Italian Escarole Turkey Soup

I am a huge soup lover and really love ones that are easy to put together. This is one of these types of soups- if you have some greens (any type of salad greens, really) and leftover turkey or chicken, you can put this together pretty quickly. While this soup makes a larger pot, I like to have some leftovers and if you are a small family, put part of it in the freezer for another meal or two. It is a perfect cook-ahead meal. If you haven't tried escarole, be sure to give it a try. I just love having different types of greens wilted in soups.

Serves- 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (preferably with Italian herbs)
• 1 15oz. can white beans, drained
• 8 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 2-3 cups rice
• 2 heads escarole
• fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
• shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

• In a large stockpot, sauté onion, carrot and celery in oil until onion is becoming translucent. Then add in minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 
• Add in tomatoes, beans, broth, seasonings and turkey. 
• Bring to a boil, then simmer while you prepare rice and escarole.
• Cook the rice per instructions on the package, seasoning it well. 
• Wash the escarole well and chop it.
• When rice is cooked, add in escarole to soup and allow to wilt for a couple minutes. Adjust salt to taste, if needed.
• To serve, put a large rounded spoonful of rice in a soup bowl, then ladle soup over top and garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese. Good with crusty, rustic bread for dipping in broth. 

Shared with:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 3-27-14

Succotash

Succotash is a dish that immediately takes me back to my grandmother's house. She seemed to regularly make this and would offer us some when we came to visit. I came to enjoy this dish very much and eventually joined her in a mission to find the beans when local growers stopped growing them for the markets around us.

This dish was especially popular years ago with farm and country folks. The dish is based on beans (often lima beans) and corn. However, the version my grandmother always made is quite different- she always used a shell bean.

The shell beans that my grandmother and great grandmother used seem to resemble closely the cranberry bean- the shells were a red and cream/white variegated pod and the beans also had a similar creamy background with reddish swirls around the bean. When dried, they are often anywhere from a tannish/red flecked color to a darker reddish/brown color. These beans can be difficult to find- I was not able to find them for many years after I married and moved away from the area where I grew up near my grandmother.

For this reason, my grandmother tried to find farm markets that would sell the shell beans so she could make her succotash the "right way"- she actually canned the beans together with fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob. The two would cook together during the canning and the flavors would be so concentrated. After I married, she gave me some beans to plant in our garden, with the idea that we would share some of the harvest with her. So I decided to can the beans and corn together- when I finished canning, I thought I was doing something wrong because almost all of the juices came out of the jar and everything cooked into a solid mass. When I was talking lately with one of my aunts about this recipe, she told me that this is how the jars of beans/corn come out. Anyhow, I do know that the flavor was different than just cooking the beans and then adding in the corn.

My grandmother grew up in a poor family where most of the children spent their teenage years working on nearby farms because the family needed the money and could not really afford to feed and clothe everyone. This is one of the family dishes that was passed down from her mother and could be made with things from the garden that were inexpensive and yet filling. 

If I do not have the home-canned beans and corn, I found that you can get a pretty close flavor by pressure cooking the beans (saves a lot of time and there is no need to soak the beans first) and then simmering the beans and corn together for an hour or two. If you do not have a pressure cooker, try cooking the beans in a crockpot on high for about 6 hours. This is a very simple dish- my grandmother only used the beans, corn, salt and pepper, and some canned milk at the end. Now, on the other hand, I have never been one to leave a simple recipe alone! So I have almost always sauteéd some onions and celery to put in the succotash, added chunked potatoes to make it more of a main course soup and added some other seasonings.

These beans were quite red (usually the beans are more of a brown color when cooked) and colored the succotash. They still taste the same. The corn was farm-fresh grown and frozen white corn that is very sweet.

Servings: about 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bag of cranberry beans or similar shell beans
• 1 quart bag (or 4 cups) of frozen or fresh sweet corn with juice
• 3 medium-large potatoes, cut into chunks (optional)
• chicken soup base or broth
• water
• 1-2 large onions
• 2-3 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
• seasoned salt/pepper
• 1-2 Tbsp dried parsley
• evaporated milk or cream

Directions:

• Cook the beans as instructed on the package, or cover beans in a slow cooker with about 2-3 inches of water and cook on high in a slow cooker for 6 hours, or in a pressure cooker for about 30 minutes. Drain beans from liquid.
• In a dutch oven style soup pot, sauté onions with a couple Tbsp of olive oil until they become translucent. 
• Add in the garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the beans, sweet corn, chunked potatoes and enough water/broth to cover all the ingredients. If using water, add in a few bouillon cubes or a few Tbsp of soup base. 
• Season with salt/pepper and dried parsley.
• Simmer together until beans and potatoes are soft. 
• When finished cooking, add in milk/cream gradually until broth is milky-- if you use a whole can of evaporated milk, it will be quite thick. If you desire a thinner succotash, you may need to add a little more water to thin it out. Season to taste, adding more salt as needed.

*We recently ate succotash (made for this picture without the potatoes added) over top of mashed potatoes and it was delicious.

If you are only cooking for a couple people, cook up the entire recipe and then freeze half of the succotash for another time- although it is best frozen if you do not add in the potatoes.

