Monday, November 9, 2009

Mom Withdrawal

I'm going through mom withdrawal. My mom was here for a good bit last week and this weekend while my dad was off on a man's trip with some family and friends. Life is especially good when my mom is here to help.

Mom probably logged a dozen or more hours of babysitting hours while here, affording SPH and I the opportunity to do more date nights in the last week than probably the preceding month. Oh, and don't think R and G don't like it when a grandparent visits:


While mom was visiting, I made this black bean soup in our slow cooker. It was really quite good and served as a good reminder that I really do need to add "immersion blender" to my Christmas list. (Side note: thanks to Rookie Cookie and Jersey Baby for their immersion blender recommendations) If you are like me and lack an immersion blender, don't fret, just simply plop a few cups of soup in a standard blender and give it a 'whirl.

One last thing before the recipe: this black bean soup sports a can of pureed pumpkin. Now don't go looking at the title of this blog and assume I have some unhealthy obsession with using pumpkin in my recipes. Au contraire. In researching recipes, I came across the idea of adding some pumpkin to give soup a little extra richness and body. It works beautifully in this recipe...taste for yourself!
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup with Corn Bread Crumbles

1 pound dried black beans (or alternatively, 3 - 15 ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed)
1 - 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilis, undrained
1 - 15 ounce can pureed pumpkin
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalepeno, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
hot pepper sauce to taste
Corn Muffins, crumbled
Cilantro, Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream (optional toppings)

If using dried beans, pour them in a large stock pot, covered with water 3 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour or until soft. You may do this a day or two before making the soup.

Combine the beans and all remaining ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours, high 4-5 hours.

Once ready to serve, puree a bit of the soup to make it thick. Crumble some corn bread on top and toppings , if using.

Serves 6-8 (and tastes even better if you save some for leftovers the next day)

SPC

7 comments:

Amer21 said...

Looks yummy!!

whitneyingram said...

Boy do you and your mother look alike.

The Blonde Duck said...

Popped in from Live, Love Eat to say hi! What great soup and what a neat blog!

Anonymous said...

This sounds wonderful... And, pumpkin is a super food, so it's even better! Can't wait to try it :)

Wild Kathy said...

I'm making this for tomorrow and have simmered the black beans for an hour today. Do I drain them when i add them to the crock pot? Or use the liquid that remains in the pot?

Sweet Pea Chef said...

Wild Kathy, drain the water first. :)

Anonymous said...

delicious!!!!!!!I just used regular tomatoes, no chilies -- worried it would be too spicey for the kids. So easy and so good.