Our soup for October 2021 is Chipotle Black Bean Chili served with Pomegranate Wild Rice Salad. Nothing’s better when the weather cools down than a piping hot bowl of chili. It’s been our Halloween standard for years. This chili recipe is so easy. You throw all the ingredients in a slow cooker and put it on low for six hours. Here is the link, https://naturallyella.com/chipotle-black-bean-chili/

The chili is meatless. It’s made with bulger, black beans, tomatoes, adobo sauce, vegetable broth and spices. You can garnish it with avocado, cilantro, green onion, and fresh diced tomatoes. The meat eaters in my family didn’t miss the beef at all. I used canned adobo sauce for convenience, but I’m including the link for a recipe to make your own, https://keviniscooking.com/how-to-make-adobo-sauce/

The Pomegranate Wild Rice Salad I selected to go with the chili is light, colorful, and delicious. I used a ready packet of brown and wild rice, so it was ready in 90 seconds. While it cooled, I roasted chunks of sweet potato in the air fryer with a little Harissa spice blend, salt, pepper, and olive oil. I cut up the other vegetables and seeded the pomegranate. Then I made the citrus dressing. Here is the link for the recipe I used, https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/pomegranate-wild-rice-salad/

This chili would also be delicious with jalapeno cornbread.

I like this recipe because it’s quick and easy as well as delicious. The only change I made to the citrus dressing was to use champagne vinegar instead of red wine vinegar because it has a lighter flavor.

Our November soup will be Butternut Squash with a Turkey Sandwich – perfect for those Thanksgiving leftovers!

The Twelve Months of Soup

January – Chicken Noodle Soup and Mandarin Orange Salad

February – Seafood Bisque and Strawberry Spinach Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette Dressing

March – Potato and Leek Soup and Beet Salad

April – Vegetarian Vegetable Soup with a Vegetable Panini

May – Black Bean Soup and Mexican Kale Salad

June – Italian Wedding Soup with a Chicken Wrap

July – Minestrone Soup with a Hoagie

August – Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Quinoa Salad

September – Tomato Basil Soup with a grilled Cheese Sandwich

October – Slow Cooker Black Bean Chili and Pomegranate and Wild Rice Salad

November – Butternut Squash Soup with a turkey sandwich

December – Split Pea Soup with a Ham Sandwich