Creamy Pinto Bean Soup – It’s More Than a Snack, It’s a Meal!

Posted on February 4th, 2009 in Appetizers, Cooking Instruction, Cooking Tips, Lunch Foods, Meal Planning, Recipes by Ira Weiss

     If you do a search for a Creamy Pinto Bean Soup online you will find dozens of recipes. As we usually do, we found a recipe that sounded good and tested it out. By itself it was an excellent soup. But we wanted to make it for dinner and have it be satisfying as well as a well-rounded meal.  

     The soup is a delightful, creamy soup without any chunks as it’s pureed in the blender, a food processor, Magic Bullet or trusty hand-blender. What we did to maximize the meal-worthiness of the soup is add a topping. Just as Campbell’s Soup suggests that you can top their Tomato Soup with anything you want, you can do the same with this Creamy Pinto Bean Soup.

First we’ll start with the Soup:

2 cups sodium-free vegetable broth or bean stock (Use Beef Stock for a heartier taste to go with the topping)
1 cup water
2/3 cup chopped onion
3-4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped (size depending on how hot you like it), or a pinch of Cayenne.
3 cups cooked pinto beans (You can use 2 cans of pinto beans, drained)
1 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped or use canned tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 

 

1.  Pour stock in pot. On Medium heat, soften the onions, garlic and pepper in stock and water for 5-10 minutes. Prepare other ingredients.

2.  Add remaining ingredients except salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, mostly covered, 10-15 minutes.

3.  In 2 batches, puree the soup in a food processor until creamy. Add salt to taste, if desired.

4.  Return to pot and keep over low heat until ready to serve.

Now for the topping:

1/2 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 cup Diced Green and Red Peppers
1/2 cup Scallions, Diced or Onions
1/2 cup Canned Corn
1/2 cup Zucchini Squash or Fresh Tomatoes Diced
1/2 package of Taco Seasoning or make your own – or use Penzey’s Rojo Taco Seasoning (Our Favorite) 
 (If you prefer to use the whole package of taco seasoning just double the recipe and have leftovers!)

1.  Prepare the Beef according to seasoning packet.
2.  Add remaining ingredients and cook until the vegetables are the desired softness.

     Optional Ingredients: Sour Cream, Guacamole, Lime Juice, Chopped Cilantro Leaves, Cotija Cheese (Mexican Cheese like Romano) or Shredded Monterrey Jack or Cheddar.

     Serve the soup in large shallow serving soup bowls. Spoon 1/2 cup or desired amount of topping in the middle of the soup. It will sink so pile it up. Top this with Sour Cream or Guacamole and a sprinkle of Cilantro. Then squeeze lime juice in the soup around the topping followed by a sprinkling of cheese. Serve with Nacho Chips or some Crusty Bread. Fantastic!!!

 

     Prep and cook time 30 minutes for soup/45 minutes overall. Serves 4-6.

Improv in the Kitchen: 2 Quick and Easy Soups

Posted on January 12th, 2009 in Appetizers, Cooking Tips, Lunch Foods, Meal Planning, Recipes by Ira Weiss

     It’s cold and snowy outside. The wind chill is giving your goose bumps, goose bumps. You CRAVE soup! Soups are some of the most wonderful dishes to enjoy. They’re delicious, filling, and usually inexpensive to make. But they are time consuming to make as well.

     So, in the modern age we reach for a can of Progresso’s or Campbell’s. But they don’t always have the flavors you want and you may not have the right flavor in your pantry. Here is a quick solution for creating fantastic soup in only a few minutes using chicken broth you may already have waiting for you in your pantry when you don’t have the time and we haven’t cooked for you yet:

 

Spicy Chipotle Chicken Soup

16 oz of Chicken Broth or use Bouillon and Water (follow package directions)
1/2 – 3/4 cup of Vegetables and/or Beans
1/2 cup Cooked Chicken (optional)
1/4 cup Cooked Rice or 1/2 cup Uncooked Broken Angel Hair Pasta
1 tablespoon Chopped Cilantro (optional)
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Chipotle Powder (Can substitute Ancho or Chili Powder)
Salt and Black Pepper to taste (be careful that you taste before adding salt)

     Bring broth just to a boil in a sauce pan, turn down to a simmer. Break the pasta into 1 inch or smaller pieces. Add in all the ingredients except Cilantro.  Heat through or until pasta is soft. Add half the cilantro and cook for 1 minute. Add a dollop of sour cream (optional) or crumble in some tortilla chips and garnish with remaining cilantro. Serves 4-6. For another twist, sauté 1/4 cup of onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves before adding broth to the pan.

     If you read my Improv In The Kitchen posts you’ve noticed I like to play around with spices and make my own recipes. Frozen vegetables and canned beans are always in my freezer and pantry. You can use any combination of veggies to beans here. I had a Mexican frozen vegetable blend that had broccoli, carrots, beans, green beans and peppers in it. You can use corn and black beans or any other vegetable you have on hand. I actually used a packet of Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup as the base when I first tested this recipe out. You can use any brand chicken broth (College Inn, Swanson’s, Trader Joe’s, Wolfgang Puck) or even your own.

For Vegetarians: Substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and firm tofu for chicken. Or simply add more beans.

 

Greek Chicken Florentine Soup

16 oz Chicken Broth or use Bouillon and Water (follow package directions)
3/4 cup Chopped Spinach
1/2 cup Cooked Chicken (optional)
1/4 cup Cooked Rice or 1/2 cup Uncooked Broken Angel Hair Pasta
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon marjoram leaves
1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (adjust to your tastes)
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Black Pepper and Salt to taste

     Add broth to sauce pan. Stir in oregano, marjoram and garlic powder and bring just to a boil, turn down to a simmer. Break the pasta into 1 inch or smaller pieces. Add in all the ingredients except Lemon Juice and Feta Cheese. Heat through or until pasta is soft. Add lemon juice and stir just before serving. Crumble feta on top when serving.

     For Vegetarians: Substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and firm tofu or cannellini beans for chicken.     

     These soups are perfect for a quick dinner or taken to school or work for lunch the next day. Please note: Dinner’s On The Table, when cooking for clients, makes all soups from scratch. 
 

Hummus: What to Dip in the Dip?

Posted on December 14th, 2008 in Catering Tips and Ideas, Cooking Tips, Vegetables by Ira Weiss

     We’ve noticed that we get a lot of searches and hits for Hummus. A recent question was posed as to what to dip in it.

     I think a more accurate question could be, "What can’t you dip in hummus?" Because the "world is your oyster," if you can dip it, you can dip it in hummus. Traditional would be pita bread. Cut a pita into wedges and either toast them first or serve them as is. As for vegetables, anything you normally would use as a dipper for dips: carrots, celery, green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

     You can also be a little creative. How about french fries? Chicken nuggets? Believe me, awesome taste and beats honey mustard hands down. And of course chips of any kind. And if you like the sweet and savory flavor combination try dipping apple or pear wedges into your hummus. Plain hummus would work better in this case, but hey, whatever hummus taste kick hits your fancy. Go for roasted red pepper, Greek olive, pine nut, extra roasted garlic, caramelized onion, even citrus flavored hummus. Flavorings for hummus are endless. Mexican chipotle adds a nice extra heat punch and great flavor too!

     And don’t forget, hummus makes a fantastic sandwich spread too. Hummus is enjoyed throughout the Middle Eastern region and beyond. And it’s so popular there that it can be eaten at every meal!