Black Bean Soup

As my children have grown from babies, exploring food shared from my plate, to young people with their own tastes I have struggled to cook meals that consistently appeal to all of us.



I love soup and cook a variety of soups on a regular basis however, the girls typically will not eat it.

So on Black Bean Soup night I give them their own black bean dish (alongside a small bowl of soup just in case they want to try it). Individual dishes of warm beans and tortilla chips with melted cheese, sliced avocado and a generous dollop of sour cream for dipping. Some carrot sticks while everything cooks make a good pre-dinner snack.

I often double this recipe and freeze half for another night.

Black Bean Soup
Serves 6-8

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped onion, carrot, celery and green pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2-1 cup stock or water
4-6 cups cooked black beans in their liquid*
1/2 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed if you've got it)
Fresh cilantro

In a large soup pot saute chopped veggies in olive oil until soft and lightly caramelized. Add minced garlic and saute another minute until fragrant. Add spices and cook one more minute while stirring. Add a small amount of stock or water, stir to combine then add beans. Cover and simmer gently for about 20-30 minutes.

Let the soup cool a bit then puree to desired consistency. We like it fairly smooth with just a little texture from the beans and veggies. I have a stick blender (get one) and puree my soups right in the pot.

Add orange juice and additional stock or water to achieve desired consistency. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne as desired.

Top each bowl with sour cream and shredded cheese and, if you are lucky enough to have it, garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve with freshly baked cornbread or tortilla chips with melted cheese.

* For super quick soup making I use about 4 cans of black beans (and liquid) for this recipe.

Corn Bread

A fairly regular accompaniment to chili or black bean soup.



Corn Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup yellow corn meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar or honey
2 eggs (1 works fine)

Preheat oven to 425

Combine dry. Beat wet (and sugar). Add dry to wet. Let your little ones take turns mixing until fairly smooth. Pour into greased 8 inch square pan. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm with butter.

Breakfast

We eat breakfast together every day. It is actually one meal that I typically don't cook myself. From my bed I can hear the girls wake up and seek out Daddy who is usually already awake and getting our first meal of the day ready for us.



I don't like to get out of bed until I can smell the coffee. Margot's first words in the morning are usually, "Daddy, I'm hungry."

This morning I was the first one up (if you don't count the baby). Unfortunately it happened to be 5am.

Because of an exploratory knee procedure Daddy is taking the day off from just about everything. That being said I don't have much time for posting but will share some photos I managed to take while making pancakes.

The recipe is more of an ingredient list but I trust you know what to do with it.

Simple Saturday Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg

Frozen French Fries

Is there a place for frozen french fries in my kitchen? Yes. Having to use pre-made, frozen and pre-cut items is something I've grown to accept as my family has grown. As much as I love being in the kitchen I have other things competing for my attention and these little beauties by Alexia are healthy, fast and, of course, delicious.

Tofu Quiche

I'm pretty sure that Quiche purists would cringe at the sight of tofu in the ingredient list but I think it's a nice alternative to more traditional quiche. And, the best part, my kids love it!

You could also try bacon instead of ham, just cook chopped bacon first, drain excess fat then sauté the onion. Or omit the meat entirely and make it vegetarian.





Tofu Quiche
Inspired by a recipe from "May All Be Fed" by John Robbins.
Serves 4-6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 large bunch Spinach, baby spinach or Swiss chard (rinsed and chopped)
1/2 cup chopped ham
3 eggs
16 oz package extra firm tofu
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 pre-made frozen pie crust

Pre-heat oven to 350

Sauté onion in olive oil until soft and lightly browned. Add ham and cook about 2 minutes. Add greens and cook, stirring frequently until they are wilted about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool a bit.

While working on the onions, ham and greens, drain tofu and dry using towels or by pressing between two plates. Divide tofu into quarters. Use three quarters for the quiche and save remaining tofu for another purpose (my kids like to snack on it).

Using a stick blender or food processor combine tofu, eggs and nutmeg and mix until smooth. Stir in cheese. Gradually add warm, cooked ingredients and stir until well combined.

Pour into frozen crust and cook for 45-60 minutes until lightly browned on top and firm to touch. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

We often serve with french fries.

Avocado

We eat about one-a-day around here. Delicious and beautiful.

Snack

Peanut butter. I don't think I need to say more than that. Lately I've been enjoying it on Mestamacher Sunflower Seed Bread with sliced bananas.