Squash Dal Curry

One of my favorite cuisines is Indian food because of the rich flavors that are combined into amazing dishes. I don't think I really even ate much Indian food before I was married but tried it while visiting larger cities with my husband, as well as a nearby Indian restaurant that we have grown to love. However, what I have realized in the process of learning how to cook this food is that there are many different types/styles of Indian food, depending on the region you are cooking from, as well as the fact that Indian restaurant food is quite different from what most Indian people eat in their homes everyday. I have bought a couple good Indian cookbooks that I have studied and tried to learn from and now have accumulated quite a few spices/herbs that are often used in their cooking. However, with just a small investment in about 5 spices (some you may already have), you can make some very tasty Indian dishes. I like the fact that, while much of the Indian food is spicy hot, when you make it at home, you can omit or temper down the heat to your liking and yet still enjoy the wonderful flavors. In addition, although Indian restaurant food is quite expensive, you can make many dishes very cheaply at home. Since I have been trying to cook more dishes with beans for my family, I often like using Indian recipes because they take the lowly bean from oh-hum to oh-yum!

this is the masala dabba I bought to hold some of the spices I frequently use- includes tumeric (outer left and continuing clockwise), cardamom, fennel seed, black mustard seed, ground ancho chili powder, cumin seed and black salt (center)

This recipe I share here was inspired by a Green Pumpkin Curry recipe that I have enjoyed making quite a few times. A few years ago, I picked up a small, thick cookbook at a local craft store titled Greatest Ever Indian for about $5. While I have not made many of the recipes in the book, there are a lot of nice pictures illustrating the steps and many of them are simple dishes with a variety of ingredients and ranging from sides to main dishes to breads, appetizers and desserts. When making this recipe, I never saw or found green pumpkin but it said I could substitute ordinary pumpkin. So I also figured that since butternut squash is in the pumpkin family, then that should also work well. This most recent time I made this, I decided to add in some dal I had- I believe it is moong dal, which is very quick cooking and mild in flavor, as well as some extra cooking liquid. You can omit the beans, if desired and reduce the cooking liquid, or substitute some red lentils. This dish comes together pretty quickly- in about 30 minutes, and is very rich in antioxidants from not only the spices but also the squash and beans. 

moong dal

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tbsp oil
• 1 large onions, sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (may substitute 1/2 tsp ground cumin if you don't have seeds)
• 1/2 - 3/4 tsp black mustard seed (optional)
• 1 1/2 - 2 pounds butternut squash (1 large), peeled, deseeded and cubed
• 1 tsp amchur/amchoor- dried mango powder (optional, but adds a nice flavor)
• 1 1/2 tsp mild curry powder
• 1 tsp tumeric 
• 1/2 tsp black salt (optional- may use adobo seasoned salt or other salt)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (not the chili powder blend)- (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger * (may substitute 1 tsp dried ginger- not quite as good)
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed/made into paste
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth- or may use vegetable broth or salted water
• 1 cup moong dal (or split lentils), sorted and rinsed
• 10 dried apricots, chopped
• 1 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds and curry powder, stirring occasionally, until a light golden brown color.
• Add the cubed squash or pumpkin to the skillet and stir-fry for 3-5 minutes over low heat.
• Mix in the amchur powder, tumeric, salt, chili powder, ginger and garlic cloves together in a small bowl. 
• Add the spice mixture to the squash  mixture, stirring well to mix.
• Add the broth or water, rinsed moong dal or lentils, apricots and fenugreek, then cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes or until beans are soft and slightly creamy, stirring occasionally. 

Serve warm with rice, warm naan or paratha (chapati) bread.

*ginger is easy to keep on hand ready to use if you peel it/chop into large chunks after bringing it home from the store, place it in a plastic bag in the freezer. Then when you need it, simply remove a piece or two and either grate it or thinly slice/chop it. It is actually easier to work with when it is slightly frozen. This will keep for a long time in the freezer. It is great in chicken soups, with bean dishes, smoothies with coconut milk, etc.

This was shared with the following:

I Should Be Mopping The Floor: Mop It Up Mondays #11
The Sweet Spot: Recipe Party
Simple Lives Thursday, #91- A Little Bit Of Spain In Iowa
Weekend Potluck #13
Financial Friday + Fabulous Features
Country Momma Cooks: Link and Greet #14
Taylor House Thursday #3
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 4-12-12
Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party-Week 40

Cheeseburger Soup

Even though we are experiencing some lovely spring weather, I still love to make up soups during this time since my husband does not care to have soups during the hot summer months. This recipe is more like a thick chowder with the creamy and cheesy base and is great for adding in any number of vegetables for those little (or big) people in the house who might not like to eat their veggies. I have adapted it somewhat from the original version I found online on the Taste of Home site.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 - 3/4 pound ground beef
• large onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 6 mushroom, finely chopped (optional)
• 3/4 cup carrots, sliced
• 3/4 cup celery, diced
• 1-2 Tbsp sofrito (optional)
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
• 1 tsp dried basil flakes
• 3-4 cups chicken broth (I used 1/2 chicken, 1/2 beef broth)
• 4 cups potatoes, diced (I left the peels on them) (about 2 pounds of potatoes)
• 1 3/4 cups canned chopped tomatoes (I used one 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes with Italian herbs)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 8 oz (2 cups) cheese of choice, cubed (Velveeta or muenster cheese makes it more creamy, but it will still be good with other types of cheese)
• 1 1/2 cups milk (if using skim milk, may start with a can of evaporated milk and add enough skim milk to equal amount needed)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions:

• In a stockpot, sauté the ground beef, onion, celery, mushrooms, salt and pepper until the onion is translucent. 
• Drain off some of the fat and add in the garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. 
• Add the sofrito, carrots, herbs, broth, tomatoes with juice and potatoes and bring to a boil. 
• While that is cooking, melt butter in a saucepan or a large skillet and add in the flour, stirring well and cooking for approximately 2 minutes. Add in the milk gradually while stirring; then pour into the soup, mixing well. 
• Cook soup over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables and potatoes are tender.
• When finished cooking, add in the cheese, stirring well until melted. May also blend in the sour cream if desired. (I will often omit this since it is already very creamy and rich.)

