An ode to Goya

I really should write a thank you note to the Goya food company. I wonder if the company was started by some homesick person who wanted easy access to cheap ready to use beans. They have a wide variety of canned beans and I just recently discovered they have large cans and extra large jumbo cans. I picked up two large cans of the white beans and made some supper easy baked beans. I cooked up some bacon and onions in a pan, added it to the beans with the sauce mix and baked for about half an hour. Turned out almost as good as the real deal with no soaking. I also use their beans to make chili. I wish I could get pre-cooked lentils but alas, they do not have those, just the dried variety.

I have been fooling around lately with a black bean soup recipe I found online. I made a few changes and have a real winner of a soup. Not sure why I suddenly want soups but I have been making some very nice soups. I made a nice black bean soup with chili powder and cumin. A cream of leek and potato soup, and creamy red pepper potage. I think this started with a soup mix I bought for a black bean soup that I thought was good but I felt I could do better. So I tossed some stuff in a pot and cleaned the fridge out in the process and voila, a great soup for a cold day. It was really quick to make and I generally have all the ingredients on hand. If I don't have pumpkin puree I just add more potatoes to thicken more.

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Black bean soup

in med stock pot over med/high heat, saute in 1-2 tsp olive oil until tender:
1 med onion diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2-3 clove garlic

when tender add and stir for 1 min:
1 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp chili powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste

add:
2-3 cups broth (veg or chicken)

bring to boil, add then simmer:
1-2 small potatoes diced
2-3 tbsp pumpkin (because I had some in the fridge)

When tender add:
1/3 can black beans, rinsed
puree mixture and place back on heat

add remaining can of rinsed black beans
small can of corn, drained
heat through and enjoy
add smoked chipotle tabasco to taste (my new favourite item)

Best enjoyed with taco chips.