White Bean Soup - More Than a Pot of Beans

This is a "quicky." It's just the general idea, and I'll add pictures and more details later.  But Baby, it's cold outside and folks in the northeast are about to get a huge snow!  Even reading about it makes me that much colder!
So this is a soup day!

This is not just a pot of beans.  It's a hearty, rich soup that will warm you just thinking about it.  It has become my favorite soup ever!


If you're going to make it, you might as well use 2 pounds of white beans instead of 1.

• Start preparing the beans.  You don't really have to soak the beans.  Instead of doing the "quick soak" the back of the bag talks about, just keep cooking.  It'll be faster, and you'll want to eat this tonight!
• Chop and sauté a whole onion.  Deglaze, (That means put some water or other liquid in the pan and get all the good brown-ness out of the skillet and in your soup.)
• *You can add any other vegetable that sounds good.  Some that I think would be good would be                      celery, carrot, a handful of mushrooms or mushroom stems, and sweet pepper (red or yellow or orange--as long as they aren't green they will be ripe and sweet)

Seasonings for the beans: 

Salt (don't add until the beans have cooked for  a little while or the beans won't soften well)
Garlic - powdered and if you have fresh use both
Rosemary- chopped
Black pepper

Also good additions if you have them and if it sounds good to you:

Turmeric powder
Worcesteshire sauce - just some for extra umami
Nutritional yeast -  Really, really helpful and flavorful to add now if you happen to have it is something called Nutritional Yeast.  It makes it richer and a bit buttery or cheesy.  It's not expensive and I love it!  Add it by the handful.  This is especially helpful if you are making this vegetarian.

Cook all of this together and when the beans are all soft, puree with an immersion blender.

Now add some sort of broth - Chicken broth or vegetable broth

Really, really helpful and flavorful to add now if you happen to have it is something called Nutritional Yeast.  It makes it richer and a bit buttery or cheesy.  It's not expensive and I love it!  Add it by the handful.

Taste, taste, taste!  That is the main thing about cooking!  Add salt.  Add black pepper.  Does it need more zing?  Then pour in some lemon juice.  If it doesn't taste great in the pot, it won't taste great in the bowl.

I like to drizzle a mustard green or kale pistou on top.  (more about that later)

Eat this with crunchy cornbread or crusty bread.

Stay warm, y'all!   ~Missy

Mustard Greens and 4-Cheese Dip

This is a warm dip that is gooey with cream cheese!  

Frozen Chopped Mustard Greens - 12 oz

Cream Cheese or Neufchatel Cheese - 8oz  

Cheddar Cheese - grated  about 1/4 cup

Greek Yogurt - 5 heaping TBL

Mayonnaise - 3 heaping TBL

Parmesan Cheese

Minced Onion dried

Garlic powder

Salt

Chili Powder

Lemon Juice

Thaw mustard greens in the bag.  Squeeze out all water and set aside.

In a baking dish place cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and tablespoon or so of lemon juice and melt on stovetop or in microwave.  

Remove from heat and add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese and spices.  Stir well.  Crumble in well-squeezed mustard greens.  Sprinkle a little salt over the greens and stir it all together.  

On top, sprinkle Parmesano Reggiano or any other grated cheese.  Heat at 350 degrees in the oven for about 10 minutes or so.  Then switch to broil just  long enough to brown the top a little. 

Serve with crackers or tortilla chips. 

Notes:  You can use any kind of greens for this dip.  I just like the little zing of the mustard greens.   

You can use any kind of cheeses in addition to cream cheese that sound good to you.