This soup is from a hospital newsletter

Last week I stayed with my parents one night while traveling for work. They made me taste a bit of this soup that they made from a newsletter that my mom got at work. The soup didn’t have a name but I really liked it so we made it tonight.

This was super easy to throw together and worked out great because just as it was starting to simmer for fifteen minutes, Butler got his head stuck in the handle of a plastic bag. We could just ignore the soup on the stove and move the bed that he decided to hide under wrapped in a bag. He was fine by the way and got the bag off himself before we got to him. Chica followed him under the bed and stayed by his side through the whole ordeal.

Anyway here’s the recipe:

1 med onion chopped
2 tbsp veg. oil
1 can 15 oz black beans, drained
1/2 can refried beans
1 can 11 oz corn, drained
1 can 14.5 oz chicken broth
1 cup bottled chunky salsa
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper

Saute onions in oil until tender.  Add the other ingredients, simmer for 15 minutes and serve.

The soup is hearty, thick and creamy and very filling. I used medium salsa so that it would have a bit of heat.  I didn’t put in the salt or pepper and I felt it didn’t need either although Mike said it needed some pepper.  Maybe my sense of taste is a bit off because I have a cold.

We had cheese quesadillas on the side.  I found these high fiber flour tortillas at Giant that were only 80 calories.  They were softer than usual but toasted up perfectly in the pan and tasted just as good as regular tortillas.

For such a quick, easy dinner, it really was very cozy and homey.  Perfect for a weeknight.

First Soup of the Season: Rabe and White Bean Stoup

We finally had the time to plan a few new recipes this week and tonight was our first soup of the season, Rachael Ray’s Rabe and White Bean Stoup.

This was so easy to put together. We made a few modifications. We didn’t cook the broccoli rabe first but added it at the end with the pasta. We also put in an extra cup of broth and substituted orzo for the orecchiette because we had a cup sitting in an open box.

It was quick, hearty and flavorful.  Great for a weeknight.

Too Much Zucchini? Part Two

Tonight we made a dinner we’ve started to call boats.  Boats are just hollowed out zucchini baked and filled with whatever we want.

We use the baking method in this Rachael Ray Chili Beef Stuffed Zucchini recipe (which is pretty good but we’ve only made it once).

Tonight’s boats were filled with ground turkey breast, black beans, rice and salsa and were seasoned with cumin and chili powder.  Near the end of the baking time, we topped them with some sharp cheddar.

It’s too hot for a post dinner walk so I predict I’ll get a lot of knitting done tonight. I started the booties I wanted to make months ago on Sunday.  I’ve got a bit to go.

Pineapple and Black Bean Quesadillas

We needed a quick dinner tonight because I went running with a friend and Mike was working in the yard after work. I got home close to 7:00 and we both needed to shower before we could even start cooking.  And we were both so hungry.

These quesadillas were inspired by the Black Beanie Quesadeenie at Mad Mex. It is so good and I have no idea how they make it but this is how we made ours.

I drained and rinsed a can of black beans and microwaved them for about 45 seconds just so they’d be easy to mash.  I seasoned them with some chili powder, cumin and cayenne.

Then I poured in a can of crushed pineapple. I know it’s not fresh but this is about being quick and we needed the juice to help with the mashing. In the past, we’ve also used chunks from a can and diced them up but used a bit of the juice just to make sure the mixture isn’t dry.  And I mash with a potato masher but not until it’s just soup. I like there to be some whole beans left in the mixture.

Then we make quesadillas!  So the black bean mixture is not pretty.  But it tastes good, I swear.

This is some blend of Mexican cheese.

It really tastes so good combining the smokey spices with sweet pineapple and the slightly salty cheese.

Mike says they’re almost as good as our favorite, but much more time consuming, black bean dinner – Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas. And those are heavenly but this is great on a night like tonight.  We had ours with a salad and it was perfect.

Skirt Steaks with Deconstructed Guacamole

Tonight we made one of our favorite summer meals, Rachael Ray’s Skirt Steaks with Deconstructed Guacamole.

We altered the recipe by using a London broil.  We also marinated it for two hours.  And, per usual, omitted the onions. I avoid them in all forms crunchy.

I like this dinner because it’s colorful and the marinade is great – I’d use it on it’s own. Also, grilling the avocado makes it even creamier.