Black Bean Yam Soup

This. Soup. Is. Amazing. The first time I tried it, my mom had received a jar of it homemade from a friend. It was love at first bite. I begged her to get the recipe, and when she did, we made it right away. Its thick, warming, and has an incredible taste. Served with a piece of fresh, crust multi-grain bread, it's pure perfection.

Black Bean Yam Soup
Ingredients:
1 tsp Extra Virgin Oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 red/ green pepper, chopped
1 dry chipotle pepper, coarsely chopped  (use red pepper flakes if you don't have this)
2 cups Vegetable Stock or broth
3 cans (15.5 oz each) Black Beans, undrained
1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes with Roasted Garlic & Onion
2 medium yams or sweet potatoes, peeled, diced 1/2-inch
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 clove (or more) garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp Hot Cocoa Mix
2 Tbsp Honey
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
 Heat oil in medium stockpot on medium-high. Add peppers & onions and chipolte pepper. Cook, stirring, 3-4 min until soft, but not browned. Add stock, beans and liquid, tomatoes, yam, vinegar, garlic, cocoa powder, honey, chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low, uncovered, 25-30 min or until beans are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a crusty piece of bread. Yum.


 

Split Pea Dal

Mmmmm....I love Indian food. I would eat it everyday if I could. It's so full of complex and interesting flavors. I ate this particular dal everyday for lunch until it was gone. And then I wished for more.

Split Pea Dal

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups water, divided 

1 cup dried yellow split peas

1 bay leaf

2 cups chopped cauliflower

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

3-4 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon cumin seeds or powdered cumin 

1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cube chicken bullion (DO NOT simply omit this to make it vegetarian. Replace with some other similar seasoning)

4 cups torn spinach 

Combine 2 1/2 cups water, peas, and bay leaf in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 50 minutes or until tender. Add 1 cup water, cauliflower, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat . Add onion, ginger, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add cumin and next 5 ingredients (cumin through cloves); cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onion mixture to pea mixture. Simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes or until thick. Stir in spinach; cook 3 minutes or until spinach wilts.

I ate this with a whole wheat pita  sprayed with olive oil and crisped up in a pan. You can eat this with naan (my favorite), roti, or simply a pita. I highly recommend crisping it up in a pan. The outside gets nice and crunchy and the inside stays soft. 

Fried Rice

I love Chinese food. But one bite would send me into what I like to call a grease coma. Not fun. So yesterday I made this Shrimp Fried Rice for lunch and it was delicious. You can add whatever mean you want, such as chicken, beef, tofu or whatever else you like. You can also mix up the veggies in here. I went for the traditional peas and carrots, but peppers or broccoli would be delicious too. I found the recipe here and followed it exactly, except with not as much oil.

Chili Dog

Alright, not the prettiest, I know. But the taste makes up for it. This is your average meaty, cheesy, chili dog, but a lot lot lot better for you. It took me about five minutes to make these for my mom, my little bother and I, and we all thought they were wonderful.

Chili Dog

Ingredients: 

Ball Park Smoked White Turkey Franks ( 45 cals, fat free, all white meat, no fillers!)

light wheat rolls 

can of chili (use any kind. I used turkey, but vegetarian would also work)

diced onions

relish

mustard

light cheddar cheese

Directions:

These can be made in the oven at 350 for in the toaster oven if your lazy like me. Place buns in a heatproof dish and toast until a little crispy. Remove and squeeze some mustard and relish into the buns. Next place the hot dogs and top with chili. Dice some onions and place on top. Finish the dogs with a sprinkle of light cheddar cheese. Put the dogs in the oven or toaster until the buns crisp up, the filling is hot, and the cheese is melty, about 5-7 minutes.  

Mexican Eggs

My mom lived in Mexico for a summer and brought back all kinds of good recipes. This one has become a family favorite. There are not many things that all three men in the house beg for, and these eggs are one of them. We make a ridiculously large amount of these, leave them on the counter, and they don't last an hour. Expecting a "thanks!", my mom and I usually just get a "is that it?" These eggs are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or even a quick dinner. We even served them at a football party and they were a hit.

Mexican Eggs

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

1 oz can rotelle tomatoes (diced tomatoes with green chili), drained

1   14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

10 slices canned or fresh jalapeños, minced

Lowry’s seasoning salt to taste

Pepper to taste

12 eggs, beaten

Corn tortillas

Hot sauce

 Directions

Sauté onions in olive oil until transparent.  Add garlic. Continue to cook until garlic is soft. Add both cans of tomatoes and cook thoroughly. Add salt and pepper. Add eggs and cook just like you would make scrambled eggs. 

Warm tortillas on a skillet or over gas burner, turning frequently.  They should be crispy and begin to bubble.

