Spicy-Yummy Tomato-ey Chicken Soup

I'm running out of names for recipes. This started out to be Chicken Fajita Soup, but evolved in a couple other directions before it was finished. The only 'mistake' I made this time was using Chili Tomatoes that were fire roasted. I didn't see that on the label until it was too late. The burnt flavor is what dominates, at least in this brand. 

Chop or slice the vegetables and saute in a generous amount of single source EVOO:

3/4 each - 1 lg. orange and green bell pepper
5 lg. garlic cloves
1-1/2 yellow onion
several celery heart stalks

~ I also added some mixed cabbage I had previously shredded: Napa cabbage, purple, green and a little shredded carrot.

Saute the vegetables only a short time, so they're still crisp, just enough to release their scents into your kitchen. Next add:

4oz. chopped sun-dried tomatoes + the oil they're packed in
chopped celery tops
28oz. seasoned crushed or diced tomatoes
1 (enormous) or 3 med. bay leaves
2 cans of corn - 1 drained, 1 w/liquid
1 lg. can 19oz. drained-rinsed black beans
12oz. roasted chicken
1 quart well-jelled chicken bone broth
2-3T powdered chicken bone broth base
1 pkg. Cilantro-Lime rice

Gently stir this all together then simmer 20 minutes. You can stir in 1c of sour cream now, or leave it out and just garnish each bowl with a big dab and some fresh cilantro leaves.

I still really don't know what to call this soup. . .Maybe Chicken Taco Soup. . .but whatever I call it, I like how it turned out! .😊. .Lin

Avocado Bean and Corn Salsa

We're having a 'celebrate Spring's arrival' neighborhood get together at a neighbor's home across the street tonight. I originally said I'd bring Tabouli, but when I shopped, somehow a couple necessary ingredients slipped my mind. . .so I decided on a guac-type salsa instead.

Mash 2 ripe avocados in a bowl, add the seasonings you like.

Today I used about 1T of this guacamole seasoning containing lots of the usual dried vegetables and a drizzle of lemon juice. 

When I tasted it at the end, it seemed good, so I stopped with just that.

I poured in about 10oz. of the salsa, some finely chopped purple onion, a celery heart and tops, a can of drained and well rinsed black beans and then decided it also needed a can of corn, well drained and rinsed. 

It went together fast and I'm hoping the super thin and crispy chips will hold up to such a chunky 'salsa.' Happy Spring Everyone! . . .Lin

Quinoa Tabouli (gluten-free)

1c any 'color' quinoa

2c fresh cold water

2 huge cloves of garlic - smashed and minced

Simmer the quinoa on low until all the water absorbs. Remove from heat, add the garlic and stir gently. Cover while chopping all the vegetables. The heat will mellow the sharpness of the garlic a little.

Combine in a big glass bowl:

quartered grape tomatoes
2 yellow mini bell peppers
celery heart and tops
5 tiny cucumbers
5 green onions
1/2 purple onion
1 med. carrot - grated
zest and juice of 1 lemon
lots of good quality single source EVOO
1/2 bunch each: curly & Italian flat leaf parsley
2 cans of well rinsed-and-drained black beans

Add the slightly cooled quinoa and garlic.
Combine gently. Check the flavors and season. I used Lowry's Garlic Salt, ground black and red pepper. I was making this for our church potluck, so I forgot to take a pic of the finished bowl. Drop down two recipes. . .Yup, it looks pretty much like that Tabouli 😁 . . . Lin

Lit'l Smokies, Corn, Beans and Crunchy Vegetables

I'm recovering from a big abdominal surgery and using up the ingredients I have here,  before attempting grocery shopping - which I'm very excited to do again! All Foodies love to grocery shop! 

Today I have a couple pots of soup in the 'fridge, but when I saw a pack of Hillshire Farms Little Smokies in the lunchmeat-cheese drawer in my 'fridge, I immediately knew I needed to have them for lunch.

