Leo's Vegetable Roast Soup

 Memories:  Leo created this soup recipe over time.  Healthy, hearty and tasty.  He always makes extra so we can share with friends.

This makes 8 - 1 1/2 qt containers to freeze (or 12 qts)  We make large batch and then freeze for quick meals later.

Ingredients:

4 to 6 lbs chuck roast

1 medium yellow onion chopped

4 to 6 stalks of celery chopped

4 to 6 cloves of garlic diced

2 Bay leaves

3 to 4 cans of diced roasted tomatoes

32 oz. beef broth

32 oz. chicken broth

1 - 2 small cans tomato sauce or small can of paste

Vegetable mix:  could be Frozen corn, purple hull peas, crowder peas, green beans and/or any other frozen vegetable you like

Season to taste: sometimes Italian seas, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme.  To your preference.  He does not measure.

Cut roast into small bite size pieces then coat in lawry's season salt

Saute onion and celery till translucent.

Remove from pan.

Saute the meat cubes until brown.

Add back into meat the onion, celery and also add the garlic.

Stir.

Add broths, seasonings, canned tomato items, frozen beans and corn.

Bring to a boil, then simmer till meat is tender.

Add green beans last and continue to simmer until they are tender.

Salt & pepper to taste while cooking.

Add water if needed for more liquid.

Easy Delicious Tomato Basil Soup - 30 minutes

Momma Katie memories: This is a new item for Leo and I.  We were trying to come up with some soups we could make in large amounts and freeze for winter.  I just love this simple recipe.

   

Ingredients:

1 (24oz) jar marinara sauce (I use one that has simple ingredients and no added sugar

1 (14oz) can Italian diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp dried basil

3/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 handful basil, chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

1 cup heavy cream

I usually double this so I can make some to freeze.

In a large sauce pan, combine marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, oregano, dried basil, pepper, salt, and garlic powder over medium-high heat.  Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

Stir in heavy cream, grated parmesan, and chopped fresh basil.  Stir until smooth and cheese is melted.  Allow to cook over low heat for 5 - 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 1111mg | Potassium: 602mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1225IU | Vitamin C: 14.4mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 2.2mg

Paleo Chili by Stace

My kids love to eat my chili.  My daughter wrote a story about it in the 3rd grade -- "looks like vomit but tastes delicious."  Boddhi says it is his favorite thing I make.  I adapted my mom's chili recipe from when we were kids.  My mom made a delicious chili with ground beef and homemade pinto beans.  I was such a picky eater back then, and I often left the chunks of beef at the bottom of the bowl, but I loved the complex flavors of the liquid -- so thick and warm, spicy and comforting.  I would eat mine with tons of saltine crackers --yum!   Bob would drown her chili in ketchup (yuck!) everytime.  This always made the rest of us laugh.  I guess she preferred a bit more tomato in her chili.

So I adapted my regular chili to make it paleo compliant (no beans).   I decided to replace the beans with Japanese sweet potatoes.  I also decided to use pork breakfast sausage and ground pork for the meat.  

Ingredients:

1 purple onion 

4 cloves garlic

4 Japanese sweet potatoes

1 lb compliant pork breakfast sausage

1 lb ground pork

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can fire roasted crushed tomatoes

1 jar salsa 

seasonings:

chili powder

cumin

cayenne

garlic salt

cacao powder

I started by sauteing chopped purple onions in ghee. I let those cook until translusent.   Then I added the garlic (finely chopped) and let that cook until fragrant.  Next I added the sweet potatoes (cubed) adn let them cook slowly until tender.  I added chili seasonings (to taste) to the the onion/garlic/sweet potato mixture and let that cook.  I cooked the meat in another pan and seasoned it with the same seasonings.  Then I added the meat to my veggie pot when done.  I then poured in the sauce and salsa and seasoned with all the seasonings again. I let that simmer until the flavor was right!  Serve alone or with plantain chips :)

This picture was taken after we ate half the pot!

Posted by Stace

Butternut Squash Soup by Steph

This is a Panera copy cat recipe  I have had it many times but I really liked it.  However, now is has a special memory attached of Stacey and the kids coming to visit. We made it better by using coconut cream and ate it the same night as Stacey's delicious roasted brussel sprouts!
 Both were delicious.
Butternut squash sliced in half and oiled. Bake until tender. spoon out meat and discard the skin
chopped onions sauté until soft
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (1 tsp dried)
chicken broth
1-1/4 cup heavy cream- we used coconut cream :)
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

Blend in the blender until smooth.  The measurements are not exact I just do it to taste, or until it looks right. 
garnish with hot pepper sauce and chopped walnuts

Posted by Steph

Recipe link: Potato Soup - by Stace

I have been searching for a good potato soup recipe, and I think I am going to try this one tonight -- the smoked Gouda hooked me. It is so cold, and we need a hearty, warm soup. We are putting up our Christmas lights today, trying to get our house in order, preparing for some serious holiday baking this weekend.



