Brazilian Black Bean Soup

Brazilian Black Bean Soup rocks. I was a little hesitant to try it, as I am not a big fan of black beans. Additionally, the idea of putting orange juice into soup seemed a little obscure. But I was tempted by the awesome combination of other ingredients: onion, garlic (10 crushed cloves!), carrot, red bell pepper, garden fresh tomatoes, cumin, and cayenne.

While the black beans simmered, Charlie and I combined the onion, garlic, cumin, and a little salt on the stove.
Once the onions were translucent, we added more garlic (!) and red pepper. Everything softened and we stirred it all together in one big, red pot. I pureed half in the blender, recombined, and let the whole thing simmer for a while while we cleaned up.

I served the soup with sour cream. The soup was thick, almost like a chili, but sweeter (thanks to the OJ!) and spicier. It was a side dish to paella my friend made, and the two went together well!

Tart and Tangy Baked Beans and Chappatis

Tart and Tangy Baked Beans are delicious and filling. These were called "Cheese Beans" in the original Moosewood cookbook but the cheese was optional in this version. A super delicious blend of beans, tomato, apple slices, and spices. The beans soaked overnight, cooked on the stove for an hour and a half, and baked in the oven for another hour. Definitely a recipe worth making when you have a lot of time at home.

Chappatis are whole wheat tortillas. Super simple to roll out and bake. Texture wise, these were a little tough but the flavor was salty and delicious.