Hamburger-Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Soups and Stews.

My family downed a huge pot of this soup. Feel free to add other/additional vegetables as desired. The original recipe asked for succotash, but I used more carrots and yellow squash instead.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 chopped med. onion

1 chopped green pepper

2 cloves garlic

4-6 cups beef broth (I used 6)

2 tomatoes, diced (or 1-15oz can)

1 yellow squash, diced

5 red potatoes, peeled and diced small

2 chopped carrots

Spices to taste – basil, oregano, parsley

Dash or two of black pepper

A drizzle or two of Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Cook ground beef

2. Saute onions, peppers, and garlic until soft

3. Dump all ingredients into large pot

4. Boil

5. Simmer for 15-40 minutes (I prefer longer)

6. ENJOY!

Curry Lentil Stew and Honey Ginger Yogurt Sauce

My boys LOVED this nutritious dinner.

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups dried lentils
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder

Directions
Dump it all into a crockpot.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Top with yogurt sauce and enjoy with pita bread or tortilla wrappers


HONEY YOGURT SAUCE
1 1/2 c plain yogurt
1 tbsp ginger (more or less to taste)
2 tbsp honey (more or less to taste)

NOTE: My boys loved to eat the yogurt plain. Our stew was thick, so we made "sandwiches" by stuffing the pita pockets with lentils and topping with the yogurt sauce.

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Soda Bread

This is a scrumptious bread. Not really for sandwiches, but goes great for breakfast or with soup.

Ingredients
2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 sugar (use less if using brown sugar or honey)
a little salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups buttermilk

Directions
Mix dry ingredients.
Stir in buttermilk with wooden spoon.
Pour into greased loaf pan
Bake on 350 for 45-60 minutes, until knife comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for ten minutes.
Remove, slice, butter, and enjoy!!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
2 tbs butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 med or 3 small carrots, chopped
2 med potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 med butternut squash - peeled, seeded, cubed
32 oz chicken broth (1 only used between 16-24)
salt
pepper
cinnamon
ginger

Directions
1. Put butter and all vegetables into the crockpot. Add enough chicken broth to cover about 1/2 of vegetable mixture. Cook on high for at least 4 hours. (You can also saute vegetables with butter for 5 minutes, cover veggies with chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes until vegetables are tender).

2. Process all ingredients from crockpot in the blender until smooth, adding chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Put in large pot, add salt, pepper, cinnamon, and ginger to taste (a dash or two of each). Heat, adding more chicken broth to desired consistency.

3. Serve. Possible toppings include parmesan, sour cream, etc.

Note: My children LOVED this soup. A great way to get veggies down the kids!

Roasted Vegetables and Couscous

My friend introduced me to this dish, and my husband and I love it; the kids are warming up to it:)

General Ingredients
1-16oz. box of couscous
6-8 oz crumbled or diced feta cheese

Roasting Ingredients
1 med eggplant, diced into 1" pieces
2 red peppers, cut into small pieces
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 zucchini, skinned and diced
3 TBSP olive oil
dash of kosher/sea salt
dash of pepper

Dressing Ingredients
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
splash of balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP olive oil
4 tsp. basil

Directions

Prepare couscous according to package directions.

Combine the roasting ingredients in a large bowl. Toss well. Broil for 5-10 minutes until eggplant is browned.

Mix together the dressing ingredients while vegetables are broiling.

Toss everything together well. Top with feta cheese and serve.

Note: Capers or a ground meat (such as lamb) would be a great addition to this meal. It also serves well cold.

Pizza Crust

Ingredients
1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour

Directions
Mix first 3 ingredient and allow to sit for 5 minutes to proof
Mix in oil, salt, and 1 cup flour. Stir well
Add last 2 cups of flour and mix. Knead slightly until somewhat elastic
Roll onto 12-15" pizza pan to desired thinness.
Prick with fork
Bake at 450 for 7-8 minutes
Add sauce and toppings
Bake for 7-10 minutes more

Note: Take any excess dough, add garlic powder, spices, and parmesan. Roll into breadsticks and bake for 7-10 minutes.

Crockpot Yogurt

After a few attempts, I think I finally figured it out. Homemade yogurt that is thick and creamy!

Ingredients
1/2 gallon whole milk (NOT ultra-pasteurized)
1 pkg unflavored gelatin
sweetener to taste (I use less than 1/4 cup sugar)
1 individual size plain yogurt with active cultures

Directions
Pour milk into crockpot. Add gelatin and sweetener. Mix gently.
Turn crockpot on low for about 2.5 hours
Turn crockpot off and let sit for about 3 hours
Mix in plain yogurt (you can reserve 1/2 cup of homemade stuff for about 5-7 times before having to use store-bought again).
Turn crockpot on warm for about 10 minutes.
Turn off crockpot and wrap with thick blanket or towel to insulate.
Let sit undisturbed for at least 8 hours (the longer it sits, the more tart it becomes)
- Sometimes I turn the pot on low for five minutes every 2-3 hours if the house is cold to maintain the temp)
Pour/ladle into containers and put into refrigerator.

The yogurt is great mixed with granola or fresh/frozen fruit. It will last 7-10 days in refrigerator. I saved large yogurt containers to use.