Taco Soup (Vegan)

This is one of my typical "throw it all together" kinds of recipes that's a little different every time, based on what I have on hand and what quantity I'm making. But I took some to a friend's house recently—and she asked for the recipe—so I'll try to codify something that will produce something close. Know that it is extremely flexible, and that you can modify it to your own preferences very easily. 

For me, it usually goes something like this. I make a huge batch and freeze it for later.

(I've divided the ingredient list into sections that roughly correspond to when I add the ingredient to the soup. Some veggies take longer to cook than others, and some I like more crisp-tender than soft.)

Ingredients:

onion, diced

celery, diced

garlic, diced (or minced—but if minced, add later)

Southwestern seasonings (any combination of chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt/pepper/cayenne to taste) or a taco seasoning blend

homemade vegetable broth

beans of choice (any combo of black, pinto, cranberry, kidney, cannellini, lentils), precooked

some of the aqua faba from cooking or the cans of beans (if light-colored)

petite diced tomatoes, with the juice

small jar of organic salsa

canned or fresh pumpkin, cooked or diced raw

carrot, diced

leek, diced

kale stalks, finely diced

sweet potato (finely diced)

cauliflower leaves (if I have them on hand from cooking cauliflower), finely diced

fresh jalapeño, finely diced, if you like spicy

zucchini, quartered and sliced

corn (fresh or frozen)

kale leaves, diced

snow peas, sliced into thin strips

For serving:

quinoa, brown rice, or wild rice blend, already prepared

diced avocado, sweet onion, fresh jalapeño, for garnish

corn chips, if not watching oil and processed foods

Preparation:

1) Pre-cook your beans, if not using canned. NOTE: It is important to pre-cook legumes before combining them with acidic foods (like tomatoes) or they may never soften completely. Do not throw out the thickened cooking water.

2) Pre-cook your rice or quinoa.

3) Dry sauté the diced onion, celery, and garlic in a Dutch oven (adding a little water only if it begins to stick).

4) Add the seasonings with a little broth and cook lightly until fragrant (maybe 30 seconds or a minute). Don't skimp on the spices!

5) Add liquids, beans, and harder veggies, and bring to a low boil. Cover and simmer lightly until veggies just begin to soften.

6) Add the remaining veggies (zucchini, corn, kale), which I add last because I want them to stay crisp tender.

7) Serve over rice or quinoa (or add it to the soup before serving, if preferred) and top with avocado, sweet onion, and diced jalapeño, if desired.

Marissa's Caribbean Black Beans (Vegan)

Super easy and tasty recipe from our friend Marissa, which she served with chicken, rice, and mango salsa, along with cornbread and salad on the side. Yum!

1 onion, chopped
allspice, to taste
thyme, to taste
1 C. orange juice
3 cans black beans
mango salsa, opt. garnish

Saute finely chopped onion with spices. Add beans and orange juice and simmer until warmed through and flavors are blended. The mango salsa is just chopped mango and veggies with zest and juice of one lime.

Christine's Warm Salad of Pork and Black-Eyed Peas

10 ounces of black-eyed peas, cooked

1/3 C. Italian salad dressing

1/2 C. snow peas, coarsely chopped or halved

1/4 C. green onions, diced

1/4 C. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/4 C. celery, sliced

1/4 C. red pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp. olives, sliced

drizzle of olive oil or non-stick cooking spray

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips

fresh spinach, greens, and lettuces to line plate

1) Combine first 8 ingredients and set aside.

2) Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet and stir-fry garlic for 30 seconds.

3) Add pork. If uncooked, stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink. If cooked, stir-fry just until warm.

4) Remove from heat.

5) Add vegetable mixture to pork in skillet and mix well.

6) Serve over greens.

Spicy Beans (Vegan)

Canned beans, any combination: black, kidney, garbanzo, pinto, etc.
Chopped onion and celery
APB w/extra paprika, celery salt, and cumin
Herdez brand salsa verde

Cook together and serve over rice. Garnish with diced Vidalia onion and chopped cucumber and celery, for cool crunch.

