Since I have concluded my baking marathon, I’ve decided to return my focus to regularly cooking filling, flavorful, wholesome meals.

I found this Black Bean Chili recipe on allrecipes.com a few years ago. My husband was initially skeptical about trying a chili recipe with no meat. His fears were allayed when he found that this chili is hearty and tasty. The combination of beans and other vegetable result in a rich, flavorful chili. Pureeing some of the chili lends thickness to the finished product.

The only modification I have made to the chili recipe is to substitute 28 oz. of canned diced tomatoes for the fresh diced tomatoes. I’m not a fan of the consistency of fresh tomatoes, so I usually substitute some sort of canned tomato product or sauce.

Using some canned or frozen products and employing a food processor to chop the vegetables greatly reduces prep time. It was only recently that my husband and I realized how much time we could save by using our food processor (took awhile, I know). What started off as my husband prepping the ingredients for me, turned into a full-on cooking session. He was pleased at how easily the chili came together. It’s worth noting that this black bean chili does not need to simmer for a long time, making it suitable for weeknight meals.

As with most chilis and soups, this chili tastes even better the next day. It also freezes well.

Colorful, tasty sauteed vegetables

Black Bean Chili Recipe

Yields 6 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
10 fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup corn kernels
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tsp salt.

1) Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, red bell peppers, jalapeno, mushrooms and corn for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
2) Season with black pepper, cumin and chili powder.
3) Stir in diced tomatoes, black beans, chicken broth and salt.
4) Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5) Place 1 1/2 cups of chili in food processor and process until smooth. Stir the pureed bean mixture back into the stock pot.

Last winter, I fell in love with a tomato cheddar soup at Au Bon Pain. The soup was quite simple, but it was tasty. I figured that it would be easily enough to replicate, so I set out in search of a recipe. I ultimately settled on one from the website for Whole Foods Market, and altered it to fit my tastes. It’s worth noting that the tomato cheddar soup recipe currently displayed on their site is different than the one that I altered last winter.

Using some canned ingredients makes this a quick weeknight meal that can be easily made in 30 minutes or less. Since I dislike the texture of tomatoes, I often use a can of pureed tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes. The resulting soup has the same flavor, but a smoother consistency. The original recipe did not contain any seasoning other than salt and pepper, so I added a healthy amount of dried basil and oregano. The soup still tastes good without the spices, but it’s rather bland. In an effort to make this soup even healthier, I use reduced fat/reduced sodium chicken broth and reduced fat shredded cheddar.

The resulting tomato cheddar soup is thick and warm and flavorful – the perfect accompaniment to a slice of crusty bread. If you’re looking for comfort food, serve it with a grilled cheese sandwich!

Tomato Cheddar Soup

Yields 4 servings

olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can diced or pureed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup skim milk

1) Heat olive oil in a medium pot. Saute onion and garlic until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
2) Add tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper, sugar, basil and oregano. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
3) Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese and milk.

My husband and I live one mile from Panera Bread. Having quick, delicious take-out easily accessible is both a good and a bad thing. On cool fall and winter evenings, a tasty sandwich and piping hot bowl of soup really hits the spot. Since broccoli cheese soup is a favorite of ours, I figured we could save some money by occasionally making it at home.

This simple Cooking Light brocolli cheese soup recipe takes about 30 minutes to prepare, making it an ideal mid-week dinner. Served on its own or with crusty bread, it?s warm comfort-food at its best.

The original recipe calls for 2 ? cups of milk and 3 cups of chicken broth. I altered the recipe to use less milk and more broth. I also use skim milk, as opposed to 2%, because that is the kind that we keep in the house. The original recipe also recommends pureeing part of the soup to make it thicker, but I have never done this.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Yields 6 1 1/3 cup servings

cooking spray or olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)

1) Heat a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender.
2) Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes.
3) Combine milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended.
4) Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly.
5) Stir in pepper.
6) Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.