Black Bean Soup with Toasted Cumin Creme Fraiche

I've had a bag of Cayuga Pure Organics black beans in my pantry for quite some time waiting for the perfect use.  We do eat rice and beans on occasion, and beans certainly go in chili around here.  But it didn't seem right to use these beautiful beans in a supporting role.  I wanted them to be a star. 

Enter Smitten Kitchen and her Black Bean Soup with Toasted Cumin Seed Creme Fraiche.  She had me at chipotle pepper.  I go in waves with chipotles where I need to eat them in everything.  Alright, I lie, it's more like everything I eat could usually be made better with chipotles.  I love the smoky spiciness with just about everything.

 The other thing that made this soup attractive is that the heavy lifting is all done in the crockpot.  The beans go into pot with chopped vegetables, water, seasoning and magically turns into soup in just a few hours.  There was some discussion over at Smitten Kitchen about the different timing required by different crockpots.  Mine was just about the same as reported - 3 hours on high for well cooked beans, maybe just a bit longer. 

This soup is also very healthy and light.  To add a bit of indulgence, I decided to make the creme fraiche as well.  Trader Joe's carries a Vermont creme fraiche which makes this step equally easy.  I toasted cumin seeds and ground them in a converted coffee grinder.  Adding a good dollop of the creme fraiche gave another layer of flavor and creaminess to the soup without overdoing it. The original recipe included chopped sweet peppers which I omitted, but adding those in makes the soup even healthier!

I served the soup and its creme fraiche topping with warm (homemade) pita bread and green salad.  We also experimented with a bit of sharp New York cheddar as a different topping and enjoyed that quite a bit.

Black Bean Soup (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 medium red onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 1/2 lbs. dried black beans
• 1-3 tbsp. chopped chipotle pepper in adobe sauce (adjust for your preferred heat)
• 7 cups hot water
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Pick through dried beans to remove any suspicious-looking specimens.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until soft and just beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.  Add garlic and cumin and stir mixture for about 1 minute. 
3. Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker.  Add beans, chipotle peppers and 7 cups hot water.
4. Cover crock pot and cook on high for about 3 hours, until beans are very tender (it's okay to pick up the lid and taste them in order to check).
5. Transfer two cups or more (I did about half) the mixture to another bowl and puree with an immersion blender (or use your food processor or blender). Return puree to slow cooker.
6. Stir in lime juice, salt and pepper.  Serve in bowls with your favorite topping.

Ready for Some Football: Chipotle Turkey Two Bean Chili

In order to get ready for a little football game you might have heard about, I decided it was time for some chili! This might be the furthest into cold weather that I've gone without making chili ever.  It was definitely time.  Usually, I swear by Don Henley's recipe (yes, that Don Henley) which is a real Texas chili (read: no beans) and I generally tweak it slightly depending on my mood and how healthy I am trying to be.

This fall/winter season, I've been eyeing a Black Bean & Beef Chipotle Chili recipe that looked really unique and satisfied the deep love affair I've been having with chipotle peppers.  Since I made the shepherd's pie with beef earlier this month, I figured I'd switch things up and make this chili with turkey instead.  Then it turned out that I didn't have any black beans ready to go.  So I used the technique from the first recipe, tweaked it in accordance with Don Henley's recipe (no chili is complete without beer for me now...) and then added my own flair.  And so tonight, a new recipe is born.

One word of warning - my preparation is pretty spicy, even for us.  Adjust the chili powder and chipotles and use regular tomatoes to make it more your style.

And on a personal note, my philosophy of supporting everything local was obviously thwarted this year.  My football philosophy, however, is this - when in doubt, root for a Manning! It works for me.  Go Colts!

Chipotle Turkey Two Bean Chili

• 2 15 ounce cans kidney beans, drained and well rinsed
• 1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and well rinsed
• 1 15 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes with green chilis
• 2 medium chipotle peppers plus 1 1/2 tbsp adobo sauce
• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, minced, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 3 tsp cumin
• 1 bottle of beer
• 1 lime
• 4 tsp cilantro
• 1 medium ripe avocado

1. Place 1/3 of the bean mixture in the food processor along with the tomatoes and chipotle peppers and process until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium heat in a large stock pot or dutch oven.  Cook turkey until no longer pink.  Remove from pot with slotted spoon.
3. Add 1/2 of onion and all garlic into pot and cook until fragrant and softened, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add cumin and chili powder and cook quickly, about 20 seconds.  Immediately add bean mixture, remaining beans, turkey and 1/2 bottle of beer (drink the rest!).
5. Simmer over low heat for at least 30 minutes or until ready to eat. Keep an eye on the thickness if you continue to simmer.  This is a very thick chili.  If it's too thick, add more beer and open yourself another!
6. While simmering, place avocado, half the cilantro and remaining onion in bowl for avocado topping.  Squeeze half of the lime into the avocado and the other half into the chili. Add remaining cilantro to the chili.
7. Grate cheddar cheese to serve as an additional topping if you choose.