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Easiest Black Bean Soup

July 16, 2011 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 4 comments

Our dinner at Temazcal had me thinking of one thing I wished I had tried, their black bean soup. Being that we were there on a 90 degree day and were stuck in a sweaty crowd for half the time, I opted not to get a piping hot bowl. But a few days later, when the weather cooled down and became complete weather perfection, I decided to go for it.

My own version of black bean soup was incredibly simple. I started by chopping half a white onion and a jalapeno.

I added those to a bit of oil and got them cooking while I added garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin.

Then I added in my black beans, liquid and all and simmered it all together, grabbing my immersion blender and blending the ingredients for a smoother soup.

I let it simmer a bit more while I prepped the most important part, my toppings.

I gathered shredded Mexican cheese, chopped jalapenos, Greek yogurt, chopped onion, and cilantro.

And when my bowl was ready, I went to town on the toppings. All of the additions made for a contrast with the hot, velvety soup. I added a bit of the yogurt after the photo was taken; I really love Greek yogurt over sour cream.

This was another easy meal that made for great next day leftovers, served for lunch over Trader Joe’s grains blend.

Do you eat hot soup in the summer?

I also really enjoy cold soup, and just in time for the dog days of summer, my friend Chef Robin White is having a virtual cold soup party this August. I’ll be whipping up some of the recipes and sharing the experience here. Join in if you like!

Tags: Food, recipe, soup, Vegetarian

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

July 13, 2011 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 11 comments

This is the third post in less than two weeks that starts with the word grilled. Grilling is not just seasonal, it is so much easier than cooking in other ways. For one, there generally isn’t much prep. A little cutting, maybe some marinating, but it really is a great way to show off beautiful ingredients while saving time. Perfect for summer.

I also happen to be on a pretty big zucchini, squash, and eggplant kick, and am trying to eat lighter than I did all winter. I can’t seem to lose the winter weight I gained, even though I am eating better and moving a lot more, but that’s a story for another day.

Our simple dinner was just a blend of eggplant, zucchini, onion, and squash, doused in olive oil and garlic powder. I love fresh garlic, but I tend to burn it in marinades, so garlic powder is a great, concentrated substitute.

Ssssssssssssss. . . look at those grill marks! I grilled the eggplant the longest; I find I don’t like it at all if it is not cooked enough. I really like for the eggplant to be almost falling apart.

Once the veggies were done, I popped some whole grain English muffins on the grill to brown. I am loving English muffin sandwiches these. They remind me of being a kid. My mom used to make me English muffin pizzas with sauce and cheese, and to this day, any time I taste something similar, it is like being at home, such a warm feeling.

We piled our sandwiches high with veggies and drizzled them with aged balsamic vinegar and some more olive oil. Then, I sat at the table, with my plate apparently too close to the edge, went to cut my sandwich in half, and pushed the entire thing off the table, my sandwich tumbling on to the floor. A floor which I try hard to clean but one that is run by two cats, resulting in a not-so-delicious, furry sandwich.

Luckily I made enough vegetables. . .

Do you have a favorite childhood snack or food that just brings you back every time you eat it?

Tags: dinner, easy recipe, Food, sandwiches, vegetables, Vegetarian

Rustic Strawberry Pie

July 11, 2011 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 15 comments

A buttery biscuit crust, atop a sweet, bubbling base of fresh summer strawberries marked my Sunday morning this weekend. The smell was absolutely amazing, and this recipe, while not at all fancy, could not have been easier.

I set out to make a strawberry pandowdy, based off of a recipe from Where Women Cook, the same magazine I used to make the saltine caramels. I may have said the words pandowdy about 100 times before realizing I did not have a cast iron skillet or enough strawberries to make the actual recipe. So I scaled it down into a pie. Since it’s not made in a pan, I guess I can’t call it a pandowdy, so I am calling it a pie. Whatever you call it, make it soon.

I started with some beautiful strawberries, once chopped about three cups.

I mixed the strawberries right in my pie plate with about 1/4 cup of sugar and a few teaspoons of flour.

Then I got started on my dough, which was a simple mix of 1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and a stick of cold butter, cubed.

I chopped it all up in my trusty Cuisinart, and it became a perfect ball of buttery dough. The recipe actually called for ice water as needed, but I didn’t even need it. biscuit dough

I let the dough chill for about 20 minutes and then tried to roll it out. The dough was really hard to roll, so after awhile, I just started stretching pieces out and placing them over the strawberries. This is where my pie became rustic.

About a half an hour in 400 degree oven, and the pie was done, ready to be cooled and brought along for my husband’s boat birthday outing.