Gluten Free Taco Soup

This recipe comes from Dan's mom and it's one that Dan likes to make. It's pretty simple and foolproof. You can use whatever ground meat that you want and any type of taco seasoning. #glutenfree

Taco Soup

Brown 1 lb. Hamburger, drain fat. Add 1 Envelope Gluten Free Taco Seasoning, 1-15 oz. can Corn, 1-15 oz. can Chopped Tomatoes, 1-15 oz. can Tomato Sauce and 1-15 oz. can Pinto Beans. Use the liquid in the cans. Add a pinch of Sugar and a pinch of Soda before serving.
Top with crushed corn chips, sour cream and grated cheese.

White Chicken Chili

 

This was the perfect chili for the first really cold night of the year. I've had this recipe forever and finally prepared it for the first time last night and was pleased with the outcome. It had a really nice thick consistency and the flavor was not too spicy, but just spicy enough. You can add more chili powder or even try a chipotle chili powder, the original recipe did not call for it, but I wanted a little more flavor. Top it with white cheddar, Monterrey Jack or a a good pepper Jack.

White Chicken Chili

1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped white onion
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 (15oz) can cream-style corn
1 (7oz) can chopped green chiles
2 cups whole milk
1 (15oz) can cannellini beans
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
grated white cheese for topping


In a large sauce pan, heat oil over high heat. Add onion, pepper and jalapeno and cook, stirring often, until onion softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir for another minute. Add cumin, chili powder, corn, green chiles, milk and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into warm bowls and top with cheese.

Black Bean and Sirloin Chili

I've had this recipe for a long time and use it to create other chilis from. It's a favorite in our house.

Black Bean and Sirloin Chili

1/3 cup olive oil
2 lb. sirloin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
1/3 cup Masa Harina
1/3 cup regular chili powder
1 tsp. ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 ( 14.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
2 cups cooked black beans (rinsed and drained if using canned)

Brown sirloin, in batches, in a heavy pot with olive oil, transferring it to a plate with a slotted spoon as it is browned. In remaining fat, cook onion, garlic and peppers over moderate heat, stirring until onion is softened. Add Masa, chili powders and cumin, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add broth and sirloin and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Stir in beans and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve.

Ham and Bean Soup

Growing up, the one meal I hated more than any other was when my mother fixed ham and beans. I think we had them at least once a week and no matter how much she coaxed, pleaded or screamed, I would not eat them. The rest of my family loved them and covered them with ketchup (gross!!) and chopped raw onion. I would push them around my plate and pretend that I had eaten a few. After what seemed like hours, mom would relent and let me get up from the table. I would then go over to the candy cabinet (yes, we actually had a cabinet stocked with our favorite candy) and get some red vines or a few packets of sours ( those were a Smarties type of rolled candy that I don't know the correct name for, but a little on the fizzy side and oh so good).
I found this recipe and it looked so good that I decided to give the old bean and ham night a resurrection. This recipe comes from Cook's Country December/January 2008 edition and is very good. The ham is the real star of this recipe and it's very easy to prepare. The addition of the the vinegar at the end really brightens the flavor.

Ham and Bean Soup

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. ham steak, patted dry and diced
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 cups water
2 smoked ham hocks
1 lb. dried navy beans, soaked overnight
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add ham and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, water, hocks and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low and simmer until beans are completely tender and the soup is slightly thickened, about 1 1/2 hours. ( I skimmed a lot of fat from the surface of my soup.)
Remove hocks from pot. If desired, let cool for 5 minutes, then shred meat and add to the soup. Stir in thyme, pepper and vinegar. Serve.

Drunken Pintos with Cilantro and Bacon

On Saturday night, our friend, Stacy invited a group over to her house for dinner.She made some great fajitas and we all had a really good time. I asked her if I could bring over one of my favorite bean dishes and she said yes. This recipe comes from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen. I love his cookbooks and his restaurant in Chicago. I altered the recipe a little bit this time, but will print the original. I added extra beans and cooked chorizo this time, but actually prefer the recipe as written.

