Meatless Mondays: Kickin' Black Bean Soup

Meatless Mondays are back! It's been a while, but it is my goal to get back to eating vegetarian at least once a week. This spicy black bean soup is a perfect Meatless Monday meal: it's hearty, healthy, and has some kick to it! I cooled it off with a squeeze of fresh lime, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. It's a wonderful, filling soup that is a cinch to make! From start to finish this soup takes less than half an hour. 

Kickin' Black Bean Soup
Modified From Let's Dish
Printable Version
Makes 4 bowls
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (I used about six slices of pickled jalapenos from a jar)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Julio's Seasoning (a gift from our awesome friends from TX!) or a dash of cayenne
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups beef stock or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste


Directions
Heat olive oil in a Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno and garlic and cook until soft, about five minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and Julio's seasoning. 

Add the beans and broth and simmer for fifteen minutes. 

Remove 1 1/2 cups of the soup and puree in a blender then return to a pot (or use a hand blender directly in the pot). 

Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice. Ladle into individual bowls and add a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Excellent with tortilla chips!

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Good Mexican cuisine has been hard find on Okinawa. Since hubby and I both love Mexican and refuse to go two years without it, I have resolved to make it at home. One of my favorite Mexican dishes is Enchiladas Verdes. I love the tanginess of the verdes sauce, the creamy filling with tender chicken and bursts of cilantro, and of course the melted cheese. 

This recipe is wonderfully easy and great for a weeknight meal. With a dollop of sour cream and homemade guacamole on the side, hubby and I happily got our Mexican fix!

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
From Yummly
Printable Version
Makes 6 enchiladas
Ingredients
2 cups rotisserie cooked chicken, shredded
2 cups verdes (green chile) enchiladas sauce
1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used the Mexican blend)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 cup chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
6 flour tortillas
4 jalapenos, chopped (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread 1/4 cup of the enchiladas verdes sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. In a large bowl combine the shredded chicken, 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, cilantro, sour cream, lime juice, onion, chili powder and chicken stock. Taste and season with salt and pepper. 

Place tortillas on a plate with a moist paper towel over the top and microwave for 45 seconds. Working one tortilla at a time, spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken filling onto the middle of the tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until all of the filling is gone. 

Drizzle the remaining enchilada sauce on the top of the tortillas and then cover with the rest of the cheese. 

Bake about 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and garnish with chopped jalapenos. Serve with additional sour cream and guacamole if desired.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

This weekend was the first party in our new neighborhood. I wanted to try recipe I'd never made before and bring something for a crowd. Since I'd been wanting to make jalapeno popper dip for a while and I decided this was the perfect occasion. It was a toss up whether the commissary (military grocery store) would have jalapenos because we get limited produce over here in Okinawa. Thankfully there was a bag of fresh jalapenos just waiting for me to use it in this creamy, cheesy, spicy, and intensely flavorful dip. 

If you don't like too much heat I would recommend using only 2 fresh jalapenos instead of 4. Served with lime tortilla chips for scooping this dip was a hit at the party and will be at yours too!

Jalapeno Popper Dip
From Closet Cooking 
Makes a 9X13 casserole dish 
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
8 ounces sliced jalapenos (canned)
4 fresh jalapenos peppers, chopped
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano 


Directions
Preheat oven to 374 degrees. Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano and jalapenos in a large bowl.

Mix until completely combined. Spread into a 9X13 casserole dish.

Mix together the panko bread crumbs and remaining 1/2 cup of parmigiano reggiano and sprinkle over the top of the dip. 

Bake uncovered until bubbling and sides and golden brown on top about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cranberry Chutney

Because my photo software recently went on the blitz, this Cranberry Chutney is the one and only recipe from Thanksgiving this year that can actually I blog about. Boo hoo hoo. I wanted to share with you an amazing brie and truffle oil appetizer and a couple other recipes that I made over Thanksgiving, but the photos didn't survive. Guess I'll have to make them again sometime. 


I found this Cranberry Chutney recipe on Closet Cooking. I loved how it was a totally different spin on traditional cranberry sauce and how it incorporates so many different ingredients: jalapeno, apples, raisins, ginger. 


This was the easiest thing I made on Thanksgiving day, all you do is cut things up and cook them all in a big pot. It smelled heavenly while it simmered and was very delicious. Tangy, sweet, and savory all at the same time. It made a nice big batch and we were able to use the leftovers on turkey sandwiches and in chicken curry - - recipe to come next!

Cranberry Chutney
From Kevin at Closet Cooking
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 12 ounce package fresh cranberries
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 tablespoon grated garlic
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup cider vinegar

Directions
Place everything in a large pot and boil until thickens, about 20 minutes. Can be made ahead of time and even preserved using traditional canning methods.