Easy Black Bean Soup with Cilantro Sour Cream

This recipe is easy and makes enough to take to work for a few days or for a second night of leftovers. I pair this soup with a salad and bread for a full meal, or you can have this as an appetizer before a larger course. This recipe is vegetarian but the addition of sausage or chicken make this a heartier meal. I adapted this recipe from Real Simples recipe collection and added chili peppers, and spiced rum bay leaves (South Florida specialty). This recipe would also be great with the addition of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil
2 cups fresh salsa (usually in the produce or deli section of your grocery store)
2 15 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 16 oz. can refried black beans (sometimes you have to poke around in your grocery store a bit to find these- usually in the Ethnic food section)
* 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)
* 1 chopped small jalapeno

Heathe the oil in a saucepan or large pot over medium heat. Add the salsa and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add the refried beans, black beans, and broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

After you ladle the soup into bowls, top it with any remaining salsa, sour cream and cilantro, and diced chilis.

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Conch Salad, Bahamian Ceviche

I was recently in Bimini, the Northernmost Island of the Bahamas, where it is a rite of passage, so to speak, to try the Conch Salad while there. You can find conch shells literally in every nook and cranny of this island that is only 50 miles from Fort Lauderdale, as conch salad is served at every watering hole on the island. The shells are a result of the island's main attraction, second only to the sport fishing and Kalik Beer.

In essence, Conch Salad is merely ceviche made with conch instead of shrimp or white fish. Ceviche is a Latin American favorite that consists of a white fish or shrimp salad that has been cooked by the acid of the lime and lemon juice it is marinted in. Conch salad consists of chopped up conch, plenty of lime juice, chopped onions, green and red peppers and garlic salt. Pretty simple really.

The Latins all have their own version of ceviche and there are two basic bases: white base (citrus) or red base (ketchup). The Ecuadorians tend to do the Ketchup version, and I have learned that more often than not they do parboil the fish or shrimp first, then use a ketchup and citrus base. In the Peruvian Style it is typical to find cooked sweet or white potatoes, corn or maize as an addition.

The Basic Ceviche Recipe consists of these staple ingredients:

Lime/Lemon/juice
chopped onion
chopped chili peppers
white fish
white vinegar (2-2 tblespoons)

** marinate the fish in the citrus mixture for at least 3 hours to let the fish cook in the juices. My Costa Rican friends add garlic, tomato and cilantro to their mixture. My friend Silvia adds chopped avocado as a garnish to her traditional Peruvian (BASIC) ceviche.

Ceviche is a healthy and lite dish for hot summers. Put your own spin on this recipe and please share your specialty recipes with me!!

** My friend Erin lived in Nicaragua for a while and reminded me that the white vinegar is good to add as it balances the citrus taste and also helps kill any bacteria that might get you sick.

Healthy Burger Alternative: Buffalo Burgers

Wild game is not something I would have ever considered eating until I dined at Ted's Montana Grill restaurant a while ago. This opened my eyes to a totally different burger experience!!

Buffalo meat is much leaner than beef and is also extremely high in iron and B vitamins! That's especially crucial for most ladies!

On a "healthy for the environment" note, you can buy organic, farm raised, cruelty and hormone free ground buffalo meat at most grocery stores in the "organic/green" meat section of your grocery store.

You should cook your buffalo burgers the same way you would cook your beef burgers. Make sure you get the grill at least to medium high for a bit to reach an internal temp of at least 160 degrees farenheit, and watch the color. Pink= rare, how I like it. :)

For extra piquant flavor, I added blue cheese and made the B-trifecta: Blue Buffalo Burgers. 

Enjoy!

Brunch Just Got Better: Grilled French Toast

Just in time for Mother's Day is Grilled French Toast!! This is excellent on its own but is EVEN BETTER when served as a French Toast- Strawberry Shortcake rendition. Now here is an easy recipe that will make people think you are the grilling Goddess!

Ingredients:

Whole Loaf Bread (white, italian, challah- brioche is great too!)

Eggs (5-6 for the entire loaf)

1 tsp vanilla

cinammon- dash or two

2 tbls (or more)milk

**2 -3 tblsp. Triple Sec, Cointreau, grand marnier or orange juce- optional

non stick spray

Additional Ingredients to make a "Strawberry shortcake" version:

1 pint. strawberries

1-2 tbls spoons balsamic vinegar

2-3 tblsp sugar or splenda

1/2 tsp. vanilla

whipped cream, cool whip OR creme fraiche (now that would make it super yummy)

Before preheating your grill to medium heat, spray non-stick spray on the grates. This will cut down on the bread sticking.

