Thursday, May 19, 2011

Spicy Tomato Soup with Black Beans

In one week I will be moving out of my college house. This should be a good thing, this house is horrible. Let me list the reasons.
The dining room is unpainted and has awful splotches of spackle adorning the walls.
My kitchen cabinet is slowly falling off the wall and one day while I'm reaching for my rice cakes it's going to fall off and knock me out and then I'll have to tell everyone that I got concussion from a cabinet.
The radiators sounds like a train coming into the station and smell like old people.
My landlord and his friends "do construction" to "improve" the basement practically every weekend. I never knew home improvement smelled so much like marijuana...
There are so many reasons why I should be thankful that I'm getting the heck out. But I am not. This house is crappy, and dangerous, and impossible to keep clean, but I am dreading the day when I have to drive away.
Our leather couches with a sometimes questionable stickiness to them are the perfect size for me and my two roommates to curl up with our dinners and watch How I Met Your Mother and Cupcake Wars.  My dining room table and odd assortment of chairs is the best place for us to study watch youtube videos and talk and laugh without the silence and stigma of the library.
My kitchen is tiny but somehow we always end up there, chatting until we have to go to bed, and tiny suddenly seems like perfectly cozy.
Our paper thin walls just make it easier for us to yell to each other when we don't want to get out of bed. Privacy is overrated.
I am not ready to go. Next week will come, and I will have to face the music. In the spirit of moving, and cleaning out my pantry, I decided to whip up a steaming hot bowl of regret soup, using as many ingredients as I had on hand.

Spicy Tomato Soup with Black Beans
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small can green chilies
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used unsalted tomatoes and low sodium broth so I needed this, but you may not depending on ingredients used.)
1 cup black beans

Heat tomatoes and broth over low heat. Stir in chilies and spices. Once hot, pour into two bowls and add 1/2 cup of beans to each bowl.

8 comments:

  1. Aw! I love how your dilapidated has given you fond memories! I had the same feeling about my college dorm. The soup looks delicious!

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  2. You are making me miss my crappy college apartment, too! We made a list three pages long of things that we wouldn't miss about our apartment when we finally moved out (including a bathroom sink that mysteriously swallowed and entire toothbrush and a dishwasher that somehow made our dishes dirtier) but there are still times when I fondly remember life at that place. Good luck with your move!

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  3. This just makes me smile :-) and that soup looks amazing.

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  4. It all sounds perfectly delightful. And the soup looks good too.

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  5. I love the idea of steaming bowl of soup. This would be perfect for our cooler months here in Sydney!

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  6. im going to miss smelling your foods

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  7. Hello Audrey! I'm first time here and thank you for leaving a lovely comment on my site. :-) Congrats on your move and your recipe sounds wonderful!

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  8. After not living in a dorm for two years, it's amazing the things you realize you learn to live with in college. I'm sure you'll be happy once you leave, yet the process really is daunting! This soup looks delicious! A great use of old ingredients plus super good for you and nourishing!

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