Black Bean Soup

Black beans are packed with fiber and protein and will keep you feeling full for hours. They help to regulate your body's glucose level throughout the day, which means your metabolism will be chugging away at top speed, burning through any extra calories you've taken on so that you can stay slim and trim. (Taken from Yahoo! Health)

Black beans are one of the highest in flavonoids of all the beans. Research shows that flavonoids may thwart the storage of excess tummy fat. Black beans aid in benefiting your digestive tract, blood sugar regulation, cancer prevention, and cardiovascular and nervous system health.

This is a simple soup recipe. You can buy dried black beans and soak them overnight or use canned beans for a quick and dirty substitution.

To soak:
Place your black beans in a pot along with enough water to cover them and stand about two inches over the top of the beans. Let the beans sit for at least eight hours before cooking. Or, for a quick soak, bring beans to a boil for two minutes, remove from heat and let them sit for two hours before cooking.

Black Bean Soup

2 tsp olive oil
Half of a small onion
1 garlic clove
2 15 oz cans black beans – drained and rinsed
1  - 1 1/2 c chicken stock
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Dash of paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp lime juice

Garnish:
1/2 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tsp lime juice
Scallions

Heat olive oil in a medium sized pot and cook onion until translucent. Add garlic and cook for a minute longer. Remove from heat. Add 1 can of rinsed black beans to the pot, along with seasonings and lemon juice. Combine.

Place the other half of rinsed black beans in a blender with the chicken stock. Blend until smooth. Pour blended soup into pot and heat over medium heat. Add additional salt and pepper, if needed.

In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt and lime juice until smooth and swirl over the soup; garnish with scallions.

All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Sweet Treats 'n Good Eats, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.

Corn & Black Bean Salsa

This has been what seems like the longest week in history! I am looking forward to unwinding and having a glass of wine with one of my girls. I want to make something light to nibble on as we try to solve all of life's problems and decided on a corn and black bean salsa.

This is a very tasty and quick recipe that anyone can make. It is so good that I nearly finished a bag of tortillas by myself. I mean, it wasn't full or anything...the bag came half empty. So what I am saying is that it really was not as much as it seems. See...what had happened was...

Anyway, you can use this salsa on tortilla chips, in a taco or atop your favorite fish. You can change it up a little and roast the corn, you may want to add a dash of lime juice, toss in a little avocado or pineapple, or incorporate some cilantro. This bright and colorful dish will definitely make a splash at your next gathering...if you can keep your hands out of the serving dish!

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

2 ears of fresh corn, uncooked
1 small red onion
1 fresh jalapeno, optional
2 tomatoes, seeds removed
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 can of whole black beans, rinsed
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Blue Corn tortilla chips, preferably

Start by taking off the husk and cleaning the corn, removing the remaining silk. Then, using some parchment paper to catch the stray kernels, take a sharp knife and make downward strokes on the cob to separate the kernels. Add to mixing bowl.

Dice the onion, jalapenos, and tomato and place in bowl with corn. Add chopped parsley and salt and pepper. Rinse black beans and add them to mixture. Combine all ingredients until well mixed. Serve with blue or yellow corn tortilla chips. 

All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Sweet Treats 'n Good Eats, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.