Healthy Black Bean Soup

The winter chill is upon us and our menu for the week or two has lots of soups on it! Warm the body up from the inside out-- this is one of our favorites and we enjoyed it tonight as the temps plunged under 20 degrees-- Brrr! This can be adjusted to your tastes-- like it spicier, add some chili powder or hot salsa or jalapenos-- it's a great base recipe that can be personalized to your tastes-- but here is how we enjoy it!

First, we add two spoonfuls of oil-- we used coconut, but olive oil is just fine and dandy (also, if you've never used coconut oil before, this is not the recipe to begin-- stick with some evoo and it will be delicious!)

Next, add a tablespoon of minced garlic. Notice my handsome helper? This is also a good recipe to make with your kids-- lots of fun and they get bragging rights at dinner.

We chopped one medium onion and one bell pepper-- don't worry about the size because this is one of those times where size doesn't matter!

We sauteed all of that with a few red pepper flakes and salt and pepper (this up to you on how much) and breathed in the heavenly aroma (disclaimer-- this soup will also open up your nasal cavity-- esp. if you lean on the spicier side of things-- added bonus if you have a cold!).

Next, we added two and a half cups of vegetable broth. We just made a Big HUGE batch two weeks ago and yeah, well, thats why we are going to be immersing ourselves in soup! I can't wait-- literally, I LOVE soups in the winter!

Anyway, back to the current pot of soup-- next, we added two cups of water.

Now, onto the beans-- the star of the soup! We added three cups of rinsed black beans-- a little nervous about how much you like black beans-- cut it back to two and just add one cup of water-- see, you can totally adjust this to your tastes!

We added one cup of salsa.

A tbs. of cumin and a bay leaf.

Now let it simmer to a low boil for about 20 minutes. While we wait, here is what we were up to this weekend:

Our Baby got dedicated-- it is such an honor to raise all of our children in the ways of the Lord and keep ourselves accountable with our church body as their parents. Our daughter celebrated a birthday and we had a fun afternoon celebrating with family. She is such a delight to our family-- she adds the sugar and spice for sure!

Okay, back to our soup-- time to blend it up. I start on low and then high (time will depend on your blender).

At this point it looks like mud-- but I promise you, it tastes amazing!!

If you stop here, it's completely vegan-- but we couldn't help ourselves and added a small scoop of sour cream and sprinkled on some cheese.

It was delicious!

I hope this soup makes it on to your table and would love to hear what you and your family enjoy on cold winter evenings! "Soup is a lot like a family-- each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor."- Marge Kennedy

Peach, Nectarine, Blueberry, and Kefir Smoothie

Talk about a smoothie that is so good for you! I mean tons of fruit, kefir and then sweetened with agave nectar-- your body will thank you!!

I added two medium sized nectarines and three plump peaches. I just cut away from the pit and dropped all of the chunks into the food processor. Then I added in roughly 3/4 a cup of blueberries. I used fresh, but you could use frozen, I would just do 1/2 a cup then. Then I added about 2 tbs of agave nectar.

Then I poured in a cup of Kefir. Kefir is much thicker than milk-- you can see in the picture how it looks like I added glue almost. But it is so good for you! Seriously, your digestive system and belly will thank you for drinking this. Than I blended and served. Yum!! Now that, my friend, is a breakfast of champions!

Sour Cream English Muffins

These muffins are so yummy and extra moist thanks to the sour cream! I can get 16-20 muffins per batch and we use them to make English muffin pizzas and enjoy them for breakfast with jam or butter. Many people (including my own mother) say they just cant make bread and I always say start with English muffins-- you cant go wrong and bonus-- no baking! ************************** To begin with-- start your sponge starter. Get one cup of warm water and add 2 tsp of yeast (I don't use the instant kind-- makes things a bit flat, plus if you follow the next step, youre guaranteed a sponge) and 1 tsp-1 tbs of raw honey. Honey is hard to measure so a small dollop is what youre going for. Honey and yeast are bffs in the bread world so lightly and gently stir them together in the water. Walk away and come back in a half hour. Your yeast mixture should be bubbly and doubled in size. If its not, wait another half hour. If it still isn't then maybe your yeast expired or the water was too cold. Once you successfully make your first sponge (and trust me, the honey will help the yeast bubble like crazy) your confidence in bread making will grow and you can move on to more varities. In a large mixing bowl mix together with your dough hook 2 cups of wheat flour and 2 cups of bread flour-- trust, me-- bread flour is worth purchasing! Then add your sponge mixture and keep mixing. Then add 1 cup of sour cream. Keep letting it mix away until you have an elasticky dough ball. It shouldn't be too sticky and wet or crumbly-- if it is either then add a tbs at a time of either flour or water. I normally keep a cup of flour on hand in case I need to add more in (hence sometimes getting 16 or 20 muffins). Now, call the kids over and get out these tools: A rolling pin, a circle cutter (I have used different sizes so whatever works for you is what works), baking sheet, and corn meal. Here is what my dough looks like. Now I flour my work surface and my rolling pin and roll the dough out to about 1/4 in- 1/2 in thick. Honestly, I don't have time to measure and muffin dough can be thick so you got to put your arms into it ;) Now, my three year old is going to cut out the English muffins-- he is so seriously adorable and Im banking on him being a chef one day and saying, "my mother taught me all I knew" or "I grew up cooking at my mothers apron strings" Sprinkle some corn meal down on your baking tray (keeps 'em from sticking when they rise and cook and makes them look authentic) and place English muffins on tray. Cover them with a towel and leave them for an hour or two in a warm place (I.e. not by a drafty window or an air conditioning vent). When they have plumped up, its time to cook them up. Now butter up a skillet and stick your muffins on there. Just let them get nice and brown on one side and flip them over. Just like making a really thick pancake. Then ta-da-- your fresh batch of English muffins. I keep them out for a day and then store them in the fridge afterwards. This is fresh bread without preservatives and so it has a shorter shelf life. We go through this type of batch in 7-10 days. But, warning, one time one lonely muffin got left in the back of the fridge for maybe three weeks and had funkiness growing on it-- just a warning, but its actually a really good thing. You have to wonder about the long shelf life of store muffins and whats in them. These still have your crannies and dips and are so fresh and the every definition of clean eating and yay-- you just made bread!

