This post is dedicated to my friend Angela, who is the star baker of the Epi PhD program at Emory. She sent me a delicious recipe for spicy chipotle black bean soup that we both ended up being immediately drawn to. Everyone knows that croutons go well in soups, but little did I realize until late last week, that you can 'crouton' a lot of different things aside from bread. This particular recipe called for sweet potato croutons, which were just as easy to make as regular old bread croutons, and a lot healthier.
Last Saturday evening, Joe and I got together with some old friends for dinner. We cooked a fantastic 6 course meal (8 if you count the different types of desserts!) together, including 2 different types of roasted cornish hens. (Aside: These are the same friends who came over for dinner when I had the cornish hen disaster of 2011. They were sweet and decided to take another chance on me.) I thought it would be perfect to start the crisp, cool evening off with a hearty and spicy black bean soup, so I made it as a sort of appetizer or starter, if you will. As you all know by now, I never read through recipes thoroughly during the cooking process because I always end up changing things up anyway (hence why I have been discouraged by a few to bake homemade cookies ever again). So, after a quick skim, I followed the general recipe while making a few improvisations along the way. Generally speaking, it turned out pretty well. I loved that the recipe had a refreshing Southwestern flair -- it called for fire-roasted tomatoes, which really added a smoky flavor to the dish, as well as creamy avocado slices, citrusy cilantro, and freshly-squeezed lime juice. Main modifications I would make to the recipe include adding queso fresco as a topping (adds an additional level of creaminess and texture, plus cheese makes everything better) and baking/broiling the sweet potatoes to make them a little healthier with a similar crunchy texture. Oh, and I nixed the greek yogurt topping. I don't think the soup needs it, to be honest. As usual, see below for the final recipe with final modifications:
Ingredients:
-2 cans of black beans
-1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes
-4 cups of chicken broth, or enough bullion to make the equivalent amount
-5 cloves of garlic
-1 medium onion
-1-2 serrano peppers, or whatever other peppers you have lying around the house
-1 fresh lime
-Handful of cilantro
-Salt/pepper to taste
-1 sweet potato
-Queso fresco
-1 avocado
Soup Preparation:
-Wash and drain the black beans
-Peel and roughly chop the garlic and onion
-Roughly chop the peppers and cilantro
-Slice the lime into quarters for ease in squeezing
-Fry the onions and garlic in a large pot on medium-high heat for a few minutes until they begin to brown
-Add the beans, canned tomatoes, broth, and peppers and cover the pot
-Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and let simmer
-Add cilantro, lime, salt and pepper to taste, and heat for another 10-15 minutes while covered
-Turn heat off and remove pot from stove. Let cool for 5 minutes.
-Pour mixture into blender and puree until smooth. Serve with toppings (see below).
Sweet Potato Crouton Preparation:
-Dice sweet potato into 1"x1" cubes.
-Place cubes into a baking pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and salt.
-Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
-When sweet potatoes look like they are beginning to brown, broil for 2-3 minutes.
Serving the soup:
-Serve piping hot (can place the blended, pureed soup back on the stove if need be) with queso fresco, diced avocado, and crunchy sweet potato croutons.
-Enjoy!
Last Saturday evening, Joe and I got together with some old friends for dinner. We cooked a fantastic 6 course meal (8 if you count the different types of desserts!) together, including 2 different types of roasted cornish hens. (Aside: These are the same friends who came over for dinner when I had the cornish hen disaster of 2011. They were sweet and decided to take another chance on me.) I thought it would be perfect to start the crisp, cool evening off with a hearty and spicy black bean soup, so I made it as a sort of appetizer or starter, if you will. As you all know by now, I never read through recipes thoroughly during the cooking process because I always end up changing things up anyway (hence why I have been discouraged by a few to bake homemade cookies ever again). So, after a quick skim, I followed the general recipe while making a few improvisations along the way. Generally speaking, it turned out pretty well. I loved that the recipe had a refreshing Southwestern flair -- it called for fire-roasted tomatoes, which really added a smoky flavor to the dish, as well as creamy avocado slices, citrusy cilantro, and freshly-squeezed lime juice. Main modifications I would make to the recipe include adding queso fresco as a topping (adds an additional level of creaminess and texture, plus cheese makes everything better) and baking/broiling the sweet potatoes to make them a little healthier with a similar crunchy texture. Oh, and I nixed the greek yogurt topping. I don't think the soup needs it, to be honest. As usual, see below for the final recipe with final modifications:
Ingredients:
-2 cans of black beans
-1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes
-4 cups of chicken broth, or enough bullion to make the equivalent amount
-5 cloves of garlic
-1 medium onion
-1-2 serrano peppers, or whatever other peppers you have lying around the house
-1 fresh lime
-Handful of cilantro
-Salt/pepper to taste
-1 sweet potato
-Queso fresco
-1 avocado
Soup Preparation:
-Wash and drain the black beans
-Peel and roughly chop the garlic and onion
-Roughly chop the peppers and cilantro
-Slice the lime into quarters for ease in squeezing
-Fry the onions and garlic in a large pot on medium-high heat for a few minutes until they begin to brown
-Add the beans, canned tomatoes, broth, and peppers and cover the pot
-Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and let simmer
-Add cilantro, lime, salt and pepper to taste, and heat for another 10-15 minutes while covered
-Turn heat off and remove pot from stove. Let cool for 5 minutes.
-Pour mixture into blender and puree until smooth. Serve with toppings (see below).
Sweet Potato Crouton Preparation:
-Dice sweet potato into 1"x1" cubes.
-Place cubes into a baking pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and salt.
-Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
-When sweet potatoes look like they are beginning to brown, broil for 2-3 minutes.
Serving the soup:
-Serve piping hot (can place the blended, pureed soup back on the stove if need be) with queso fresco, diced avocado, and crunchy sweet potato croutons.
-Enjoy!
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| This picture is not mine but from the website with the original recipe. I forgot to take pictures again! |
Yay! I overspiced my soup, making it a little hard to eat. However, I spread it on a tortilla with cheese and broiled it to make a fantastic quick black bean pizza lunch!
ReplyDeleteThis soup really was fantastic! Often soup is just considered an appetizer or side dish, but this soup was the star in an elaborate meal that included two uniquely flavored cornish hens. Bravo, and i'll be more than willing to try any future variations of the soup that you cook up!
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