Spicy Black-and-Red Bean Soup.

Adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 10 cups.

~1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/4 cups sliced carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons sugar
1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn
1 (15-ounce) can red beans or kidney beans, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can Muir Glen fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles (buy in Mexican section at store)
Cayenne to taste

note: Soup gets salty. Use low-salt ingredients if you want.

Place a large pot coated with olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in broth and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours.

Oatmeal Bread

Adapted from Beard on Bread.
Makes 3 loaves

4 cups boiling water
3 cups rolled oats
7 1/2 to 8 cups all-purpose
2 packages active dry yeast
2 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup molasses


Pour the boiling water over the oatmeal in a large bowl and leave to cool. Then, stir in 2 cups of flour and the yeast. Let rise, uncovered until doubled in bulk. Punch down and work in the salt, canola oil, molasses , and enough of the remaining flour to make dough stiff. Turn out on a floured board and knead, adding extra flour if necessary, to make a smooth, pliable, firm dough--about 10 minutes. Divide the dough into three equal pieces, and form into loaves to fit three buttered 9x5x3 loaf tins. Let rise again, uncovered, until doubled in size. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven 40-60 minutes.

Thanksgiving Rolls

From George Rebecca Russell.
Makes 24-30 rolls.

1 teaspoon dried yeast
2 cups luke warm water or milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 butter
5 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in the water. Mix in sugar, salt, and melted butter. Add eggs and gradually stir in flour.

Put in fridge over night.

Add enough flour to make a knead-able dough (~1 cup). Knead for a couple minutes. Make little dough balls, dip in melted butter, and place three in every muffin tin hole. Cover with wax paper and let rise until almost doubled in size. Bake in 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes.

Minestrone

Adapted Food & Wine Magazine
Serves 4

1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 zucchini, cut in quarters lengthwise and then crosswise into thin slices
3/4 pound green cabbage (about 1/4 head), shredded (about 3 cups)
1/2 teaspoon tumeric (optional)
1 1/2 quarts canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock/ or veggie stock
1 2/3 cups drained and rinsed canned pinto beans (one 15-ounce can)
1/2 cup arborio rice
3/4 pound boiling potatoes (about 2), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

In a large pot, heat the 1/4 cup oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, cabbage, and tumeric. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes longer.
Add the broth, beans, rice, potatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the rice and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
Stir the pepper into the soup. Sprinkle each bowlful with Parmesan and drizzle each with 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil.

Apple-Chocolate Chip Bread (gluten-free)

Adapted from back of Ancient Harvest quinoa flour package.
Makes 1 loaf.

2 1/2 cups quinoa flour
1 1/3 cups applesauce
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 baking apple, grated
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in applesauce, grated apple, and chocolate chips. In separate bowl stir together remaining dry ingredients. Add to wet mix, stir by hand until well combined. Turn into an oiled 5x7 loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.