With a little planning you can enjoy solar cooked meals even on cloudy days. Set aside some of the beans from this soup for lunch on a rainy day.

Sun Oven Vegetarian Back Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 pound dried black beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped

3 teaspoons ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Sour cream, chopped tomato, and sliced green onions for garnish

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Combine beans, water, onion, bell pepper, garlic, chipotle peppers, and cumin in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the beans by about 2 inches. Place a lid on the pot and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in cilantro and lime juice.

Using a slotted spoon reserve 3 cups of the bean mixture. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Slightly mash remaining beans to thicken the soup. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, tomato and green onions.

Beans that have been seasoned while they cook make a great side dish on their own or they can be stored in the refrigerator for use in soups, stews, risottos, or pasta dishes.

Italian Style Beans

Ingredients

1 pound dried cranberry or cannellini beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained

1 small potato, peeled

2 tomatoes, halved

5 cloves garlic, smashed

a bundle of herbs (rosemary, sage, bay leaf, and thyme) tied together with cooking twine

1 tablespoon olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Put the beans in a large pot and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Add the potato, tomatoes, garlic, herb bundle, and olive oil. Cover and place in the Sun Oven. Let the beans simmer until tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove and discard the potato, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. If not using immediately store the beans in their cooking liquid in an airtight container and refrigerate. If serving immediately drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Season the beans with the cooking liquid, additional oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

Whether you call it chili or soup this rich bean stew makes a great dinner on a cold night. The first step, sauteing the onion and garlic, can be done stove top or in the Sun Oven. Use a cast-iron Dutch oven if starting out on the stove or a light-weight metal pot if you want to make it entirely in the Sun Oven.

Sun Oven White Bean Chili

Ingredients

2 cups dried great northern or cannellini beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 white onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

5 cups chicken broth or water

1 cup dry white wine

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 (4-ounce can) diced roasted green chilies

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Salt and white pepper to taste

Preparation

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and sauté until lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté for another few minutes. Grind the cumin and coriander seeds in a coffee mill or spice grinder and add them to the pan stirring well. Add the beans, broth, wine and chilies. Cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. About 3o minutes before serving stir in the oregano, cream, and basil and season to taste with salt white pepper.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

There were rosemary bushes all over the place in my old neighborhood. It was so easy to go for a walk and snip a couple of sprigs off of one whenever I needed it. No such luck here. Fresh herbs can be expensive, but the flavor is worth it and even though I have what ever the opposite of a green thumb is called I think I’m going to have to plant an herb garden soon.

Sun Oven White Bean Soup with Rosemary

Ingredients

1 pound dry cannellini beans, rinsed and picked over

2 onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for serving

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 rosemary sprig

2 quarts vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Soak beans overnight and drain.

Set Sun Oven out to preheat.

Heat the oil in a large pot, add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the drained beans, rosemary, broth, and bay leaf. Put a lid on the pot and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the beans are very soft, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove pot from the Sun Oven. Discard the rosemary and the bay leaf. Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the soup to the pot and gently reheat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and drizzle a little olive oil on each serving.

Makes 6 servings.

A few years ago I heard a piece on the radio about traditional New Years foods from around the world. I was surprised at how many different cultures consumed some kind of legume to ring in the new year. In Italy they eat lentils with a fatty boiled sausage called cotechino. It’s believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the year. I was never very fond of it and usually limited myself to a few bites just in case there was any truth to that belief. Not surprisingly, I’ve never seen cotechino in the U.S. (but I haven’t really looked for it) so I was more than happy to adopt a new tradition when I learned that black-eyed peas were the legume American’s equate with the first day of the year.

Solar Texas Caviar

Ingredients

1 pound dry black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

3 green onions, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

Preparation

Soak beans overnight; drain. Discard soaking water.

Put black-eyed peas in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Put a lid on the pot and cook the black-eyed peas in the Sun Oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain peas. Discard cooking liquid.

In a medium bowl whisk together vinegar, oil, salt, sugar, cayenne, and garlic. Add black-eyed peas, parsley, green onions, and celery. Toss to coat with dressing. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours stirring occasionally.

Makes 10 side dish servings

Fava beans make great hummus that can be served with pita bread or fresh vegetables. I prefer favas to chickpeas; they don’t need to be presoaked and make a smoother hummus. I used to buy mine at high-end, gourmet supermarkets until I found them for a fraction of the price in the Hispanic aisle of a local store. The expensive ones aren’t any better so don’t drive the extra miles or fork over the extra cash for the fancy packaging. Just make sure you get the ones that have already been shelled, otherwise they’d have to be soaked and peeled before cooking.

Fava Bean Hummus

1 1/2 cups dried, shelled fava beans, picked over and rinsed

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat.

Place fava beans in a large pot and cover generously with water. Cover and cook in Sun Oven until beans are soft, 2 t0 3 hours. Drain beans, reserve liquid. Transfer beans to a food processor, add the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and two tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Process until smooth adding additional cooking liquid to reach the desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Swiss chard has been on sale lately at my local grocery store. It happens to be one of my favorite vegetables and I’m always looking for new ways to cook it. I adapted this vegetarian chili recipe from one I found on epicurious.com. Previously cooked dry black beans can be used instead of canned. If you’re not going to serve straight out of the Sun Oven wait until mealtime to add the chard. When you’re ready to eat, gently bring the chili to a simmer on the stovetop, stir in the Swiss chard and let it cook for about 4 minutes.

Solar Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped (about 2 and 1/2 cups)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth

1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

3 cups (packed) coarsely chopped Swiss chard leaves (from one bunch)

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; sauté until golden, about 9 minutes. Stir in squash. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Add beans, broth, and tomatoes with juice. Cover and transfer to the Sun Oven. Cook until the squash is tender, about 40 minutes. Stir in chard; replace cover and continue cooking until chard is tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings.

The bacon adds flavor to this rich soup but can be omitted for a vegetarian version. It’s added after the beans have been cooking for a while and I often forget. I like  it either way.

Sun Oven Cuban Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

1 pound dried black beans, picked over, rinsed, soaked overnight, and drained

5 cups water

1 large onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 strips bacon (optional)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat.

Combine first 10 ingredients (beans through coriander) in a large pot; cover and cook in Sun Oven until beans start to soften, about 1 hour. Place bacon on top of bean mixture and continue to cook in Sun Oven until beans are cooked, about another hour. Remove pot from Sun Oven; discard bacon. Purée 4 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender. Add puréed soup to remaining soup. Stir in vinegar; season with salt and pepper.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Split peas don’t need to be presoaked making them ideal for the Sun Oven when the weather forecast is uncertain. I managed to throw this soup together with ingredients I had on hand despite the fact that I wasn’t planning on doing any solar cooking today.

Solar Curried Split-Pea Soup

Ingredients

1 pound dried yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed

1 small onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 tablespoon curry powder

4 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Set Global Sun Oven out to preheat.

Combine peas, ham, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, curry powder, and water in a large pot. Cover and cook in Sun Oven until peas are soft and falling apart. Remove thyme sprig. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings.