Ham & Black Bean Soup--Recipe #1

So, this wasn't the recipe I was planning on trying, but my cookbook is still MIA, so the waffle toastadas will have to be saved for later.  Instead, I put my Christmas ham bone to work.  It turned out pretty well and I was surprised to find that I liked the parsnips in it.  I adapted this from the Better Homes and Gardens Recipe Book. 

1 cup dry black beans
1 meaty ham bone & leftover ham pieces
1 Tbs butter
3 stalks sliced celery
1 chopped onion
1 bay leaf
3 sliced carrots
1 sliced parsnip
powdered thyme, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Rinse beans.  In a Dutch oven, combine beans and 4 cups water.  Bring to boiling; reduce hat.  Simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Cover and let stand for 1 hour.  Let soak overnight.  Drain and rinse, set aside.

In same Dutch oven, brown pork bone and ham in hot butter over medium heat.  Add the celery and onion.  Cook and stir until softened.  Stir in beans, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and 4 cups fresh water.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat, Simmer, covered, for 1-1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.  (Took a lot longer for mine to get tender.  Old beans?)  Remove pork.  When cool enough to handle, cut meat off bones and chop.  Discard bones and bay leaf.  Slightly mash beans in Dutch oven. 

Stir in carrots and parsnips.  Return to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes more or until vegetables are tender.  Stir in chopped meat; heat through.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Ham & Cheese Rye Muffins

I love these! They sound a bit odd, but if you like a savory muffin, these are for you!

2 cups whole rye flour
3/4 cup unbleached bread flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese, divided
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 oz diced ham or 1/2 lb bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a muffin tin or line with papers and coat the paper well with nonstick spray; the cheese tends to make them stick a bit. (I've found these work better w/o papers.) Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt,and onion powder in a large bowl. Add 1 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, tossing to coat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter. Add, all at once, to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Stir in ham.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over the tops. Bake the muffins until the cheese on top is toasted golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-27 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them onto a rack to finish cooling or serve warm.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking