The buns and the beans

Those who I told I will have a recipe today, bare with me. I'll get to that in a minute. 

If you read my post yesterday, you read that I was going to start training to participate in a half marathon in 12 months. Today was day one. I had scheduled to get out at 6:00pm when the hubby came home and see just where my fitness level REALLY was. I can't honestly say I've pushed myself for quite a long time.
So I went into that pile of workout clothes in the back of my closet (the last time they saw the light of day was before I got pregnant with the last one.)
Now don't get me wrong, I go out walking for miles everyday, but I'm talking the serious sh!* ... My old running gear. You know what I mean. The "I paid too much for this" moisture wicking shirt and my tried and true sweat pants that I loved to run in. The ones that say I mean business. LOL

This is where it gets hilarious. Ok, I said I would be totally honest when I started this thing, so here goes. My brain did NOT put the little facts together, that I've come a LOOOOOONG way from my running days. I put on my old faithful sweat pants and I SWEAR I could here my ass screaming for help. I mean they were really really tight. Even though I'm MORTIFIED to show this picture, I'm OWNING it. It's a new day people. I'm going to kick this ass in gear. 

No comments about my panty lines!

I laced up, I went out and I pushed. I did 2 miles today. I had to walk a few times, but I jogged most of it. It was a stark reminder of how far back I've slid. The weird thing is, instead of being discouraged by it, it motivated me.  Something is different this time. 

Moving on! As promised to a few of my friends, I will share a recipe a day for some of my vegetarian dishes. Today is Black bean soup from dried beans.

Dried beans should be a staple in everyones pantry. They are super cheap, super filling, and super good for you. One bag of black beans cost me $1.25 at Walmart, and that fed my family of 5 with leftovers. Yeah, beat that! 
The first time I tried to make black bean soup from dried beans years ago, I ended up with a pot of stones that never softened. Apparently beans are a finicky thing. (Black beans especially I think) So here is how you make my black bean soup. I'm sorry I can't be more specific with portions, but I just don't cook like that!

*First you start by spreading the beans out and making sure there aren't any foreign objects in there like stones or twigs. (beans are a natural product so it happens from time to time) 
*Next, put them in a bowl and cover with a generous amount of water, at least 2 to 1 ratio water to beans. They will soak up the water and expand quite a bit. (see picture of beans after 1 hour) You can let this soak overnight if you want to but I always forget to do it the night before so I just let it soak for about an hour. 
*Drain and rinse the beans and put them in a pot with water (same ratio) and bring to a boil. The trick to making beans soft is alkalinity. Acid will prevent the beans from softening. 
Remember when I said i had a pot of stones the first time? Yeah that's because I added diced tomatoes to my crock pot at the beginning. There is no amount of boiling that can fix that. The easiest and fastest way to get beans soft is BAKING SODA! Add on teaspoon to the boiling water and reduce cooking time by HALF if not more. The only problem with this method, is that you have to rinse the beans afterwards or they will taste mildly of soap. YUCK. Boil until tender (about one hour) and rinse. 
*In a stock pot or crock pot add the softened beans and your seasonings. I use water with some ham bullion (just enough to cover the beans) since I'm omitting the actual pork. But you can use vegetable stock, chicken stock, water, whatever you prefer. To that I add 4-5 cloves of finely minced garlic, a 1/2 of a medium onion, finely minced, about 1 cup of finely minced green, red, and yellow bell peppers, black , cayenne pepper, 2 bay leaves, then salt and pepper to taste. I let that simmer until all of the peppers and onions are soft, and finally add a can of diced tomatoes at the end.
Let that simmer for another 1/2 hour and DONE!

Serve with whatever toppings you like. This one had non fat sour cream and jalapenos, I also sprinkle low fat cheddar sometimes, or eat it plain. Whatever floats your boat. This is a great dish to personalize. Add your own herbs and spices, make it spicy or mild, and get creative with your toppings. Serve with a nice tossed salad and you have a very yummy vegetarian meal. Hope you try it!

Sonya