20-Minute Black Bean Soup

I hope you all had a wonderful and delicious week. After a few months of not-so-much cooking, I was a busy bee in the kitchen this past weekend. First up was a Thanksgiving feast at my parents. My mom took on the bulk of the work (thanks mom!) but I contributed my favorite Green Bean Casserole and Mushroom Gravy. On Saturday, I threw a surprise “sprinkle” for my friend who will be welcoming her 3rd baby boy after the new year. The night was so wonderful and I love having all the girls over to my house. I even got an unexpected surprise myself that night, as K asked me to be godmother of her son. I am BEYOND excited and honored. She and I have been friends since we were 3 years old, and now her oldest son is 3—how is that for the circle of life?! Gushing aside, I wanted to share the a few recipes I made because I think they will come in handy with your holiday entertaining…

• PW’s French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms (I made them “vegi” friendly with a vegetable bouillon, but my god they were good)
• Dana’s Mini Macs (Deeeelicious!)
• Grandma’s Spanakopita (recipe to come, as soon as me and Phyllo dough make peace again)
• Nan’s Brushetta (recipe to come)
• Guacamole with Pear and Pomegranate Seeds

As you can see, my weekend was filled with quite a bit of food. I am still stuffed, and have a feeling this is going to last through the new year with all the celebrating going on this December. So, as I dream of gingerbread cookies and baked brie, I am going to sneak in this healthy soup recipe. Use it liberally throughout the holiday season, on days when your jeans feel a bit too tight. No doubt I will be doing the same.

20-Minute Black Bean Soup
serves 4

2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 t ground cumin
1 t chili powder
2 15.5-oz cans black beans, drained & rinsed
15-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 c vegetable broth
1 t salt
1 handful chopped, cilantro
1/4 c feta cheese
10 chives, chopped

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium. Add onion and garlic, and cook 6-8 minutes, until beginnning to brown. Stir in cumin and chili powder. Add black beans, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, salt and cilantro. Bring to a boil, and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Transfer 1 c to a blender, and process until smooth. Stir back into soup. Remove from heat, and serve topped with feta and chives.

Butter Beans with Olives & Roasted Tomatoes

One of my biggest fears, are those interview questions which ask you categorize your strengths or personality into quantities—"What are your 3 greatest strengths?", "Describe yourself in 5 words”, or “What is your greatest achievement?”. It is a blessing I am in the creative field and have never had to endure such mundane interview torture, since I break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it.

If I had the ability to categorize myself in just 3 or 5 words, I would perhaps find myself quite boring. For better or worse, I like to change my mind. And I like the fact that I like to change my mind. I am ever-evolving, rarely complacent, and always doing and learning.

However, I am going to go on record of saying that roasted tomatoes are in the top 5 of my favorite foods. Right up there with pad thai and salted caramel. Come summer, every cherry tomato that makes its way through my front door will suffer the fate of being roasted, and more often-than-not popped into my mouth just moments after exiting the oven. There is no other choice as far as I am concerned.

As for those other two spots? I reserve the right to leave them free for a whirlwind romance with figs or baked brie, if I so please. Oh, and to change my mind the following week.

Butter Beans with Olives & Roasted Tomatoes
serves 4

1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (apx 2 c)
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1 shallot, sliced thin
2 15-oz cans butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 t fresh thyme leaves, plus additional for garnish
2 c arugula

dressing
1/2 c pitted kalamata olives, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 t dijon mustard
1/2 t salt
1 T red wine vinegar
1/8 c olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 T olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to oven and roast 1 hour. Allow to cool, and slice larger tomatoes into thin strips.

In a large sauté pan, heat 2 T olive oil, over medium heat. Add shallot, and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep brown and caramelized. Gently stir in butter beans, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Cook 8-10 minutes, shaking pan occasionally, allowing beans to form a crust.

In a small bowl, combine kalamata olives, lemon juice, mustard, salt, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Stir well.

Separate arugula among 4 plates. Top with bean and tomato mixture, and olive dressing. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme, to taste.

Chickpea Noodle Soup

Let me introduce you to one of my top five favorite meals, Chickpea Noodle Soup. It barely needs a recipe, because in reality you just throw a few things in a pot and be rewarded with the most satisfying soup 15 minutes later. This is why it is a weekly staple at my home. If you take a quick peek at the directions you will notice that I use water, not vegetable broth. It’s not that you can’t use broth here, because I have, it’s just that I don’t. Yes, you could jazz it up with broth or by adding carrots, celery, garlic and herbs, but I never do. The point of this meal for me is simplicity. No chopping, no prep time, no thinking. It’s what I make when I have little time, little motivation and a bare fridge. I make it when I am tired, hungry, and need the comforting only a hearty noodle soup can provide. A big batch lets me slurp noodles to my heart’s content. And sometimes that is just all I need.

Chickpea Noodle Soup
serves 6 (can easily be halved)

8-10 c water (I use 8 c, but like the last few bowls to be just noodles/chickpeas)
2 T olive oil
1 T salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1 lb pasta (I use thin spaghetti, broken in half)
2 15.5-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
black pepper, to taste

In a large pot, bring water to a boil, over high heat. Add olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and pasta. Reduce heat to medium-high, and add chickpeas. Gently boil, 8-12 minutes (depending on what pasta you use), until pasta is cooked through. Season to taste with black pepper.