Three Bean Chicken Soup

Beans, what a marvelous food. Did you know that they are high in protein, have virtually no fat, and are full of fiber? There are many to choose from, but one of my favorites is the black bean. Among the many things I like about beans, they are so versatile. What dish wouldn't be complemented by some kind of bean?

A couple of year ago I started cooking more with beans when I decided to start eating a little healthier.  I am a lover of soup; I could eat soup 7 days a week. So I definitely use beans in a lot of my soups. My three bean chicken soup is just something that I started throwing ingredients together and was surprised to see how well it turned out. I like to cook a big pot of this soup so that I can take it for my lunch at work. That is another reason this soup is so good, it tastes just as great reheated as the day that you made it.

Depending on my mood I sometimes make this soup very spicy and I sometimes make it not so spicy. Also I guess it kind of depends on the temperature outside. This week when I made this soup it was quite hot and muggy so I decide to tone down the spiciness of the soup. No need to over do it too much.

Three Bean Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic
42 ounces of sodium reduced chicken broth
2 cups of shredded or cubed cooked chicken
1 14.5 ounce can black beans rinsed
1 14.5 ounce can kidney beans rinsed
1 14.5 ounce can chili beans
2 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup of frozen corn
1 to 2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
ground red pepper to taste (for a spicier soup)

Directions:
Heat up the olive oil in a large soup kettle. Dice the onions and garlic and brown in the heated olive oil. Once the onion and the garlic are tender basically throw the other ingredients in. Add the seasonings to taste. It all depends on how spicy you like your food. I usually add my spices and taste as I go along until I get to the stage of spiciness that I want. Once you have all the ingredients added bring this mixture to a boil, once it comes to a boil turn down to a simmer and let it simmer for about an hour so all the flavors come together.

Shredded Spicy Chicken

I haven't cooked with a lot of spices or herbs in the past. I guess growing up in rural Wisconsin, where meat and potatoes were the staple we didn't use herbs and spices too much. But in the past few years I have started experimenting with some herbs and spices that were new to me.

One of the spices that I have been using of late is cumin. I love to pair the cumin with garlic, it gives a little bite to what ever you are cooking.
I like to use cumin in chili and in different soups. But the latest tasty recipe that I have used cumin in is shredded spicy chicken.

I used the shredded chicken as a sandwich, but I think that it would go great in a pita or soft tortilla.
Green peppers and onions can be sautéed and used to top this sandwich for even more flavor and color.

Recipe:

3 Large cooked chicken breast shredded 

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 to 2 teaspoons cumin

1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

1/4 teaspoon salt

14.5 ounce can of low sodium chicken broth

Shred 3 large cooked chicken breast (about 4 cups).  Add minced garlic, onion, cumin, black pepper, and salt to taste. Mix these ingredients until blended. (Taste to see if the seasoning is to your liking) Stir in the low sodium chicken broth and cook in a 325 degree oven for 1/2 hour to 1 hour. Meat will be tender and flavorful. Enjoy!!

Yum Yum Bars

This spring my husband and I decided to buy a canoe. We thought that it would be a good idea since we live in the state with 10,000 lakes plus the Mississippi River flows through our lovely state of Minnesota. This morning we got up bright and early to hit the water. We went canoeing in the back waters of the Mississippi. It was just a gorgeous morning. The water was so peaceful it was like glass you could see the reflections of the bluffs and the sky. There were eagles, blue herons, otters and other wild life that greeted us as we canoed along the back waters.

When we got back home I felt like doing some baking. So I decided to make a recipe my kids call Yum Yum Bars. I am not sure where I got this recipe, but it seems like I have been making it forever.

If you live for chocolate like I do this recipe is for you. It is so chocolaty and has a gooey layer of caramel. I think it is to die for. I hope you think so too.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees

Ingredients:

German Chocolate Cake Mix (or any chocolate flavored cake mix)

14 oz. bag of caramels

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Melt caramels with 1/3 cup of evaporated milk
While the caramels are melting combine the cake mix, other 1/3 cup of evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir by hand till batter sticks together.

Grease 9 x 13" pan and pat about 1/2 of the cake mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake this at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.

After baking for 6 minutes take out of oven and pour the melted caramel mixture over the baked cake then sprinkle the chocolate chip evenly over the caramel mixture. (If you like nuts you can sprinkle chopped nuts over the chocolate chips). Take the rest of the cake mix and dab it over the chocolate chips. Return the pan to the oven and continue baking for another 15 to 18 minutes. 

Pumpkin Cookies

My mom baked these cookies for me and my siblings when I was a kid. Now I make them for my family and I have to say that they are one of my kid's favorite cookies and also my husband Mike's favorites. I usually make a double batch of the pumpkin cookies and freeze some for a later time. They freeze very well and when the cookies thaw out they are like you just baked them.

I guess when I think of pumpkin I think of Thanksgiving, but these cookies are great at anytime of the year. In fact when I ask my kids what kind of cookies they would like me to bake them for Christmas one of the cookies they always request are these pumpkin cookies.

The cookies are topped with a Penuche type frosting. The frosting really compliments the flavor of the pumpkin and spices that are in these cookies. So I hope you enjoy...

Bake at a 350 Degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. When the edge of the cookies are turning brown and the cookie themself are a golden brown they are ready to take out. Let them set on the cookie sheet a couple of minutes to let them cool.

Blend together:
2 cups of sugar
1 cup shortening (I usually use 1/2 cup vegetable shortening along with 1/2 cup butter)
Add 2 eggs
Add 1 cup of pumpkin
In a separate bowl sift together:
2 tsp soda
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
Add this to the pumpkin mixture and blend together. Drop by spoonful on a greased cookie sheet.

Usually when I start baking the cookies I will make the frosting so that as the cookies come out of the oven and cool I can frost them right away.
Icing:
5 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
5 tbsp thin cream (if you don't have cream you can use milk, it may look a little curdled but once you have your powder sugar added it will be fine)
Combine the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to boil, let boil a few minutes stirring occasionally.
Cool and add enough powder sugar to make the right consistency to spread. If the frosting gets a little thick and is hard to spread add a little milk and beat.