Warm Black Bean Soup

I found the Whole Foods 28 day challenge to healthier eating the other day and decided to give it a whirl.  So I've been busy this morning cooking up my lunches for the rest of the week and prepping my veggies for some quick dinners.  Meal number 1 is a black bean soup, whole foods provided a recommended recipe, but since I'm not good at following directions I took my own spin on it.  And, oh my was I ever rewarded, I think I might have just found my new go to food for those chilly winter days yet to come this year..

15 min prep 1 hour cook

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups water

1 tbsp chicken bouillon

2 or 3 cloves garlic (I used the mini cloves I had lying around in my garlic bin so I'm not sure how much I used)

1 medium onion diced

1/2 red bell pepper diced

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp cumin

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

2 tbsp sherry

1 tsp lime juice

Saute the onions, garlic, and peppers in the olive oil until translucent and tender, around 5 minutes.  Add the beans, water, boullion, cumin, coriander, and chili powder and stir.  Heat to boiling and let simmer covered fro 45 minutes to meld flavors.  Add the sherry and lime juice and let it cool for a few minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender/food processor.   Return to the pot to reheat before serving.

Its fabulous as is for a great lunch or get fancy by adding a little sour cream and cilantro.

Apple Crisp in a Jiffy

Had a craving for something sweet and I'm trying to avoid the hoards of Halloween candy left in my house. Halloween candy is such a tempting treat - full of chocolate, readily available, and nice "bite size" pieces that make me think its ok if I just eat one, and then one more and one more.  So after some deliberation  between the Halloween candy and the apples that I purchased at noon thinking I'll eat healthier tonight if I have fruit lying around.  Since in the dual between the apple versus the candy I know the apple would loose, I decided to give it a boost and make an individual sized apple crisp instead.  Apple Crisp versus Halloween Candy - Apple Crisp wins!  And if you are my husband you can have your Halloween Candy and Apple Crisp too.

~ 10 min to prep ~ 25 min to bake

The filling:

1 medium apple diced

2 tbsp sugar

splash of orange juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

Mix the diced apple, sugar, splash of orange juice, cinnamon, and salt and then divide into 2 custard cups.  

The topping:

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp pecan pieces

2 tbsp oatmeal

1 tsp butter melted

Add the sugar, flour, nuts, and oats to the melted butter.  Mix until it becomes crumbly.  Divide and sprinkle on top of the apple filling.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for ~ 25 min or until apples are tender.

Enjoy one crisp now and have one for later

Chicken with Caper Sauce

So nice to be back home in my kitchen after a week in Seattle.  I felt like we heard about all these wonderful restaurants to try there, but since my two beautiful daughters were usually in a unsavory mood at dinner time we survived on take out and dinner in a hotel room.  Being the first day back we got to go to the grocery today and restock the pantry for the week- beans, diced tomatoes, chard, bell peppers, chicken.... and then tonight comes and I look at my pantry shelves, I use exactly none of them :). Hey I just wasn't in the mood.  I opted instead to go with a classic from one of my favorite cookbooks - Dining for Two - its a Weight Watchers cookbook from one of my many attempts to loose last 10 lbs.  Its actually and incredibly good cookbook with lots of easy, healthy items that taste gourmet.  Tonight's chicken with capers can be fixed in about 50 min assuming you've done no prep and have a 18 month old who wants to be held throughout it. If you don't have clinging children you could probably make it in 35 easy.

I chose to serve it with Rice a Roni's Long Grain and Wild Rice combo. I started the rice before starting the meal and it was finished just before the chicken ~ 35 minutes later.

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1.5 tsp chicken bouillon

.5 tsp sherry

4 cloves garlic

5 whole peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2 5 ounce skinless boneless chicken breasts

salt

pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp capers, rinsed and drained

1 tsp butter softened

1 tsp flour

Directions:

Bring the broth, wine, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf to boil in a small saucepan.    Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced and garlic tender ~ 8 minutes.  Discard the peppercorns and bay leaf. Puree the garlic mixture (I like to use my little Magic Bullet).  

Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts.  Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned ~ 5 min on each side. Add the garlic mixture and capers and cook partially covered for ~ 3 minutes, flipping chicken once.

In a small bowl mix the flour and butter until they form a paste. Stir the paste into the caper sauce until blended and smooth.  Simmer the sauce for ~ 1 minute to thicken.

Enjoy