Wednesday, February 15, 2012

WIAW & Spicy Black Bean Soup


It's that time of the week again! What I ate Wednesday! Since this month is veggie themed I of course have lots to share!! I took Valentine's Day off this year for a "mental health day." And boy, was it needed. Between getting my MBA, working full time, and blogging I am stressed to say the least. A day to myself where I could do whatever I wanted sounded amazing. I ended up getting a hot stone massage ( OMG) and got all of the knots I accumulated from the past few months kneaded out! Gosh, did that feel good. After that, I spent the whole day lounging, watching T.V and I even got an oil change. My awesome husband even came home early from work before he had class so we could hang out! SCORE!



As for what I ate today....



Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Kashi cereal and honey( my new favorite breakfast)


Snacks: Yellow Peppers, guacamole and chips,wine,cucumber water ( my new favorite thing.)Apparently, when you get knots taken out you need to drink lots of water to flush out the lactic acid. I drank like five glasses of this amazing cucumber-lemon water. I need to recreate this at home. 


Lunch: A big,huge amazing bowl of spaghetti with olive oil and cheese. Sorry folks, I ate it too fast and forgot to take a picture!


Dinner: Spicy Black Bean Soup. This soup is amazing. It is hearty, spicy, and delicious. Black beans are really good for you and they have a ton of fiber, which means you stay fuller,longer. Did I mention it is super easy to put together, but you would never know! After this soup simmered I went at it with an immersion blender to make it thicker. If you have a blender,use it! I topped i with greek yogurt,cilantro, and low fat cheddar cheeseHere is the recipe I followed from Bon Appetit  Magazine



Ingredients

  • 2 oranges
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 4 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 4 teaspoons chili powder
  • 4 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3 15.5-ounce cans seasoned black beans, drained
  • 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
  • Hot pepper sauce
  • Sour cream or plain yogurt
  • Chopped fresh cilantro


Preparation

  • Grate enough orange peel to measure 1 1/2 teaspoons. Juice oranges. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and spices. Add beans, tomatoes, and half of orange juice. Simmer over medium heat until heated through and flavors blend, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Mix in orange peel and remaining orange juice. Season to taste with hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls. Top with sour cream and cilantro. Pass extra hot sauce alongside.
















5 comments:

  1. The soup sounds great but I don't think I'd put it through the blender. I like soup with texture.

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  2. Nice Fran! I only gave it a few pulses with the immersion blender so some of it was blended, but some of the black beans were still whole. I agree with the texture!

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  3. The soup looks good! Healthy and delicious. Makes you full longer and live longer I hope! :)

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  4. Hmm - this recipe is almost exactly the same as one I made on Thursday (except that I didn't use cumin and cinnamon, and DID add 1/4 cup of salsa - the jalapenos made it nice and spicy). My son and I loved it, but my daughter has proclaimed that she only eats broth-based soups (ones that have a lot of clear broth, and some veggies floating in them, and maybe noodles). Which basically describes none of the soups I make :-(

    I agree, though, that the protein and fiber in black beans make them a great basis for healthy, filling soups (and dips, and casseroles, and burritos, and 'meatloafs', and ...)

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