Filed under: Main Dish, quick fix, Rachelle Mee-Chapman, Soup | Tags: beans, Main Dish, rachelle, Soup
Last night was our Annual Fall Chili Fest for the Autumnal Equinox. I try out a different chili every year, and this one got rave reviews from our guests. It goes well with easy Pineapple Salsa and Buttery Cornbread, both of which can be found here. Have yum!
Jamaican Black Bean and Rice Soup
(serves 10)
1/4 olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
2 tsp each cumin and oregano (adjust to taste)
2 tsp salt
4-5 cloves minced garlic
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
4 c veggi stock
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup cooked brown or white rice
2-3 T red wine vinegar (I use balsamic)
Toppings: sliced radishes, sour cream, limes, pineapple salsa
1) Saute onions, bells peppers, spices and salt in a large pot until onions are tender.
2) Add veggie stock. Add beans and tomatoes. Heat thru.
3) Right before serving, add cooked rice and heat thru. When soup is steaming add vinegar and adjust salt.
Tip: Only add enough rice to the amount you are planning to eat right away. Store rice and soup separately to avoid the rice breaking down into starch in your leftovers.
Filed under: Main Dish, quick fix, Rachelle Mee-Chapman | Tags: bacon, potato, Soup
submitted by rachelle
This is an affordable, filling and comfortable soup — perfect for a cold day. Plus, you won’t have any complaints at the dinner table from the kiddos. Have Yum.
Comforting Potato Soup
6 strips of bacon, sliced into strips
1 lb thin skinned potatoes, cubed
1 c chopped onion
2 c chicken stock plus 1c chicken stock (to use in step 3)
3 T flour
salt and pepper for taste
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
Liven up this soup with toppings. Anything that would taste good on a baked potato will be yum on this: shredded cheddar cheese, chives, sour cream, and of course, lots of fresh ground black pepper.
1) In the bottom of a large stock pot, fry the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper plate. Leave bacon drippings in the pan.
2) Saute onions in bacon drippings until softened. Add potatoes and broth to pan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender. (About 10 minutes.)
3) I always have a hard time adding flour without creating lumps so I usually use this method. Heat one cup of broth in glass bowl or large pyrex measuring cup. Sprinkle in flour a little at time while whisking, whisking, whisking. Then add this roux to the soup. If it’s too thick, just add more warm broth or hot water.
4) Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parsley just before serving. Sprinkle on top and add other toppings.
Filed under: Main Dish, quick fix, Rachelle Mee-Chapman | Tags: butternut, pumpkin, Soup, worchestershire
Submitted by Rachelle: Australian Pumpkin Soup with Pine Nuts
Australian Pumpkin Soup
In graduate school, my part-time job was to cook soup for the entire school once a week — 300 people! It was an international grad school, and we tried to cook foods from some of different countries that were represented in the student body. One of my classmates from Australia taught me how to make this ‘pumpkin’ soup — what we in the States call butternut squash. It’s a bit of a sweeter soup with a nutty taste and interesting flavor from the worchestershire. When Barbara, a new friend from South African managed to scare up some butternut squash here in Denmark I was quick to whip out this recipe. It’s one of my favorites.
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and chopped
4-6 c vegetable or chicken stock
2 onions, chopped
2 T olive oil
1/2 t nutmeg
black pepper and salt to taste
1 -14oz can creamed corn
1-3 T worchestershire sauce
Optional: slice almonds or pine nuts
1) Use a good vegetable peeler to peel squash. Cut in half. Remove seeds. Chop into roughly 1 inch pieces.
2) Put stock and squash in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 15-20 minutes or until tender.
3) Using an immersion blender, puree squash and stock. An immersion blender is one of the best tools you can have in the kitchen. But if you don’t have one you can do this in a blender in small batches. It can be helpful to hold the lid down with a potholder to prevent the steam from forcing off the lid.
4) In a skillet, saute onions in olive oil, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5) Put onions mixture in the stock pot with squash/stock and add worchestershire and corn. Gently heat through. Adjust seasonings. Serve topped with toasted nuts.
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