Rainy days call for soup
May 19th, 2008
Listening to the rain this afternoon put me in a domestic mood. So when Annalie came into the kitchen as I was making a pot of coffee and asked if we could make banana bread, I said, “Sure, why not?” Annalie helped me mash bananas and crack an egg and measure and mix the dry ingredients. Then she wandered off to play and I poured the batter into the pan and popped it in the oven.
Now that I was in cooking mode, I poked around the fridge and pantry, hoping something would inspire me. I found an orange pepper and three slightly wilted green onions, some frozen corn and a chicken breast. That was all the excuse I needed to make some soup.
I love soup. It can be a balanced meal all by itself, or it can complement the main course. And it’s just fun to cook. Soup is a forgiving dish, allowing substitution and improvisation. Today I made up the recipe as I went along and it was delicious.
Chicken, Corn & Black Bean Soup
- bell pepper, seeded and diced
- small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- olive oil
- 28-oz. can chopped or crushed tomatoes
- 1.5 c. chicken broth
- 11-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- bonless skinless chicken breast
- 1 c. frozen corn
Pour a little olive oil into a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add pepper, onion and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, and black beans. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Trim any fat off the chicken and place in the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove chicken breast and allow to cool slightly, then chop into bite-sized pieces and return to pot. Add frozen corn and bring back to a boil, raising heat under pot if necessary. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Serve with desired garnishes (chopped green onion, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips). Makes enough to feed 6-8 people.
Then we had warm banana bread for dessert.
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I’m the worst soup-maker, ever. I’ll have to try this one sometime. It sounds awesome!
With the rain we are having this morning, it sure looks like a soup and banana bread kind of day.
Hi Bethany, this has nothing to do with soup but it does realate to cooking.You may not remember but you sent me the link for Magnolia bakery cupcakes via SAj’s blog.
Well since then I have made them about a dozen times and they are fantastic, my family loves them. Thanks for being so kind and taking the time to send me the link.
Tanya
Mmmm…I LOVE soup! I’ll have to try this one :)
I made a similar soup once, but I didn’t add the black beans – I think it sounds fabulous!! Definitely going to be trying out this recipe – Thanks so much for sharing your creation!
Ugh. The thought of the oven and the soup going at the same time is making me sweat even more… it’s been over 100 degrees here for the last couple of days.
How bout some ice cream recipes?! :)
I’m not really much of a bean person. What’s a good substitute for that?
You see, the problem here is that my little brother this morning, got his arm caught in the microwave and uh my grandmother dropped acid and she freaked out and hi-jacked a school bus full of penguins so you see it’s kind of a family crisis so…come back later? Great.
The soup sounds wonderful. You’re right, rainy weather calls for such a meal. I’ll have to try your recipe one of these days. It’s so darn hot here that I might need to wait until the fall :-)
Oh Bethany, that looks delicious! I am definitely saving that and will be making that very, very soon.