Chop the vegetables. Sauté the celery in a 2-1/2 quart pot, in 2-3T good quality, single source EVOO. Cook and stir this a few minutes before adding the bell pepper, onion and Yukon Gold potatoes. Stir everything to coat with the oil, reduce the heat, cover and let simmer 5 minutes. 

Increase the heat and add the chopped Lit'l Smokies and some water or chicken broth if needed. Stir-fry everything a while, make sure nothing is sticking to the pan, reduce heat, cover and let simmer 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse the corn and beans. Add them to the pot, stir then let simmer another 5 minutes to heat everything through. Serve as is or with a crispy green salad and/or corn muffins. This was quick and SO good. Makes about 4-6 servings. . .Lin

A BIG Power-Packed (Vegan) Salad

A good, healthy salad is a Food Treasure! 

Year-round, my salad spinner is always in my 'fridge, filled with a fresh lettuce mix. If you don't have a good salad spinner, that would be my first recommendation. Washing the leafy greens and spinning them dry is easily accomplished. Mine was around $10.00 at Walmart, made by Progressive. The new ones look a bit different, but they work so well. "A good salad spinner" doesn't always equate to spending way more than this. 

My lettuce mixes alway include Romaine lettuce, cabbage, onion and other greens. If the mix will be used within a couple days, I'll add cucumber. Today my other greens are half a big bunch of fresh curly parsley. To that I added: half a red bell pepper, one sliced carrot, and -since I just ran out of cabbage- I used 4 big Brussels sprouts, sliced very thin, in place of that. 

About 1/3 of this fond its way into a big bowl for lunch. Then I added quite a few things. Drained, rinsed garbanzo and black beans - 1/2 a can of each, so I'll have the same left over for another big salad. There are also mushrooms, sprouted lentil, seasoned almonds, grape tomatoes, and half a big avocado.

The fresh, raw vegetables are good sources of vitamins A & C for sure, as well as many other nutrients. The canned beans, sprouts, almonds and avocado are full of protein and the entire salad has lots of great plant fiber.

I topped it with this favorite dressing, of mine and others, that I created long ago. I always have a 12oz-32oz bottle of it in my 'fridge. I'll graze on this for the next several hours.

If your stomach is sensitive to raw, you could steam the hard vegetables, then cool them a bit, before adding them to your bowl. In this salad it would be the carrots, onion and peppers. Salads are a great, clean reset for your body, if you find yourself eating less than healthy, and to get your food plan back on track. . .Lin

Tomahawk Black Bean-Yogurt Salad

Many, many ago, our family went to a pot luck at a friend of our daughter's cabin in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. She made a simplified version of this, using only black beans, a little onion, lots of celery and yogurt. I'm pretty sure it was my first time eating black beans. Also the first time I ever had a salad using yogurt in place of mayonnaise. I so love pot luck suppers! I always learn something new by trying other people's dishes! 

Drain, rinse well, then drain again:

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can black beans

Transfer the beans to a medium glass bowl, then chop and add the following:

1/3 lg. purple onion

1/3 lg. orange bell pepper

2 stalks celery hearts and tops

3/4c Chobani plain whole milk Greek yogurt

zest of 1 lemon + 2T fresh lemon juice

1t+ Lowry's Garlic Salt

1/2t finely ground black pepper

a pinch of cayenne (red) pepper

Sometimes all I want is a big plate of interesting vegetables!

Shown here from the top: this bean salad recipe — grape tomatoes and avocados dressed with a splash of red wine vinegar, EVOO, garlic salt and pepper — the Brussels sprout salad I made earlier. This is a late breakfast-lunch-early dinner that I'll graze on the rest of the day 😊

Not a fan of beans? Well, neither was I until I heard glowing reports about a Nutritionist in Wisconsin, Karen Hurd, who did the research and developed a plan using beans, yes, simple canned beans (!) to pull toxins from our bodies. I met with her 1:1 and also had a phone consultation or two afterward. I totally believe in her teachings. Here's an article by another bean-believer that explains Karen's Bean Protocol. . .Lin

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. . .

Hippocrates was a very wise man

It's Salad Season!! (but isn't it always?)

