Black Bean Soup

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/black-bean-soup-recipe.html

Black Bean Soup

This had too much bacon. I would put in 3 or 4 strips at most next time if I make it again. I'm not really loving this as much as everyone else did in the reviews. I wanted a soup too, and it turned into more of a super thick chili.

Mexican Bean Salad

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-bean-salad/

I loved this salad. I used half the salt and sugar called for and put in garbanzo beans instead of black since that's what I had. Next time I will also halve the oil and vinegar since there was too much.

This is best eaten in the first couple days since the cilantro will turn brown and there is a lot of starch released  into the oil which makes it thick and weird.

Southwest Taco Soup

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2011/06/emilys-southwest-taco-soup.html
Southwest Taco Soup

David and I both liked this. I did not drain the corn. The soup was sweet from the corn and the sriracha sauce I used in lieu of valentina sauce. I used like 3 or 4 tablespoons of sriracha, just squirting it over the chicken.

Next time only put in one can of corn, and drain it first. The soup is just too sweet I think.

Mexican baked eggs and beans

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/10/recipe-for-mexican-baked-eggs-with.html

David really liked this. It is also very fast and easy. I used an oven safe skillet. I put a ton of parsley in it (like a cup) because that's what I had. I think cilantro would be better, which is what the recipe calls for. David still liked it a lot with parsley, even with the bitterness associated with it. I also baked the dish for like 5-7 minutes which was way too long. The eggs were cooked solid (which I don't like). I'd try again for only 2 minutes next time.

Update: I made this again according to the recipe using chili powder and fire roasted bell peppers. It was so good, I liked it much more than last time. It wasn't too hot at all. I put cilantro on top and served with a little sour cream. One thing to note, I put  5 eggs on top this time, 4 on edge and 1 in center. They did not cook evenly. So make sure all eggs are the same distance from the edge. The 5 minutes bake and 2 minutes broil time was perfect for the egg in the middle, but the eggs on the edge were a little too solid. Next time put eggs on the edge and bake for 4 minutes only, plus 2 minutes broil and see what happens.

Update: I don't know what I was talking about with the fire roasted bell pepper in the last paragraph. I made it today just as the recipe instructed. I used a 10-inch oven proof skillet with 4 eggs. After simmering I dug out 4 holes around the skillet and put the eggs in it. It needed more baking time then I suggest in the last paragraph. the 4-2 thing was too short. I probably did more like 5 minutes bake and 4 minutes broil this time. But I am using a different oven now. Anyway, the eggs were cooked solid, which I guess is just how this recipe is going to be. It is still really good. We ate it this time with corn tortillas, salsa, and sour cream.

Calories: 275 per servings. 4 servings total. (calculated using 4 eggs)

Mexican Quinoa Salad

http://mygreendiet.com/green-diet-plan-recipes/mexican-quinoa-salad/

This is great. Add some peeled cucumber too, cut in quarters and sliced.

Black Bean Chili

Black bean chili
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/fantastic-black-bean-chili/detail.aspx

This was good chili. We ate it with chips, cheese, and sour cream.

Corn and Black Bean Salad

Corn and Black Bean Salad

I adore this salad. It is best when you have really sweet corn. This might work with a super awesome brand of frozen corn, but fresh is best.

2 cobs of sweet fresh corn

1 can of black beans, rinsed

1-2 tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

handful cilantro, chopped

Cut the corn from the cob. I had never eaten corn raw like this until Reija made this salad at a dinner last summer. It rocks. You could add other raw things too, like red bell pepper or fresh green beans.

Mix corn with other ingredients.

Eat.

I love this recipe since it is so fresh and good. I have discovered that DH would like this much more sans cilantro. Next time I'll put it in a bowl to pass around as a garnish.

Tortilla Pie

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tortilla-Pie-231795

This was very quick and good. I did not heat/fry the tortillas. It fit perfectly into an 8x8 inch baking dish since I used 8 inch diameter medium size tortillas.

notes:
If using GF Udi brand white tortillas, they should be fried and crisped up first. They get too soggy otherwise. (But still good..but could be better!)

Libby's Black Bean Soup

So, I made black bean soup using this recipe from my friend libby:

http://grandmasrolls.blogspot.com/2010/03/super-quick-black-bean-soup.html

It was ok. I used from scratch black beans, and used 1.25 cups dry to equal 2 cans. I soaked them overnight and then pressure cooked for 20 minutes. Then I let the pressure slow release (takes 20 min). I think the cooking time could be decreased by 5 minutes, but it didn't matter since I was pureeing the beans anyway. The soup was good so long as you have avocado, cheese, and chips to eat with it, but it doesn't stand as well on its own (sour cream would have been good too, but we were out). Plus, David doesn't like soups that don't have chunks. (nice visual there...)

I think some spices, meat, and veges would make this better.