Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Lentil Stew

Lentils are friendly—the Miss Congeniality of the bean world - Laurie Colwin

With or without the sausage this is a nice hearty meal for a cold day!

Lentil Stew

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
4-6 large carrots chopped into chunks
1 lb cooked lentils
1 lb bulk hot sausage
8 cups chopped kale
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp sage
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a 6-8 quart dutch oven, cover lentils with 8 cups of water and cook 20-30 minutes.
Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onion until translucent. Add the cooked onion, carrots, garlic and spices to the lentils. Add up to 4 cups of vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until carrots are soft.
Meanwhile, if desired, brown sausage in skillet and add to dutch oven.
Finally, add the kale. Cook until wilted.
Serve hot over rice.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Green Chile Gazpacho

It's tomato soup served iced cold - Lisa Simpson

It's roasted chile time here in Pueblo so it only seemed right to throw a green chile in the mix....I used a nice red one to keep the overall color red.
A very satisfying mix of garden vegetables.

Green Chile Gazpacho


Ingredients
4 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 - 1 small sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped
1 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 cups of water for desired consistency
1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 ripe roasted green chile (red one for the color)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoons sugar
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Method
Combine all ingredients. Blend slightly, to desired consistency. Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Meatloaf Florentine Soup

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A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat. - Old New York Proverb

This soup takes a little time to prepare, but there is nothing difficult or complicated about it. I am pleased with this creation.

Meatloaf Florentine Soup

Ingredients

16 Meatballs, cooked (see recipe below)
2 large potatoes, washed and chopped
6-8 mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch of fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot combine the onion, garlic and potatoes with the broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and meatballs and simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Add the spinach and simmer another 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meatballs
1 pound ground meat
2 eggs
1-2 slices of bread, torn into small pieces or 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp oil

To a skillet add the oil and saute the onion until soft. Add the onion along with all the other ingredients to the ground meat. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together and shape into meatballs. The mix should make about 16 golf ball size meatballs. Brown the meatballs in the oil that was used to soften the onion.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Chicken Noodle Soup

A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting. -Abraham Maslow

A simple chicken noodle soup. Just good food!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups diced chicken (boneless thighs work well)
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 medium onion
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1-2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
4 cups cooked egg noodles
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the chicken, onion, and parsley. Cook 5-7 minutes until chicken is cooked through and onions are soft. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the frozen vegetables and cook 5 about minutes or until cooked through. Finally, add the noodles along with salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Étouffée Primavera

Food is an important part of a balanced diet. ~Fran Lebowitz

In the debate on whether light or dark "roux" is best...I am definitely on the side of none. So this is my lighter, fresher version of the classic, which is why I call this dish Étouffée Primavera.. If, for some reason, you have an aversion to crawdad tails, then by all means, substitute shrimp or diced chicken for an equally delicious meal.


Étouffée Primavera

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons butter.
1 Green pepper, diced
1 Onion, diced
1 Bunch green onions, chopped
1 Jalapeño, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cups of hot water
1/2 lb crawdad tails
1 Tomato, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups cooked rice

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the green pepper, onion, green onion, and jalapeño to the pan and sauté until the onion is translucent and the other vegetables are bright green in color. Add the garlic and sauté 2 more minutes. Add the parsley and bay leaves along with the hot water. Add the crawdad tails and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and just heat through.

Put a serving of rice in a bowl and top with the crawdad mixture.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Green Chile

Hunger is the best sauce in the world. ~Cervantes


This is the easiest and best green chili ever....You can eat it like a soup, smother a burrito or a tamale with it or see below the recipe to make Pueblo's signature dish...The slopper.  Anyway you serve it, it's delicious!!

Green Chili

Ingredients:

1/2 pound pork for stew, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp oil
1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
2 cans (14 oz) Mexican-style tomatoes with green chili
2 cans of water
4-6 roasted green chiles, seeded and chopped (1 small can will work)

Sear and brown the pork in the oil with the onions and about a 1/4 cup of the cilantro.  When the pork is cooked through add the tomatoes, the  water and the green chiles.  Bring to  a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  To thicken, add about 1 tablespoon of flour or cornstarch to about 1/2 cup of water.  Stir until smooth.  Bring the Green Chile back up to a boil, slowly drizzle the flour mixture into the pot, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.  Serve with tortillas.

