Black Bean and Tomato Soup

At home, CK and I are trying to eat more organic foods and less meat these days. I eat out a lot when I'm travelling so when I'm home, I try to eat really healthy to balance the fat, grease and salt I put into my body when I'm away.

Ok, so I don't eat super healthy right when I get home. Because I'm so used to eating out when I'm on the road, I have to ween myself off of the excessive eating and drinking. I have what I call my 'weening period'. Doesn't matter what day of the week I come home, I get to eat what I want, as much as I want (like driving to a late night bakery after stuffing my face at a dinner party, and ordering every type of croissant available for dessert, and then eating it in the car because I can't wait for the 5 minute drive home - yep, I'm sexy and I know it!) for the rest of the week, AND THEN I start my healthy eating and regular exercise.

This delicious black bean soup is my recent healthy concoction packed with protein, nutrients...and gas! Just blame it on the dog if you're eating this with other people.

Most of the ingredients in my recipe were organic, but I didn't list it as such. It's your choice

This recipe yields 6-8 servings.

Black Bean and Tomato Soup
- 4 (19 fl. oz, 540mL) cans of black bean
- 1 ( 28 fl. oz, 794mL) can of diced tomatoes
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tsp of paprika
- 1 tsp of cumin
- 1 tsp of chili powder
- 1 generous cup of cilantro, roughly chopped

Method
1. In a pan, saute the onions and garlic until translucent (about 2-3 minutes). Turn the heat off and set aside.

2. In a food processor, process 2 cans of black beans, the diced tomatoes and some of the sauteed onions and garlic (about 1/4 cup) until smooth.

3. Add the celery and carrots to the remaining garlic and onions to the pan, and continue to saute until the carrots and celery is tender (about 5-8 minutes). Transfer the vegetables into a large pot, along with the processed bean mixture, stock, remaining black beans, paprika, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

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Spinach Egg Drop Soup

Soup season is officially here! Whenever the weather starts to get cold outside, I default to soup. I have it almost every day until it starts to warm up again. There is something so comforting about a hot brothy soup, full of veggies and goodness, warming up the body when it's cold outside. Kinda like a big warm fuzzy sweater for the soul.

This spinach egg drop soup is an easy soup to whip up if you don't have a lot of time. It is very similar to the Italian stracciatella, but minus the cheese. CK is not a fan of soups, but he says yes to a bowl of this everytime! Now that says a lot.

Spinach Egg Drop Soup
- 300g of baby spinach
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 4 cups of vegetable broth
- 2 cups of water
- 3 eggs
- 1 can (19 fl. oz, 540 mL) of white kidney beans
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt + pepper

Method
1. In a pan, saute the garlic until slightly translucent. Add the spinach and some salt, and continue to saute until the spinach has wilted.

2. In a large pot, combine the broth and water and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and set aside. When the broth comes to a boil, turn the heat down slightly and add the spinach.

3. While the soup is still hot and slightly boiling, pour the egg very slowly into the middle of the pot. With a fork immersed in the soup, beat the egg as you are pouring it into the soup. This will break up the egg while it is cooking and create a cloud like look. Add the beans. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

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Hummus

As I was cleaning my mess of a desk, I found a hummus recipe that my cousin had given me at our family Christmas party 2 years ago!

Yes, you heard right...2 years ago. That is how long I have left things to accumulate on my desk until I couldn't use it anymore. You see, I am so used to using my laptop in bed that my desk has become somewhat obsolete.
Unfortunately, using my laptop in bed has given me bad back aches, and I no longer sleep well anymore. Egad, I feel like I'm getting old. I'm using the word egad, I must be getting old ;-)

I decided to clean up my desk and set up a proper office so that I could separate my computer life from my sleep time. In the process, I found this recipe.

I'm so glad I found this recipe because it is as good as I remembered it. The cumin is the secret ingredient. Shhhhh.

Hummus
- 2 cans (540 mL, 19 fl oz. each) of chickpeas, drained
- 1/4 cup of cold water
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 lemons, juice
- 4 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup of tahini
- 1/4 tsp of ground cumin
- dash of ground pepper
- 1 large pinch of cayenne pepper

Method
1. Combine all of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth.

