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.

Egg free pancakes

Having a son with an egg allergy (fortunately not severe) can be a challenge. I found this recipe on www.recipezaar.com.

Ingredients
2 c flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Heat a griddle or pan on the stove top. The griddle is ready for pancakes when water dropped on the hot griddle rolls and sizzles.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients.
3. Add the milk, water, oil, and vanilla.
4. Mix well, but don't over stir; a few lumps are okay.
5. Drop 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.
6. Flip the pancake when bubbles form and begin to pop. Keep the heat medium to medium low; they burn fast.
7. Enjoy!

Cornmeal Yeast Bread

Ingredients
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
3/4 c. milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 c. flour

Directions
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
Add milk, sugar, butter, egg, cornmeal, and salt.
Beat in 1 1/2 cups flour until smooth.
Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic - about 6-8 minutes
Please in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Punch dough down. Divide in half and shape into 2 loaves.
Place in greased pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes.
Let cool in pans for a few minutes before removing.

Yield: 2 loaves

Original source: www.allrecipes.com

Flaxseed Banana Bread

This was an experiment that turned out quite well. After a few tweakings, I think I have the recipe where I want it. I was looking for an eggless banana bread, found a recipe, and then decided to try substitute ground flaxseed for part of the oil. Yummy!!

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1.25 cups ground flaxseed (I may use a little less next time - or you can use another 1/2 cup butter)
1.5 cups sugar (a little less next time)
3-4 tsp. vanilla
2TBS c. applesauce
2TBS oil
1 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
5 mashed over-ripe bananas

Directions
Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla, and flaxseed together. Mix in the oil and applesauce. Blend in the bananas. Sift (or dump) in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Pour into 2 greased bread pans. Bake at 325 for about an hour.

Note: Adding 1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut works well. Other good additions include chocolate chips or nuts.

Crockpot Kalua Pork

A local favorite, I thought I would post if for good measure.

Ingredients
4-6 lb. pork butt
Hawaiian salt (kosher or sea salt works well too)
capful of liquid smoke

Directions
Rub salt on pork. Put in crockpot. Add liquid smoke - maybe a little water. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6-8.

Shred and enjoy.

Spinach - Beef Bake

This recipe came about by accident and is a mix of a few different ideas. I had ground beef and a box of thawed spinach that I needed to use. My small family devoured almost the entire pan in one meal.

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 chopped onion
2 cloved garlic - chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 box frozen chopped spinach - thawed
2 cups cooked rice
1 head of broccoli cut into small pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzerella

Directions
Saute onion and garlic in a pan with a little bit of oil. Add ground beef and oregano (and other spices to taste) and cook thoroughly.

Put cooked meat into 9x13 pan. Add the spinach, rice, broccoli, soup, and parmesan. Mix together. Top with mozzerella cheese.

Cook for 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Note: If you would rather used uncooked rice (as I did), use 1 cup on the bottom of the panand add at least one cup of water to casserole. Top with foil and cook for an hour (or until rice is tender). You may need to add more water partway through cooking. Remove foil for last 10 minutes.

Crazy Cake

This recipe is a family favorite that I had lost. I managed to find it again at www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cold water

Directions

Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into a 9 x 13 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over all, and stir well with fork. Add 1/2 bag of chocolate chips if desired (yum, yum)

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

Cheesy Crockpot Cauliflower Soup

I love anything in a crockpot, and this concoction actually turned out to be quite tasty. My sons ate a full bowl apiece.

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces
2 carrots, cut into small pieces
2 stalks celery, chopped
one med onion, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
Italian seasoning
Parsley
garlic powder
pepper
1-2 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese

Directions
Dump all vegetables, broth, and seasonings into a crockpot.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours
Put mixture into blender/food processor and puree to desired consistency
Return to crockpot and add more seasonings as desired
Add the milk and cheese at least 30-45 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally to ensure the melted cheese disperses through the soup.
Enjoy!!

Crockpot Potato Corn Chowder

I truly made this one up on my own, so I do not have exact amounts for some ingredients. It served 3 adults and 2 children with no leftovers. I would recommend not quite doubling the recipe for a full standard crockpot.

Ingredients
3 med potatoes cubed
1 can corn
1 can cream corn
1 can chicken broth
4 pieces turkey bacon
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
approx 1-2 cups milk
parsley
garlic powder
oregano
pepper
instant mashed potatoes

Directions
Cube the potatoes (I used the yellow ones and left the skin on) and put them into the crockpot.
Dump in cans of corn and chicken broth.
Cook turkey bacon until crispy - crumble and put into crockpot
Saute onions and celery for a few minutes in the bacon grease, and then add to the crockpot.
Add seasonings (parsley, garlic powder, oregano, pepper, etc)
Turn crockpot on high for 4-6 hours
Add milk about one hour before serving
Before serving, add enough instant potatoes to thicken the soup to desired consistency.

