Two Bean Soup

After a Turducken-filled Thanksgiving, and much delicious chili made with the leftovers of said Turducken, I finally had a chance to sit down and write up my Two Bean Soup recipe! Now, there's a variation on this soup that I'll mention at the end, but this was my first version, a Beta soup if you will.

If I can find any way to improve upon it, I'll surely post it.

Two Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 T Vegetable oil

1 c Carrots, medium dice

1 c Onion, medium dice

1 heaping T garlic, or to taste

1 15 oz can Black Beans, drained and mostly rinsed

1 15 oz can Fat-Free Refried Beans

2 c Chicken or Vegetable Broth

Seasonings: (Suggested, can be altered to your liking)

1 T Marsala Cooking Wine

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Black Pepper

Italian Seasoning

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1. In a large saucepan (3 Qt or more) over Medium heat, add oil, carrots, and onion. Sweat for 5 minutes, until carrots and onions look soft.
2. One the onions and carrots are to your liking, add the Vinegar, Cooking Wine. Let this cook for about 1 minute, then add Garlic.
3. Allow mixture to cook for about 5 minutes, adjusting the heat to Medium-Low.
4. Add the mostly drained Black Beans, seasonings, and half of the stock.
5. Add the refried beans, stir well, and add the rest of the stock.
6. Get out your favorite potato masher, and gently work the majority of the mixture to a pulpy consistency.
7. Turn the heat to Medium High, and bring to a boil.
8. Once the soup boils, drop the heat to a simmer, and allow the flavors to marry for about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

2 Whole Grain Tortillas (Recommended Brand: Mission Plus! 99% Fat Free)

Olive Oil Flavored Cooking Spray

Salt, to taste

Preheat Oven to 350° while preparing the first 3 steps of the soup.

1. Cut the tortillas into 8 triangular pieces. Spray a baking sheet with Cooking Spray. Place the Tortillas on the sheet, and spray the tops with a little more Cooking Spray.
2. Put into the oven for approximately 5-7 minutes.
3. As soon as the chips come out of the oven, sprinkle salt on them and allow them to cool.

Serving Suggestion:

2 Chips, placed on the bottom of the bowl. One ladle (one cup) of soup on top, and one more chip in the center for presentation.

Enjoy! Makes 4-6 Servings, for a snack or main course.

Variation: A possible variation to this recipe would be to take the onions, carrots, and half of the black beans (reserving some of the liquid, then rinsing the beans) and buzz them up with a Food Processor. This mixture could then be heated, the rest of the steps followed, and then the other beans added as normal. This would produce a much creamier soup, with a few whole black beans for presentation.


I hope you enjoy my little spin on the two bean soup recipe, and remember kids:

Love, Hugs, and Lollipops!
Chef Angie