Serves approximately 4-6 

This is wonderful with a salad and/or bread!

This was shared with the following:

     Country Momma Cooks: Link and Greet #13

     Weekend Potluck #13

     Financial Friday + Fabulous Features

     Taylor House Thursday #3

     Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 4-12-12

     Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party-Week 40

Thai Shrimp Curry

In the past, I never thought I wanted to eat Thai food because my perception has always been that it is spicy hot. However, I occasionally watch Chef Tommy Tang on PBS making easy Thai food, and I absolutely salivate over his dishes. In addition, last year I was looking for other ways to use coconut milk and came across this recipe online. The thing I love about this dish is that it is pretty fast and you can adjust the level of heat- making it mild or spicy.  Every time I make it, we all spend the meal exclaiming how good it is. I have also made this dish and served it over angel hair pasta. In addition, this dish would also be good with fish or chicken. The recipe I am posting is an adaptation of one I found on Epicurious.com- I followed the basic recipe but added in some other vegetables and seasonings.

     Ingredients:

2 Tbsp oil

1 cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup chopped green onion

1-2 Tbsp Thai green curry paste

1  14 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

2-3 cups chicken broth (or enough to cover vegetables)

3 Tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 cup diced plum tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes)

2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

*optional (I also added these items)- 

•      2 stalks of celery, bias cut 
•      1 small yellow summer squash, quartered and thinly sliced
•      1/2 sweet green or red pepper, chopped (may use any combination of sweet or hot peppers)
•      1/2 cup carrots, julienned
•      3 cloves garlic, pressed/finely minced or 1-2 Tbsp of garlic paste
•      1-2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger or may use ginger paste (this really adds wonderful flavor), may substitute 1-2 tsp dry ginger powder
•      1-2 shrimp flavor bouillon cubes

     Directions:

Heat oil in bottom of a large soup pot and add sliced onion (not the green), celery, peppers, squash and carrots. Cook for approximately 2-4 minutes until the onion is just becoming translucent. Season with some seasoned salt. Add in the garlic, ginger and green curry paste and stir around for about 1 minute. Then add in coconut milk, chicken broth, fish sauce and sugar. Boil for 2 minutes.  Add in green onions, shrimp and tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes if using medium shrimp or a couple minutes longer if using larger shrimp- just until they begin to turn pink. Serve over prepared rice or noodles and garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.   

  Serves approximately 4-6 people   

Shared with the following:

     Weekend Potluck #13

     The Taylor House #3

     Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday 4-12-12

     Six Sisters' Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party-Week 40

Portuguese Soup (Caldo Verde)

Here is another soup that I made for the first time a few months ago and really enjoyed. In fact, the entire family liked it. This is one of the many variations of Portuguese soup- which is reportedly their national soup. The main elements, I have learned, are kale- lots of it and thus called "Green Soup", potatoes and some type of a broth. Many other people add in any or all of the following: cabbage, beans, tomatoes and andouille or another type of sausage. Of course, I have a hard time making a dish with just a couple ingredients for some reason. Maybe it is because I feel the need to always try to pack as much nutrition in one dish, and I am a big one for one-dish meals! So this is why my Portuguese soup is full of ingredients and not just a simple dish. Feel free, though, to make it with any or all of the ingredients- you might substitute the kale for some other type of greens if you do not care as much for the kale.

Ingredients:

1-2 large onions, chopped 

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil or butter

3-4 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed

2-3 cups of chopped starchy vegetable- white and/or sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, etc

1/4 medium head of cabbage, coarsely chopped (optional)

2  15 oz. cans of kidney beans or cannelini or whatever other combination desired, drained

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes, or 1  24 oz. (large) can diced tomatoes with the juice

1-2 Tbsp dried parsley

12-16 oz. sausage of choice

8-10 cups chicken broth or water with chicken flavor bouillon (may need to add more)

1 pound kale, center rib removed, finely chopped

Adobo seasoned salt to taste

Instructions:

In a large stockpot, sauté the onion and celery with oil or butter until the onion is translucent. Add in the minced garlic and sauté a couple minutes longer, stirring constantly. You may brown the sausage in a separate pan or in the same pot with the vegetables. Then add in the remainder of the ingredients except the kale and cook over medium heat until the vegetables have cooked and the potatoes are soft. Add in the kale and cook about 10-15 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Serve with a hearty bread.

Serves approximately 8-10 as a main dish

Shared on :
Simple Lives Thursday #87

Unstuffed Pepper Soup Supreme

This soup started out as a regular Unstuffed Pepper Soup since I had a lot of peppers to use up and I had been in the mood to make this for a long time. However, as I have written in the past, I tend to start adding some of this and some of that until the soup morphs into something else. This leads to moving the soup from one pot to another larger pot- sometimes a couple of different times before it is finished. That is how this soup became what it is- I really didn't even know what to call it because it is not really an Unstuffed Pepper Soup anymore. However, since it still has the "bones" of a pepper soup, I left the name. My children told me after the initial supper that they enjoyed it, which is remarkable given the variety of vegetables in it and the fact they are not fans of peppers usually. This time around, I used sausage, as well as a large patty pan squash that was begging to be used up, some yellow summer squash, mushrooms and cabbage. This made a huge pot of soup and would probably feed about 10 people. I have listed the ingredients along with the approximate amounts. The average size family or couple might want to cut this in half, at least.