Chicken with Mushrooms and Capers

Ingredients
1 TBS olive oil
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1 med chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic - minced
4-6 chicken breast halves
2-3 TBS capers - drained
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 TBS mustard (reg or dijon)
2 TBS mayonnaise (opt)

Directions
Place chicken breasts in 9x13 pan and bake in a 375 oven for 10 minutes.

While chicken is baking, saute mushrooms, onion, and garlic.

Add other ingredients to skillet and mix.

Pour mixture over chicken and continue to bake until chicken is no longer pick - another 15-25 minutes.

Asian Grilled Salmon

The best salmon I have EVER made!!

Ingredients for a family of 4
4 6oz salmon fillets
less than 1/4 cup vegetable oil
approx 1/8 c sesame oil
3-4 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
chopped green onion
1-2 tsp brown sugar (or honey)
2 tsp minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
1 tsp crushed ginger

Directions
Combine all ingredients (change quantities to suit personal taste) in a Ziploc bag and marinate overnight.

Broil at 5 inches below element for approx 5 minutes per side, turning only once.

Enjoy with rice!

Sausage Egg Casserole

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey sausage
1 chopped onion
2 c. shredded cheese (I like cheddar)
1 10 oz pkg. chopped spinach - thawed
8 oz fresh mushrooms - sliced (or one can)
12 eggs
2 c. milk or heavy cream
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions
Saute onions. Add ground sausage and cook until done. Dump into 9x13 pan.

Add cheese, spinach, and mushrooms to pan. Mix up.

In separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, and nutmeg.

Pour egg mixture over sausage, etc. already in pan.

Bake at 350 for 30+ minutes until set.

Note: You can also add hashbrowns for more variety.

Crockpot of Black Beans

Beans are very nutritious and quite inexpensive, especially the dried ones. The other day, I made a crockpot FULL of black beans. They turned out quite well, especially when paired with rice, salsa, and cheese.

Ingredients
1 lb dry black beans
1 14oz can vegetable or chicken broth
1 can water
1 green pepper
1 onion
cumin (to taste)
chili powder (to taste)
garlic or garlic powder (to taste)

Directions
Boil dry beans in pot on stove top for 10 minutes. Put cover on and let sit for one hour.

Put beans in crockpot. Top with all other ingredients. Mix up. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 5-7.

Warning!! The one bag of beans make almost a complete crockpot full. Adjust quantities to suit your needs or plan on freezing some. We got 4 dinners for 4 out of one crockpot full!

Garlic Breadsticks

I decided to make these the other day to go with spaghetti and was surprised with how easy they were and and how good they tasted. BTW, it is possible to cut the recipe in half for a small family.

Ingredients
1 1/8 cups warm water
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs olive or canola oil
3 tbs grated parmesan cheese
3 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp basil
3 cups bread flour
2 tsp (or one pkg) active dry yeast
1tbs melted butter or margarine

Directions
In a small bowl (or measuring cup) mix the water, yeast and sugar. Set to the side for 5-10 minutes.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the cheese, oil, garlic powder, salt, and basil. Add the yeast mixture and mix together. Slowly add the flour to create the dough.

Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes on a floured surface. Separate into 20 portions. Roll each portion into a ball, then form into a rope (9" long). Place each rope onto a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes.

Bake for 18-22 minutes at 350F until done.

Brush with melted butter (or do what I did and use a knife and slather the butter on)

Polenta Beef Stew

I found the original version of this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Soups and Stews. The BHG recipe called for a few other ingredients
(like 1/4 c. tomato paste), and did not include the potatoes or green beans, nor was it done in a slow cooker. Therefore, this is my rendition of the recipe, and it was a hit with my family.

Ingredients for Stew
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder (or more)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
2 pounds beef for cut for stew
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp rosemary
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14 ounce can beef broth
1 1/2 cups dry red wine (I used the cooking wine and would reduce the amount next time)
5 med. carrots cut into 1" pieces
4-6 red potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can cut green beans

Directions:
Combine flour, garlic powder, thyme, basil, a little salt, and a little black pepper in a ziploc bag. Add beef cubes a few at a time to coat. Heat oil in a skillet and brown the floured cubes. Set aside. Drain fat.

Saute onion, rosemary, and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add beef broth and wine. Bring to boiling and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or so,

Put ingredients into the crockpot in this order:
Carrots, potatoes, meat, broth mixture, and anything else (extra spices) that sounds good. Wait until 1 hour before serving to add green beans.

Cook on low 4-6 hours and high 7-10 (depends on crockpot), until potatoes and carrots are tender.

Serve over polenta.

Recipe for Polenta
In a large saucepan, bring 3 cups milk just to a simmer over medium heat. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup cornmeal (white or yellow), and 1 tsp salt. Stir cornmeal mixture into hot milk. Cook and stir until just boiling; reduce heat to low and let cook for 10-15 minutes or until mixture is very think, stirring occasionally (it only took 5 minutes for mine). Stir in 2 tbsp. butter until melted.