www.monthlymealplanner.com

Black Bean Soup and Beer Bread
by Jes Mostek
 

Recipes:
Beer Bread
by Melanie Foster
serves: 16
  A quick, easy, and inexpensive quick-bread with rich beer flavor. Remember, the better the beer you use, the better the bread will taste. You can also substitute whole wheat pastry flour or half and half all-purpose and regular whole wheat flour in this recipe.
Ingredients:
  3 c.   flour
  2 tsp.   baking powder
  1/2 tsp.   salt
  2 T.   sugar
  1/2 c.   butter, melted (1 stick = 1/2 c.)
  12 oz.   beer
Directions:
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour a small amount of melted butter in bottom of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, rock the pan back and forth to coat bottom of pan with melted butter.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Pour in beer and stir just until combined (do not over-mix). Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan.

Pour remaining melted butter over top of batter in loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until bread is golden brown and a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool slightly and slice with a serrated knife. Serve immediately!!!

Silky Black Bean Soup
by Amanda Buell
serves: 4
  Smooth and Silky Black Bean Soup. Also try substituting some of the liquid for a can of beer or adding a roasted poblano pepper. Could add some cooked rice or barley for a heartier soup.
Ingredients:
  2 T.   Olive Oil
  1 rib   celery, chopped
  1 sm.   carrot, chopped
  1 clove   garlic, crushed (or 1/2 tsp. powder for each clove)
  1 1/2 tsp.   cumin
  1 tsp.   oregano
  1 tsp.   chili powder
  3 c.   vegetable or chicken broth
  2 cans   black beans
    salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
  Heat olive oil in large pot over med heat. Add celery, carrot, onion and pepper. Cook vegetables until they soften and brown slightly, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the stock and black beans and increase heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce to low. Cover the pan and let simmer until flavors meld, 10-15 minutes (optional...we were hungry and it did just fine without a long simmer time).

At this point the recipe calls for an immersion blender but I don't have one so I took out about 1/3 of the beans and pureed them in the regular blender and returned them to the pot. Could puree the whole thing depending on your desired consistency.

Garnish with goat cheese or sour cream and chives (optional).

Reheat soup if necessary and serve hot with garnish.