Creamy Black Bean Soup

Posted on January 6, 2015 by skibootsinthekitchen

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a safe and FUN holiday! I know I did! Even though it was super cold over Christmas (I’m talking Northern New England kind of cold) it was beautiful and the skiing was great! Now that the holiday rush is over… everyone is SICK! Turns out that flu shot you got this year was the wrong strain of flu and now you’re screwed (and sick as a dog). So between the cold weather and all my friends being sick, I thought it would be nice to make some feel better soup!!

This black bean soup recipe is one of my favorites. It’s so easy and its ready in no time. A few other bonuses… its vegan (shhhh don’t tell anyone because they won’t be able to tell, its so delicious!!!) it’s dairy free (if you’re crazy enough to leave off the dollop of sour cream) its gluten free and its filling! Seriously, this soup is a meal on its own! So if you’re feeling a little under the weather, throw on a pot of this soup, you’ll be enjoying it in no time!! Cheers to 2015!

Creamy Black Bean Soup (Serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes and their juices
1 4oz can diced green chilies
1 tablespoon dried thyme, crumbled
4 16oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups (or more) canned low salt vegetable or chicken broth (if you don’t want it to be vegan/vegetarian)
Sour cream, sliced green onions and diced avocado for garnish

Directions:

Heat oil in a large heavy stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and saute until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
Mix in tomatoes with their juices, chilies, and thyme.
Reduce heat to low and simmer until vegetables are very soft, about 10 minutes more. Add beans and 2 cups of broth.
Puree soup in batches or using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Return soup to pot and bring to a simmer.
Thin with additional broth if necessary until soup reaches desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Garnish with sour cream, green onions and avocado.

Chunky Monkey Overnight Oats

Posted on March 24, 2014 by skibootsinthekitchen

You know those crazy mornings when there isn’t time for breakfast? Like this past week when the mountain predicted 2-inches of fresh snow, only to realize when I woke up it was actually 8+ inches of fresh POW. Yup, now you’re thinking to yourself, I needed to be out the door 10 minutes ago!

If you didn’t already know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Skip it and you definitely won’t have the energy you need to be active all day. Whether your crazy morning is getting out on the mountain, getting the kids ready for school, or getting yourself to work on time, these overnight oats are the perfect grab-and-go meal! Most mornings I eat these right out of the mason jar in the car on my way to the mountain or work. The best part? NO cooking required! You just throw all your favorite ingredients together, pop it in the fridge overnight and boom, breakfast is in your belly!

If you are allergic to peanut butter feel free to substitute another kind of nut butter, such as almond butter or sunflower butter, or leave it out all together! And please, only use REAL maple syrup! As you can see, I used Maine maple syrup because there are a lot of “Mainers” at Ski Butlers and my husband is convinced it tastes better because its from Maine!

This hearty breakfast is also vegan, gluten free (if you get gluten free rolled oats) and super filling so you can charge those powder runs all morning! Enjoy!

Chunky Monkey Overnight Oats (Serves 2, or 1 hungry person)

Ingredients:

1 cup traditional rolled oats (not the instant kind or steal cut)
1 cup almond milk (vanilla or original)
1/2 a large ripe banana
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
2 tablespoons mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (or regular)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed (optional)

Directions:

In a medium bowl mash together the peanut butter and banana using a fork until fully mixed together.
Pour oats and almond milk into the same bowl and stir. Be sure to scrape the peanut butter from the sides of the bowl so all the goodness is fully incorporated! Finally, mix in maple syrup, chocolate chips and flaxseed.
Transfer the oats into a 16oz (Pint) mason jar with a tight fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, stir oats and enjoy! You can also add some crunchy granola, fresh banana slices or nuts on top before eating!

Thank you to Ski Butlers for featuring this post on their blog! Check it out here! Want more delicious recipes? Visit me at http://www.skibootsinthekitchen.com, follow me on Twitter @skibootskitchen and ‘like’ me on Facebook!

Beautiful day here in Park City looking out at Deer Valley and Park City Resorts!

Morning Glory Farm – Baked Stuffed Winter Squash

Posted on November 7, 2012 by skibootsinthekitchen

Last weekend I was longing for a little piece of home, so I decided to open one of my favorite cook books from Morning Glory Farm on Martha’s Vineyard. This is the ultimate cook book- every recipe looks/is amazing. It’s the perfect collection of recipes for every season from restaurants and locals all over the island. I had some delicious looking acorn squash from the market in the fridge and this recipe seemed perfect! Its vegetarian (and vegan) but the hearty wheat berries fill you up and it makes great leftovers the next day! It makes enough for 8 people but you could easily cut the recipe in half or cook less squash and save the rice salad for another meal (that’s what I did!) Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 acorn squash, halved and seeded
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 cup cooked wheat berries
1 cup roasted pears
1/4 cup canola oil, divided
1 large shallot, diced
1/3 cup apple cider
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roast seeded and halved squash cut side down for 30-40 minutes.

While squash is roasting cook wild rice and wheat berries according to package directions. I got the wheat berries from the bulk section at whole foods which is the easiest way to find wheat berries. I brought a pot of salted water to boil and put the rinsed wheat berries in to cook for 1 hour or until tender.

Once squash is soft, cut pears into large dice and toss with 1/8 cup canola oil. Roast on a sheet tray about 20 minutes. (I didn’t add cinnamon to the pears but I think it would be a great addition and add some flavor- just a dash or two).