Karin's Week Fourteen Recipe: Garlic, Black Bean & Sausage Soup

It was a cold, rainy, and dreary day... so I decided to make soup.  As what else would make a filling, warm comfort food - fast?  I have a book called Fresh and Simple Quick Simmering Soups, by Better Homes and Gardens, and usually I make the Red Pepper Soup out of it.  Paging through, this soup looked easy, and we had all the ingredients on hand.

Garlic, Black Bean & Sausage Soup

12 oz bulk mild Italian sausage
1.5 c chopped onion
10 cloves garlic, minced (approx 5 tsp)
1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed
2 - 15oz cans black beans, drained & rinsed
1 - 14/5 oz can beef broth (I just measured approx amt from my box 'o' broth)
Dash ground red pepper (optional)
1/4 c sour cream
2 c chopped tomatoes (I used 1 14oz can, so approximated)
2 T snipped fresh oregano (I used Penzey's dried, approx 1 T)

In large saucepan cook sausage, onion, garlic and fennel seed over med-high heat for 10-12 min or until sausage is no longer pink. Drain well. (I didn't have anything to drain at this point.)

Stir in black beans and beef broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 min.

Meanwhile, if desired, stir red pepper into sour cream. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (I didn't do this, as Nate does not like sour cream.)

Just before serving, stir in the tomatoes and oregano into soup; heat through. Top each serving with sour cream mixture.

This soup turned out quite nicely - it got 4 thumbs up. The only thing I might change, is to use a slightly spicier sausage, as the mild we used didn't seem to add much in flavor. I did put sour cream in mine, and liked that it made the soup thicker. I had the leftovers for lunch the next day, and it was even better after it had sat in the fridge overnight.

Chris & Tricia's BONUS Week Twelve Recipe: Chicken & Chick Pea Crockpot Soup

Tricia came over last night for dinner and some serious project knitting. (No, I can't tell you what the project is! Go ask her....) She requested my Experimental Cornbread and I thought of chicken soup. I went over the list of proposed ingredients with her and she suggested one that put this soup right over the top in terms of sheer goodness. Without further adieu, here is our recipe:

Chicken & Chick Pea Crockpot Soup

Poach or boil:

2 skinless chicken breasts

Cool, then chop into bite-sized pieces.

Saute:

1/2 medium onion, chopped

several cloves of garlic (quantity depending on taste), roughly minced

Peel and chop:

1 sweet potato

3 large carrots

Cook these in the microwave until tender (but not mushy).

Put all ingredients in a large crock pot and add

1-2 cartons chicken broth (I used about 1.5)

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen green bean - chopped if necessary

1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans) - Tricia's suggestion!

salt & pepper to taste

Turn the crockpot on high and bring to a healthy simmer. (This took quite a long time in my crockpot. Although many of the ingredients were fairly warm, most were not.) Serve with a little grated parmesan.

Would I make this recipe again? Often! Speaking without any modesty whatsoever, this is the best chicken soup I've ever made.

Karin's Week Six Recipe: Lentil and Potato Stew with Spiced Oil

This recipe is from The Occasional Vegetarian Cookbook. I've been trying to find more interesting side dishes to accompany a meat dish than the stand-by recipes involving straight potatoes or noodles. This one seemed to fit the bill.

Lentil and Potato Stew with Spiced Oil

6 c water
1.5 c lentils
1 red or yellow bell pepper
2 medium potatoes, peeled or unpeeled
2 unpeeled carrots
1 large Spanish onion
2 celery stalks
1/4 c soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 bay leaf

Cut all veggies into pieces approximately 1 inch in size, carrots a bit smaller. Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Spiced Oil
2 T olive oil or butter (I used oil)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin

Once the lentils have simmered for about 40 min, warm the oil in a small saucepan over low heat, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spices.

Add spiced oil into stew pot and stir around. Serve hot.

This turned out much more like soup than stew. Even after letting it sit for a day and having it as leftovers. I think stew should be thick, and not broth-like. I served this with a roast chicken, and think I may be able to even add the chicken right into the soup to satisfy the carnivore in my house. The taste of this recipe is really good, but it makes quite a lot. If I make it again, I think I'll only make a half recipe. Maybe I'll see if it freezes well...