Drunken Pintos with Cilantro and Bacon

8 oz dry pinto beans
1/2 cup (2 oz) cubed pork shoulder (or extra chopped bacon)
4 thick slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 small white onion, diced
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Salt, about 3/4 tsp.
1 1/2 Tbsp. tequila
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Rinse beans and place in 4-qt. pot. Add 5 cups water, remove any beans that float, then add pork shoulder or extra chopped bacon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium -low and gently simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender, about 2 hours. Stir the beans regularly and add water as necessary to keep liquid a generous 1/2 inch above beans.
In a medium skillet, fry bacon, stirring until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. of drippings and return pan to medium heat. Add onion and jalapeno and fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Scrape onion mixture into beans, taste and season with salt. Continue simmering to blead the flavors.
If the beans seem to soupy, boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the consistency of a nice, brothy bean soup. Just before serving add tequila and cilantro and serve topped with crispy bacon.

Pasta and Bean Soup

Last night's dinner was Pasta and Bean Soup. This recipe comes from the April/May edition of Cook's Country. The soup was excellent and so much more than beans and pasta. The freah basil added at the end bightens the flavor and the Italian sausage makes the soup very hearty. I changed the recipe up some because I was making it for 2 and did not want copius leftovers. I halved the beans, the broth, the oil, the onion, the garlic and the pasta. All of the rest of the ingredients were in the full recipe as written. The magazine, however, used hot Italian sausage and I used sweet. I love hot food, but have never been a fan of hot Italian sausage. For some reason, it always seems too hot to me and overpowers the other flavors in the sausage.



Pasta and Bean Soup


1 (16 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 links Italian sausage, casings removed
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic, cloves, minced
1 tsp. resh rosemary, chopped fine
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup star shaped or other small pasta
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated


Puree half of beans with a 1/2 cup of broth in a food processor until smooth; set aside. Cook sausage in large pot over medium-high heat, breaking into pieces, until no longer pinik, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towel lined plate.

Add oil and onion to fat in pot and cook unti softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, remaining whole beans, remainig broth, pureed beans, sausage, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes and oinions are very soft, about 15 minutes.

About 10 minutes before soup is done, bring 1 quart of water to boil in a large saucepan. Add 1/2 tsp. salt and pasta and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, add to soup. Stir in basil and Parmesan

Beef and Bean Chili

I made this chili last night with ingredients that I had on hand. Since I had a couple of leeks, I used them instead of using an onion and the chili turned out really good. I used a spicy garlic olive oil to saute my veggies and that added another nice layer of flavor to the dish.

Beef and Bean Chili

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbsp)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 1/2 Tbsp. Ancho chili pepper powder
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz) lower-sodium fat-free beef broth
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven on medium heat, add the leeks, garlic and peppers and saute for minutes to soften, stirring often. Add the beef and cook until browned. Add the chili powder and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Red Beans and Rice w/ Smoked Turkey Sausage

This was a recipe that I adapted from Cooking Light and prepared for dinner last night. The liquid never got as thick as I wanted, but the flavor is actually quite good. It's a pretty simple recipe so it's perfect for a weeknight and actually pretty cheap to make.

Red Beans and Rice w/ Smoked Turkey Sausage

2 cups dried small red beans
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves , minced
10 cups water
2 Tbsp. salt-free Cajun seasoning
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 lb. smoked turkey sausage, thinly sliced
3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice
Chopped green onions

Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; cover and let soak for 8 hours. Drain and rinse beans.
Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Stir in beans, water and next 4 ingredients (through sausage); bring to boil. reduce heat , simmer 1 1/2 hours or until mixture thickens. Serve over rice; garnish with green onion.

California Barbecued Beans

My June/July 2007 issue of Cook's Country has turned out to be one of my most used cooking magazines ever. They featured a meal that included beans, grilled tri-tip and salsa all of which I decided to cook yesterday and it was all good. The bean recipe called for pink kidney beans, but my only choices were red or red, so I chose red. the salsa called for 1 celery rib chopped fine, but I omitted that because Dan does not like celery. The beef recipe called for a tri-tip roast, but said that a bottom round would be an acceptable alternative if you could not find a tri-tip and I could not find one. The meal was great and the beans were very different from the typical baked beans that I am used to. I would definitely prepare these again.

California Barbecued Beans

4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1/2 lb. deli ham, chopped fine
1 onion , chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound pink kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
6 cups water
1 cup canned tomato puree
1/2 cup bottled taco sauce
5 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp. dry mustard
salt
1/4 chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. cider vinegar

Cook bacon and ham in Dutch oven over medium heat until fat renders and pork is lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beans and water and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook until beans are just soft, about 1 hour.
Stir in tomato puree, taco sauce, sugar, mustard and 2 teaspoons salt. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until beans are completely tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 hour. Stir in cilantro and vinegar and season with salt. Serve. Can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.