For me. . .Yes, it's always Salad Season.

Today on my dog-walk with my buddy, Oliver, we still had to avoid sidewalks that are massively drifted over with old clumpy snow. However, there was a sunny-springiness in the air. All I wanted to do when I came home was make a big salad mix.

It varies a bit from time to time, but this one included:

1-1/2 heads of Romaine

1/3 sm. purple cabbage

1/2 lg. Vidalia onion

1 English cucumber

1 celery heart

2 carrots

After tossing I put a big handful in my bowl, then added: 

6 red and yellow grape tomatoes

1 very small mini-avocado

1/2 can drained-rinsed black beans

cubed Manchego and Dubliner cheese

Today's dressing was a variation of my Lemon-EVOO Salad Dressing. I added a little brown mustard, a splash of honey and some finely chopped sun-dried tomato (jarred in EVOO) Mmmm...Tastes like Summer! Lin

REVISED - Guacamole. . .

I made the guacamole recipe, posted a couple days ago, for a family get-together after church. Everyone loved it. I debated on adding corn and black beans originally. With the 16oz. that was leftover, I decided to do it now. Great idea! 

Mix together the following:

16oz. (or more) guacamole

1 can corn - drained

1 can black beans - rinsed and drained

1t± dried minced garlic

1t± dried minced onion

1t± ground black pepper

a pinch of cayenne

Often, after a couple days, I find changing leftovers in some way is a really good idea. I do this a lot with chunky vegetable soups by blending them. Altering the texture can be a really nice change.

Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, or on a bed of chopped romaine. . .Lin

Beefy Mole-Type Chili with Corn and Beans. . .

I should call this Progressive Chili or maybe. . .A Chili Evolution! 

This was a time-intensive process, taking several hours. Perfect for this snowy, wintery day! It turned out so well, but this first ingredient photo doesn't show everything that actually ended up in the pot. So if you're planning to make this, use this ingredient list. Also, I did NOT use the jar of chunky vegetable pasta sauce.

2# good quality beef steak

1/2 small minced onion

2 big carrots VERY FINELY chopped

garlic salt - fresh ground black pepper

1T smokey ground cumin

3T single source EVOO 

I almost felt like A Real Chef today, with my Pike Place Market apron; from one of my many trips, long ago; in the Seattle area! It seems every time I cook something with a dark sauce, I end up with splatters all over my tops! 

Cut all the fat off the meat. Slice then chop it into 1/2" cubes. Combine everything in a 6 quart pot. Stir and sauté' until browning. Measure out 1-1/2c fresh, cold water and use a little at a time to 'deglaze' everything in the pot just before it begins to stick. Continue this process until all the water is gone. While this is simmering, rough chop all the vegetables and finely chop the poblano pepper. Add them to the pot, stir, cover and let them simmer about 5 minutes, adding just enough water to keep them from sticking if needed. Then add the tomatoes.

1-1/2 med. yellow onions

1 yellow bell pepper

a 5 or 6 stalk celery heart

1/3 lg. poblano pepper

28oz. can diced tomatoes and juice

Continue to simmer all this covered, for about a half hour, on low heat. Next add the chili beans and chili gravy in the can. Drain and rinse the rest of these before adding to the pot:

1 can cannellini beans

1 can garbanzo beans

2 cans black beans

3 cans corn

1T brown sugar

2t chili powder

2 cinnamon sticks

12 semisweet chocolate chips

Stir gently, then simmer all this together on low heat, covered. You can serve this now, but it would be even better if chilled thoroughly and reheated later. I think this pot is at least 6 quarts, and it's totally full. Have I mentioned how much I love soup, stew and chili season . . ☺️ . . Lin

A Big Salad with a Vegetable-Based Dressing

Today, I'm here on my condo deck, on the North shore of Lake Superior. I realized, despite my intense dislike of it, the ugliness-of-summer has arrived.

People are 40' away from me, sunning on the big rock outcropping, splashing in the water, floating on their air mattresses - apparently appreciating this intense heat and humidity 🥵 

Even if it's for only 'a couple days' - that's a couple days too long for this old gal. And no, when the dead of winter arrives, I will NOT be thinking back on this wistfully. . .Not a chance!

