Black Bean and Corn Soup

Fall is here in New England, the temperature has dropped (seemingly overnight), and we're making the first fire of the season in the fireplace.  Totally perfect night for a hot soup and snuggling in front of the TV and obviously avoiding homework.

This is a creamy, spicy, chili-esque, black bean soup with corn and a variety of other vegetables that's so easy, you'll have it prepped and on the table in a half hour TOPS.  The best part is that besides all the awesomeness that is the ease of operation and flavors and whatnot, this soup is jam packed with all sorts of crazy health benefits - low fat, high fiber, high protein, vitamin A and C, and a GREAT source of iron (55.1% per serving!).  I ate mine topped with some shredded cheddar, fat free sour cream, and a slice of avocado and - let me tell you - I was in heaven. 




Ingredients (6 servings):

• 2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can of whole kernel corn
• 1/4 of a red bell pepper diced
• 1/4 of a white onion diced
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 1/2 cups salsa (ex. Trader Joe's Salsa Autentica)
• 1 clove garlic minced

   
Recipe:

1. In a blender add 1 can of black beans, the bell pepper, the onion, spinach, salsa, garlic, and broth and puree until smooth.
2. Add the mix to a medium pot over medium heat.
3. Add the remaining can of black beans and corn.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve immediately with your choice of toppings (ex. cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, etc.)

 Approximate Nutritional Info per Serving:

• Calories: 187
• Carbs: 28g
• Fat: 0.9g
• Protein: 9g

Summer Lobster Roll Revamped

If there's one thing that's absolutely summer embodied here in New England, it's our lobster rolls.  I just came back from spending the weekend in Cape Cod for the Pan Mass race with my boyfriend and I took this as the perfect opportunity to get my fill of fresh lobster rolls.  Unfortunately, I've still found myself craving them upon my return to Real Life.

For those not from the area, a traditional New England lobster roll consists of fresh cooked lobster mixed with mayo and sometimes accompanied by celery or a bed of lettuce and served in a toasted, buttered hotdog bun. 

In short, it's awesome.

The lobster roll I'm posting here is a variation on the traditional characteristic recipe that was inspired by a Lobster Bruschetta recipe I saw some time ago.  Since it really is so associated with summer, I've combined fresh lobster meat (knuckles, claws, and tail) with seasonal vegetables and flavors - corn, red bell pepper, shallot, scallion, and avocado.  Instead of using mayo as a binder, the veggies are cooked with heavy cream until its thickened and then combined with the lobster.  The result is a sweet and creamy mix of all sorts of summery awesomeness.

Ingredients (5 servings - about a 1/2 cup per roll):

• 8 oz. cooked lobster meat (I used previously cleaned knuckles, claws, and tails) diced small
• 8.5 oz sweet corn 
• 3/4 of a red bell pepper diced small
• 1 1/2 shallots diced small
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbs fat free sour cream
• 1/2 tbs garlic
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• hot dog buns (I used wheat - I'm sure any sort of small yummy role will do)
• olive oil

Recipe:

1.  Dice lobster, pepper, shallots, and scallions
2. On medium heat, sautee the peppers shallots and garlic in a little olive oil until tender.
3. Add the heavy cream, lower the heat, and stir while the cream thickens.
4. Add the lobster, sour cream, and scallions and mix while removing from heat.
5. Toast the hot dog bun, add a slice of avocado to the bottom, and top with 1/2 cup of the lobster salad.
6. Enjoy!

Approximate Nutritional Info per Serving (one bun with 1/2 cup lobster salad):

• Calories: 258
• Carbohydrates: 30g
• Fat: 9g
• Protein: 15g

Sweet Potato Corn Chowder

 

Yesterday I got back from a trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic which was absolutely amaaaazing to say the least.  Perfect weather, white sand, turquoise water, lots of snorkeling, and killer fresh fish and fruit.  I can't rave about this vacation enough. 

But alas, all good things must come to an end and unfortunately that meant suffering about a 70* temperature drop upon arriving back in the frozen wasteland of Boston.  My body has officially gone into freakout survival mode and I'm desperately avoiding the outdoors at all cost.  My way of handling this?  Make some good comfort food, curl up with a book and my dog (I missed my sidekick) and pretend I don't have about 18 hundred loads of sandy laundry to do. 

This corn chowder is a bit different because it mixes yams and butternut squash (one of my staples) with regular yukon gold potatoes.  It's a heavy soup but since its thickened by pureeing about half of the potatoes and squash instead of adding heavy cream, its considerably healthier than a lot of other chowders.  If you have picky kids that get bent out of shape when they see veggies in their food, just puree the whole thing instead of half and add the corn after.  Voila!  No more visible veggies!  Serve this with a nice chunk of crusty bread and you're good to go!


Ingredients (4 to 6 servings - makes about 3 quarts):

• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper (preferably red)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 sweet potato/yam
• 2 yukon gold potatoes
• about 5oz. butternut squash
• 7 or 8 baby carrots
• 17.5 oz corn (2 standard size cans)
• 2 cups chicken broth (or maybe vegetable broth if you're looking to go vegetarian)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 tbs sugar
• salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
• chopped scallions to garnish

Recipe:

1. Add a little olive oil to a large pot over medium heat and allow to heat up.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are somewhat browned and tender.
3. Add the peppers and carrots and sautee until the peppers are tender (~5 minutes).
4. Slowly stir in the chicken broth, water, potatoes, yams, and butternut squash and kick the heat up a bit.  Allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
5. Lower the heat and remove about half (1.5 quarts) and puree in a blender until smooth.  Pour back into the pot and mix in the corn.
6. Add the half and half and the sugar and stir to equalize the temperature.
7. Taste test and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Approximate Nutritional Info per Serving (4):

• Calories: 270
• Fat: 7g
• Protein: 8g