Quick Achiote Black Bean and Collard Green Soup

 

Tonight I was in the mood for a quick and savory fall soup! I love black bean soups, so tonight I thought I would put a bit of a different twist on it with a different spice and veggie blend. I made the whole dish in probably 30 minutes and loved it.  You can of course let it simmer longer for a deeper flavor, but the less it cooks the more fresh the veggies are, so I don't recommend it.
Achiote, also called Annato is a great, rich and flavorful spice that I've really enjoyed using in my cooking. It can be found in most international sections of grocery stores under either name in powder or seed form.  I used the powder in this recipe- already ground.  The good news: it's pretty inexpensive too!  If you don't have it, you could probably sub a smoked paprika for a similar quality.
For the beans, if you plan in advance definitely use dry, but I love the Eden brand canned onesbecause the cans are BPA free, and they use Kombu seaweed instead of salt! Amazon has a great subscribe and save deal as well.

Quick Achiote Black Bean and Collard Green Soup
(gluten free, soy free, dairy free/vegan, grain free)

1 small onion or 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
3 Tbsp coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp achiote powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano or Mexican oregano
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your tolerance)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

3 carrots, chopped
1 green bell pepper
1 red pepper (mine was a skinny long one, but bell will do)
4 large collard green leaves, chopped

4 cups organic broth (chicken or veggie)

1 can Eden Organic Black Beans

Avocado, sliced - optional 

Heat your coconut oil. Add the onion and saute until soft.  Add the garlic and spices and stir for about a minute over medium heat, letting the spices release, but careful not to burn them.  Add the carrots and stir for a few minutes, letting them soften a bit (you can chop your peppers and greens while these cook). Add the peppers and greens and stir for a minute or two. Add the broth and beans, stir, and bring to boil with the lid on.  Once boiling, lower the heat and let simmer for another 5-10 minutes, taste, and serve garnished with avocado if desired.

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Green Chard with Wild Rice

i know people often wonder about what to do with the tall green things in the store... those leafy ones, or the ones that have stalks attached. here's a quick and easy recipe i made the other day with green chard that arrived in my organic delivery. we've changed companies btw since we've moved... this is our new one: Door to Door Organics - they serve CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, DC, so a pretty wide range and they have a variety of sizes. i must say i prefer our old company, but they don't deliver to our new place :(

anyways, i'm getting off track! i haven't been feeling that well recently, so i've been making a range of 'quick and easy' meals that i'll be sharing soon. in fact, this one was so easy, i'm kind of ashamed to share it! so this is more of a recipe idea than a recipe. anyways, it tasted great and is great for you...


Chard with Wild Rice

After boiling a serving of wild rice, i sauteed an onion and garlic along with some red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and peri-peri sauce. i used Galito's Famous Peri-Peri Sauce - Garlic or Nando's Garlic Peri Peri Sauce would be great as well- lots of flavor really quickly. i then added the chopped chard into the pan and cooked for about 8 minutes. i really wouldn't have thought about pairing the two of these, but they went so well together... the slightly nutty taste of the wild rice along with the spice and greens made a great quick meal.

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greens greens the magical.... vegetable?

i've loved greens of all types since i was little... call me a southern girl, but they've been part of my family meals forever. i didn't start cooking them myself until a year or two ago though-- partly because i didn't realize how easy they were to make! i always watched my mom make an intimidatingly big pot of them, overflowing full of mustard greens, kale, spinach, and collards, and watch them cook down for a lonnnngggg time... my dad's favorite way to eat them is with apple cider vinegar, so we would always sprinkle some on top.

now that's great, but after experimenting and reading more about them myself, i realized number one, you don't have to cook them forever. number two, there are so many things you can do with them!! i do still love to mix all the different types of greens together, but sometimes i like them separately as well. i also read something else recently, that you should chop them right before you put them into the pan, because a lot of the nutrients drain out when you cut them.

so here's one fairly simple mix i did recently:


Kale with Cashews and Sun-Dried Tomatoes







1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1 red onion
approx 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup cashew pieces or halves
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds (depending on your liking)
salt
a dash or two of red chili flakes (optional)
optional: 1/4 cup chicken broth

Sauté the onion in some oil (flavored olive oil works well here). Add garlic and stir for another minute or so. Add chili flakes here if you're going to use it, or use black pepper. Also add the salt (I'm not sure how much i used, but I used sea salt, and tended to be generous with it and taste and add more depending on the flavor in the end).

Add the chopped kale into the onion/garlic mixture, and sauté for approximately 5-8 minutes. Add the broth if you're using it.

Add in the cashews, tomatoes, and half of the sesame seeds and stir for another few minutes.

Serve hot and sprinkle more sesame seeds over it for garnish.

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