Serve eggs with tortillas and hot sauce (I use Frank's red hot. Even if your not a fan of hot sauce, try it!). Tear the tortillas into quarters and pick up egg with tortilla sections or you can make mini burritos like my dad.

Turkey Reuben

The only reason I can think of not to eat a Reuben is because of its rather unappealing nutritional stats. But don't worry. I've taken care of that. I use a much healthier turkey pastrami that is just as good regular, along with light swiss cheese and a light yogurt thousand island dressing. Trust me, if my brothers didn't notice a difference, neither will you.

Turkey Reuben 

Ingredients:

2 slices Rye bread 

Light Thousand Island Dressing

3 slices Turkey Pastrami

 sauerkraut

light swiss cheese

Directions:

Turn on a panini press or mini grill. Spray the outside of the Rye bread (use Rye!) with cooking spray. Spread a few teaspoons of light thousand island dressing on both halves. Add a few slices of turkey pastrami, 1 to 1 1/2 slices of light swiss cheese, and a generous helping of sauerkraut. Place the second piece of Rye on top and grill sandwich until golden brown and crispy.

Greek Pizza

Yum! We had a get together at my house yesterday and a friend brought a few of these delicious pizzas over. They were great! Full of Greek veggies, this "pizza" is light, quick and flavorful.

Greek Pizza

Ingredients:

whole wheat pita bread

purple onion, sliced

feta cheese (you can use fat free or regular)

green and/or Kalamata olives

mushrooms, sliced

green and red peppers, diced

artichoke hearts

fresh basil

Directions:

Brush the pita bread with a little olive oil and crisp it up, either in a pan, in a toaster oven, or in the oven for a few minutes until crispy but still soft. Remove pita and top with remaining ingredients to taste (the more the merrier!). Stick it back in the oven for a few minutes until warm.

The Only Way to Eat Chili

My mom makes the best chili. Hands down. (Alright, alright MY favorite chili). It's the perfect blend of everything that makes delicious chili; the spices, the beans, the tomatoes, the mushrooms...I could go on forever. Unfortunately, that recipe is still in the a hand full of this a pinch of that format. Next time we make chili we will be measuring out the ingredients so I can post the recipe. But in the meantime, I will be sharing the ultimate secret on how to maximize your chili enjoyment. And here it is (drum roll please) : a PB&J sandwich. Yup. That's it. Who would have guessed? I can remember the first time my mom forced me to try this heavenly combo. And I remember my skepticism. I couldn't have been more wrong. There's something about the sweetness of the sandwich that balances out the tartness of the tomatoes that creates perfection. Every time I try to convince someone new to try dunking a PB&J sandwich in their chili, I get the same reaction: disgust, followed by extreme skepticism, and hopefully (with an hour or so of convincing) a feeble promise to try it the next time the opportunity presents itself. And when that opportunity does come along, and they try this amazing duo, they eat their words. Along with the best bowl of chili they've ever had. Ever since my first PB&J/chili experience, I haven't been able to eat a bowl of chili alone. Its like it's naked or something. I'm begging you people, try it once and you will be converted. 

Best Way to Eat Chili

Ingredients:

Peanut Butter

Jelly

2 slices of bread 

Chili

an open mind

Directions:

Make your best PB&J sandwich. Grab a bowl of chili. Dunk. Eat. Be amazed. 

Portobello Red Pepper Panini

Every summer, when red peppers are in season, my mom and I buy large amounts (I'm talking five to ten bushels), spend way too long cleaning them, and freeze them for later months. When everyone else is paying ridiculous prices for peppers at the store, we simply grab a bag out of the freezer and roast them (heh heh). If any make it past the first five minutes they are out of the oven, they get added various recipes, such as this panini. It's one of my favorites, being quick, healthy, and incredibly tasty. 

Portobello Red Pepper Panini

Ingredients: 

2 slices of bread (I use Arnold Select Sandwich Thins)                                                      

Pesto

Roasted Red Peppers*

Light Swiss Cheese

Onions (I like to sauté mine first)

Portobello Mushroom

Directions:

To make roasted red peppers and mushrooom, slice peppers and coat lightly with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic to taste. Season the portobello in the same way and roast both in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until beginning to blacken. 

Heat a mini grill or panini press while assembling the sandwich. Spray the outside of the bread with cooking spray or lightly brush with olive oil. To assemble sandwich, spread a layer of pesto and cover with sautéed onions. Place the portobello mushroom on top, followed by a generous helping of roasted red peppers. Top with a slice of light swiss cheese(or your favorite kind) and add the other slice of bread. Cook until the outside is golden brown and crispy.

*if you do not have red peppers, substitute tomatoes 

Also, if you don't have a portobello, you can use turkey or chicken (like in the photo:p)