Black bean soup

Black bean soup is one of my most preferred soup for Dinner. Its so filling and easy to make !

Ingredients:

* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 Vegetable/chicken broth carton ( then don't have to add water) or
1 small chicken/veg bouillon cubes
* 1/4 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
* 1-1 1/2 cup boiling water
* 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin
* 1/2 lemon, juice of
* 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional)
* 1/2 chilli powder ( as desired )
* 1 tsp Olive oil (optional)

Directions:

1. In a pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil or combine the first five ingredients; simmer for 10 -15 minutes.

2. Add half a can of beans, salt and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.

3. Puree soup ie press the bean down using a flat spoon or use a blender

4. Add the rest of the beans to the soup.

5. combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.

6. Add the lemon and the cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.

Dress up: For crisp lovers, add the crispy corn tortilla chips just before u serve. You could also add coriander leaves / grated cheese.

Last weekend, I started off to make brownies then decided why not make brownie bites (my creation !). I thought it didn't come out well but over time I loved it. Will post the recipe soon.

Chocolate Nut Bread

To add to the flavorful bread recipes so far in this blog, here is my version of the Chocolate Nut Bread. I found this recipe on the back cover of Nestle chocolate Morsels which I customized. To my surprise this recipe doesn’t use butter except for greasing.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large eggs
• 1 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla syrup
• 1/3 cup or 4-5 tsp of canola oil or vegetable oil
• 1 cups NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cups chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease one 9 x 5-inch loaf pans with butter.

COMBINE flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla syrup and salt in large bowl. Combine eggs, milk and vegetable oil in medium bowl. Add to flour mixture; mix just until moistened. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spoon into prepared loaf pans.

BAKE for 50 to 60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes; remove from pans.

TIP: If you are looking for even more chocolate flavor, try drizzling the cooled loaves with chocolate! Microwave 1/2 cup semi-sweet morsels in heavy-duty plastic bag on HIGH (100%) power for 45 seconds; knead bag to mix. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, kneading until smooth. Cut a small hole in corner of bag; squeeze to drizzle over bread.

Next time I plan to add more chocolate :)