NOTE: Leftovers make a nice topping for nachos!

Crock Pot Mexican Burrito Bowls (Can Be Vegan)

Cooking the beans:
1 pound black beans, picked clean and soaked overnight
1 onion, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
3 bay leaves
5-6 C. water or broth (more if want soupy beans; less if want drier beans)

1) Place soaked black beans into Crock Pot with above ingredients. Cook on high for 3 hours or until tender.

2) 30 minutes before end of cooking time, add 1 Tbsp. salt.

3) Remove cooked beans and cooking liquid from Crock Pot and reserve for later use.
NOTE: You can also use canned black beans and start as indicated below.

Cooking the other stuff:

Chicken breasts and/or thighs, chunked (opt., omit if vegan)
2 15-oz. can petite diced tomatoes
2 C. brown rice (brown rice holds up better than white rice when cooked in this way)
2-2.5 C. veggie stock, divided
1-2 fresh jalapeños, finely diced (optional, to taste)
1 heaping Tbsp. APB
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. salt
2 C. frozen corn 
2 C. chopped zucchini 
2 C. chopped sweet pepper
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped 

1) Combine the chicken (if using), tomatoes, and spices listed above in the Crock Pot. Add enough stock to be sure the chicken is covered (about 1/2 C.).

2) Cover Crock Pot and cook mixture on low 3 hours, or on high for 1 hour.

3) Remove the lid and add the rice and another 1/2-1 C. broth, along with any of the optional ingredients you want to include.

4) Replace the lid and continue to cook on low for another 3-4 hours, or on high for 1-2 hours.

5) At the start of  the last hour of cooking, stir in the black beans, mixing everything well to ensure even cooking of the rice. Add more liquid if needed. Check the seasonings and augment as necessary.

6) Check and stir periodically during the last hour of cooking. It is done when the rice is tender.

NOTE: If you want it soupy, leave any excess liquid in--and even add some of the cooking rice from the beans, if desired. If you want it drier, leave the lid off once the rice is done to allow the liquid to cook off.

7) Garnish as desired. Chopped green onion, chopped tomatoes or salsa, avocado or guacamole are all yummy. Cheese and sour cream if not making vegan.

This recipe is heavily modified from an original that appeared on the kitchn.com.

Nanny's New Orleans Red Beans & Rice

1 lb. dried kidney beans
2 quarts water
1 large onion
2 ribs celery
2-3 cloves garlic
2 slices bacon
1 crumbled bay leaf
1  tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
2 Tbsp. sugar (I omit this.)
1/2-1 lb. spicy sausage (Andouille or similar)

I double this for our family of 6 so we can have guests or leftovers.

Soak beans overnight or follow quick-soak method.  Cook beans in 2 quarts of salted water (but not too salty!) until just barely done (45 minutes or so—if you overcook them, they'll fall apart later). Reserving cooking water, drain beans and rinse in cold water.

Fry bacon in Dutch oven, then remove. Using bacon drippings, sauté onion and celery.  Add garlic and parsley as onion gets clear and soft (maybe after 10 minutes).

Add 1 qt. (or more) reserved boiling liquid, cooked beans, and other spices/ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer lightly for 45 minutes.  (I've reduced this step to as little as 15 minutes in a pinch or if I've accidentally overcooked the beans in the first place.)  Mash 1/4 cup beans and return to pot for thickening. (I usually omit this step.)

Serve over cooked rice with a crusty bread and salad.

Christine's BBQ Beans

Combine in large bowl:

1/2 C. chopped onion

1/3 C. sugar (I use real maple syrup instead)

1/3 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. BBQ sauce

1/4 C. ketchup

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. chili powder

2 Tbsp. molasses

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Add 3 cans of any kinds of canned beans you like, drained and rinsed.

Original recipe calls for:

vegetarian baked beans (unrinsed)

kidney beans

butter beans

Christine uses white beans instead of butter beans.

Spoon in greased baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour, stirring once.

Linda's Layered Taco Dip

I  usually make some variation of this when I have leftover homemade refried beans or a lot of avocados going ripe at once.  It is yummy as a dip or as a soft taco filling, or I sometimes grill up some cheese quesadillas (cheese between tortillas) and serve wedges of that on the side of this dip as a meal.

The original recipe (using canned items and quantities) appears below.

 Layer in 9x13 pan in order given:
 
1 16-oz. can refrained beans w/half pkg. taco seasoning
6-oz. carton avocado dip
8-oz. sour cream
1 4.5 can chopped black olives (I often omit these.)
2 large diced tomatoes
1 small chopped onion
1 4-oz. can chopped green chiles
1.5 C. shredded jack cheese (or any other yummy Mexican-friendly cheese)

Serve cold with tortilla chips. 

Leigh Ellen's Cumin Lime Black Bean Quinoa Salad

If you have tried quinoa before and didn't like it, please give this recipe a try.  Got 6/6 thumbs up in our house which almost never happens!  From ohsheglows.com

Cumin Lime Black Bean Quinoa Salad (aka I've changed my mind about Quinoa Salad)

For the Salad:
1 cup cooked quinoa (or 3 cups cooked)
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1.5 cups cilantro, finely chopped
3 small/medium carrots julienned
4 green onions, chopped
fine grain sea salt and black pepper, to taste

For the Dressing:
3 T fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 teas ground cumin
1 teas pure maple syrup
1/2 teas fine grain sea salt

Instructions: Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. Add into pot along with 1.5 cups water or veggie broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low-medium, and then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer for about 15-17 minutes until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy. Remove from heat and steam with the lid on for 5 additional minutes. Fluff and chill for at least 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss quinoa, drained and rinsed black beans, cilantro, carrots and green onions.

Whisk together the dressing in a small bowl or jar. Pour onto salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Really good if you can chill 24 hours, but you can eat warm or chill a little bit.

Kristjan's Chili

NEW YEAR'S EVE CHILI A LA KRISTJAN (via Riina)

Seasoning Mix (enough for 3 batches)
4 Tbsp chili powder
2 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Chili
1 1/2 pounds ground beef + stew chunks (browned)
1 onion, minced
1 (28-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 can sauce
1 can tomato paste
2 (15-ounce) cans beans (any combination of beans)

Serve with thinly shredded Mexican cheese mix and crunchy bread.

Leigh Ellen's Rice and Bean Salad

Combine in large bowl:

2 16-oz cans black beans

4 cps cooked white or brown rice

1 10-oz pkg frozen corn, thawed (shoepeg is best) or one can, drained

1 small red onion (or shallots), finely chopped

2 red and/or yellow peppers, seeded and diced

½ cp chopped cilantro

Toss together until well combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together:

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ cp fresh squeezed lime juice

½ cp extra virgin olive oil (I usually use ¼ cp)

Pour vinaigrette over salad mixture and toss well to coat.  Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Chill before serving.

Black Bean Tostadas

OG made our lunch today, from a recipe she found online. I have no idea where, or I'd give credit where credit is due. Anyway, I just found a document open on the computer where she had copied the recipe. It was delicious, so I figured I'd share:

• 6 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil--we used olive oil
• 3 small onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained--we used Trader Joe's organic black beans
• 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno peppers
• 9 ounces cream cheese
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven heated to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.
2. Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Place onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapenos in skillet, cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour beans into skillet, cook 3 minutes stirring.
3. Cut cream cheese into cubes and add to skillet with salt. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir cilantro into mixture.
4. Spoon mixture evenly down center of warmed tortilla and roll tortillas up. Serve immediately.

EV made our tortillas homemade from freshly ground whole wheat--and she left out the baking powder--so they were more like flat crispy tortillas. We ate these like tostadas. We added a little salsa and leftover rice and a can of Trader Joe's corn (the only canned corn that is any good; otherwise use frozen) and topped it off with avocado slices. We didn't have fresh cilantro, though I would have loved it!

Yum!