Mexican Black Bean Soup

This is such a good soup, and being meatless helps on the budget. I love all the cumin and ground coriander in it, but for our taste I cut way back on the hot sauce. If you like hot flavors, adjust the hot sauce by 1/8 tsp. measurements until the strength is where you and your family can enjoy it.

I made this meal for us and our neighbors yesterday, (she had surgery recently), and along with the soup and bread, we had fresh strawberries with cream cheese dip for dessert. If you would like to try the dip for your family, check the "labels" under cream cheese or dip. The dip and strawberries were a wonderful finish to the flavorful soup and bread. Blessings...

 Recipe:  

3 cans (15 ozs. each) black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
1-3/4 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cups chopped sweet red pepper, 1 large pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ozs. each) chicken broth, divided
1 can (14-1/2 ozs.) diced tomatoes with green peppers and onions, undrained
3 tsps. ground cumin
1-1/2 tsps. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. Louisiana-style hot sauce
black pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. fresh lime juice

1. Mash one can of the beans with a potato masher, set aside.
2. In a large covered soup kettle, cook celery, onion, red pepper and garlic in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth over low heat until tender.
3. Stir in the remaining broth, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, hot sauce, black pepper, bay leaf, whole and mashed beans.
4. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf and stir in lime juice. Garnish with sour cream or cheese, if desired.

Yield: 9-1/2 cups
Note: I'll share the recipe for the bread in my next post.

Italian Green Bean Salad

If you are preparing a meal for mom this weekend, or maybe the mom's in your family, this fresh green bean salad would be a good addition to just about any menu. The salad can be prepared a day or two in advance to help with the ease of dinner preparations. Make ahead recipes go a long way in easing the feelings of last minute stress that so often accompany family gatherings. Make it easy on yourself and plan your meal around recipes that offer freedom to enjoy your family time. Have a wonderful weekend. Blessings...

Recipe:  

1 lb. fresh green beans   
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
ripe olives
Vinaigrette Dressing

1. Wash beans and remove ends. Cut into 1" pieces
2. Cook beans in salted water until tender, about 5 - 10 minutes. You can also steam the beans until tender and adjust the salt in the vinaigrette to your taste.
3. Prepare dressing and pour over warm beans. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
4. Remove beans from vinaigrette to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Add tomatoes, onion, olives and Parmesan cheese. Stir and serve.

Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsps. red wine vinegar
1 glove garlic, chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Dash pepper

Mix together ingredients and pour over salad. Allow flavors to blend for several hours or overnight.

Serves 4 - 6
about 71 calories per 1/2 cup

Strawberry Dessert

Strawberry pie is delicious, but not everyone likes to be bothered with the pie crust part of the process. This recipe is similar in taste to the pie because it has fresh, sliced strawberries on top of the dessert and then is covered with a strawberry glace, but the crumb crust is simply patted into a 9" round cake pan. Simple enough, that with Mother's Day coming this Sunday, older children could make dessert for Mom. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 cups biscuit/baking mix
2 tbsps. sugar
1/4 cup cold butter

Mix baking mix and sugar. Cut butter in with a pastry blender. Pat mixture into a round 9" x 1-1/2" cake pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

While crust is baking, combine;

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 egg yolks
1 cup sour cream

When crust is done, spread sour cream mixture over crust and return to oven for an additional 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

1-1/2 cups small strawberry halves (you may need a few more)
Glaze
Sweetened whipped cream

While dessert is cooling, wash and prepare strawberries, and make glaze.

Glaze:

1/2 cup of the strawberry halves
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup water
a drop of red food color, if desired

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the strawberries and mash with a potato masher; add the water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add a drop of red food color if you want a deeper red color in the glaze. Cool the glaze.

Assembly:

Arrange the remaining strawberry halves on top of the sour cream layer. Spoon the glaze over the berries. Refrigerate the dessert. Serve with whipped cream.

Serves: 6-8
Note: The crust is very firm, like a shortbread crust, when first baked and will soften in the refrigerator. You may want to make the dessert a day in advance. My husband preferred the softer crust, I love shortbread, so I was happy either way.

Marinated Chuck Roast for the Barbecue

It's barbecue season and this recipe turns an economical cut of beef into a tender and tasty meal fit for any occasion, even a special day like Mother's Day. The meat is most tender if it is marinated overnight, so for the best results don't short-cut the process.