1) beat your eggs and add the milk, vanilla, cinammon and optional triple sec to the mixture.
2) cut your slices of bread pretty thick because they are going to be going on the grill. Think of the thickness of a NY strip or slightly thicker.. (see pics)

3) dip slices in egg mixture and make sure they get good and saturated
4) once the grill is good and hot at medium, place your slices on the grill and cook until there are grill marks on one side. Be careful not to burn and then switch sides.

(at the same time I will cook sausage links or pattys on the grill)

Strawberry Compote mixture for filling: (make beforehand so it can thicken)

mix cut up strawberries with vinegar, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Serve the french toast slices with strawberries and whipped creme sandwiched on the inside.

Copious amounts of powdered sugar, mimosas and bloody marys are encouraged too!
Enjoy!!

I originally got this recipe from Sandra Lee as Seen in Southern Lady and have adapted it slightly.

Guinness -Chipotle Black Bean Chili

Quite simply, if you make this recipe and have friends over, THEY WILL HAVE SECONDS!! The spiciness of the Chipotle Peppers is rather subdued and doesn't over take the recipe. They participate in the symphony of flavors that are in this chili. I serve with the large "scoops" fritos or jalapeno cornbread. This will make enough for 4 people to have a bowl and enough for leftovers the next day, or seconds...

Ingredients:

1. 2 tblsp olive oil


2. large yellow onion, chopped


3. 1 red or green pepper, chopped


4. 5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped


5. 5-6 garlic cloves, minced


6. 1 lb ground sirloin or a higher end meat. (I just feel that the chili is better with a leaner higher grade beef but this can be up to you)


7. 2 to 3 tblsp chili powder


8. 2 tsp sea salt


9. 2 to 3 tsp ground cumin


10. t tsp freshly ground black pepper


11. 1/4 tsp dried basil


12. 1 12 oz. bottle Guinness or another dark beer


13. 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce


14. 1 28 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (try hunt's or rotel)


15. 2 tblsp tomato paste


16. 2 (14. 0z) chicken or beef broth


17. 1 bay leaf


18. 2 15 oz. black beans

Garnished: Fritos (as stated above) pepper jack cheese and sour cream

Preparation:
Heat oil in a big sauce pan or a dutch oven over medium heat; add onion. Reduce heat to low, and cook the onion 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add bell pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add chipotle peppers and garlic, cook one minute. Add beef and next 5 ingredients. Stir in beer and simmer about 2 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to medium to medium low. Simmer, uncovered, 30-40 minutes. Add beans, stir, and continue to simmer until liquid has reduced slightly and the chili has become thicker. (After adding beans, I usually simmer another 30-45 minutes).

Enjoy!!

Easy Flat Bread Pizza, as Rachel Ray would say "yum-O"

This week is getting of to an interesting start. I have decided to do a "7 day rapid cleanse" and have vowed to stop drinking wine during the week, and I kicked it all off that night by finishing my taxes.


Monday we had flatbread pizza, a new favorite on my weekly "easy-backup" meal plan. "Flat Out" makes a flatbread (go figure) that is carb conscious, packed with good stuff like fiber and omegas, while also coming in cool flavors like spinach, italian, spelt... etc.

Ideas: this is not rocket science y'all! Or as we say here in South Florida- Vosotros!!

Any-hoo.

1. Set the oven for 400 degrees.


2. leftover spaghetti sauce, or pizza sauce or bruschetta topping. (I often make extra sauce and freeze it for easy dinners later).
   
3. Veggies


4. italian sausauge, meat, tofu, chicken or no meat at all!


5. Hard cheese

How I make this kinda healthy is that I pile on the veggies, garlic, etc... Then I shave a hard cheese like parmesan (the kind you buy in a block, not in a jar) or reggiano and put that on as an ample condiment, but not as the main show.
On top of this I throw on some baby arugula with an ample shot of ground pepper and sea salt. TASTY!!

Now, for Scott's recipe version, my Gene-blessed skinny boyfriend (who is such a hottie):

• the base and sauce are the same


• sans the vegetables (unless they are green peppers or onions as one would get on a Domino's)


• AMPLE cheese: mozz, provo, etc- the soft white cheese that are more fattening


• Pepperoni or italian sausage or bacon (a Guy's gotta get his meat on).
  

I have never tried this with beef jerky but I bet Scott, and your guy, would be up for that as an addition.

Bake for 7-9 minutes at 400.

***Great for catching up on tivo-ed Survivor episodes