Black Bean Soup

This recipe is an alteration of one I found in a Southern Living Cookbook. I happen to believe in pressure cookers, and this alteration takes a fraction of the time.

1 lb dried black beans
1T salt
1/2 onion, sliced
3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1.5 c chopped onions
.75 T minced garlic
2 T olive oil
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1/3 c lemon juice
1/2 t pepper
1 t hot sauce
sour cream

Sort and rinse beans. Place in a 1.5 quart casserole dish and add 1 T salt and 1/2 sliced onion and fill the rest of the way with water. Cover and microwave for 20 minutes. Pour out water and onion and put beans in pressure cooker with chicken broth. Bring to pressure and cook 10 minutes. Beans should be tender. Saute chopped onion and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet until tender. Stir in tomatoes and next three ingredients. Cook 5 more minutes. Process tomato mixture and 2 cups beans in a food processor, pulsing just until mixture is chopped but not smooth and pasty. Stir remaining beans and just enough bean juice to make a nice mixture, but not too brothy, into processed mixture. Ladle into soup bowls, and top each serving with sour cream. Yum!

I have to get this going!!

OK, so I am REALLY struggling with menus!! And I need to do them especially now that we're down to a paycheck every other week, so I need to plan better. So I think this will make me do it!! I'm trying to just eat oatmeal for breakfast and lunch is just insane to plan, for me. So, I'll start with just dinner and then go from there when I get better !!

Here it goes:

Monday:

(already I draw a blank!!!)

Italian Chicken

peas

bread (homemade)

Tuesday:

Meatloaf

Baked potatoes

corn

Wednesday:

Left over Italian Chicken

(we always have way to much)

Thursday:

(blank, blank ,blank)

Pork Chops

(never made them, sad I know!!)

Bread

Potato side

(I'm going to try a new one, I'll tell you how it goes)

Friday:

Waffles

( I never do breakfast for dinner, I think Madison will like it!!)

Saturday:

Pizza

(I made it last week and the dough didn't' raise so I'm trying again!!)

OK, so see this is why I need help!! BORING food!! SO I need easy CHEAP ideas!!