Recipe: 

4 lb. chuck roast, approximately 1-1/2 inches thick

Marinade:

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsps. salad oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
3 tbsps. red wine vinegar
2 tbsps. brown sugar
1-1/4 cups beef broth

1. Saute' onion in oil until transparent. Stir in remaining marinade ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool.
2. Place roast in a 9" x 13" glass pan and pour marinade over; turn roast over. Cover with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.
3. Remove the roast from marinade and discard the marinade.
4. Cook beef over medium coals for 30 to 40 minutes or until done to your liking.

Cranberry Coleslaw

The dinner hour can be crazy, especially if you have children, so having access to easy and simple recipes that can be prepared in advance is very helpful. This recipe goes together quickly and will keep in the fridge for a few days, which is an added bonus. I love dried cranberries and cabbage together, but the original recipe for this salad was far too strong for us, so I did some adjusting for our tastes. We liked the end result, hope you do, as well. Blessings...

Recipe: 

8 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 tsp. whole celery seed
1/8 tsp. seasoned salt
ground black pepper, to taste, if desired

1. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and vinegar. Set aside, whisking occasionally to dissolve sugar.
2. Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Whisk oil into vinegar/sugar mixture in a slow, thin stream. Add celery seed, seasoned salt, and pepper, if desired.
4. Stir dressing into salad, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
5. Drain dressing off or use a slotted spoon to transfer coleslaw to a another bowl.

Yield: 10 - 12 servings
Note:  recipe can easily be cut-in-half. One-half recipe served us, two people, for three meals.

Honolulu Chicken-Skillet Version

Yesterday I posted the slow cooker version of this recipe, and after I left the computer and went to the kitchen to start our dinner, I got to thinking that maybe I should post the original recipe for those who would rather use a skillet than a slow cooker. So either way, I think this is a very good way to prepare chicken for dinner. Have a wonderful meal time with your family. Blessings...

Recipe: 

1 chicken, cut up
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
oil for frying
1 jar (10 oz.) peach jam, about 1 cup
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I use hickory flavor)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbsps. soy sauce
1 green or red pepper, chopped
1 can (6 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can (8 oz.) chunk pineapple, drained
Rice

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a zip-lock bag. Shake chicken pieces in seasoned flour.
2. Heat a 12" skillet over medium heat, add a small amount of oil and brown chicken pieces.
3. Combine jam, barbecue sauce, onion and soy sauce together in a bowl; pour over chicken. Cover skillet and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Add pepper, water chestnuts and pineapple to skillet; cover and simmer another 10 minutes or until chicken is tender.
5. Serve over rice, yummy!

Serves 4 - 6

Honolulu Chicken

This recipe was created for skillet cooking, and that's how I have always prepared it, but last week I wanted to see how it would do in the slow cooker. (Tomorrow I'll post the skillet version.) The sauce was thinner, so I needed to thicken it a little with cornstarch, but we thought the flavor was very good. The sauce is simple with four ingredients, and the water chestnuts, pepper and pineapple are added at the end to just heat through. I love having dinner almost complete and waiting for me at the end of the day, it keeps life simple when tired and hungry. The slow cooker can help make evening meals more relaxing and enjoyable with your family. Blessings...

Recipe: 

1 chicken, cup up
salt and pepper
1 jar (10 oz.) peach jam, about 1 cup
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I use hickory flavor)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbsps. soy sauce
1 red or green pepper, chopped
1 can (6 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can (8 oz.) chunk pineapple, drained
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
Cooked rice

1. Combine jam, barbecue sauce, onion and soy sauce in a bowl.
2. Place cut up chicken in the slow cooker. Salt and pepper; pour sauce over. Cook on high heat for one hour and then turn heat down to low for 3 hours, or longer, depending on how fast your slow cooker cooks.
3. When chicken tests done, remove to a platter; cover and keep warm in a 200 degree oven while you prepare the sauce.
4. Turn heat up to high on the slow cooker. Whisk together 1 cup of water and the cornstarch.
5. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the juice in the slow cooker until desired thickness, you may not need all the cornstarch mixture. Add the chopped pepper, water chestnuts and pineapple. Cover and cook for 1/2 hour. Add chicken back to the sauce. Serve the chicken and sauce over rice.

Serves 4 - 6
Note:  I remove the skin from the chicken to cut down on the fat. The sauce does not get really thick, but we don't care for the heaviness of thick sauces.