Recipe for Spicy Vegan Black Bean Soup with Cilantro and Green Tabasco

This vegan black bean soup is flavorful and just spicy enough to be interesting.

I love black beans, and I love black bean soups, but this Spicy Vegan Black Bean Soup may be the best soup with black beans I've ever made.  Interestingly, it started out as a soup with ham, but when my nephew Jake and I tried it that way we both agreed that the spiciness and other flavors would come through better without the ham.  The next time we cooked we made the soup again, using vegetable broth to keep it vegan, and both of us preferred the vegan version.  I do think cilantro is a pretty important part of the flavor profile here, so if you're a cilantro hater this soup may not be for you, but if you like black beans, jalapenos, cumin, and cilantro, give this soup a try!

Saturday Snapshots: Superbowl Party Food from Superbowl 2012

My sister Pam brought Ham and Dill Pickle Appetizer Bites for the Superbowl party!

Every year the Denny family has a big Superbowl party at my brother Mark's house, and for the last few years I've had fun taking photos of the food people bring to celebrate the big game.  This year I have a new Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash that should have made the photos better than ever, except this was only my second time using the flash, and obviously I don't quite have it down yet.  But no worries because Friday Night Photos and Saturday Snapshots are about me having fun with my camera, taking pictures that are a bit out of my comfort zone.  I'm not a big football fan but I always have fun at the annual Superbowl party; hope you enjoy seeing what was on the menu this year.

Recipe for Peperoncini Chopped Salad with Romaine, Red Bell Pepper, and Feta

This delicious chopped salad has red bell peppers, sliced peperoncini, and feta.

(For Phase One Fridays I highlight Phase One recipes from the past that have been my personal favorites.   This chopped salad with romaine lettuce, red bell pepper strips, sliced peperoncini, Feta cheese, and a dressing flavored with peperoncini brine is something I've made many times for Denny family parties since it first appeared on the blog in early 2010.)

Normally I have a routine where I try recipes, edit the photos, and add them to the list to be featured for the blog, but this salad with sliced Peperoncini, romaine, thinly sliced red bell pepper, and feta just cut right to the front of the line. The salad was a big hit when I made it for brunch at my sister Sandee's house, and I've made it twice since then for myself. What makes the flavors really rock in the salad (besides the slices of Peperoncini) is the addition of one tablespoon of Peperoncini brine to the dressing. If you like Peperoncini when you get them added to a restaurant salad, you'll definitely like this salad.