Spicy Chickpea Potato Stew

So yummy! And I love the spiciness of it.

Ingredients:

2 15-oz. cans chickpeas
2 cups water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 tsp cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp turmeric
12 oz tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 lb yellow potatoes, cut into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1 small cucumber, sliced
chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Place 3/4 cup of chickpeas and 3/4 cup water in a blender and process until smooth, set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno, and saute until the onion is lightly browned on the edges. Add cumin and turmeric and stir to distribute evenly.
3. Transfer to a stockpot or crockpot, add tomatoes and chickpea puree, bring to a boil.
4. Add potatoes and remaining water, simmer covered until potatoes are nearly done.
5. Add the remaining chickpeas. Simmer covered until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.
6. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Garnish with cucumber slices and cilantro, and enjoy!

Delicious Veggie Soup

Up to your ears in zucchini? Try this soup! If you're a meat-eater, chicken would be a good addition. This recipe was modified from a recipe found on allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 1/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 (15 ounce) can white hominy
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
• 3 cubes vegetable bouillon
• 5 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 yellow potatoes, cubed
• 2 jalapeno peppers, julienned
• 8 1/2 cups water

Directions

1. In a large pot, combine zucchini, yellow squash, onion, green beans, corn, hominy, chickpeas, bouillon, tomato sauce, garlic powder, potatoes, jalapenos, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until flavors are well blended, about 1 hour.

Harvest Vegetable Stew

Love this hearty vegetable stew! So good. You can even make it in a dutch oven!

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

3 medium onions, chopped (3 cups)

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

1 19-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, 4-6 minutes. Add squash, bell pepper, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and chickpeas, return to a simmer. Cover and simmer until squash is tender but not mushy, 8-10 minutes.

Season stew with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Cabbage Cheese Soup/ Broccolli

 

We have cabbage coming out of our ears!  Cabbage the size of Bryan's head!  ha ha.  They are from his Mom's garden and we have been going cabbage crazy.  We have made lots of Japanese Salad and this soup!

So this recipe was my Grandma Clarks.  It is sooo yummy.  When it was so cold last week I made this and homemade bread... yummy.   I am going to type in cooking order, because that is what is easiest for me.  :)

In large stockpot, melt 4 T butter then add:
1 lb coleslaw or 1 lb dice cabbage
2 C minced onion

Let saute and then add:
2-3 C diced potatoes
2 C sliced carrots
12 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tsp salt

Add enough water* to cover and cook until veggies are cooked through.  In separate saucepan add:
1 stick butter
1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
2 C milk

After roux is thick, add to veggie mix in stockpot and add:
1 qt. half and half

When ready to serve stir in 2 C grated cheddar cheese.  Let cheese melt, but do not boil once cheese is added.

Sooo yummy!
*if you want to substitute water for chicken broth do it!  Be careful with the bouillon cubes though, you don't want it too salty.
* you can easily switch out cabbage for broccoli and it just as yummy
*Bryan suggests using an emulsion blender to blend up the cabbage chunks so it has a better texture, but I like it chunky - so your call on that one.

Chicken and Dumplings

This was a HUGE hit with my family!  We scarfed it up and there was enough leftovers that I just might chicken pot pies with it!

2 chicken breasts
1 T butter
1 can cream o' chicken
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp parsley
salt/pepper
1/2 onion, diced
2 C mixed veggies
Chicken broth/stock
1 package biscuit dough

1. Place all ingredients, except biscuits in crockpot and fill with enough chicken broth to cover.
2. Place on high in crockpot 5-6 hours.  3 hours before serving drop torn biscuit dough in cooker.

I doubled this to feed my family, I might have even tripled it.  I used 6 breasts.  Before I put the dough in I shredded all my chicken with some forks

Enjoy!

Favorite Chili

I have been looking for a good vegetarian chili recipe FOREVER because it’s my favorite soup…and I finally found one! Enjoy.

2 cups dried kidney beans
6 cups water
1-2 tsp allspice
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp oregano
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground aniseed
1-2 tsp coriander
½ onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1-2 Tbsp chili powder
½ cup red bell pepper, diced
½ cup green bell pepper, diced
½ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
salt to taste
½ cup soy yogurt (or sour cream)
¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Thoroughly pick through and wash the beans, then place them, along with the water, in a 6- or 7-quart slow cooker. Add the allspice, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, aniseed, and coriander. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until the beans are tender.

