Southwest Chicken Black Bean Soup

Recipe found on recipezaar.com

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, strips
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6-8 slices jalapeno peppers (the pickled kind from a jar) - CB Note: I omitted these
2 tablespoons margarine
1 bay leaf
1 pinch tarragon
1 pinch oregano
1 pinch cinnamon
(I also added some cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper)

Directions:
In a medium sized skillet cook chicken until done and no longer pink. Dice and set aside.

Chop bell peppers, onion and jalapeño slices, combine, and add lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

Melt margarine in a large stock pot. Sauté pepper and onion mixture until soft. Add can of crushed tomatoes, stirring, and three cans of black beans, undrained. Add chicken to pot, stirring carefully; then add chicken broth to soup and stir. Next, add all spices. Let simmer until flavors are combined and peppers and onion are soft and tender, about one hour, or until it smells so good you cannot wait.

Butternut Squash with Cumin Couscous

Recipe from Real Simple.




Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/3 cup dark or golden raisins
1 32-ounce container vegetable broth
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups couscous
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup (1 ounce) almonds, chopped

Directions:

Halve and peel the squash. Remove the seeds and cut the squash into 1-inch chunks.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon of the cumin and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the squash, tomatoes, raisins, broth, chickpeas, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until the squash is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water and the remaining cumin and salt to a boil. Stir in the couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Divide the couscous among individual bowls and ladle the squash over the top. Sprinkle with the parsley and almonds.


Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 325(19% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 1g); CARBOHYDRATE 59g; SODIUM 1,178mg; PROTEIN 10g; FIBER 8g; SUGAR 13g