Pueblo Slopper
Cook a hamburger patty using favorite method.  Place hamburger (with or without bun, according to personal preference) in a serving bowl.  Top with green chile, shredded cheese and  diced onions.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Vegetable Beef with Barley Soup

Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.  ~Voltaire

This is probably one of my all-time favorite soups.  Simple to prepare; satisfying and delicious to eat...

Vegetable  Beef with Barley Soup

 Ingredients:


1/2 pound beef stew meat, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup of pearl barley, dry
6 cups of water
1 (14 oz) can of  fire roasted  diced tomatoes with garlic
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste


Fill a large pot with water. Salt the beef and  add the beef, parsley and onions to the pot of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the meat is tender.  Add the tomatoes, 2 cups of water and the barley.  Simmer an additional 30 minutes or until the barley is cooked through.  Add the vegetables and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.

Alternately, all the ingredients except the vegetables can be put in a crock pot and cooked all day.  The soup can be finished  by adding the vegetables and cooking to desired tenderness. 
 

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Black Bean Soup

You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients. Julia Child


Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices smoked bacon, finely chopped
  • 1 medium onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
  • salt and black pepper taste
  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
  • Sour cream, for garnish
  • Grated cheddar, for garnish
In a large pot, add the bacon and onions. Cook for approximately 5 minutes or until bacon crisps up and onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook a couple minutes longer. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, chili powder and black beans. Chop the cilantro and add a handful the last 5 minutes of cooking. Ladle the soup into a bowl, top with a spoonful of sour cream, sprinkle chopped scallions and grated cheese over top.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Southwestern Chicken with Rice Soup

“With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bent arm for a pillow -- I have still joy in the midst of all these things.” Confucius

I live in southern Colorado and love the local cuisine...tomatoes and hot peppers, can spice up even the plainest meal...Add corn and black beans and you have a party! This dish started out to be chicken with rice soup, but when I saw the first fresh ears of corn on sale at the local grocery store, I decided to add some pizazz!

Southwestern Chicken With Rice Soup

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken, cooked chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 green chiles, seeded and chopped
1 (14 oz) can black beans, drained
1 can (14 oz) of Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 ear of corn, kernels removed
1/2 cup rice, uncooked
1 Tbsp chopped scallions, green tops
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Mix all ingredients except the scallions and cilantro together in a large pot and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is done. Add chopped scallions and cilantro and simmer 5 more minutes.

This makes approximately 4 servings @ about $1.40 per serving.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Cabbage and Potato Soup

I like to get where the cabbage is cooking and catch the scents. Red Smith

This is just a nice hearty soup. We ate boiled cabbage when I was growing up so cabbage "soup" was not too hard for me to imagine... 1 1/2 Cups of Beef bullion can be used instead of the Bragg's Liquid Aminos.

Cabbage and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. butter
1/2 lb. Polska Kielbasa sausage, thinly sliced (optional)
1 rib of celery, chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
6 c. water
1/2 small cabbage, coarsely shredded
handful baby carrots, halved
1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos
2 tsp vinegar
1 large potato, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In large pot, melt butter. Add sausage, celery, and onion. Cook until celery and onion are tender. Add remaining ingredients, except potatoes. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add potatoes and cook 20 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Salsa Chicken Soup

When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. ~Laiko Bahrs

Leftover chicken and some salsa were the inspiration for this soup. Sometimes I even surprise myself with how tasty an idea turns out! All the fresh vegetables makes this really good and good for you!


Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups of water
½ cup salsa
1 (29-ounce) can hominy, drained
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 avocado, pitted, diced
Coarsely shredded cabbage
Tomato, diced
1 Lime


Directions
In a large saucepan heat the vegetable oil. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Once the onions have softened add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour the chicken broth, water and salsa into the pot and bring to a boil. Add the cilantro, hominy and chopped chicken. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Loosely fill a serving bowl with shredded cabbage. Ladle soup over cabbage and garnish with chopped cilantro, diced avocado and tomato pieces. Squeeze fresh lime juice over all.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Potato Soup

Potatoes served at breakfast, At dinner served again; Potatoes served at supper, Forever and Amen! Pennsylvania prayer

Plain and simple. There's nothing better than tators!

