My Recipe Collection

Tex-Mex Tomato Soup

Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 (6 cups total)

2 carrots, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
28 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2 cups water
15 oz can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chipotle chile pepper sauce
Juice of 1 small lime
3 corn tortillas (6″ diameter), sliced into 1/4″ strips
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream (optional)
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1. Place carrots, celery and red bell pepper in small microwaveable bowl. Add 1/4 cup water, cover top of bowl loosely with plastic wrap, and microwave on high 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.

2. Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add steamed vegetables and season with salt. Saute an additional 5 minutes or until vegetables are slightly caramelized.

3. Add tomatoes (with juice) and water. (Depending on the brand of tomatoes, you may need to add more water.) Add beans, cilantro, and chipotle sauce. Stir to blend, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook 25 to 30 minutes. Add lime juice and top each serving with tortilla strips and a tablespoon of sour cream (if using) right before serving.

Touchdown Chicken Fajitas
by Andrea Cunningham

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 small red, green, and/or yellow sweet peppers, quartered lengthwise
1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup chopped, peeled jicama
15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and chopped
1/2 cup snipped fresh cilantro
8 10-inch flour tortillas, warmed
16 oz jar salsa
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1. Place chicken in plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, combine dressing, chili powder, and cumin. Pour over chicken; seal bag. Marinate in refrigerator 1 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Drain chicken; reserve marinade. Brush marinade over peppers and onion. In a large bowl toss together jicama, black beans, tomato, avocado, and cilantro; set aside.

2. For a charcoal grill, place chicken, peppers, and onion on rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill until chicken is no longer pink (170°F) and vegetables are crisp-tender, turning once halfway through grilling (allow 12 to 15 minutes for chicken and 8 to 10 minutes for vegetables).

3. Remove chicken and vegetables from grill; carefully slice into thin bite-size strips. Spoon chicken and vegetable mixture onto tortillas. Top with bean mixture and salsa. Top with shredded cheese and dairy sour cream, if desired. Roll up. Makes 8 servings.

Black Bean Salad
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

15 oz canned black beans, drained
16 oz canned corn, drained
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon cilantro (or more)
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lime juice
Pepper
Salt
Tortilla chips
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Seed and dice peppers. In salad bowl combine peppers, onion, corn, garlic and cilantro. Toss to mix. Add olive oil, vinegar and lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss again. Add black beans, toss well and serve with tortilla chips.

Black Bean Soup

Makes up to 6 servings.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
3 teasponns chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3 cans (15 oz) black beans
Black pepper to taste

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In large pot over medium heat, cook onion in hot oil for five minutes.

Stir in garlic, cumin, chili powder and oregano. Puree one can of beans, add to pot.

Add remaining cans of beans (draining liquid from one). Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Add black pepper to taste. Garnish with salsa, shredded cheese or fresh herbs on top.