Chocolate Tortillas with Homemade Whipped Cream

These just happened and they were amazing!

Finger Licking Good apparently! I advise that you make a batch of tortillas the night or day before to save you time in the morning and to make this a fast morning treat. To reheat them I just turn the stove burner on low and place them right on top and then flip them letting them heat up per side for about 10 seconds. To make them fresh, you will need 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 2 cups of bread flour. 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. Mix together. Add 3/4-1 cup of water gradually. I normally add some before oil and after to see how dry or wet a batch is. Add 1/3 cup of coconut oil. 1-2 tbs of raw honey or agave nectar-- if you have a sweet tooth I don't see why you couldn't add more or less-- just don't add too much or the tortilla batter will get very sticky. I also added in about a half a scoop of chocolate whey protein powder as I am trying to up my personal intake of protein, but that is completely optional. The cocoa powder will give you all the chocolate coloring and flavor you need. Mix all ingredients together. Then take dough ball and roll it out on a floured surface into a log. Cut into 8-12 pieces depending on how big you want your tortillas. I did 12 pieces since we have little guys and then roll all the pieces into a ball and let sit for 15 minutes at least. When done, roll out on a generously floured surface into circle-- the thinner the better. Cook on a griddle or frying pan till bubbles appear on the top side. Flip and cook on the other side as well till bubbles appear.

For the whipped cream, use 1 and a half cups of organic heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp of vanilla, and 1 tbs of powder sugar. I would like to substitute honey one time and will let you know how it turns out, but for today, I used powder and it was so good-- way better than anything from the store! Whip on high till it well, looks like whipped cream. It will be very fluffy and stay on the beater when lifted out as opposed to when it is still a liquid and drips off the beaters.

Now take your warmed tortilla add some fresh berries and then some generous dollops of whipped cream and enjoy!!

Quinoa Vegetarian Chili-- Very Yummy!!

This chili was amazingly good-- seriously, my husband declared it the best chili we've ever eaten AND there was no meat in it! I used to use ground boca in my chili, but then I realized that its all soy and had a lot of icky stuff, I decided to swap in quinoa. Its a new family favorite, super easy to cook, and tends to absorb the taste of the spices its in. It is also a wonderful source of protein. For garnish, some organic cheese and chips on the side (and if your my son, heaps of sour cream) ------------------------------------- You will need: 1 large bell pepper chopped. 1/4 cup of diced onion. 3 tbs of minced garlic. chili seasoning (I had a packet from my sisters shower, but some cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes should get the job done). 2 tbs of olive oil. 1 8 oz can of tomato paste. 1 can of diced tomatos with peppers. 1 can of black beans. 1 can of kidney beans. 1 handful of fresh spinach chopped up. 2 cups of water. PLUS, for the quinoa, one cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water. Saute pepper, onion, and garlic in olive oil. Turn heat down and add tomato products, beans drained and rinsed, spinach, water, and spices. 15 minutes before you are about to eat, cook quinoa. Add water and quinoa into pot. Cook covered for about 8-10 minutes and then uncover and stir frequently the last few minutes. When it looks like little tails have come off the quinoa, its done. Add into chili and stir. Then spoon into bowls, garnish with cheese, and eat with some chips on the side! Enjoy!

Easy Clean Eating Homemade Spaghetti Sauce-- Minimal prep work!

I wanted to begin making our own homemade pasta sauce to go with our homemade pasta, but some of the recipes were pretty overwhelming and seemed like they'd take forever or were meant for canning. And I wanted some sauce now... like right away for dinner. So, I thought I'd see what would happen if I plopped some plum tomatoes and this and that into the food processor and just saw what happened. Well, What happened was Itallian yuminess across the board! You will need 5 medium plum tomatoes *** 1/4- 1/2 cup of water *** 2 tbs of olive oil *** handful of fresh spinach *** some itallian seasoning (ach-- i was out of fresh basil, but a tsp of dried was still a culinary delight) *** and optional, a few roasted peppers or if you were roasting it yourself, 1 pepper roasted. Puree or chop all together. And done-- less than 2 minutes to really good homemade pasta sauce. I cooked it up and added some parmasean cheese on top and then just placed it on cooked homemade spaghetti-- it was out of this world yummy!! To see our Roman theme dinner night, go here http://bsharks26.blogspot.com/2013/03/when-in-rome-dinner-theme-night.html and to see how we make our own pasta, check out http://bsharks26.blogspot.com/2013/01/homemade-pasta.html.