Ingredients:

1/2- 1 pound ground beef or sausage
1-2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
5-6 large green peppers, chopped
1/4- 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1 large carton of beef broth (approximately 32 oz.)
1 carton of chicken broth (32 oz.)- you may need to add more if you  need more liquid as the rice cooks
28 oz. tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce (I prefer spaghetti sauce)
1  15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 cups cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 small yellow summer squash, chopped
1 larger patty pan squash, seeds removed & chopped
1 cup rice- white or brown
1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp Italian herb blend
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt- adjust to taste depending on how salty broth is


In a LARGE soup pot, sauté meat with onions until meat is browned. Drain off fat, if needed. Add in the garlic and cook for another couple minutes. Add in remainder of ingredients and cook for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked. Serve with a hearty bread.

Ham and Great Northern Bean Soup

I love winter time because it is such a great time for soups. One of the soups my mom used to make quite often when I was growing up was a Great Northern Bean and Ham Soup because it was one of my dad's favorites, and my dad often spiced it up a little with some red hot sauce. I was never particularly fond of it- I just ate it because that was what we had to do in our family. However, after I was married, our neighbor at that time invited us over for a supper of Ham and Bean Soup. It was so delicious that I was immediately hooked! The difference was just a little addition of tomato soup or sauce. Navy beans or any other white bean could be substituted in place of the Great Northern Beans. It could also be made without the ham, although I believe that is part of what gives such a good flavor. Since I had a large amount of leftover ham, decided that this was a good way to make some easy comfort food. I also took a little shortcut and used canned beans- you might soak and make the soup with dried beans if desired. The process will just take longer. In addition, I added some extra vegetables (celery, carrots, sweet potato) to this last soup, which really added a nice flavor.

Serves approximately 6

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, sliced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (optional, but really boosts the flavor & health benefits!)

2-3 Tbsp butter or olive oil

2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup chopped ham (more or less according to your preference)

29 oz. can of Great Northern Beans, or other type of white beans- or may cook 1 pound of dried beans according to directions on package

6 cups water (more or less to cover ingredients well in pot)

1-2 packets ham bouillon (Goya or other brand), optional or ham broth from leftover ham

8 oz. or 15 oz. can of tomato sauce (may use can of tomato soup)- I used 2  8 oz. cans

1 1/2- 2 tsp seasoned salt- adjust to taste

1/2 tsp pepper

parsley for garnish

In a large soup pot, sauté onions, celery and sweet potato in butter or oil. After onion becomes translucent, add in the garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Then add in the remaining ingredients except that parsley. Cook over medium heat for approximately 30-50 minutes or until sweet potatoes are very soft, stirring occasionally. Then using as handheld stick blender, carefully blend the soup on low speed until the soup becomes thicker. You can still leave some chunks of beans and meat. Serve with a hearty bread.

Shared with the following:

Potato Ham and Kale Soup

This soup was a last minute quick fix that turned out so well that leftovers were thoroughly enjoyed. This time making potato soup, I added a few sweet potatoes that needed to be used up and was pleasantly surprised at what a nice flavor they added to everything. I also added some leftover kale since I am always trying to sneak more veggies and greens into my kids' diet in ways that they do not notice them as much.

Ingredients:

1 large onion or 2 medium onions, diced

2-3 large celery stalks, sliced

2 cups chopped kale

5 large potatoes, cleaned and diced (peels left on if desired)

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

8 - 16 oz. ham, diced (may use more or less if desired)

2-3 tsp Adobo seasoned salt (adjust to taste)

1/4 - 1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp dried parsley

8 cups water (approximately)

4-6 hard boiled eggs, diced

1/2 - 3/4 cup cream or 1 can of evaporated milk

In a stockpot, sauté onions, celery and kale in a couple tablespoons of butter or oil. After onion is translucent, add in the chopped potatoes, ham, salt, pepper, parsley and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat slightly, cooking until potatoes are soft. When finished, add in the hard boiled eggs and cream or evaporated milk. May mash the potatoes to desired consistency with a potato masher or handheld blender.

Rustic Turnip Greens and Vegetables with Quinoa

Well, I could not pass up a great deal on frozen turnip greens at my local discount grocery while ago- a HUGE  3 pound box for only $1.79! Normally I might have to pay almost that much for a 1 pound package of some frozen greens. So I bought 3 boxes-- later wondering for a minute how I was going to use 3 pounds at a time. However, since it was such a good deal, I did not spend much time on the small details.  ;)  When I started thinking about what I could use them to make, I remembered that turnip greens have a slightly bitter flavor as compared to spinach or kale. So I began to think more about how I could incorporate them into things that my children might eat and not complain too much! While I had previously used these greens in soups and eaten them sautéed with bacon, I was looking for something a little different and some way that I could use up a lot of them without eating a huge pile of them by themselves.

So this is the huge block of turnip greens, partially thawed.

