Peanut Butter Bisque

My friend Stacey & I made a peanut butter soup from EatingWell.com. This is probably the most hearty vegetarian soup that I've ever had. It's creamy, spicy, and delicious. Lots of delicious North African flavors... YUM!

I can't give it enough accolades. Also, I can never make it with the man. He HATES peanut butter.

But please, make it! Make it! I plan on eating it when he travels for work.

Eating Well's Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque.

You mean dinner isn't made yet?!

This was a last minute "look in the pantry for what I can make fast, because it's 5 and dinner isn't started yet" dinner. It came out delicious!

1 can black beans
.5 can coconut milk
2 cups broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 carrots coarsely chopped
2 yukon potatoes, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
1 cup peas (frozen or fresh-add at the end)
4 leaves kale
.5 onion sliced
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon seaweed flakes (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
salt and pepper to taste
top with cilantro or herb of choice, a dash of lime, and a turn or two of pepper

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of oil with cumin and coriander seeds. If you only have powder, use that after the onion and garlic are cooked. Add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer until potatoes are done. If you chop the potatoes large, add in the beans, kale, peas and coconut milk when the potatoes are almost done. The smaller the potato, the quicker the meal is done. If you dice them and the carrot, you can have this ready to eat in 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Easiest Chilis.

On a cold day, nothing warms the body like a good bowl of chili. Here are two of my favorites:

This is super easy & really delicious. Sometimes, I add a little cumin & oregano to the mix, but it's almost always well seasoned by the salsa.

Trader Joe's Sample Turkey Chili
1 jar of salsa - preferably something punchy such as mango habenero (same ol' same ol' salsas just don't cut it!!)
1 lb. ground turkey or lean beef
1 box of Pomi diced or crushed tomatoes or a 28oz can
1 bag of frozen roasted corn
(You can also add more veggies etc to this.)

Brown ground meat. Add salsa, tomatoes, corn. Heat thoroughly & serve.


My mom always makes chili on the first cold day of the season. This is a tribute to her tradition.

The First Cold Day Chili
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 box of Pomi diced or crushed tomatoes (or a 28oz can if you can't find the box)
1 green bell pepper
2 tablespoons chili pepper
1 tablespoon chipolte chili pepper (optional - gives a smoky flavor)
1-2 tablespoons of oregano
1 tablespoon of cumin
(sacrilege: Sometimes I add a can of kidney/black beans or corn or carrots depending on if we need more veggies or carbs for the day.)

Brown the beef. If there is fat to skim, skim it. Add the seasonings & mix well. Add the bell pepper & cook it for 1-2 minutes. I like to keep it relatively firm & only slightly cooked. Add the tomatoes & anything else such as corn or beans or both. Heat thoroughly & serve.