Here are the notes I took from the video (in case it gets deleted)

Ingredients:
1 T dried basil
½ stick of butter
2 cups shredded smoked Gouda
6 small diced potatoes
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 cups heavy cream
6 cups ck broth
roux (4 T butter 4T flour)

in a stock pot on med high melt butter down
add celery onion and carrot
cook until onions are translucent
add basil
add garlic
stir for 3 minutes
add potatoes
stir for 3 minutes
pour in ck broth
boil for 20 min
add roux and whisk (1 T at a time and whisk)
let it cook until thickened
then whisk in half and half
simmer 20 min
stir in cheese
melt it down, slowly stirring cheese in
sprinkle with cracked pepper when served

edited to add:
We made this for our Christmas movie marathon night -- it was so much fun. Lydia chopped celery, Michaela chopped onions, and I chopped carrots; we sat at the table chopping and talking -- enjoying each others company. Then we all sat down to a DELICIOUS and filling soup (with rosemary sourdough bread). Afterward we watched Charlie Brown Christmas, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and The Cricket on the Hearth -- with a warm cup of hot cocoa. This is one of my favorite Christmas memories from this year.

posted by Stace

Recipe Links - by Stace

Here are links to some recipes I have used recently.

It is the season for soup, and I love soup for many reasons.

1- it is a good way to make a little meat go further
2-it can be yummy even when you have no meat
3-it is cheap (usually)
4-it warms the house and makes everyone feel cozy and at home

Today I made Wesley's 15-bean-soup (check out her Soup Sunday posts). I soaked the beans overnight, and then put everything in the crock-pot before we left for church, and it is ready now. We will have it tonight with whatever hard bread I can find at the grocery. This recipe made a lot of soup, and we will be eating it all week (yum!).

My sister is coming to town, and I am in the mood to make some banana bread, so I am headed to get some too-ripe bananas from the store.

Wesley's 15-bean soup

Southern Plate's Chicken Stew
This stew lasted a week, and we loved it. I made it on a Sunday, and we ate it with crackers. I ate it all week for lunch, and the five of us still made two more dinners out of it, one with some delicious garlic breadsticks.

I made our Chicken Tortilla Soup for friends on Friday night, and we still have a little of this left over. I will make up some dishes for the girls to take to school and freeze the rest tonight.

What are you cooking?

Chicken and Dumplings - by Stace

Mom made this for us on Monday...so comforting. Dad always said (still says) mom made the best chicken and dumplings he ever tasted.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
green onions
celery
chicken bouillon cubes
salt and pepper

boil chicken in water and set aside to cool
add celery and onions to broth
along with 3-4 bouillon cubes
tear chicken apart and add back to broth

Make buttermilk biscuit recipe. Roll dough and cut into thin squares.

Add dough squares right before serving. Drop one or two in and let them float back to the top. Keep adding (but not too quickly or they will stick together).

Add more chicken broth if the dumplings absorb too much of the juice.

Enjoy! Very filling -- no crackers or bread needed.

Posted by Stace

Chicken Tortilla Soup - by Stace

My husband and I invented this recipe at our first house in Fort Worth. We enjoyed cooking it together while listening to music and drinking wine. As our girls have gotten older, we have included them in the cooking; they enjoy "doing it themselves." This is a kid favorite that our girls request often. I hope to be able to make it with my grandchildren someday, sharing the stories of warmth and togetherness it brought to our blended family -- one of our first original traditions :)

Ingredients:
1 pound of trimmed chicken breasts
3 T olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped
1 box of organic chicken broth (32 oz)
4 T butter
1 can crushed organic tomatoes
1 can black refried beans
1 can whole black beans
1 or 2 cans Hatch red enchilada sauce
2 bags (32 oz) frozen corn
1 bag corn tortillas
16 oz Monterey Jack Cheese
1 large avocado

Directions:

• Sauté onion and jalepeno in saucepan (with olive oil)
• Add chicken and cook until tender. Set aside to cool
• While chicken is cooking, pour 1 box (32 oz) of broth into saucepan
• Let broth get hot, then add butter
• After butter melts, add crushed tomatoes
• Allow to simmer for a few minutes
• Add beans and Hatch sauce
• Add onion and jalepeno (from chicken pot)
• Add chicken (simmer 20 minutes)
• Add corn (simmer 30 minutes)
• Cut tortillas into strips and fry in oil
• Salt strips and place in bottom of soup bowls
• Top soup with Monterey jack cheese and avocado slices

Notes: You can use a whole chicken if you like. Boil it, set it aside to cool. Then remove skin and tear apart for soup. My husband has a thing about touching chicken while it is on the bone, so we usually use boneless, skinless chicken breast (so we don't gross him out).

01/26/2011 -- More Notes - I made this soup again last night, and I used a slightly different process. It was the best soup yet! I started with boiling a chicken (added sloppy slices of onion and carrot along with salt) in one pot. Then I melted butter in my dutch oven, added diced jalepenos and Serrano peppers (because we ran out of home grown habanero and that is what the grocery store had available). I let those cook for a minute or two, releasing the oils. Then I added fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. Next I took the broth right from the pot of chicken and added it to the dutch oven. I then added my other ingredients one by one. The soup was smoky and spicy -- just the way I like it, so I thought I would share...

posted by Stace