After perusing the internet for ideas, I decided it would be good to mix the greens with some other vegetables (including some that have a little natural sweetness to help offset the bitterness of the greens) and a little ham for extra flavor. Then I thought it might also be nice to have a little milk or cream sauce- I ended up making a white (béchemel sauce) to mix in at the end. In the process of adding this and that, I got the idea to throw in some quinoa, which I have on hand but do not use as much as I would like to. This ended up being a perfect addition- not really enough to stand out but still there adding some great nutrition.

As is often the case, my dish ended up to be a HUGE pot that we will be eating on for a little while. I used probably about 1 1/2 pounds of the greens. If you have a "normal" amount of fresh greens or frozen- like 1 pound or less, than you will have a more reasonably sized dish. I have attempted to cut my amounts in half, which may still make a normal "family-sized" amount. This dish can be a main dish or used as a side to other foods. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that both of my children, although initially were a little hesitant to try it, ended up eating it very well and commented on how good it was. Feel free to leave out items or add in other foods, as desired.

The large crockpot it started in- had to be moved into another pot to finish on the stove.

This is something that can be started in the morning in a crockpot and be ready in 4-6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. However, I had to switch over to a pot on the stove since I did not get it started early enough and needed to speed up the cooking process. I am notorious in my family for my soups/dishes that start in one pot, then have to be moved into a bigger pot- sometimes multiple times.
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 12-16 oz. or a good-sized clump of turnip greens, the hard center rib removed, rinsed well and then the greens chopped (or use frozen chopped greens)
• 3-4 med-large potatoes, cleaned and cut into chunks
• 1/4 cabbage, coarsely sliced/chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2-3 ham slices, cut into chunks
• 2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used some leftover cooked ones, about 2 cups)
• 4-6 cups water
• 3-4 chicken bouillon cubes
• salt/seasoned salt (1-2 tsp to cook in with potatoes, then to taste at the end)
• 1/4 cup zylitol or other sweetener (more or less, helps cut the bitterness of the greens)
• 1/4-1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 4 hard boiled eggs, diced
• 2 medium onions, diced and sautéed in 2 Tbsp butter, a little salt until they begin to almost carmelize
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1-1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 1/2- 3 cups milk
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

• Assemble the first 11 ingredients and put in a 6-8 quart soup pot, adding enough water to cover the potatoes/vegetables. Begin cooking on the stove on medium-high (or put in the crockpot) and cook until the potatoes/other vegetables are tender- approximately 35 minutes. Watch closely to make sure there is enough water and stir occasionally. 
• While vegetables are cooking, prepare the hard-boiled eggs and sauté the onions and garlic. 
• Then start preparing the white sauce- in a saucepan, melt the butter, add in the flour and whisk together. Continue to cook over low-medium heat while stirring the roux for a couple minutes. 
• Then begin to gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium low, continuing to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. When finished, add in seasonings. 
• When the vegetables are finished, add in onions, hard-boiled eggs and white sauce. Mix together and serve with some crusty bread, if desired.

* Turnip greens are an amazing food- so full of nutrients that they really are another one of the "superfoods". Feel free to check out the site I found that does a wonderful job at detailing just how good this food is- http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=144  I did not realized that it is the turnip green's high calcium content that contributes to its bitterness. It is also very rich in cancer-fighting nutrients. So cheers to the humble turnip greens!

Quick Corned Beef , Cabbage and Potato Soup

Cooking with kids- for me, two words= stressful and stretching. However, I realize it is necessary for them to learn skills in the kitchen and it will also help them learn to try foods more readily if they are participants in the preparation and cooking process. So this is our latest family cooking activity retold for your entertainment.

This recipe was truly a work of the entire family! Even my husband got involved and offered some suggestions, which he rarely does. Anyways, my 9 year old son decided in the afternoon that he was going to treat me to a "gourmet soup". He has taken quite an interest in making food (mostly soups) since I started this blog. However, usually he starts chopping some carrots and celery and then wants to abandon ship for something else that has caught his attention. He decided previously that he is not going to be cutting up onions again anytime soon-- after he made a couple slices in one and immediately developed watery eyes and could not find any goggles to cover his eyes adequately. So with this in mind and the fact that I have been quite ill with a severe sinus infection and sore throat for quite some time, I really did not feel like going through this process again with him right now.

Suffice it to say, he went ahead and pulled out some carrots and started cleaning and chopping them while I was trying to rest. Later he came to me and told me of his progress and informed me that he could not find  anything else to put in the soup. By the time my husband came home from work, our son was again thinking about what he could use- putting lettuce in the soup was vetoed. As I looked through the fridge and saw we had some cabbage, my husband offered the idea that a cabbage and potato soup with carrots would be good. So as I tried to convince my son that this would be a good direction to go in with the soup, he pulled out some corned beef luncheon meat that I had picked up at the discount grocery the previous week. So we all were able to brainstorm and come up with things to pull together a tasty soup, and were we ever surprised at how good this soup turned out!!

Our son was so thrilled at being able to "make" the soup (admittedly with a little help from mom), and our 4 year old daughter was happy she was able to help chop up some of the vegetables.  While I am a bit of a control-freak and nit-picky about messes in the kitchen, it is a good feeling to be able to make something with one's children and see everyone enjoy the fruits of the group's efforts.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped
4-5 medium-large potatoes, chopped
1 cup carrots, peeled (if needed) and chopped
2-3 celery stalks, chopped (we did not have them for this recipe)
1/4 medium head of cabbage, sliced or small chunks
10 oz. sliced corned beef, cut into pieces
8 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 palmful of  Herbes de Provence
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp seasoned salt (I use adobo with pepper or cumin), or to taste
fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped for garnish if desired

Combine all the prepared ingredients into a large soup pot and add the water, bouillon cubes and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked and soft. Serve with some buttered toast, garlic bread or other type of bread.

