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Simple Beans and Zucchini Soup

Background on the Simple Beans and Zucchini Soup

I had a busy weekend.  However, it was a good kind of busy.  I got a chance to enjoy my mom and niece who were visiting.  I did plenty of cooking.  However, I also had a lot of down time.  Yesterday, I ended up watching a Hallmark movie that had a really good story line.

The main character’s sister, Alice, had died suddenly from heart issues.  Alice’s death prompted Lois to go back to her hometown first for the funeral, and then secondly, to take care of the affairs of her estate.  Instead of taking care of these things, and then going right back to her high-powered attorney job, she decided to stay for a while.

This visit was more than what she had bargained for.  All the memories from her sister’s car accident came to the forefront.  She also had to deal with the fact that she had become estranged from her sister over the years.  Alice’s friends knew more about her life than Lois did.

It took her awhile to reconcile the fact that the car accident that Alice was involved in was indeed not her fault, nor Peter’s.  Lois kept thinking that if she hadn’t been out with Peter, her boyfriend, then her sister wouldn’t have ended up disabled.

Towards the end of the movie, Lois discovered that Alice had birthed a child during her college years.  She was finally able to meet her niece and the adoptive parents, and find true forgiveness for herself and Peter.

In life, we are a lot like Lois, we think that “if only” we would have done or not done something, then things wouldn’t have turned out as they did.  It is part of the bargaining stage of grief.  However, Satan also uses it as a foothold to keep us stuck in life.  He wants us to pride ourselves into thinking that we are in control of all of life’s details.  The truth of the matter is that we are not.  God is.  We will not know all the reasons that he decides for things to be the way they are.

I love making bean concoctions.  The last one that I made can be found here.  Below is a recipe that I made a little over a week ago.

 

Activity:  Making Simple Beans and Zucchini Soup

beans, pinto beans, legumes, squash, healthy eating, dinner, soup, kidney beans, blogger, food, food photography, eating, family

 

Total Prepping and Cooking Time:  35 Minutes

Ingredients:

  • cumin – 2 tablespoons
  • chili powder – 3 tablespoons
  • onion powder – 2 tablespoons
  • turmeric – 2 tablespoons
  • 2 zucchinis
  • 1 cup of brown rice
  • 2 cans of kidney beans
  • 1 can of pinto beans
  • 2 tablespoons of butter

Directions:

  • Boil one cup of brown rice.
  • Cut up two zucchinis into chunks.
  • While the brown rice is boiling, saute the zucchini.
  • Heat up the beans in a large pot, along with three cups of water.
  • Add all the rest of the ingredients to the pot.
  • Heat up the mixture for about 15 minutes.
  • Enjoy!

God bless,

 

Katina

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Vegan Black-eyed Pea and Quinoa Mash

Let the Black-Eye Pea Begin

Yesterday, I decided to do one of my favorite things when it comes to cooking and baking:  mix a lot of different things together to see what I come up.  This meal was super economical, and the bonus is that you can have this for lunch and dinner for at least two days.  If I am not using meat when I cook, I try to have more than one source of protein.  In this case, we have the beans, quinoa, and rice helping you out in that area.

beans, quinoa, black-eyed peas, rice

Also, since my daughter is a vegan, I like to start everything off with a vegan base.  You can always add the meat on the side.  As I was sauteing the tomatoes, my eyes were running like crazy.  They also opened up my sinuses.  I am usually not able to handle really hot stuff, so I added nutritional yeast to calm the spicy kick.  This was a great energy booster, and I paired it up with a slice of bread.  When I was a kid, it seems like every meal my grandmother made was complete with a slice of bread.  Some things you never let go!

beans, quinoa, black-eyed peas, rice

Activity:  Making Vegan Black-Eye Pea and Quinoa Mash for Lunch and Dinner

Total Prepping and Cooking Time:  40 minutes

Ingredients: 

  • (4) cans of black-eyed peas
  • (1/2) cup of quinoa
  • (1) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • (1) teaspoon of garlic powder
  • (1) teaspoon of onion powder
  • (1) teaspoon of oregano
  • (1/4) cup of grapeseed, butter, or whatever oil you have
  • (1) teaspoon of cumin
  • (1) teaspoon of turmeric
  • (1) tablespoon of nutritional yeast
  • (1) cup of rice
  • (1) can of spinach

Directions: 

  1.  Boil a cup of rice for about fifteen minutes.
  2. Boil a 1/2 cup of quinoa for about fifteen minutes.
  3. While the rice is boiling, boil the black-eyed peas for fifteen minutes, and saute the spinach and fire roasted tomatoes.
  4.  Dump the beans, quinoa, rice, and seasonings into the pan.
  5. Add the nutritional yeast to cut down the heat of the tomatoes, plus for the nutritional bonus.
  6. Enjoy and have a blessed weekend!

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

Psalms 91: 1-2, NKJV