FRIJOLES!

when the weather outside is an A*-hole,
and the wind is whipping some sort of dust-speck spit,
made of noncommittal snowflake F*ery at your face,
and the dog won't just take a poop and go back in the warm(ish) house
because the wind makes the trees look like burglars?
that's a reminder that nature wins, but she plays like a real jerk.
ugh.
that's just dumb.
but,
what if there was something hearty and homemade heating up on the hearth?
wouldn't THAT be nice?
yes. i think it would be lovely.
in fact,
i'd be inclined to say it was expert.
so, what are we gonna put in our little heat-up homestyle dinner?
welllllllllll,
i'm gonna go ahead and say black beans!
....yeah,
they're good.
and sweet potato!
....mmhmmm,
that's good, too.
so,
let's put 'em together, and let 'em get to know each other a bit better-
before too long, things'll heat up,
and get all kinds of delicious.
i know this to be true, i believe it, i've seen it,
and more importantly,
i've tasted the reality of the situation in a bowlful of teamwork.
on the ones,
i like when good stuff turns into great stuff because of cooperation.
wooooo!
check the teleport:

BLACK BEAN SOUP,
with sweet potato!!!
guys,
i made, no joke, enough for just that one bowl.
like, for real.
huh?
i knowwwwwwwww.
too much IS the right amount.
however,
in my defense,
i used 100% of the beans and sweet potato i had on hand,
that just happened to create one small pot of sopa de frijoles negro!
soup for one is just about the loneliest thing i've ever made.
no foolin',
there was genuinely one big bowlful's worth.
i couldn't have shared any if i wanted to.
awwww.
(it's ok, i really didn't want to)
y'wanna make some spicy soup of sadness at home?
yeah?
okay.
here's the process:
1/4 onion, diced,
two cloves of crushed garlic;
one stalk of celery, sliced;
one small carrot, chopped;
3 T sweet pepper chopped;
one half of a medium sized sweet potato, cubed.
and a cup of black beans...
sauteed in olive oil, and added in each about a minute apart,
i dropped in some aromatic herbs:
a shake or two of basil;
a spoonful of oregano;
a little dust-up of smoked paprika;
toasted cumin had to get in there;
coriander, cayenne, and a couple baby bay leaves were included too.
i mean,
it's SOPA, and it's gotta be DOPA, or else F*ing right off is the next step.
rules is rules.
to that, i added 2T tamari;
2 cups of broth;
two big spoonfuls of GPOP;
a punch of nootch,
a splash of texas/louisiana-style red hot sauce;
and then i let that pot simmer for a good long while.
a little jalapeno, some fresh cilantro,
and an immersion blender took the texture where it needed to go.
bumpy, but creamy, but smooth, and very luscious.
that's right.
you could put it in a blender i guess.
that'll work, too.
yeah.
ganished with sweet pepper rings,
and cilantro,
and scallion sprankles,
this made for a very rewarding single-serving experience.
word up.
....and those oven-baked oil-brushed flour tortilla triangular thicknesses??!!
YOU WANT THOSE IN THIS SOUP.
neighbors,
crumbled in there, soaking up all the sauce,
dipped down to scoople those peppers,
crunched on in between spoonfuls,
that's what the F* is UP.
flour tortillas, cut into 6ths, brushed with oil,
baked until browned a bit in the oven, (let's say 350F?)
do it.
do it right now.
you won't regret it.
*
sometimes,
you just wanna eat food and take it easy.
i always do the former,
and i never ever do the latter.
i take it personally way before i allow easy to enter into the equation.
i guess repping a hard style all the time makes relaxing a little difficult.
in fact,
these days, i honestly have had no memories of when i've fallen asleep.
yup.
i just pas the eff out eventually,
and wake up in random spots in the Folk Life & Liberty Fortress.
disorienting?
eh,
only the first four or five times.
now,
it's more of an adventure in low-light obstacle course navigation.
i play with crabtree in, around, under, and between all the curiosities of my house,
and i also apparently pass out pretty hard wherever the action lulls for too long.
to his credit, he's usually snuggling up to me when i wake up,
which is impossibly endearing,
especially considering what a freakin' jerk he is most of the rest of every dang day.
yup.
me and my little dude still end up being buddies at day's end.
i take comfort in that,
and also,
in a hot bowl of black bean sweet potato soup;
never quiet, never soft.....