Tasty Tuesday

Last week was a soup kind of week.

I made two new different recipes.

Both were wonderful and if you are looking

for easy, good soup, try one of these.

Over on "Our Best Bites"

last week they posted this great

recipe for Black Bean Soup.

It was really good.

Black Bean Soup
1 T olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced
3/4 C diced carrots
(about 2 med carrots)
3/4 C diced celery
(about 2 ribs)
1 C diced onion
(about 1 sm-med onion)
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 3.5oz can green chilies
2 cans low-sodium beef broth
1 t kosher salt
1 dash black pepper
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t cumin
1/2 t dry oregano leaves
(if you use ground oregano, use 1/4 t)
1 bay leaf
Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese
Add olive oil to a large stock pot on med-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic about 4-5 minutes.
Add in the black beans, chilies, and beef broth. Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are soft.Remove from heat. Find that bay leaf and pull it out.
Place all the soup in a blender. Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the middle like the picture below. Place a paper towel over the hole though to avoid getting black bean soup burns all over your face.
Puree soup until completely smooth. I leave it in for several minutes. Return to pan and make sure it's heated through completely. Squeeze in the juice from one big lime.Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese, tortilla chips, etc. Serve with extra lime wedges.
Nutritional Information (1 C soup, w/o toppings):125 calories, 2g fat, 8g fiber2 Weight Watchers pointsSouth Beach Diet Phase 2 (eat carrots sparingly)

From Prudence Pennywise

Creamy Tomato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (14 ounce) cans Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth or stock
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
3/4 cup evaporated skim milk, or 4 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese
chopped fresh basil or parsley for serving
In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add oniion and carrots and saute for five minutes. Stir in garlic and saute an additional minute. Add tomatoes, broth, red pepper flakes, vinegar, and honey. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. For a creamy soup, transfer to blender and blend, or use an immersion blender directly in the pot. (Immersion blenders are a must have for soup lovers!) Soup can be made up to 2 days ahead of time to this point. Just before serving, add evaporated skim milk (or cream cheese of half and half) to pot. Warm through, but do not boil. Serve immediately with basil or parsley, and hopefully some warm focaccia.