Bacon Black Bean Soup

This spicy soup will warm you up on a winter day- not that we've had too many cold days yet :)  It is super savory from the bacon flavor, and the chipotle in adobo adds some delicous spice without making it too hot.  I do admit I stole the recipe from serious eats; one of my main inspirations for recipes and cooking.  It actually turned out to be more tasty than we had imagined, and we added a little cooked chopped chicken to make it a full meal.  If you have leftovers, it also makes a pretty good bean dip.

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
2 cans of black beans
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped (+ extra for garnish)
2 canned chipotles in adobo
2 T adobo sauce from the canned chipotles
1 t cumin
1 t Mexican oregano
salt and pepper
sour cream
2 limes- one squeezed for juice, one cut into wedges

Directions:
Cook the bacon in a skillet, reserving the fat in the pan when done.

Cook the chopped onion in the pan with the bacon drippings for about 10 minutes.  Add garlic to the pan for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. 

In a blender, combine the two cans of beans with liquid, the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, chicken broth, cumin, oregano, and the cooked onions & garlic.  Blend until very smooth.  Pour the mixture into a pot and bring to a simmer.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Finally, add the juice of one lime and half of the chopped bacon to the pot and stir.  When serving, top with sour cream, extra chopped bacon, and an extra squeeze of lime.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

With all of our turkey leftovers, we had to search for more ideas of ways to use it creatively. The Thanksgiving Pizza we made was delicious, but for this next dish we wanted something a little more spicy that deviated further from tasting like Thanksgiving. So when I came across this Turkey Torilla Soup recipe from Serious Eats, I knew it would hit the spot.  We made a couple minor changes and the end result was warm and savory.  A great option whenever you have leftover shredded turkey or chicken, at any time of the year. 

Ingredients:
- 6 corn tortillas, cut in half, then sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips 
- Kosher Salt, Pepper, & Olive Oil

- 3 ancho chilies (I could only find them dried and it was fine) 

- 2 whole chipotle chilies canned in adobo sauce plus 1 tablespoon sauce 

- 2 quarts low sodium chicken or turkey broth (tip: make broth from your leftover turkey carcass and use it for this soup!) 

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

- 1 large onion, finely diced 

- 2 whole poblano peppers, seeds and stem removed, finely diced 

- 5 fresh tomatillos (about a pound) husks removed, washed, cored and diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced 

- 2 teaspoons ground cumin 

- about 2 cups leftover turkey meat, shredded into bite-size pieces 

- sliced scallions, crema or sour cream, and lime wedges for serving

Poblano Pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (preheat your baking instrument too- we use a pizza stone for even browning of the chips) In a bowl, mix the tortilla strips with about 2 T olive oil (just drizzle some in there), a teaspoon of salt, and some ground pepper.  Mix it up with your hands and place them on the baking sheet or stone once the oven is heated.  Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until the chips are golden brown. You may need to mix them up if it looks like they are cooking unevenly. When done, put them in a bowl and place aside until the soup is ready.  You can save any uneaten chips in a zip-lock bag.

Before

After

While the chips are baking, begin the soup.  Place half of the broth in a large pot along with the ancho chiles, and the two chipotles in adobo with their sauce.  Bring to a simmer, and let this cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the anchos are completely soft. 

While you are waiting for the chiles to simmer, begin to saute the onion poblanos, and tomatillos in vegetable oil. Add a teaspoon of salt. When they are soft, add the garlic and cumin.  Stir until fragrant, and then add the remaining broth to the pot.

tomatillos

By this time, the chiles will probably be done simmering.  Put them, with the broth, into a blender and blend until smooth.  Then, add this to the rest of the soup.

Bring the soup to a a boil over high heat and add the turkey.

Turkey posing with Sean's "Rocket Tomatillo"

Continue to simmer the soup for 10-15 more minutes.  Taste it for salt and pepper and add more to taste.
Serve with a dollop of crema or sour cream, chopped green onion, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. And of course, sprinkle your tortilla chips on top to let them soak up the flavor. This soup has the perfect amount of spice to make it warm without your mouth being on fire. If you want to eliminate some spice I'd recommend eliminating one of the chipotles, because it is the hottest chile out of the three in this recipe. Enjoy!