There is no need to add salt as the canned chickpeas are already salty. I like my hummus really lemony, so if you don't, I would start with the juice of 1 lemon and go from there. If you like your hummus even creamier, simply add more oil.

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Persian Spinach and Noodle Soup (Ash-e Reshteh)

This spinach noodle soup is my secret weapon to staying healthy. When I'm not eating out, I make sure I eat damn well, and this soup is one of my default dishes. This soup is likely the first thing I make when I return from my travels. I make a huge honkin pot that will last me days, and this is how I 'detox' from my travels.

To some, this soup will look extremely unappetizing, but if you keep an open mind, you'll learn that it is delicious. What's best is that you get everything your body craves: protein, vegetables, fiber, carbohydrates...

I recently received an email from a reader asking for the recipe for this soup (after seeing this old post), so here it is. Good luck and I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
This recipe yields 8-10 servings.

Persian Spinach and Noodle Soup (Ash-e Reshteh)
- 11 oz, 312g package of fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 6 scallions, roughly chopped
- 2 cups of coriander, roughly chopped and loosely packed
- 2 Tbsp dried mint
- 10 cups of water, or broth of choice
- 1/3 cup of dried chickpeas
- 1/3 cup of dried red kidney beans
- 1/3 cup of dried navy beans
- 3/4 cup of dried green lentils
- 3 small onions, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 cups of dried Persian noodles (reshteh)
- 1 tsp of turmeric powder
- salt and pepper
- extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Steam the chickpeas, kidney beans, and navy beans. To do this, boil 2 cups of salted water in a small pot. Turn off the heat, pour in the beans, and leave the lid on for at least 40 minutes. Drain excess water.

2. In a large pot, sautee the onions and garlic with extra virgin olive oil, turmeric, and a dash of salt. Add 10 cups of water (or broth), and bring to a boil. Add spinach, coriander, scallions, and mint. Simmer for 45 minutes

3. Add the steamed beans. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Add the dried lentils. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Add the noodles and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Serve hot. If you feel your soup is not thick enough, sift some all purpose flour into the soup.

Once you get comfortable with making this soup, you can go ahead and use any combination of greens and beans you want. For the greens, keep in mind that the majority should be spinach.

If you don't want to spend the time to prepare the dried beans, you can always used canned beans which takes a lot less time. If that is the case, add the beans near the end of the recipe so that they don't overcook.

Persians like to add a hint of sourness to this soup. An option is to stir in a bit of plain yogurt or whey right before serving.

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Mango and Bean Salad

This salad is beautiful, isn't it? It was made with love...lots of love. This is a great refreshing salad that is perfect for that potluck party or picnic lunch this summer.

One thing I started doing was adding chayote to my salads. It is a very neutral ingredient with little taste and lotsa crunch. I thought it would perfectly balance the soft squishy beans, and I was right.

My little grandma, who refuses to eat anything but Chinese food, even wrote down the recipe. That says a lot! Now go and try it for yourself.

This recipe yields 6-8 servings.

Mango and Bean Salad- 1 can (540 mL, 19 fl oz.) of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (540 mL, 19 fl oz.) of small Mexican red beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (341 mL, 12 fl. oz.) of whole corn kernels, drained
- 1 chayote, cut in small cubes
- 1 red pepper, cut into small pieces
- 1 large semi-ripe green mango, cut into small pieces
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup of cilantro, finely chopped

Dressing
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 limes, juice
- 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of honey

Method1. In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, chayote, red pepper, mango, scallion, cilantro, and jalapeno.

2. In a separate bowl, make the dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients, and mix well. Pour the dressing into the larger bowl and mix all of the ingredients together. Refrigerate and serve.

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Persian Chickpea Cookies: Nan-e Nokhochi

After receiving a bunch of cute little Persian cookie cutters from my in-laws, I wanted to put them to use. I made Persian chickpea cookies called nan-e nokhochi.

Nan-e nokhochi is a delicate cookie that is made from very fine roasted chickpea flour. They crumble and melt as soon as they enter the mouth, and the cookies pair well with tea. I once tried using regular chickpea flour from my local bulk store, but it just didn't taste the same. The delicate flavor is lost, and a lot more butter/oil is needed.

You can find roasted chickpea pastry flour at any Persian grocery store. In Ottawa, I get mine at Arya Food Market.