Add the diced onion, garlic, tomatoes, cocoa, and chili powder to the beans and continue cooking on low for 2 more hours.

About a half hour before serving, add the bell pepper and corn to the beans.

Season with salt to taste. Ladle into bowls and top each bowl with a dollop of soy yogurt and a sprinkling of green onion and cilantro. Eat up!

Red Lentil Soup with Curry and Coconut Milk

I love this soup--so yummy!

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup red lentils
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 14-oz can coconut milk
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp red curry paste
½ cup cilantro, chopped

In medium saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring often, until onions start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add 4 cups water, lentils, carrots, coconut milk, 1 tsp salt, and bay leaf. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, curry, and cilantro. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add to soup.

Remove bay leaf, salt to taste, and serve and enjoy!

Peanut-Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is delicious! It's especially yummy if you eat it in a bread bowl. :)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups unsalted peanuts
2 onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 ribs celery
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp thyme
6 cups vegetable broth
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (4-6 cups)
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in stock pot over medium heat. When hot, add cumin and peanuts; saute until peanuts begin to brown and cumin is fragrant. Increase heat to medium-high, and add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and seasonings. Cook until vegetables are soft.

Add broth and squash, cooking covered until squash is very soft.

Puree mixture in blender, and return to the pot. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

I really liked this soup! Initially, I thought the blending part sounded nasty, but having tried it before and after just to make sure, I assure you it's better if you put it through the blender. ;)

1 head of broccoli
1 Tbsp sunflower oil
3 large leeks, white part only, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp pepper
2 c vegetable broth
2 c soy milk
1 c cooked navy beans
½ tsp salt

Remove the stalk of the broccoli. Peel the stalk, and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut the broccoli tops into florets, and set aside. Warm the sunflower oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the broccoli stalks, leeks, thyme, rosemary, paprika, cayenne, and pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes, until the leeks soften and the spices become fragrant.

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, until the broccoli stalks are fork tender. Add the reserved broccoli florets, and cover, cooking 10 minutes more, until they are soft but still bright green. Add the soy milk, beans, and salt. Use an immersion blender to puree directly in the pot, or transfer to a blender in batches to blend. Serve immediately.

Egyptian Edamame Stew

This recipe was super easy and oh my goodness so delicious! It comes highly recommended. :)

3 cups edamame-I used the frozen variety still in their shells. It takes a little more prep time, but shelling edamame is therapeutic for me. :)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped (or mint)
3 Tbsp lemon juice

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften-about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook, covered, until the onions are starting to brown-about 3 more minutes. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant-about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the edamame and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro (or mint) and lemon juice.

I'm not kidding-this recipe is 5 stars!!! Next time, though, I think I might try a little more cayenne and mint instead of cilantro.

Chicken Stock

Ps. With my leftover chicken carcass (ha ha), drippings, and etc I made a chicken stock.

I boiled all the leftovers in a stockpot for about 3-4 hours, drained it, and put all the extra chicken back in for a yummy chicken noodle soup. Season accordingly!

How's that for directions?

Minestrone Soup

1 large onion                                          6 C water                    
2 TB butter/margarine                            2- 16oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1 C chopped celery                               1- 15oz. can kidney beans
3 C chopped carrots                              1- 15oz. can navy beans
1/4 C minced fresh parsley                    1 tsp. dried basil
1 C shredded cabbage                           1 tsp. oregano
Pinch of garlic salt                                 1/2 tsp. dried sage
3/4 C pasta shells                                   8 oz. tomato sauce

In stockpot, saute onion and butter. Add 1 cup water, celery, parsley, carrots, and cabbage and simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining 5 cups of water and the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

So Excited!

Well hello there! So my sister, Tiffany, created a recipe blog and my other sister, Taunalee, recently posted recipes to her blog and it got me thinking. Why not do a sister recipe blog?! We're always sharing recipes with each other anyway, so why not create a blog to do it! I'm excited and hope my sisters are excited too! We all do the kitchen thing a little differently, and I think this will be a fun way to share ideas and insight.

