Tomato Fennel Soup

Autumn has definitely fallen upon those of us in Montana, judging by the snow it may actually be winter.  With colder weather one starts craving hot soups and delicious comfort food.  I got my first taste of tomato fennel soup while shopping in Missoula.  Not normally a fan of tomato soup I decided to try it as I had limited options.  I was pleasantly surprised that the fennel actually made me like tomato soup.  After internet searches and recipe modifications I came up with my own version, now I'm going to share it with you.  I recommend pouring a glass of delicious wine, turning on loud music and singing along as loud as you can.  Wine and music make everything better-even tomato soup.

You will need:

olive oil
1/2 a small onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
one large carrot, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 fennel bulb, diced
1 can diced tomatoes-do not drain
1 cup chicken broth
2 T. fresh basil
dash of oregano
dash of parsley
salt
pepper

In saucepan heat oil and cook your veggies until they are tender.  Add diced tomatoes and chicken broth and let simmer about 5 minutes.    Remove from heat and add chopped basil, sprinkle with basil, oregano and parsley.  Puree the soup with an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender to puree.  Salt and pepper to taste.  I garnished mine with some of the fennel leaf but that's not necessary.

Enjoy!

 In honor of Halloween's approach I am offering you this ridiculous picture of me with my even more ridiculous looking friend, Ruthie in the background.

Black Bean Dip

I have to apologize for the delay on recipe posting, our little blog's future has been somewhat unknown due to personal changes.  I'm hoping that I will continue to have the time to write despite an upcoming move to Missoula (depending on job prospects) and eventual return to school to work on my master's in social work.  I hope that my co-writer will also be able to find time to submit as well, dependent on her own busy schedule.

You may have noticed I've been really bad at taking pics for my posts, mostly I'm a bad photographer but also I usually just forget.  When we started this blog I just took pictures of anything and everything I made, just in case it was "blog-worthy," now I'm lazy.  My apologies, I will try to get better at the picture taking.  This recipe I made for a pot luck and it was quite a big hit.  You can use it just as a dip for tortilla chips or use it as a topping on baked chicken or whatever comes to mind. 

You Will Need:

2 ripe avocados, peeled and diced
juice of 1 lime
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 red bell pepper, diced
2-3 tomatoes, diced
about 1/8 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 tsp.red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
tortilla chips for dipping

In a small bowl combine avocados and lime juice, let sit until all other ingredients are mixed.  In a large bowl combine beans, corn, pepper, tomatoes, cilantro and garlic.  In a small bowl combine oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk together.  Drizzle over the bean and corn mixture, mix to coat.  Fold in the avocado mixture.  Chill until cool, I chill overnight, the flavor seems to be better that way.  When I make this it becomes my snack for days, I get to snack and feel like I'm eating mostly healthy.  Next time I make this I'm going to use some of it on baked chicken, maybe with a little cheese on top.  Nummy!

Megan S.