Cover beans with 2 cups of water and allow to soak for 6 - 12 hours. Drain and rinse.
Add 2 cups of water and beans to a saucepan. Turn heat to medium. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until tender, checking occasionally to ensure there is enough water to keep beans from scorching.
Prepare rice according to the directions listed on the package.
(NOTE: The above steps can be done ahead. Store beans and rice tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and onion. Saute for 3 minutes then add garlic. Saute for 1-2 minutes longer.
Pour chicken broth and tomatoes into the pot. Stir in chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Add chicken and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken has cooked through and internal temperature registers at 160℉, 10-15 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes. Cut it into small strips.
Return chicken to pot along with rice, beans and lime juice.
Reheat if necessary and serve with shredded cheese, if desired.
Hack: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Be sure to subtract any days that you stored the cooked beans and/or rice before making soup.
Hack: Freeze leftover portions sealed in serving-sized portions for future use for up to 3 months.
Hack: One 15 oz can of black beans can be substituted for the dried beans in this recipe. Drain, rinse and add to the pot.
Hack: One 15 oz can of diced tomatoes can be substituted for the fresh tomatoes.
Hack: 2 cups of cooked chicken can be substituted for the chicken breast.
Did you know? Although the term fajita was not used to refer to a food item until 1971, the dish itself was made popular in the 30s in Texas. Migrant workers received meat scraps as a part of their pay and this would have been one of the ways they made them into a meal!
Homemade hot and sour soup is a staple of Chinese cuisine and Yuhong is here to show us how to make it! Don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss new videos!
Homemade Hot and Sour Soup
2 dry mushrooms (optional)
½ carrot
1 tomato
1” knob of ginger
2 mushrooms
2 green onion
8 oz tofu
1 teaspoon white pepper (or to taste)
3 tbsp Chinese (black) vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch
6 cups plus 1 tbsp water, divided
2 eggs
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
Salt to taste
If you’re using dried mushrooms, soak them for two hours before using them.
Cut the carrot into 1” matchsticks. Soak tomato in boiling water for 2 minutes and then drain and peel the skin off. Cut into small cubes. Cut the ginger and mushrooms into matchsticks. Thinly slice green onion and cube tofu.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar and Chinese vinegar.
Mix cornstarch with water in another small bowl. Add a few drops more water if needed to create a smooth slurry. Beat eggs in a third bowl.
Bring two cups of water to a simmer on the stovetop in a large saucepan. Add dried mushrooms, fresh mushrooms and carrots. Simmer for 2 minutes and remove vegetables from the water.
Place a large saute pan or wok on the stovetop over high heat and add 3 tbsp vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add ginger and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add tomato and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Pour 4 cups of water into the saute pan and bring to boil. Add carrots and mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes or to desired softness. Gently stir in tofu and allow to heat through.
Add vinegar and white pepper* then stir in cornstarch slurry and allow to thicken for 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce and salt.
Turn heat to medium-high. Pour in eggs, slowly streaming the mixture over the surface of the soup and stir it gently to cook eggs.
Sprinkle green onion over the bottom of a large serving bowl or divide over 6 single-serving bowls. Add soup and serve immediately.
*The hot, spicy flavor of this soup comes from the white pepper so adjust the amount according to how spicy you want it. You’ll be able to add more before serving if you wish.
6 servings, 170 calories per serving
Hack: Pork or chicken can be used in place of tofu.
Hack: Soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen in serving-sized containers for up to 3 months.
Hack: Matchstick carrots can be found in the packaged section of the produce department. Freeze any leftover carrots for use in cooking.
Hack: Chop leftover green onions and freeze in a sealable freezer bag or container for future use. While they won’t retain the crispness that would make them suitable for salads or garnish, they will be fine for cooking.
Hack: Look (or ask the produce clerk) for loose items such as carrots and mushrooms so you will only have to buy what you need for a particular recipe. You can also shop the salad bar if you just need a small amount of an item that you don’t think you’ll use again before it “goes over”.
Hack: For more instructional videos for making traditional Chinese cuisine, visit Yuhong’s Country Kitchen on YouTube!
1butternut squash (about two pounds), halved and seeded
1Vidalia or sweet onion, peeled and quartered
1sweet potato, peeled and quartered
½tspcurry
¼tspnutmeg
Dash of hot sauce (or to taste)
2cupsvegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Coat a 13” x 9” baking pan with cooking spray. Place squash cut side down on baking dish and arrange onion and potato sections around it.
Bake for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. When squash is cool enough to handle, remove skin and discard.
In a food processor or blender (by batches), blend together squash, onion, potato, curry, nutmeg and hot sauce until smooth. Add vegetable broth as necessary to thin.
Transfer squash mixture to saucepan, add vegetable broth and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Hack: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze in serving-sized portions for up to 12 months.
Hack: Fresh peeled and cubed butternut squash can be purchased in the produce department of the grocery store. Frozen butternut squash can also be used.
Did you know? Uncooked winter squash can be stored in a cool, dark environment (less than 50℉) for up to 2 months so stock up when it’s on sale! Cook, mash and freeze unseasoned winter squash for up to 12 months as a quick and easy addition to many recipes.
Suggestion: Serve this soup with some naan flatbread for a light meal or snack.
Creamy, rich and bursting with brightness, this garden fresh tomato soup recipe is the ultimate sidekick to a grilled cheese sandwich. It’s also great with homemade butter biscuits for dipping!
Heat the oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic.
And cook until soft but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, vegetable broth, sugar, bay leaves, basil, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off and discarding any foam from the surface. Remove bay leaves.
Puree in batches using blender or food processor until smooth and return to pot to keep warm. Add additional sugar or salt before serving, if desired.
Hack: Put serving-sized leftover portions in a freezer bag or container and store them in the freezer for future use.
Hack: If you have leftover tomatoes that are becoming over-ripe, simply puree them in the blender and freeze the fresh puree in sealed freezer bags or containers to use in recipes at a later date. No need to core, peel or seed ‘em...just toss ‘em right in. Run the puree through a mesh colander if you want to remove the seeds.
For more ways to deal with an overabundance of fresh tomatoes during the growing season (or any time), click here for advice for saving them for later use!