I recently have been making some huge dietary changes in my life. I found out I was mildly allergic to dairy, and have since cut dairy out of my diet. I stopped eating meat at the same time to see if I felt better. My energy levels have been off the charts! Not only do I have more energy, but I sleep better, no longer have food cravings, my skin has cleared up, my digestion is better, and I've lost some weight (an added bonus). :) I think everyone's body digests and functions differently and by no means think everyone should embrace a vegetarian diet or stop eating dairy, but making those changes has revolutionized my life and my relationship with food. I feel amazing-like I have a new lease on life, and I'm excited about cooking again! So sharing recipes sounds fun. :)

Here's one I made a few weeks ago. I got this recipe from eatingwell.com, though I did make some alterations from their original recipe. This recipe makes about 4 servings of 1 1/2 cups each, though I found that 1 1/2 cups was way too much, and I got about 6-8 servings out of it. It took me about an hour to make, and was worth it! We grew up eating red curry, and this was a little different-more mild-but I loved it!

Red Curry with Vegetables

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, rinsed, patted dry and cut into 1-inch cubes (Make sure this is really dry or it's nasty! I squish mine between paper towels multiple times to get it as dry as I can before I cut it. Oh, and I rinse it off first too.)
  
• 1 pound sweet potato, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 14-ounce can lite coconut milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or reduced-sodium chicken broth)
• 1-2 teaspoons red Thai curry paste (I couldn't find the stuff Dad gets, so I used curry paste out of a bottle, which was still yummy, but a little different. I want to try this recipe with Dad's curry paste to see if it's any better.)
  
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, quartered (I did this, but it's just garnish-it doesn't really add anything to the taste, but it's nice for presentation.)
  

Preparation:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook, stirring every 2 or 3 minutes, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
2. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. (At this point I transferred everything to a soup pot because my pan was too small. If you have a wok, it would probably work better.) Add coconut milk, broth and curry paste to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is just tender, about 4 minutes. Add the tofu, green beans and brown sugar; return to a simmer and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the green beans are tender-crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in lime juice and salt. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

   

YUMMY!!!

Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
1/2 diced onion
1 can kidney beans
1 carton spicy V8 tomato juice
1 C or can of corn
desired spices (like chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic, etc.)

Brown hamburger with onions. At this point you can either transfer to a stock pot or the crock pot. I always pick the crock pot. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 3-4 hours on low.

Top with sour cream, Frito's, salsa, green onions, grated cheese.

Sooooo goood.

Broccolli and Cheese Soup

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped (optional)
1/2 head broccoli, chopped
2 C grated carrots (I used a bag of grated carrots)
1/2 onion, chopped
fresh ground pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
2 14 oz cans chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 stick butter
3/4 C flour
1 QT half and half
8 oz cubed cream cheese or velvetta (I used 14 oz of Velevetta because I like cheese)

Chop veggies. It doesn't have to be a fine chop, mine was like this:Put broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onion, broth, bouillon, and seasonings in stockpot. Simmer on medium low about 12-15 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.
(I didn't measure any veggies so it we ended up needing more chicken broth)

In a separate saucepan add butter and let melt then add flour. Stir until thick, about the consistency of peanut butter. (You are making another white sauce) Then add half and half. Stir on medium heat until thick and cream. Thick enough that the sauce is pulling away from the sides of the pan. Then add your cheese and stir until melted.

Combine the cheese sauce with the veggies in stockpot and simmer until serving.Yes, I know my soup bowl is overflowing, and no, I couldn't finish it. I poured my soup in a normal bowl and then remembered the sour dough soup bowls I bought. So then I poured my soup in my soup bowl and this is what happened. Ha ha.

Recipe courtesy of my mother in law DeAnne.

Ham and Split Pea Soup

I didn't take a picture of this one because I think if I did it would sway you from trying it. It looks gross but tastes so yummy! Promise.

1 lb dried split peas
1 ham hock (I used the ham bone leftover from our spiral ham from Christmas)
1/2 diced medium onion
1/2 C finely chopped carrots
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 tsp thyme

After rinsing peas, place them in a large stock pot with the ham hock (or ham bone) and cover with water by at least an inch. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about an hour. Stir every once and a while so the peas don't stick and burn on the bottom of the pan.

Remove ham hock (or bone) and cut off remaining meat. I usually have enough ham on the bone to salvage quite a bit. If you don't have enough meat to save I would suggest adding some cubed ham (or leftover Christmas ham).

Add remaining ham, diced onions, and carrots. Stir for about 2 minutes. Then add salt, pepper, pepper flakes, bay leaf, and thyme. Let simmer and cook until vegetables cooked through. It took mine an additional half hour or so.