This recipe makes approximately 60 mini cookies.

Persian Chickpea Cookies (Nan-e Nokhochi)
- 3 1/2 cups of fine roasted chickpea flour
- 3/4 cup of vegetable oil or clarified butter
- 1 cup of confectioners sugar
- 3 tsp of ground cardamom
- 1 Tbsp rose water
- crushed pistachios for garnish

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Combine the chickpea flour, confectioners sugar, and ground cardamom. Mix until evenly distributed.

2. Slowly add in the butter/oil and mix well. Add the rosewater, and continue to mix well.

3. Tightly pack the flour mixture into a small rectangular pan that is 3/4 inch high. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour to harden the dough. Remove from the refrigerator. Cut the dough with a small cookie cutter that is 3/4 inch wide and 3/4 inch high. Place cookies on a baking sheet, spacing them one inch apart. Garnish with crushed pistachios. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the base of the cookie is slightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool before transferring them. As mentioned, they crumble very easily.

4. To create more cookies, repack the dough and repeat step 3.

Be sure not to over bake your cookies. Doing so will create a bitter taste.

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Capellini Con Tonno

Sometimes, a can of flaked tuna can be a savior. All you have to do is open the can, and voila, it is ready. I like to make this pasta dish when I need a dose of meat protein, but don't feel like cooking any meat. Both the tuna and the beans in this dish provide a good source of protein.

If you don't feel like cooking the tomato sauce from scratch, you can always open a jar of prepared tomato sauce, and use that instead.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Capellini Con Tonno
- 450 g dried capellini pasta
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup of peas, frozen
- 5 vine ripened tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 340g of canned light tuna in water, drained and flaked
- 1 can (156ml, 5.5 fl. oz) of tomato paste
- 1 can (540ml, 19 fl. oz) of Romano beans, drained
- 1 cup of water
- 1/2 cup of cilantro, finely chopped + extra for garnish
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 fresh lemon

Method
1. To peel the tomatoes, cut a small cross across the bottom of each tomato, and immerse them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Remove them from the water, and allow them to cool. The skin of the tomatoes should peel off very easily. Remove the seeds, and roughly chop.

2. Sautee the garlic and onions in a pan with the oil on high heat until onions are translucent.

3. Add the tomato paste, chopped fresh tomatoes, water, oregano and salt + pepper and stir until it bubbles. Turn the heat down to simmer, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the beans, frozen peas, tuna, chili flakes, and smoked paprika and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.

5. In another pot, cook the pasta until al dente.

6. Drain the pasta, and serve with the sauce.

7. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, and squeeze fresh lemon juice over top of the dish.

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Red Lentil Dal

I know I said I was going to post my Viva Pops post next, but I wanted to share this kick a** dal recipe before the weather becomes too hot for a hearty dish like this.

I wanted to cook something hearty but light. Although it is June, and summer is around the corner, it has been rainy here in Ottawa. This is a healthy dish that is full of flavor, and is great for cool and rainy days.

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law, and my friend K perfected it by adding cauliflower. Even my sister, who has some weird abhorrence of dal, loves this dish!

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Red Lentil Dal
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 4 cups of cauliflower florets
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 Tbsp low fat plain yogurt
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 (796ml, 28 fl. oz) can whole peeled tomatoes with juices, chopped
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 1 cup of red lentils
- 1/2 cup coriander + 2 Tbsp coriander, finely chopped
- cayenne pepper to taste (I used 1/4 tsp)
- salt + pepper to taste

Method
1. On medium heat, sautee the oil, garlic, ginger, and onion in a pot until the onions are translucent.

2. Add the tomatoes, 2 Tbsp of coriander, bay leaves, and all of the spices into the pot, and cook until the tomatoes are crushed. This will be approximately 10 minutes.

3. Turn the heat down to simmer. Add the lentils to the tomatoes, and cook with the lid on for 20 minutes.

4. Add in the cauliflower and cook with the lid on for 25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.

5. Add in the rest of the coriander, and cook for 5 minutes. Add more salt + pepper if needed. Turn off the heat. Remove the bay leaves and discard.

6. Right before serving while still warm, stir in the yogurt. This step makes all the difference.

Enjoy this dish as is, or with your favorite bread!

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