Black Bean Kale Soup

This recipe is delicious, quick, and healthy - even gluten free (if you leave out the tortilla chips, cheese, and ham).  It only takes 30 minutes!
*This can be adjusted to be a vegetarian dish by omitting the ham.

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Medium onion - diced
4 Cloves of garlic - minced
1/2 lb of ham - cubed (we just used 4 or 5 slices of deli ham sliced up)
3 - 14 ounce cans of black beans, drained
1 Large bunch of Kale, rinsed, stemmed, and ripped into bite size chunks
3 *quarts of liquid (*4 Cups are in a Quart) - you can use water for all of it or do some of it with broth.  I used 4 bouillon cubes with 3 quarts of water.
3 Tablespoons of Cajun Seasoning or you can use 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning mix plus 1/2 Tablespoon of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 pound pasta - we used angel hair that we had left over from a previous meal.
Once our soup was prepared, we topped it with broken up tortilla chips and some shredded cheddar cheese.  It was amazing!

1. Bring cooking oil up to medium heat in a large soup pot.  Saute the onion and garlic until tender.  When the onion and garlic start to get tender, add the ham (if you're using it).  Let it cook for just a few minutes.
2. Add the kale that has been rinsed, peeled from the hard stems, and ripped into chunks.  Stir with tongs, it will cook down pretty quickly.  Once the kale has cooked down a bit, add the beans, seasonings, and broth/water.
3. Turn heat up to high, and bring the soup to a low boil.  If possible, let simmer for about 10 minutes.  If you don't have time, it's ok.
4.  Add the pasta to the boiling water, and cook for the amount of time on the packaging.  Serve in bowls with broken up tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese for best results... or don't.  :)

*This recipe is from www.ourgaggleofgirls.com

Sesame-Orange Shrimp

I got this recipe from Eatingwell.com.


3 Tablespoons sesame seeds (white, black or a mix)
2 Large egg whites
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 Pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp
2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
3/4 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Dry Sherry - I just used cooking sherry
2 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 Teaspoon sugar
1 scallion, thinly sliced


1.  Whisk sesame seeds, egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Add shrimp and toss to coat.
2.  Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add half the shrimp and cook until golden, 1 - 2 minutes per side.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Repeat with the remaining 1 Tablespoon oil and the rest of the shrimp.
3.  Add orange juice, sherry, soy sauce, and sugar to the pan.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced by half, 4 - 6 minutes.  Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce.  Serve immediately, with scallion sprinkled on top.

We added Bok Choy and quartered mushrooms and served it over angel hair pasta.  There are several ways you can serve this dish.  We loved it.

Club Deli's Dill Spread

My favorite deli in Cedar Rapids gave me their recipe for dill spread!!!
I am sure you can modify to make a bit less caloric!

1 Cup Mayo
1 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Tsp Onion Salt
1 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes
2 Tsp fresh chopped dill


Stir it up... little darlin.... stir it up!