Remove bay leaf and serve!

•If soup is too thick or dry feel free to add more water.

Crockpot Chili

2 cans kidney or chili beans
1 lb ground hamburger
2 tsp garlic salt
2 bay leaves
1 minced onion
1/2 C diced green pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 can diced tomatoes (not drained)
3/4 C ketchup
1 packet chili seasoning
2 T worts sauce
1 T brown sugar
1 can of your favorite chili
1 C water +*

Brown hamburger with onions and peppers, then season with salt and pepper. Add hamburger to crockpot. Then add all remaining ingredients. Give it a good stir and cook on low for at least 3 hours.

Serve with cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

*you can add more or less water depending on your desired consistancy

Cheesy Potato Soup

We had this yummy soup on Halloween. I was so busy putting makeup on all the girls that I didn't have time to make dinner, so my husband Bryan, graciously stepped in. He did not disappoint. He rocks this soup. So yummy.

First peel and dice:
4-6 diced potatoes
1/2 onion

Set aside. Then melt 3/4 stick of butter in large stockpot. Add 1 C flour and stir together. Then add 2 C milk. Stir constantly on med-low heat until thickened. (Congrats! You just made a white sauce!)
Add up to 2 quarts water until you reach your desired consistency/quantity. (Sometimes less water is better, but you might need more. Remember you have to cook your taters in it.) Now add 5 chicken bouillon cubes, diced potatoes, and onions. Let come to a boil and once boiling, you can also add any other vegi's you might want like carrots or broccoli, celery or ham. We didn't this batch.
Reduce heat a little and stir constantly until the vegi's are cooked through. Once they are tender, add about 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with yummy bread. Sorry no picture, didn't even think to take one on Halloween, and I didn't cook, so there ya go.

PS. I typed up the recipe a little different this time. Do you like having all the ingredients at the top or integrated in the recipe? I need your input. :)

Chicken or Turkey Noodle Soup w/Homemade Noodles

Nothing beats homemade Chicken Noodle Soup - nothing! Doesn't that look sooo yummy?? Well, it is :)
Chicken Noodle Soup w/Homemade Noodles*

Noodles: (double if serving more than 4)
1 beaten egg
2 T milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 C flour (approx)

Combine egg, milk, and salt. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll out on floured surface to about 1/4 in. thick. With pizza cutter, cut noodles to desired size. My family likes them on the smaller size. I actually ended up cutting the noodles in half again. So it is entirely up to you. Transfer noodles on cooling rack and let dry about 1-2 hours.

Soup:
4 C chicken broth
3/4 C chopped carrot
3/4 C chopped celery
1 1/2 C diced chicken breast
1/4 C minced onion
2 chicken bouillon cubes (optional)
salt and pepper

Dice chicken and boil until cooked through. Drain water, but keep about 2 C of it. Add broth and veggies to remaining water and chicken. Let come to a boil. Let cook until veggies cooked through. Add noodles and let simmer about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

**Addition*** I forgot to mention that if you prefer a thicker soup, mix 3 T of softened butter to about 2 T of flour. Stir in soup until thickens.

*If you are not up to making noodles, just use a package of egg noodles.
*If you don't feel like dicing chicken, use 1 large can of chicken instead!
* You can do this with a leftover rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey too. Just use that broth instead of canned broth. :) We had Turkey Noodle soup after Thanksgiving last year and it was sooo yummy.
*I didn't realize this until my wonderful hubby said so, but use low-sodium chicken broth then you have more control over the amount of salt in the soup.

White Chili With Chicken

3 T olive oil
1 large diced onion
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cans white kidney/navy beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 C frozen corn
1 can diced green chilies
2 C chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
2 T softened butter
1 1/2 T flour
Pepper
3-4 T half-and-half (optional)
Grated cheddar or monterey jack

Warm oil in large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute, stirring constantly until cooked through. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic and saute another minute. Stir in chicken, beans, corn, chilies, broth, and salt. Bring to gentle simmer and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine butter and flour until creamy. Add flour mixture to chili and stir until thickens, about a minute. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
If broth to thick, add more chicken broth, if too thin add half and half to thicken.
Serve chili topped with grated cheese.

(I forgot to add the cheese, which would have made this soooo much yummier - really good soup)

(Courtesy of Family Fun)