That said, heat or no heat, I still get hungry. A big salad with the last of my Mexican corn and black beans sounded perfect. As I gathered ingredients I realized I only have grape tomatoes. Now those, and cherry tomatoes are a lot of peoples favorites, but I just don't like the skin to tomato ratio. Give me a big Beefsteak Tomato (which I'll probably peel) for all applications! To me, the texture of tomato skin - and pepper skins - are akin to that of a plastic garbage bag, ick.

So today, when I realized I still wanted to use them somehow, I decided to whir them up into a vegetable-based Salad Dressing! I used everything in the upper left corner of the first picture to dress the green salad: Romaine, mini heirloom iceberg lettuce, onion, green cabbage and broccoli.

Tomatoes, mini peppers, about 1/4c EVOO, 1/2c or a little more of my seasoned mayonnaise (mayo, brown mustard, vinegar, garlic salt and pepper), juice of 1/2 lemon, and seasonings. I used the one shown, a garlic salt with parsley, to which I also added quite a bit of finely ground black pepper to that container. Blend everything together until the vegetables have pretty much liquified.

Chop the vegetables, add dressing and some shaved Manchego sheep's milk cheese. Ahhhh, Salad Days! The big bowl of chopped-sliced greens, will make 4 big or 6 small salads and stay fresh 3-4 day, covered and refrigerated. . .Lin

Beef-Bean Minestrone with Homemade Bone Broth

For instructions on making the BONE BROTH, type that into my search line in the upper left corner and scroll down to the Beef Bone Broth recipe.

The next day I chopped the vegetables, sautéed them in batches, according to time needed to become tender, always starting with celery and carrot.

After those begin to soften just a bit, I added the rest shown on the tray, either sliced or diced: Cabbage, peppers, zucchini and a large onion - not shown. Also a couple cloves of minced garlic.

Sauté this a while. When needed add a little water, bay leaves, fresh ground black pepper, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. In all, I think I added 6-8c of bone broth, water and the juice from the tomatoes. 

Let this simmer half an hour, then add the chopped stewed tomatoes, and 2#± of drained, rinsed canned beans. I used one can each of Cannelloni and black beans. Simmer once more until all the vegetables are crisp-tender.

This made around 6 quarts and is a great give-away for friends and family. It's another wonderful soup that seems to taste better each time it's reheated. . 😋 . .Lin

NOTE: In his amazing study, which resulted in his book The Blue Zones, Dan Beuttner mentions that in the Sardinia, Italy zone, many of the healthiest residents repeatedly make big pots of Minestrone, similar to mine, and eat it every day. Next time I make this, I'll go way heavier on the beans - using at least 3, maybe 4 cans.

Crunchy Cowboy Caviar Salad

Dressing:

1/2c white balsamic vinegar

1c single source EVOO

juice of 1/2 lemon 

1t pure cane sugar

1/2t each: salt and pepper

Combine these in a jar with a top and shake well.

Salad:

1 15oz. can black beans

1 15oz. can corn

Drain both cans. Rinse the beans well, drain again, then combine with the following chopped vegetables in a medium size bowl.

2 peeled Bay Produce tomatoes

1/4 lg. orange pepper

1/4 lg. green pepper

2 stalks celery

1/2c-2/3c purple onion

1 lg. clove crushed, minced garlic

1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley

6-8oz. Manchego cheese cut in small cubes

Toss, pour on enough dressing to coat everything well. I used a little less than half of the bottle. Cover the bowl and chill a couple hours.  This will keep well for several
days in the 'fridge. Toss again before serving. . .Lin

Chicken Rice Soup with Kale and Beans

1c golden rose brown rice
8oz. chicken thigh meat

Put rice in a strainer, rinse then stir it a little and put it on some wadded up paper towel to absorb the water. When that's drying, cut any fat off the chicken and chop the meat into bite size pieces. Put chicken and rice in a 6 quart pot with:

2-3T single source EVOO

3/4c chopped purple onion

fresh ground black pepper

Sauté over medium heat, stirring to prevent sticking and burning. When the rice and meat are browning, chop, slice or dice, then add the vegetables shown:

4 stalks celery

2-3 carrots

1 med. onion

1/2 green pepper

half bunch of dark green kale leaves

2 huge elephant garlic cloves

3 bay leaves
3T± chicken Better Than Bouillon

Sauté and stir everything, measure out 6c of water, adding about a cup now, along with the bay leaves and soup base. Cover and simmer on low, for a half hour, stirring occasionally and adding the water, a little at a time.

10oz. frozen -or- 1 can black eyed peas

1 can black beans - drained-rinsed

28oz. can diced tomatoes and juice

Add the peas, beans and tomatoes, bring back to a simmer for another 10 minutes before serving. 

This paired nicely with the Sweet Potato Biscuits. . .Lin

1st Chili of Fall 2020

1⅓# Black Angus Beef Steak cut in cubes
2T good heavy Italian EVOO
1-2T dark Fig Balsamic vinegar
½t hot chili-lime seasoning
1-2t ground cumin
1 med. sweet red pepper - chopped
3 lg. cloves garlic - minced

Combine all the above in a medium glass bowl and let it marinate for about a half hour.

Meanwhile, open, rinse well and drain 1 can each black beans and black eyed peas. I had this combination stuck in my head and happened to have a jar of the two of these, in dry form, mixed together.

For raw dry beans, simmer 1c beans in 2 qts. of water. Rinse and drain, changing the water just after it comes to a good rolling boil, 3 times. If the beans are a little hard at this point, that's okay, they'll soften the rest of the way simmering, once the ingredients are all together. Simmer the meat, garlic, pepper and spices for 15 minutes until the meat juices evaporate and everything begins to brown. Add beans and the following to the pot:

2c cold filtered water
8oz. tomato sauce
1 14.5oz can stewed tomatoes (chopped) and juice
1½c homemade blended vegetable sauce
2 lg. bay leaves
6-8 chocolate chips
1t ground cinnamon

In Mexico, chili is often made with a strong Mole Sauce containing coffee or chocolate and cinnamon. I like to do this when I'm making a chili that is low on chunky vegetables. One that's mostly meat, beans, and a dark, rich sauce. Simmer over medium heat another half hour. Serve with crusty (homemade) Cheddar-Onion Ciabatta. I'll post that recipe soon.

I love chili!  Made with Beef, Chicken, Venison, Elk. . .Chili made with whole chunks of meat - not ground.

Welcome Fall! 🍂🍁🍂 I'm SO glad to see Summer gone this year! . .Lin

Black Bean and Corn Chicken Chili

1# chicken breast or thigh meat

2T finely minced onion

2T coconut oil

⅓-½ lg. yellow onion

1-2 colorful sweet peppers

2 stalks or a heart of celery

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1t sugar

2c fresh, canned or frozen corn

1 can rinsed-drained black beans

If using unseasoned tomatoes add:

1t Penzey's Smoky 4/S

2t roasted garlic and herb seasoning

1t Little's Red Chili Lime seasoning

Saute' the chicken, onion and coconut oil just to get it sizzling.  Add the chopped onion, pepper and celery.  Continue to saute' and stir.  After a few minutes all the rest of the ingredients in this group, cover and let simmer 15 minutes.  Put the beans and seasonings in the pot, with a little water if needed.  Cover again and simmer another 20 minutes.  Check the flavors and make any adjustments needed.

