STEAK AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• In small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, add corn; stir and cook until slightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add milk and bring to a boil. Simmer one minute, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• In medium mixing bowl, beat softened butter with baking powder and salt until smooth. Add cooled corn and milk and blend on low speed till combined. Gradually add cornmeal and flour. Knead dough just a few minutes, adding more flour if sticky. Wrap in plastic and store in fridge.
• Season steak with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat until hot; add steak and let it cook about 5 minutes per side or until you have a good, dark color. Remove from pot and set aside.
• Add onions, garlic, chili powder and cumin to Dutch oven. Cook and stir 5 minutes or til nicely browned. Add broth, water and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add pinto beans.
• Remove dough from fridge. My friend hand-forms the dumplings - I roll it out and cut strips that are about 1/2" by 1 1/2". Just make sure they're not very thick so they cook all the way through. Add dumplings to the Dutch oven, cover and cook 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut your steak into bite-sized pieces. When the dumplings are cooked, add steak and lime juice to pot; taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Bring to a boil to heat through and serve with cilantro garnish.