Ham & Bean Soup

If you’re a regular reader, you know that I constantly steal recipes from my Sister in Law (SiL) and rework them depending on what I have in my cabinets. Yesterday, I did this and completely transformed a Vegan Bean Soup recipe that Beth found on Pinterest.

I will share my version of the recipe. The link above is to the original recipe if you’re more diligent about following recipes than me.

Easy Ham & Bean Soup

• Generous dash of olive oil
• 2 sweet onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• ~4 cloves of garlic minced

Saute veggies in a medium sized soup pot until they are a bit soft–for about 10-15 minutes then add: 

• 3 cans of (whatever you can find) black beans, pintos or mixed beans—Or if you’re cabinets are like mine, one of each. Drain and rinse.
• 2 cups of your choice broth (I had beef broth on hand)
• Roughly 1 1/2 or 2 cups of chopped pre-cooked ham
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 4 tsp powdered curry
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Slap a lid on that puppy and set it to low-medium or just above a simmer for about 30 minutes. I forgot to add but I do recommended 1-2 TBSP of lime juice.

This would make a fine meal by itself, but if you really want a happy belly: 

Throw some tortillas in a skillet and put some cheese in the middle. A cheese quesadilla pairs beautifully with this hearty soupy meal.

Day 137: Okra

Our okra started producing a few weeks back and once it started it is going great guns. Kit likes fried okra but was not impressed with pickled okra. I tried pickled okra for the first time last year. I first tried pickled okra while working at a State Park in Texas. A couple of Park Hosts even gave me a jar as a goodbye gift. They were awesome Park Parents. I have about five half rows of okra growing. Which equates to about 500 feet of okra plants and each plant produces several pods. Several pods each week :-) Kit put up several more quarts of okra while I was work the other day. He has also put up his first harvested Lima beans and boy is he excited. Have you ever tried pickled or fried okra before? One of the transplant Kentuckians I work with confessed he had never.eaten okra.