Note: Herbes de Provence is a mixture of herbs that you can find in most any grocery store. I just purchased some from Penzey's herbs online. It is a wonderful blend of rosemary, thyme, fennel, basil, lavender, oregano, savory, marjoram and some include sage, chervil, dill and tarragon. The Penzey's brand seems to contain the largest variety of spices I have seen together. This is a wonderful blend for using in many dishes and is well worth keeping on hand. It goes wonderful with eggs, potatoes, chicken, vegetables, fish, stews or soups, as I found with this experiment.

Enjoy!!

Easy Yellow Split Pea Soup- Iraqi style

We have been enjoying so many of the foods prepared by an Iraqi family whom we have had the privilege of getting to know lately. Their family usually breaks their fast each evening during Ramadan by eating a date, then they proceed to a soup- often a lentil soup. My friend's version is often made with very tiny vermicelli pieces. Although they typically use red lentils, which are so good, I had some yellow split peas that I was wanting to use. I like the creaminess that comes with using split peas. Even though they eat this as a starter, I love this soup as the main course in the cold winter.

Makes about 3-4  servings.
Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced very small (my addition)
• 1 cup yellow split peas
• 6 cups water
• 1-2 cubes chicken bouillon/flavoring
• Adobo seasoned salt with cumin (or salt) to taste
• 1/4 tsp black ground pepper
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp curry powder
• approximately 1/2 cup vermicelli, broken into small pieces, approximately 1-2 inches
• added water as needed

Directions:

• Sort the peas- pulling out the things not edible, then rinse well. 
• In a large pot, sauté onion and garlic in 1-2 Tbsp oil until turning a golden brown. 
• Add in rinsed peas, water, salt, pepper, parsley and bouillon to a boil and then lower the heat to medium-low. 
• Continue cooking in this way until split peas are soft and turning creamy- about 1 1/2- 1 3/4 hours, stirring occasionally. 
• Add the curry powder and additional water if needed to make it the proper soup consistency. 
• Add the vermicelli and continue to cook until the pasta is soft. It is then ready to serve.

*This could easily be adapted for the slow cooker- add everything except the curry and vermicelli (the onion/garlic should already be sautéed). Cook on high for 3 1/2 hours. After the soup is creamy, add the curry and vermicelli and allow to cook until the vermicelli is finished- approximately 20 minutes.

This soup is also wonderful over warm rice.

African Groundnut Stew

This stew's secret ingredients is the peanut butter-- gives it a wonderful flavor. My husband told me he never would have known it had peanut butter in it unless I told him, but there is a unique and "gotta have more" flavor that it adds. It is also good with many different kinds of meat. This from a recipe by Bob Kellermann and adapted by Paula Deen and then further adapted by myself with another similar recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch cubes (or you may use lamb or chicken meat cubes and substitute chicken bouillon cubes)
• 1/2 cup flour to coat meat
• 1/4 cup oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 beef bouillon cubes
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1-2 teaspoon chili powder (I used 2 tsp)
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1-2 Tbsp dried parsley
• 4 cups water
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 large bundle of fresh collard greens, (may also use kale, spinach or other greens) washed, drained, and thinly sliced (or frozen, chopped greens- 1 pound)
• 2-3 carrots, chunked- may use any other root vegetables
• 2 large white potatoes and/or sweet potatoes (optional)
• 1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
• 1/2- 1 cup peanut butter (I used the larger amount and it was much tastier but not too strong. I even used chunky PB.)

Directions:

• In a Dutch oven, dredge the meat and flour and brown in the oil. 
• Add the bouillon cubes, salt, crushed red pepper, chili powder, curry powder, parsley and water. Stir and bring to a rapid boil,  reducing the heat and simmering covered for 1 hour. 
• Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in a skillet until all of the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside. 
• Saute the greens and the onions in the bacon fat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly, adding in the garlic part way through. 
• Add the sauteed greens and onions along with the tomato puree, chunked potatoes and any other root vegetables, reserved bacon (optional), and peanut butter to the stew. Stir and simmer covered for 1 hour. If it seems to not have enough liquid, add another cup of water/broth while it cooks. You may also need to add a little more seasoning/salt since the potatoes absorb a lot. Serve with rice.  (Note: if using frozen greens, you won't need to cook them with the onions in the bacon fat quite as long.)

This can be easily adapted for a slow cooker, as well.


Alternative method-


Recently, I cooked the roast beef a couple days before at a very low temperature (250 degrees) for about 4 hours with onion soup mix and beef drippings from the pan that included seasonings from when I first browned it. Since I still had a large amount of meat left over, I used most of it to make this stew. Instead of flouring and browning the meat as above, I just chopped the cooked meat up into small pieces. Meanwhile, in a large soup pot- approximately 10-12 quarts, I browned 2 large onions and 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced very fine, with the oil, curry and chili powder. After the onions were softened and the seasoning had time to cook in the oil, I then added a 1 pound bag of frozen chopped collard greens. After these thawed in the pot and cooked for a couple minutes with the onion/garlic mixture, then I added the meat, 2 large white and 2 good sized sweet potatoes chopped into chunks, tomato puree and water/beef broth liquids, as well as the parsley and crushed red pepper (optional) and peanut butter- basically everything else. I did not bother with the bacon, instead just cooked the onions with the seasonings and oil. (The bacon adds much flavor, but also takes more time than I felt I had.) Because the meat was already cooked, I just needed to cook it on low temperature long enough to get the potatoes soft enough to eat- approximately 30 minutes. However, you need to stir this regularly so it does not burn or stick to the bottom.

