Three Yummy Recipes

OK here is the long awaited recipe for the Black Bean Soup.  It is stupidly simple and lends itself to modifications.

Stupidly Simple Black Bean Soup

Ingredients for 4 Servings:

2 cans of black beans (drained) or 3 cups of scratch made black beans.
Vegetable stock (you decide how much, more for thinner soup.)
3 bay leaves
Cumin (how much depends on how much you like cumin)
Oregano (to taste)
Garlic (depends on how much you like garlic)
2 Avocados

Combine the black beans and broth and blend (in a blender of course).
Add soup and the spices to a large sauce pan and heat until boiling and turn off.
Meanwhile slice up the Avocados.  Pour soup into a bowl and place avocados on top.
Eat and enjoy.  I told you it was stupidly simple.

Enchilada Beans

Tonight we had Enchilada Beans.  We used Rattlesnake Beans but you can use pintos.
Below is a picture.  Yes, I did spike mine with Sriracha......and it was goooooood!

Ingredients for several people:

3 cups of dried Pinto Beans

Lots of water

36 oz of Vegetable Broth

Two 14 oz cans of Hatch (or any other) enchilada sauce.

One large onion diced.

1-2 tbsp of cumin

Oregano (if you like it)

Salt (as little as you can get away with as it is bad for you)

Soak the beans overnight in lots of water (say three inches over the top of the beans)

Drain and rinse beans.  Place beans, broth, onions, enchilada sauce and spices in large pot and simmer low for several hrs, (heck I don't know 3 or 4 I guess) until soft.

Serve over rice.  If you get an endorphin rush from hot sauce or salsa add some to your bowl.  This is a really yummy meal.

Arugula and Pepito Salad with Sun Dried Tomato and Italian Sweet Tomato Dressing

Arugula and Pepito Salad (as seen above) serves four:

One large package of baby arugula

1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds raw or toasted.

6 oz jar of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil

4 oz of sweet Italian red peppers (these usually come in a 12 oz jar).

Vegetable broth 

2 tsp of fresh garlic

Salt and pepper to taste.

Blend the Sun dried tomatoes (and the olive oil), peppers, garlic and broth (more broth for a thinner dressing) I used about 1/4 cup.

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a pan on the stove for about 3-4 minutes or until they start to pop.  Use a spatula to turn them.

Toss about 2-3 tbsp of the dressing with the Arugula (yes you will have most of the dressing left over)

Toss in the pumpkin seeds.

This is wonderful salad.  I absolutely love arugula, It has a super nutty taste and the pumpkin seeds just bring out that flavor.  If you are not a vegan you can add a few tbsp of blue cheese or Gorgonzola to this salad. You can also substitute toasted sunflower seeds, walnuts or even slivered almonds.

Please enjoy and do not sweat the details.  Vegetarian, vegan and healthy eating should be simple and fun!

One last thing.  These recipes are self created.  I have been super inspired to eat healthy and tasty food.  I have really enjoyed creating these dishes.  Most of them have been super yummy, but a few have been dismal failures, like the Veggie Pad Thai that we had yesterday for lunch.  We threw it out.....all of it.

Peace