Serve now with some potato rolls or crusty-buttered bread.  Or make this a day ahead, chill and then reheat.  I think it's always better that way. . .Lin

Spicy Corn & Bean South-Of-The-Border Tossed Salad

With a little bit of vegetable prep work, this salad is easy to put together in just a matter of minutes.  Today, mine is made up of:  Mixed Greens - romaine, thin-sliced green cabbage, onion, sliced pickling cucumber, 3 Large Quartered Cherry Tomatoes, Half a firm Avocado, Fresh Cooked Corn - cut off the cob, Black Beans.  For dressing I used a little Buttermilk Ranch with a squirt of Sriracha Sauce.  To balance that, I added a splash of Walmart's Sweet Cilantro Lime dressing.  Oh, this was good!  It's still Summer!  Salad Days are here! . . Lin

Avocado-Black Bean Guacamole or Salad

3 ripe avocados

2 Roma tomatoes

1 bunch cilantro

2 long spring onions

1 lg. clove of garlic

1 lime - zest and juice

1t pink Himalayan salt

1t chili lime seasoning

1t garlic and herb seasoning

dry black beans - cooked - or

14-28oz. canned black beans

Dice-slice-chop the tomatoes, avocado and onion into a medium size glass bowl.  Wash, dry and finely slice the cilantro, mince the garlic and combine with ingredients in the bowl.  Add the lime zest and juice.  Season everything, then add the beans.  Gently toss all this together.  How you serve this may depend on the ripeness of the avocado.  If it mushes up, I'd serve this with sturdy tortilla chips as a Super Guacamole.  If the avocado stays firm and independent, this would be a great Avocado-Black Bean Salad.  Your call 😉 . . . Lin

Southwest Vegetables

24oz. nopalito strips - canned cactus

1 can black beans - drain and rinse

same amount of frozen or canned corn

1T dehydrated minced onion

½-¾ chunky salsa - use mild

feta, parmesan or asiago cheese

seasoned panko bread crumbs

Drain and rinse the cactus - many times!  They're pretty spicy and also very salty.  Had I realized that sooner, I would have used a milder salsa.  Combine the first group of ingredients, let stand an hour to rehydrate the onions, then serve, heated with cheese and breadcrumbs.  This makes a wonderful Mexican Vegetable Casserole!  I'm a total vegetable freak and just love things like this.

While visiting my sister, north of Tucson, AZ, we scored some amazing nopalitos, which are the pads of the prickly pear cactus, at a local Farmer's Market.  Sadly, after de-'spiking' and prepping them, I forgot an all important step to get rid of the slime.  That cooking adventure ended up in the garbage!  This turned out so well!  If I'd had onion and colorful peppers today, I might have also added celery and omitted the corn and beans.  But it will be great when I make it that way also.

Be Bold, Be Adventurous - Happy Cooking! . . . Lin

Crunchy Black Bean and Wild Rice Salad

1 can cooked wild rice

1 can hearts of palm

1 can black beans

Drain and rinse these, slice the hearts of palm and combine all three in a medium glass bowl.  Add the following chopped ingredients.

⅓ lg. red pepper

¼ lg. purple onion

2 ribs of celery plus tops

1-2 lg. cloves garlic - minced

Combine everything with a good splash of your favorite dressing.  Italian is great and enhances the fresh quality of the ingredients, but even ranch or bleu cheese dressing are good. . .Lin

Black Bean Quinoa Tabouli

1c quinoa

2c filtered water

2-3T Tuscan olive oil
2oz. rinse-drained capers

4 lg. green onions - sliced
2 lg. cloves garlic - minced
1 frozen lemon or lime - grated
½-1c chopped kalamata olives

1 lg. tomato - diced

1 15oz. can black beans

1 bunch cilantro - chopped

This is such a special salad to me.  I originally discovered it in Mollie Katzen's "Moosewood Cookbook" and have made numerous variations of it over the years.  This '70's hippie cookbook of hers will always have a place of honor on my cookbook shelf!

Simmer the quinoa gently for about 20 minutes.  When tails have sprouted and water is absorbed, combine the quinoa with the second group of ingredients, in a large glass or porcelain bowl.  Stir gently, then let stand while prepping the third group.  Drain and rinse the black beans.  Add them, the diced tomato, cilantro (leaves and stems) to the bowl.  Next time I make it, I'll try a 3/1 ratio of quinoa to wild rice, red rice, or possibly 'forbidden' black rice for the base.


Have fun with your recipes!  Life is too short to cook boring food! . . . Lin