Mmm good- and really not a hard meal to put together with leftover meat.

Salmon Chowder

Here is another great and tasty way to get some of the needed omega 3 fatty acids in your diet.

Ingredients:

1 can (14.75 oz.) salmon (wild)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons, butter or oil
2 cups diced potatoes
1-2 chopped or diced parsnips (optional)
2 cups diced carrots
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp thyme
1 Tbsp dried chopped parsley
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 (10 oz packages) of frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cans lowfat evaporated milk (13 oz. each)
Minced parsley for garnish

Drain and flake salmon- you may want to debone the meat, reserving the liquid. Saute onions, celery and garlic in butter until soft. Add potatoes, carrots, reserved salmon liquid, chicken broth and seasonings. Simmer, covered 20 minutes, or until vegetables are nearly tender.  Add broccoli and corn and cook 5 more minutes. Add flaked salmon and evaporated milk; heat thoroughly. Sprinkle with minced parsley to serve.

This can be thickened with dried instant potato flakes, or you can make a roux with equal amounts fat and flour, cooked together until it is a golden brown color, then whisk some milk into it gradually. The amount of roux ingredients would be 1/4-1/2 cup flour and 1/4-1/2 cup butter. After it is made and cooked for a few minutes and the some of the milk added, then it can be whisked into the soup and cooked for at least 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

This is great with some cheddar biscuits, hearty whole grain bread or rolls and/or a green salad.

Ukrainian Lentil Soup

This recipe was just shared with me by a good friend. It looks wonderful. Here it is:


Ukrainian Lentil Soup

Pour 8 cups of water into a pot--add more or less water according to how much soup is desired. Season water according to taste preference with salt, pepper, garlic powder or garlic cloves, two whole cloves (optional), and a small bay leaf (optional). If not adding meat, may add bouillon flavoring.

Add the lentils and meat (if desired) to the pot of water and cook for one hour. Meat options include a ham bone, beef cubes/tips, or one pound of diced hot dogs. If using hot dogs, add them to the pot of soup later (when adding the sautéed vegetables).

Dice ¾ to 1 cup each of carrots, celery, and onions. Also dice 1 ½ to 2 cups of potatoes (white potatoes, sweet potatoes, or yams).

Pour some olive oil in a skillet and heat the oil. Then sauté the vegetables just until they are soft.

Add sautéed vegetables to the pot of lentils/meat. This is when the diced hot dogs can be added.

Instead of the stove-top cooking pot, you may put it all into a crock pot (slow cooker) on high 4-6 hours or on low 6-8 hours.

Simmer on low heat for a few hours until vegetables are fully cooked.

This recipe is easy and flexible. It was shared with me by the late Ruth Dippold.

~Lois Pierce

Potato Sausage Soup

This soup was inspired by Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscana Soup and is one of my favorite soups with a hearty bread. This recipe makes a large pot of soup, and this is great for leftovers. For small families or a couple, you could make half the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound sausage, bulk or casing removed (I like to use the sage sausage)
3/4 cup onions, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
10 cups chicken broth
1/2 - 3/4 tsp sage
1 Tbsp chopped dried parsley
1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning blend (or salt- more or less to taste)
1 tsp Italian blend herbs
1 cup carrots, sliced (optional)
6 large potatoes, cubed (may leave skins on if they are good)
4 large kale leaves, center rib removed and leaves cut in half again, then sliced (or you may use other greens, fresh or frozen such as chopped spinach, collard greens, escarole, etc.)
1/2 cup half and half or light cream or evaporated milk
3-4 hard-boiled eggs, diced (optional)
bacon for garnish (optional)
parmesan/romano cheese for garnish (optional)

Prepare hard boiled eggs, if desired. (Bring eggs in a pot with water covering them to a boil and then turn heat off and leave covered- Leave in water with lid on pot for 20 minutes. Drain water and run cold water over them. Continue changing water as necessary to keep cool, for 15-20 minutes or until cooled completely.) Saute the sausage, onion and garlic until onion is tender on medium/high heat in a 12 quart soup pot. Drain off extra grease, if necessary, and add the broth, celery, potatoes, carrots and seasonings. Cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are cooked. Add the greens and cook for about 10 more minutes. Turn off heat; add milk/cream and eggs and stir well. Place soup in bowls and sprinkle with bacon and parmesan/romano cheese if desired.  Makes about 12-14   1 cup servings.  This makes excellent leftovers.

Italian Tortellini Soup with Sausage

This recipe was adapted from Ronzoni's recipe.

Ingredients:

3/4-1 pound Italian sausage, bulk or casings removed- may also use Keilbasa instead
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups (28 oz. can) diced tomatoes (best with Italian seasonings)
5 1/4 cups water
5 beef bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cups hearty red wine (or may use equivalent beef broth instead)
1  tsp Italian seasoning blend
1/4-1/2 tsp dried sage (optional)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp seasoned salt (Adobo works well), more or less as desired
1 package (8.8 ounces) Ricotta & Spinach or Three Cheese Tortellini, uncooked (or may use other flavors of tortellini)
2 cups sliced, quartered zucchini
1 small frozen package of chopped spinach, thawed and some of moisture removed
1 15 oz. can of cannelini beans, drained (long white kidney beans, or may use other white bean)
1 cup corn (optional)
1 cup peas (optional)
1 cup green beans (optional)
sour cream
parsley, chopped for garnish

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook sausage until crumbly; drain. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic; cook until onions and mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, water, bouillon, wine and seasonings; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return to boiling; stir in pasta. Return to a boil and cook 12 minutes. Stir in vegetables and beans; simmer 5 minutes or until tender. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve with dallop of sour cream and chopped parsley for garnish.

