Easy Black Bean Soup

I've been eating this black bean soup since Saturday & I'm happily having it for lunch again, today. Granted I made enough to feed a small country but it was too easy not too & I'll confess when I cook with dried beans I always forget that those 1lb bags make A LOT.

As I just hinted at I used dried beans for this recipe, so while it is easy it is time consumptive as in the beans take about 2 hours to cook. If you have a free afternoon or some time on the weekend I recommend making this & then eating it for lunch for two weeks. You can also easily freeze it after it has cooled down.

One thing that I ask you to do to fully enjoy this soup is to top it with this cream sauce. The tanginess of the yogurt & acidity of the lime take this to another level. Do it!

PS: you can totally make this recipe gluten-free if you don't eat it with tortilla chips that have flour & you can make it vegan by using veggie stock & skipping the cream sauce.

PPS: if you don't wan to make 2lbs of beans cut the recipe in half!

Cowboy Caviar

No one throws a tailgate like Gamecock fans, specifically the Snelling Family of South Carolina.  I've had this recipe in my rotation of dip recipes since 1999 thanks to my dear friend Sara (Snelling) Wilson, one of the finest ladies the South has to offer armed with a ton of charm, sugary sweet laughter & stellar Southern family recipes.  Check out my adaptation of Sara's cowboy caviar dip (read: I added avocado, of course!) after the jump.

The Best Black Beans Ever

The best beans I've ever put in my mouth! Try them and you'll be hooked I promise.

Chris and I took an incredible Cuban Surf and Turf class at the Institute of Culinary Education.  Along with the other fourteen people in the class plus a master chef and two assistants we created a delicious cuban feast!  They split the menu and the class into groups.  Our group worked on four yummy dishes. Two of my favorite dishes overall were none other than the rice and beans.  

The beans were so delicious I had to share this recipe.  They're surprisingly easy to make and extremely flavorful (and vegetarian).

Frijoles Negros

Black Beans Cuban Style

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, peeled and diced
• 2 green peppers, halved and seeds removed and diced
• 3 to 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 pound dried black beans, soaked overnight
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Make it:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pot (at least 4 quarts).  Add the diced onion  and green pepper and cook until softened.  Add garlic, and cook about 1 minute more, until the garlic is fragrant.
2. Rinse the beans well in cold water. Add the beans to the sauteed vegetables along without the bay leaves and salt in a large pot, and cover with cold water.  Bring to boil. Cover and reduce the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add more water if necessary to keep the beans covered.
3. When the beans are tender, add the tomato paste, oregano, cumin and sugar.
4. Season to taste with additional salt, if needed.