Potato Soup

Ingredients


6 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot, just cover the onion, potatoes and parsley with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Use a potato masher to lightly mash some of the potatoes to thicken the liquid.
Stir in milk and butter. Heat until butter is just melted. Season with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Thai Shrimp Soup

Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. There's, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich... Mykelti Williamson as Bubba in Forrest Gump

So here you have it. My version of shrimp soup! It is colorful and delicious, as well as quick and easy. A great change of pace from regular ole vegetable soup...

Thai Shrimp Soup

Ingredients
8 ounce(s) rice noodles
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
6 ounces baby carrots, cut in half
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes
4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
8 ounces shelled and deveined shrimp
30 snow peas
1 small zucchini,sliced
1/2 cup coconut milk
4 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions

In bowl, cover rice noodles with hot water. Let stand 10 minutes; drain.

In large pot, combine onion, parsley, carrots and garlic. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, water, chicken stock and boil for 20 minutes.

Stir in snow peas, zucchini a pinch cayenne pepper cook for another 5 minutes. Then add the shrimp and soaked noodles. Reduce heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut milk, and lime juice. Sprinkle lightly with crushed red pepper flakes before serving.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Mama's Chili

Next to music there is nothing that lifts the spirits and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili. - Harry James (1916-1983) band leader and trumpeter

This is one of my favorite foods. Okay, I'll admit that pretty much any thing that I am eating is my favorite while I'm eating it....but this really is one of my favorites....We ate this with saltine crackers when I was growing up, but now I like it with grated cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Mama's Chili

Ingredients

1 pound hamburger
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained
1 Tablespoon chili powder
salt
pepper
cheddar cheese and tortilla chips for topping

Brown hamburger with onions and parsley. Drain fat if necessary. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomatoes plus one can of water, kidney beans and chili powder. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the desired consistency.

Strawberry Ambrosia Soup

Vegetables are the food of the earth; fruit seems more the food of the heavens. ~Sepal Felicivant

Oh my goodness....This is definitely food from the heavens....a fun and very pretty soup.

Strawberry Ambrosia Soup

Ingredients

2 cups hulled sliced strawberries
1 cup orange/pineapple juice
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Extra yogurt
Crushed strawberries with a little sugar sprinkled in
Banana
Walnut pieces
Flaked coconut

Blend the first 3 ingredients (strawberries, juice and yogurt) until smooth. Slice a banana into the bowl and pour the soup over top. Add a dollop of yogurt to the soup. Top with the crushed strawberries, walnut pieces and flaked coconut, if desired. Add a mint sprig for the final touch.

Pretty to look at and delicious to eat!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Corn Chowder

“Food is the most primitive form of comfort.” Sheilah Graham

This is an extremely simple and delicious recipe. We ate this frequently growing up. It is a very satisfying potato soup without the corn. With the corn it is a great corn chowder. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 cups whole kernel corn
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot, just cover the onion, potatoes and parsley with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Use a potato masher to lightly mash some of the potatoes to thicken the liquid.
Stir in corn, milk and butter. Heat until butter is just melted. Season with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Asparagus Soup

The idea for this spring soup came from The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley. I found this cookbook at The ChocolateSmith in Santa Fe.

This is an interesting recipe. We all enjoyed it, but all of the testers thought that the spices were a little overwhelming and so we recommend using less and adjusting up as you like.

Blending hot soup turned out to be quite a challenge so I decided to let the soup cool then blended it. I warmed it for eating. I hope you enjoy it.

Asparagus Soup
1 pound asparagus
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 White Onion, diced
4 medium potatoes peeled and diced
1/2 cup uncooked rice
8 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender buds,
finely ground in spice grinder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Greek yogurt

Cut the asparagus into 2 inch pieces reserving the tips for garnish. In a large stockpot melt the butter in the oil. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and rice. Add the broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the asparagus, parsley, lavender, and thyme. Simmer until the rice and potatoes are soft. Blend batches of soup until smooth. Return to the pot and add the lemon juice and the salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

To serve, swirl a tablespoon of the Greek Yogurt into the soup, garnish with the reserved asparagus tips and serve immediately.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

African Peanut Soup

Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” James Beard
African Peanut Soup


Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 cup chunky salsa
8 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
2/3 cup extra crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup uncooked rice
Sour Cream
Chopped cilantro

Directions

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Cook onions until lightly browned and tender, stirring in garlic when almost done to prevent burning. Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, pepper, and chili powder. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Stir in rice, cover, and simmer another fifteen minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in peanut butter until well blended, and serve with sour cream and cilantro.