Black Bean Soup

Sort through (to look for rocks) and wash 2 cups dried black beans. Boil beans in 6 cups water for about 1 1/2 hours until nice and tender. You are supposed to keep the beans covered, but to do that I had to turn the heat down and occasionally let out some steam. Once soft, drain the beans.

Meanwhile saute 1 onion, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 2 chopped carrots, and 1 chopped celery. Add in a healthy amount of cumin, some cayenne, and a little salt. Add 3 peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes.

Once the veggies are tender, add to the beans along with 4 cups stock, 2 T sherry, and 2 T tamari (soy sauce is fine). You can also add 1-2 T tomato paste but I didn't have it so left it out.

Simmer for 20-30 minutes and serve with a dallop of Greek yogurt and fresh cilantro. This is good served with corn bread or biscuits!

Chicken Peperonata

Cook up some quinoa as per package instructions. When it is almost done, stir in 6 oz of fresh spinach.

Meanwhile, pound 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast to an even 1/2 inch thickness.(it's easiest to do this with the chicken in a plastic bag). Saute the chicken until browned on both sides (about 5 minutes on each side). Remove and set aside.

Saute 1 sliced onion and 2 sliced bell peppers (one red and one yellow looks pretty) until softened. Add 6 cloves crushed garlic and saute briefly. Add 1 cup chicken broth, 1 lb plum tomatoes peeled and chopped, and 1 T red wine vinegar. To easily peel tomatoes, drop them in boiling water for 20 seconds. The skin just falls right off. Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5-7 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and cook until the chicken is cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over the quinoa/spinach

Latkes and Homemade Applesauce

For the applesauce, you'll want at least 8 apples and you'll want a variety: Golden Delicious, Fuji, Jonathan, Mcintosh, or Gravenstein all work well. If you can, get organic since it's nice to leave the skin on. Wash and slice the apples. Put in a big pot with a splash of lemon juice and a little bit of water. Cook on med-high until apples are completely soft. Use a potato masher to mash it up in the pot (the apples should be soft enough to easily mash). Then pour the applesauce into a sieve over a bowl. Using a form or potato masher, work the applesauce through the sieve until you have all the applesauce in the bowl and only the skins left on top. You should have a beautiful pink applesauce. You can use an immersion blender if you want the applesauce smoother.

For the latkes, preheat oven to 250. Grate 1 lb russet potatoes (use a cuisinart with the grater attachment!!!) and 1/2 an onion. Put in a bowl with 1-2 eggs, and 1/2 tsp salt. Heat up a frying pan with a lot of oil in it. Make sure the oil is good and hot. Ladle a scoop of potato in, press into pancake shape, and cook on one side about 4 minutes and then flip. If the pancakes aren't holding together yet, wait a little longer before flipping. Cook on other side until browned and then put in the oven to stay warm while you make the rest.

Serve with homemade applesauce and sour cream (or Greek yogurt).