Monday Menus

Monday: Farm-stand Casserole

Tuesday: Hubbie's cooking night ( I have a massage :) )

Wednesday: Black Bean Soup w/ Mexican Salad

Thursday: homemade quinoa burgers w/ home fries

Friday: pizza night

Saturday: carry-out

Sunday: sesame, tamari & ginger baked tofu, broccoli & peppers w/rice

*I have had a really hard time finding a vegetarian black bean soup that has a lot of flavor. The recipe I tried this week was new and we all loved it so I thought I would share. :)

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

10 sun dried tomatoes
1 cup of boiling water

1 1/2 cup of finely diced onions
3 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno finely diced
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. cumin
1/3 cup water
28 oz. can undrained canned tomatoes
4 cups of undrained cooked black beans
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
additional water or tomato juice

sour cream & shredded cheese for toppings

In small bowl, cover the sun-dried tomatoes with the boiling water and set aside.

In a soup pot, saute onions, garlic and chili pepper in the oil until the onions are translucent. Add the cumin, 1/3 cup of water and the juice from the tomatoes. Chop up the tomatoes coarsely and add to the pot. Cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the black beans and their liquid, continue to simmer and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Drain and chop the softened sun-dried tomatoes. Add them to the soup and cook for 5-10 minutes longer, until the onions are tender. Stir in the cilantro and remove from heat. Remove half of the soup and puree, adding the extra water or tomato juice if it gets too thick. Pour back in to the pan, stir and heat until desired temperature.

Enjoy topped with sour cream and/or cheese.