Spicy Mexican soup

Winter-warming soup that is so good with grated cheddar or crumbled feta. Add extra harissa or dried chill for more spice and eat with homemade tortilla chips, or cheese on toast.

ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 red peppers, quartered and sliced 

• 3 small cloves garlic, chopped finely 

• 3 carrots, chopped

• 1 tsp ground cumin  

• ½ tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp harissa, ground blend or paste

• 250g red lentils, rinsed really well  

• 2 x 400g tinned tomatoes

• 400ml coconut milk 

• 1 x 400g tin black beans

• 1 tsp sea salt 

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Handful chopped fresh coriander, optional

• Handful of grated cheddar or any other cheese

• Blob of Greek yoghurt

method

• Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions, peppers and carrots gently for 10 minutes.

• Next add the garlic, stirring well. Cook for about a minute.

• Now add the harissa and ground spices, stir well to warm through and release flavours.

• Next add the rinsed lentils, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk.

• Simmer for 15 minutes, then add the black beans, plus water. Cook for another 15 minutes, but add a little extra water if needed.

• Next stir in the salt, lemon juice and coriander if using

• Serve with a blob of Greek yoghurt - coconut for vegan option

Hot & Smoky beans

I like to make a big pan of these beans so I can use them to jazz up lunches and dinners through the week they go really well with grilled Halloumi, feta, rice salad (as shown here), grilled fish or chicken, in wraps or quesadillas. Super versatile and tasty!

Ingredients

Serves 8 approx

• 2 medium onions, chopped finely

• 1 large garlic clove, grated finely

• ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

• ½ tsp ground coriander

• ½ tsp hot chilli powder

• 1 x 400g tin black beans

• 1 x 400g tin any other cooked bean - chickpea cannellini

• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• ¾ tsp sea salt

• ½ tbsp red wine vinegar

• A good grind of black pepper

Method

1. Pour a lug of extra virgin olive oil into a large saucepan and fry the onions gently for 10-12 minutes.

2. Next add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the ground spices. Stir to warm through for 30 seconds.

3. Next pour in the can of black beans including their water, the other tin of bean (drained) and the tomatoes.

4. Stir well and leave to bubble with the lid on for 25 minutes minutes, leaving a small gap for escaping steam.

5. Add the red wine vinegar and simmer for a further 20 minutes without the lid, stirring occasionally.

6. Add the salt and pepper to finish.

7. Serve with Greek yoghurt or sour cream and fresh herbs

Spicy black beans with cumin roasted cauliflower

I bloody love black beans, they’re just so satisfying to eat and are super versatile too. These Mexican style beans are great on their own, but even better with cumin roasted cauliflower and a few different twists and twizzles on top: yoghurt, lemon, chilli and coriander are my faves. 

Meat eaters in your household can add grilled chicken or fish too, plus all of the above make great wraps if you add some cooked rice. Or make a quesadilla and add some cheese! So good!

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• i x 400g tin plum tomatoes

• 2 x 400g tins black beans

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 cauliflower, chopped in florets

• A few spoons of natural yoghurt

• Red chilli, thinly sliced

• A handful of coriander

• 1 lemon, chopped in wedges

Method

• Heat ½ tbsp rapeseed oil in a large saucepan and then fry the onions gently for 10-12 minutes until starting to brown.

• Add the garlic and then add the spices for a further 30 seconds.

• Pour in the beans and their water, plus the tinned the tomatoes, stir well.

• Simmer for 45 minutes, until the extra fluid has evaporated and the beans are thick and rich in flavour, then add the salt and stir well.

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc when the beans have about 30 minutes to go.

• Spread the cauliflower on a large baking tray, drizzle with 1-2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with the cumin and a pinch of salt.

• When the beans have about 25 minutes left, roast the cauliflower in the oven for 15 minutes, turn and put back in for a further 10 minutes.

• Serve with natural yoghurt, thin slices of red chilli, coriander leaves and a squeeze of lemon.

Sweet potato & black bean chilli

I always cook a big pot of chilli as it can be turned into a few different meals through the week. I made this pan for a couple of friends the other night (how nice is it to have friends in the garden?!) we had it with brown basmati, sour cream, guacamole, a few homemade tortilla chips and a handful of cheddar or feta. As we were eating outside, I made up chilli bowls with a bit of everything in so it was easier to serve.

I definitely recommend taking a few minutes to make a quick guacamole as it works so well in the bowl - I did a speedy version without any chopped chilli: just mashed avocado, a little finely chopped red onion, garlic, lime and salt. The tortilla chips take 5 minutes in the oven, so very little work to make and worth the effort to add a crunchy texture.

If you have a some leftover for lunch, you could make a ‘chilli bowl’ wrap or a quesadilla would be delicious too (here’s one I made with black beans, but just use the chilli instead) with lots of melted cheese. If you want to go carb-less, serve with crumbled feta and a slaw.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, grated

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• 2 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• ¼ tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 2 medium sweet potatoes (approx 500g), 1cm cubes

• 2 tins of tomatoes

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 1 tin black beans

• 1 tin cannellini beans

• 1 ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 lime, quartered

• A few spoons of plain or coconut yoghurt (Coconut Collaborative is my fave)

Method

• Heat ½ tbsp olive or rapeseed oil in a large pan and then fry the onions gently for 10 minutes.

