Lone Star Steakhouse Black Bean Soup

2 15 ounce cans black beans
1/4 cup diced red onions
2 teaspoons chopped pickled jalapeno slices
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cider or wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Garnish
4 teaspoons chopped red onion
6-8 jalapeno slices
1 tablespoon sour cream

Pour the canned beans along with the liquid into a medium saucepan. Add the remaining soup ingredients and mix. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, adding water if necessary or until it's as thick as you like.

This makes enough for 2 generous servings, but we made a rice dish to go with it and it fed us for two days. It's also easy to double.

The soup itself isn't too spicy. So if you don't like things too hot, then don't garnish with jalapenos. The sour cream will calm down anything that's too hot for your liking. The recipe suggests adding fresh cilantro while simmering and/or as a garnish. You could also garnish with shredded cheese.

Mom's Orange (Lemon) Thyme Chicken and Rice

Time: 45 min.
Serves: 2-6 (depending on how much rice you make and how big the people are who eat it)

Chicken: 1 to 1.5 lb boneless or 2-3 lb w/ bones
Flour for dredging chicken: 3-4 Tbs for boneless or more for boned
1 medium onion, diced
5 long sprigs of lemon thyme. Pull off all the leaves to get about 1 Tbs of fresh thyme (use 1 to 2 tsp if it's dried). Set aside 1/2 tsp of it (1/4 tsp if dried) for the rice.
1 c. rice for every two hungry adults you want to serve
1 tsp of orange peel zest (optional)
1 cup of milk (optional)

Start the rice cooking. Use a 2 to 1 ratio of water to rice BUT substitute 2-3 Tbs of orange juice concentrate for 2-3 Tbs of the water. Mix in the reserved 1/2 tsp of thyme leaves.

Sautee the diced onion in about 1 Tbs. of butter or oil.

Dredge chicken in flour mixture (consisting of the flour, the majority of the thyme and the optional orange zest). If you want it to stick well, dip the chicken in milk first.

Add the dredged chicken to the sauteed onions and brown the chicken on all sides (but don't cook it all the way through). Add about 4-6 oz. of concentrated orange juice (from a can of frozen juice) and a cup or two of water (depending on how much gravy you want at the end). Simmer chicken until it's tender and cooked through (about 20 min. for boneless, 5 minutes longer for boned). Put a lid on it if you want more gravy when you're done.

You can make this recipe substituting concentrated lemonade and lemon rind if you prefer, and it will come out much more sour and bitter. But you may like it!

Toscana Soup

Prep time: 1 hr

2 3/4 cups chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 medium russet potato
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 lb spicy Italian sausage
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the stock and cream in a saucepan over medium heat.

Slice the unpeeled potato into 1/4 in. slices, then quarter the slices and add them to the soup.

Add the kale.

Grill or sauté the sausage. When cooked and cooled, cut the sausage at an angle into slices about 1/2 in. thick. Add the sausage to the soup.

Add the spices and let the soup simmer for about 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as an entree