Titi Tere's Party Soup!

1 can white beans
1 can tomato soup
1 can beef consume
1 can sausage
1 large potato peeled and cut thin
2 carrots sliced thin

Put all the ingredients in a pot and cook on medium (or low for a longer time) heat until carrots and potatoes are soft. Enjoy!

3 Bean Salad

1 can white beans
1 can green beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 green pepper
1 small onion
1/2 or 3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

Taco Soup

Brown 1 lb. hamburger with 1 chopped onion. Stir in 1 pkg Lawry's Taco seasoning.

Then add in a pot:
1 can kidney beans (with the juice)
1 can kernel corn (with the juice)
1 can tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can black beans
2 cups cooked pinto beans

Serve hot with shredded cheese, sour cream, and Fritos.

Black Bean Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 red pepper
1green pepper
5-8 green onions
A handful of cilantro
1/3 bottle of Hendrickson's sweet vinegar and oil dressing (found at Macey's)

In a bowl, combine black beans and corn. Dice and add the red and green peppers. Chop and add onions and cilantro. Pour dressing over the mixture. You can use more or less of the dressing as desired. Serve with Tortilla chips.

Chana Masala

Chana Masala
Adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe, which was adapted over here because much to my frustration, I own two Madhur Jaffrey books and this is in neither

This is an intensely spiced bright orange chana masala with a sourish bite that reminded of us the best restaurant versions we’ve tasted. I’m thrilled to finally have a good recipe for it at home.

The major changes I made were simplifying the addition of spices, adding more tomatoes and oh, the recipe calls for a tablespoon of amchoor powder, which I did not have. I looked it up and learned that it was dried unripe mango powder (which sounds so delicious to me, I’m buying it next time I go to Kalustyan’s, who also sells it online), which is clearly a sour flavor, so I upped the lemon juice i used instead. The dish had a nice sour snap at the end, so I will presume this is a good swap.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used a quarter of this because my cayenne is extremely hot)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon amchoor powder (see note)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
2/3 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon (juiced) (see note; I used a whole lemon to swap for the amchoor powder)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

Eat up or put a lid on it and reheat it when needed. Curries such as this reheat very well, later or or in the days that follow, should it last that long.