, and serve.