• Next add the garlic, stir well and cook for a minute or two.

• Stir in all the dried spices and heat through for a minute to release their flavour and then add the sweet potatoes, tomatoes, tomato purée and all the beans.

• Pour in ½ bean tin of water and mix well.

• Cook for 30-40 minutes, until the sweet potato is fully softened. Put the lid on for the first 20 minutes and then remove.

• Add a little extra water for the last 10 minutes if needed.

• Stir in the salt and serve with a lime wedge plus any of the sides suggested above.

Mexican black beans

This is one of my favourite bean recipes; it’s super versatile as it works as a side dish with all sorts of Mexican-style dishes: tacos, burritos or fajitas - anything involving some kind of wrap basically. But equally you could serve them with rice, guacamole, cheese, sweet peppers and sour cream, or nachos with spiced Quorn/chicken and all the toppings.

I had the urge for a lunchtime quesadilla today, so I thought I’d make the black beans as a base and then top with fried yellow pepper (the only colour I had, red or orange would be fine too), cheese, fresh coriander and dried chill with a side of guacamole - I’ll share how I put it together tomorrow. It was SO tasty - one of my favourite things to eat and the good thing about spending a little time making the beans today is that I’ve got a pot of ready to use for lunches all next week.

I should mention that this is a very cheap way to get more protein into your diet, I reckon this recipe costs about £1.40 and feeds about 4 people depending on how you serve it.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 medium onion, chopped finely

• 1 garlic clove, grated (I use a Microplane)

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 2 x 400g tins of black beans

• 3/4 tsp sea salt

• Juice of half a lime

Method

• Heat ½ tbsp olive or rapeseed oil in a saucepan and then add the onions. Fry for about 15 minutes on a low heat until softened.

• Next add the garlic and stir for about a minute to cook.

• Add the cumin, stir and warm for 30 seconds.

• Then pour in the black beans and their water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes until a lot of the liquid has evaporated. They shouldn’t be dry like refried beans though.

• Add the sea salt and a squeeze of lime.

Spicy black bean soup

There’s something about beans that I really love; they make great comfort food as they’re so hearty and filling. I know they might not be a meat sub for everyone, but that’s how they work for me, along with lentils. I’m not usually a fan of dark muddy food (funnily enough), but I make an exception for black beans; I actually love their rich colour and the way they are able to take on strong flavours without losing their own.

So here is a recipe that celebrates the humble black bean, but with a few twists to give them an extra lift: limey guacamole for zing, coconut yoghurt for creaminess and homemade tortillas for crunch. That’s every box ticked for me!

Let me me know what you think if you try it!

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1/2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 2 large onions, chopped finely

• 2 large cloves of garlic, grated

• 2 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1.5 tsp dried chilli flakes

• 4 x 400g tins of black beans

• 2 tsp vegetable bouillon

• 300 ml water

• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt

• Juice of 1 lime

• 180 ml coconut yoghurt/plain yoghurt/sour cream

Guacamole

• 2 large avocado, mashed

• 2-3 spring onions, thinly sliced

• 4 baby plum tomatoes, small dice

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 red chilli, chopped finely (reserve 1/2 for serving the soup)

• Small handful of coriander, chopped roughly

Tortilla chips

• 2 tortilla wraps (I use Mission Deli 50:50 wholemeal/white)

• 1/2 tbsp light olive or sunflower oil

• Generous pinch of table salt

Method

• Heat the rapeseed oil in a large pan and then fry the onions for 20 minutes on a low heat until softened and beginning to brown.

• Next add the cumin and chilli warming through for a minute or so before pouring in the beans (including their water) plus the oregano, a crumbled stock cube and 300ml water - swilling the empty bean cans to get the last bits out.

• Simmer for 30 minutes without the lid on, skimming off any foam that forms in the first 5/10 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

• Prep the guacamole by mashing the avocado and mixing in all the other ingredients.

• Pour 1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil to a small bowl with a generous pinch of table salt. Place both tortilla wraps on a baking tray (or pizza trays), brush lightly with the oil on both sides, then chop in half. Pile each one on top of the another and cut into triangles. You don’t have to be too precious about this, just make sure they’re all a similar size.

• Spread evenly on the tray (not overlapping) and place in the oven for 5 minutes, then check and turn, moving any browner chips on the outside to the middle. Put back in the oven for 2-3 minutes and then set aside.

• The soup should be almost ready by now so add the sea salt and lime. Use a hand blender to blitz the soup to break down about half the beans, but don’t purée, you want to retain a chunky texture.

Tip

• I’ve used a 50:50 wrap this time, but seeded or wholemeal work really well too. Try making them to go with dips as well, they’re so tasty and much less fatty than shop bought tortilla chips.

  Other toppings

• Grated cheddar cheese

• Brown rice

• Tomato salsa