Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Orange, Crock Pot Black Bean Soup, and Maple Cornbread Muffins

We needed to use up the Cornbread Muffins I made for a different Black bean soup, Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Orange and Cumin. I followed both recipes for the most part. In the cornbread muffins, since we didn't make the maple butter, we put some maple syrup in the batter to add sweetness. Also, fresh corn is available at the market, so we added the kernels from an ear to the batter too. The recommended cooking time is not quite long enough. The edges browned and got crispier the second time I reheated in the oven. I would recommend making muffins ahead of time, then crisping up right before dinner. For the black bean chili, I substituted chipotle powder for the chili powder and added 1 tbsp cocoa powder with the other spices, for more of a deeper, mole flavor. I substituted 1 1/2 lbs diced plum tomatoes for the canned tomatoes. the soup didn't need the hot sauce because the chipotle powder added enough spice. This was super delicious, but only fed 3 of us perfectly, not exactly 4 servings plus leftovers! I did misread how many cans of black beans and only put the equivalent of 2 cans, not 3. This could potentially make up for the missing servings.

The second black bean recipe, Crock Pot Black Bean Soup with Chipotle was really easy and really good. Alex thought it was more of a chili, but i thought it was more of a traditional black bean soup. We followed the recipe exactly but halved it because we didn't have a 6-quart slow cooker. That must have been a typo, because there was plenty of room for more than double the half recipe we used. Next time I will make the entire recipe, as the two of us easily finished the half. I followed every direction except we used 1 whole chipotle and the juice of one lime. I also added 2 sprigs of oregano and a bay leaf to the mixture. After 7 hours it wasn't quite as thick as I expected, so we put it on a bit longer since we weren't overly hungry yet. We topped it with shredded white cheddar and sour cream. I forgot the cilantro and do not care for raw tomato. This was sooo easy and we will make the other half sometime this weekend! I will use veggie stock instead of water next time since i will have it on hand. A great easy recipe for when I don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, just need to plan ahead. The beans were perfect too, easy way to cook beans from dried, and only need to plan ahead the morning of, not the night before! I will definitely try more bean recipes this way!

Veggie Tacos

Veggie Taco

This healthy recipe I have made before. I remember it took a long time to cook a lot of ingredients individually. It seems almost like a Tex-Mex ratatouille. This time I decided to start with sauteing the garlic, onion and red pepper until translucent, then I added the spices, sauteed another minute, then the salted drained eggplant. Once the eggplant started to soften, I added the tomatoes, beans and parsley. Then I brought to a simmer and waited for most of the water to evaporate (this took a looong time! 30 min+). I seasoned at the end (since the eggplant had already been salted), then added juice of a lime and a few tbsps of cilantro. This added the acidity and herbs needed to round out the flavors. It turned out very similar to my black bean dip with the only differences of addition of pepper, eggplant, extra tomatoes, and lack of corn.

I substituted several ingredients in order to avoid canned foods and for personal taste. To begin with i used 2 lbs of tomatoes instead of the canned. Next time I will remove pulp and excess liquid from tomatoes to cut down on the simmering time. I substituted the chickpeas and pinto beans for 3 cups of black beans. I remembered the previous time it seemed to be a low bean ratio. Next time I will add a hot pepper (seeded habanero) to the onions to bring up the spice level.

I served the tacos with grated cheese, sour cream (omit both to keep vegan), diced avocado, shredded lettuce, and the most amazing Cholula chipotle hot sauce ever. These were very delicious and messy, but not very filling. I ate 3! I had two for lunch a few days later, and was hungry all afternoon. The softness of the filling goes very well with the crunchy taco. It would also be delicious as a dip with tortilla chips. Because the filling is so soft, I would not recommend to eat with soft tortillas. Maybe next time I will serve in lettuce cups to keep fat and calories down (since the cheese, avocado, and sour cream has enough). I also won't feel so guilty to eat 3!

The recipe says to rewarm for 1 1/2 hours. I think this is a little ridiculous. 2 servings reheat in the microwave in about 2 minutes just fine.