Meat Tagine (Stew)

This is a Moroccan dish that is full of flavor. Traditionally, this is cooked in Morocco in a special clay pot with a cone-shaped top that creates a steam cooking effect. It usually cooks slowly for a large part of the day. There are many varieties- you can use more or fewer spices, as desired.  For those of use who do not have tagines, a slow cooker works great, although I have used the pressure cooker and it was almost as good, also. However, the meat and seasonings only should be pressure-cooked and then the other items added so as the keep some consistency. Don't be too intimidated by the list of spices. It is easy to put together and is versatile with beef, chicken, or lamb. You could even make it vegetarian with some meaty beans.  I saw Rachel Ray making this and have adapted the recipe somewhat. It is often served with couscous, but is also great over rice, millet, quinoa, bulgur or potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 pound of meat, ground or chunked
2-3 Tbsp oil
2 large onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced (more or less as desired)
1 heaping Tbsp sweet paprika
1 heaping Tbsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1/2- 1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grill seasoning
1 tsp coriander
1 Tbsp chili powder
1  tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ginger (optional)
1/2 tsp cloves (optional)
1/2 tsp allspice (optional)
1 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 cup raisins, prunes and/or chopped apricots
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet potato or orange squash/pumpkin
water/broth approximately 4-6 cups
chopped cilantro/ parsley, sliced green onion for garnish


Place the meat, onions, garlic, oil and dry seasonings together in a medium pot and brown. After the meat is browned and the onions are becoming soft, add the remaining ingredients, cover with water and/or part water and broth (beef is good for lamb and beef). Cook on low on the stove for approximately 1- 1 1/2 hours. Garnish as it is served.

If using a slow cooker, follow instructions for browning and add mixture into the slow cooker (3 1/2 quart should be adequate) with the other ingredients. Cover with water/broth and cook for on high for 3-4 hours (on low approximately 8 hours) or until meat and squash are cooked.

If using a pressure cooker, brown ingredients as listed above and then add all the other ingredients except the squash/pumpkin/sweet potato and dried fruit. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, cool enough to open cooker, then add squash/fruit and cook until squash is soft.

Artisan Bread

Hey all,

I just wanted to post a link to a fast and easy recipe for making artisan bread. I am in the midst of trying this and there is also information on the cookbooks by these two authors. They are responsive to any questions people post on their blog. I was amazed at how easy and quick this method is, considering that usually to get these type of results, one must invest a lot of time feeding a starter, kneading dough, letting it rise, etc. These authors, however, have managed to develop a no-knead method of artisan breadmaking that one can make at home for pennies a loaf- compared to the $4-6/loaf in the bakery or grocery store, and people can do it even with a busy schedule. The idea is that you make up a wet dough mixture that is stored in the refrigerator and then you use it little by little to make/shape dough balls or put in pans and later bake. It takes just about 5 minutes to prepare a loaf for the oven, although there is a rest time before baking. The flavor of artisan bread is amazing, wonderful with soups/stews, chowders, for pizzas and even has been made into many other baked good like doughnuts, sweet dough items and the list goes on. The is the traditional kind of bread brought over from the immigrants from all over Europe where people have typically eaten various types of this kind of bread for generations.

This is the link http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=1616 or you can go to the homepage at http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

Have fun and happy baking!

Easy Split Pea Soup (slow cooker and stovetop methods)

Ingredients

1 pound split peas, dried
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-6 carrots, sliced
2-3 stalks celery and/or tops, chopped
1 bay leaf
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp thyme
8-10 cups water
1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste), I prefer Adobo seasoned salt

Optional

2 cups chicken stock (or may use water with ham bouillon/flavoring)
a turkey carcass
a ham bone
leftover ham
1/4 pound bacon, fried and crumbled for garnish or real bacon bits
12 oz can evaporated milk or 1- 1/2 cup milk

Put all ingredients in a soup kettle or 5 quart slow cooker (leave 1- 1 1/2 inches for boiling room). Simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 hours. Or cook in slow cooker for 8-10 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. About 1/2 hour before serving, remove meat and bones, and put blend soup (handheld stick blender works the best). Return meat to soup. May add some milk, if desired and garnish with bacon bits.  Serve with cornbread or other types of bread. Makes approximately 10-12 cups.

Variations

Curried Pea Soup-  For a different flavor and consistency, cut all vegetables into small dice, use 8 cups chicken broth. Substitute 1 tsp or more of curry powder and black pepper to taste

Vegetarian Pea Soup- Omit meat, stock or bones. For a complete protein, add 1 cup barley or other grain, or serve with whole grain bread. If you wish, add 6 oz. grated cheese (Gruyere, Swiss, jack or Cheddar) before serving.

*Recipe adapted from Nadine Bowlus, Jean Baker White, Donna Moore and Stacy Laputz- from Whole Foods For the Whole Family La Leche League International Cookbook 1981.