Caribbean Black Bean and Vegetable Stew

For day 21 of Soup Month 2014 we made a hearty Caribbean Black Bean and Vegetable Stew that is packed with healthy ingredients.  Peppers, onions, tomatoes, carrots and just a bit of Serrano chilies come together to create this healthy, light soup.

Beans are very easy to cook and this recipe allows you to adjust the level of spice to suit your own preference.  If you like your soup a bit more spicy, just add an extra Serrano chili or maybe a little more cumin or hot sauce.  For a more mild soup you can even choose to leave the chilies out.  For a thinner soup you can add a little more broth or for a thicker, more hearty soup, just increase some of the vegetables to your liking.  This recipe is very forgiving so it's a soup you can get creative with and it will always turn out delicious.

As funny as it sounds, I think this would be a great soup to serve for a Halloween party!  With such a deep, dark color and bits of red and green color, it just seems to be a slightly "ghoulish" soup that Halloween guests would love.  And the kids loved it!  This soup would also hold up well in a crock pot so it would be easy to serve during an evening party.  Enjoy!!

1-1/3 cups  Black Beans, soaked overnight in cold water (or use 2 15-oz cans of black beans, drained)
7 cups  Vegetable Stock
1/2 cup  LandShark Beer
1/4 cup  Dark Kraken Rum
1 TB  Minced Garlic
1 medium  Yellow Onion, diced
2 TB  Vegetable Oil
1 stalk  Celery, chopped
1  Green Bell Pepper, seeded and diced
1  Red Bell Pepper, seeded and diced
1  Serrano Chili, seeded and minced
2  Carrots,  peeled and diced
1/2 cup  Crushed Tomatoes
2 tsp  Cumin
2 tsp  Chili Powder
1 tsp  Frank's Hot Sauce
1/2 tsp  Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp  Salt
1/2 tsp  Cayenne Pepper
Sour Cream and Chopped Green Onions for Garnish (optional)

Drain the beans.  Place the beans in a large soup pot and add the stock, beer, rum, garlic and half of the onions.  Simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If the liquid begins to evaporate during his time, add 1 cup of water and continue to simmer.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan.  Saute the remaining onions, celery, peppers and carrots over medium heat until the veggies are tender, about 6 minutes.  Set the mixture aside.

When the beans are soft, puree half of the bean mixture using an immersion blender or a stand blender.  Return the puree to the pot and stir in the cooked veggies, crushed tomatoes, and the seasonings.  Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Again, add more water, or a bit more rum if the soup is too thick, or continue to simmer a bit longer if the soup is too thin.

Rosemary's Ham and Split Pea Soup

Cooking a recipe that is a family favorite can be a little intimidating, especially when the recipe is from your husband's family! But I think this soup was pretty close to the original.

Since we moved out of state several years ago, this is an annual tradition that my husband has missed, so I figured it was time to try and recreate this soup.  My mother-in-law (Rosemary), would use the leftover Easter ham to create a thick, creamy ham and pea soup, with just a hint of clove in the background.  The addition of celery, carrots and potato makes this soup a hearty meal.

This soup does take some time to prepare, but the hands-on time is minimal.  Just let the soup cook low and slow and you have a pot of soup ready in about 2 1/2 hours. Serve with crackers, either crushed right into the soup or on the side.  The family is equally divided on the proper method of how the crackers should be served, lol.  Enjoy!!

1 pkg  Hurst's Ham Peas Green Split Peas
1  Large Meaty Ham Bone
2 cups  Cubed Ham
2 quarts  Water
1  Whole Onion
1 tsp  Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp  Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp  Ground Cloves
2  Bay Leaves
2 stalks Celery, diced
3 large  Carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium  Potatoes, peeled and cubed

Rinse the peas in cool water several times, return peas to the pot and cover with 2 quarts of water.  Add the ham bone and the cubed ham to the pot along with the whole onion (leave the onion whole so it can be removed later),  then add the salt, pepper, cloves and bay leaves.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 90 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the whole onion and discard, then remove the ham bone and place on a plate.  Remove any extra ham from the bone, return the ham to the pot and discard the bone.  Stir the soup and add the celery, carrots and potatoes to the pot.  Continue to simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes or until the veggies are very tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  If a thinner soup consistency is desired, add a bit more water during the last 30 minutes of cooking.  Serves about 8 - 10 large servings.

Crock Pot Spicy Black Bean, Ham and Chorizo Soup

Be warned, spicy is an understatement with this soup!  If you like hot and spicy soups, this could be just the recipe you've been waiting for.

This recipe is a twist on the classic Portuguese Bean Soup, but with a lot of extra flavor.  In place of the usual kidney beans and chicken stock used in the traditional recipe, we decided to try black beans and beef stock, with a can of diced jalapenos for added spice.  Yum!  Another layer of flavor in this soup comes from the sliced chorizo sausage.  This is a new product that I found at our local market, but any type of cooked chorizo would work fine.  If you can't find chorizo slices, even a good quality pepperoni would be a good substitute.

This is a super easy crock pot recipe that takes all of 15 minutes to prepare, then 5 hours of low and slow cooking time for all of the flavors to combine.  Enjoy!!

2 cups  Diced Cooked Ham, leftover ham works great
2 oz  Sliced Chorizo, sliced into quarters
2 tsp  Minced Garlic
1 carton  Beef Broth
1  15 oz can  Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium  Onion, diced
1 medium  Green Pepper, diced
1 4 oz can  Diced Jalapenos
2 small  Carrots, peeled and shredded
1  Bay Leaf
1/4 tsp  Cumin
1/2 tsp  Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp  Black Pepper
1/2 cup  Ditalini Pasta, or any small pasta

In a small skillet, saute the ham, chorizo slices and garlic for 5 minutes, or just until the ham is slightly browned on the edges.  Pour the mixture into the crock pot.

Add all of the remaining ingredients, except the pasta, and stir.  Cover the pot and cook on LOW for 4 hours.

After the 4 hours, remove the bay leaf, add the pasta and continue to cook on LOW for 1 hour longer.

Ham and Bean Soup

Many people like to serve ham for Christmas dinner and with the great sale prices this week, this is the perfect time to pick up an extra ham for quick and easy weeknight dinners.  I usually try to slice about 1/3 of the ham for sandwiches, then chop/dice the remaining ham and freeze it in individual baggies.  Add the defrosted ham to scrambled eggs, Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya or soups.  Which brings me to this tasty family recipe for Ham and Bean Soup.

This is a great soup to prepare with leftover ham and the soup bone from your holiday ham.  (Don't throw away the soup bone!  There's a lot of flavor in there.)  This soup does take a little extra time to prepare, but the low and slow approach creates a soup that's full of flavor, with just a slight zing from a generous dash of hot sauce.  Enjoy!!

1 lb Dried Great Northern Beans, prepared in advance
2 quarts Water
1 Meaty Ham Bone
2 cups of Diced Ham
1 tsp Salt, or to taste
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup Ketchup
1  small  Onion, chopped
1 Carrot, shredded
3 - 4 dashes Tabasco Hot Sauce (optional)

Place the dry beans in a medium soup pot and cover with about 2 inches of water.  Let soak for 6 - 8 hours, or overnight.  Drain the beans, then return to the soup pot.

Combine beans with 2 quarts of water.  Add all of the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring the soup to a full boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 2 - 3 hours, stirring occasionally.   Serves about 5 - 6.