Homemade Vegetable Soup

I watched a random Rachel Ray episode in late fall or early winter, that was directions for making a spur of the moment vegetable soup with whatever veggies you have on hand. The premise of this struck me - I can experiment with making soups! I kind of enjoy having recipes. It's a predictable outcome if you follow directions :) But I have tried the soup idea a few times and I always enjoy my result so I think I'll share with you. Maybe you will feel inspired to give it a shot and adjust it to your tastes. I begin with a little oil in the bottom of my heavy soup pan. I heat the oil over medium heat. Add 2-3 cloves of garlic (I love garlic but not everyone does so if you don't maybe stay on the lower end of this one). a few shakes of crushed red pepper (to give it a little zing and clear out your nose if you have a cold) Heat for a few minutes until the garlic "speaks" in the oil (sizzles) Add a chopped onion and cook until onion becomes translucent. From here - it's really your own tastes. Personally I like: A can of diced tomatoes sliced and peeled carrots (about 2) sliced celery (about 2 stalks) about 2 cups of chicken broth or more to your taste a few shakes of dried basil a shake of black pepper I let this simmer for about 10-15 minutes on medium-low. Then I add: sliced and peeled zucchini (1 big or two smaller) maybe some frozen or canned green beans or any other veggies you like :) Cook for another 5-10 minutes, taste testing and adjusting the flavors as needed. Yesterday I made the above soup and cooked some small frozen tortellini in there with the zucchini step. The tortellini adds something special and makes this a stand-alone meal. I also cheated yesterday and used the canned carrots to speed up the whole process. It still tastes good to me! You can add white beans, Broccoli, cauliflower or any other veggies you like. To make this all vegetarian, you could use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth. Take the plunge and experiment! It's worth it to have a homemade veggie soup. Enjoy

Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole

I'm sorry I've been missing in action lately.  Life got away from me and I did take a wonderful trip with my husband as well :)

I'm seeking comfort lately, and this week I'm not worried about carbs or calories :).  So here's another old standby recipe.  In my opinion, this SHOULD work better than it does for getting kids to eat veggies. My mother never mixed my veggies with cheese and hamburger or there would have been way fewer dinner time battles! :)  Instead I was forced to eat things like beef stroganoff (WITH mushrooms) and the like.  Apparently I'm just too nice of a mom in terms of my cooking. So my kids don't appreciate really yummy recipes like this.  There's a lesson there I guess.  Unfortunately my middle son won't eat this because he doesn't like tater tots (or veggies LOL).  The younger son will usually eat most of it and my oldest daughter, husband and I clear our plates and get seconds.  YUM.

Hamburger Tater Tot Casserole

2lbs ground beef
onion powder, garlic powder to taste (~ 1tsp)
salt & pepper to taste
2 cans of Campbells Cheddar cheese soup
a bag of frozen mixed vegetables
a bag of frozen tater tots

Brown the hamburger and season with onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.  You may also add chopped onion if you wish - we aren't big onion people so we don't add it.  Drain the excess fat.  Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with non stick spray.  Layer hamburger, veggies, and soup and stir lightly together to combine.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Top with tater tots and bake at 350 for additional 45 minutes or everything is melted / bubbly and the tater tots look lightly browned.   I like to make this recipe a few hours ahead and keep in the fridge until it's time to bake for dinner. It will usually cook in 45 minutes or less coming from the fridge instead of the freezer.  Leftovers are equally satisfying :)

Dijon Chicken - another low carb meal idea

Another low carb dinner - suitable for induction period of Atkins or the first two weeks of South Beach or anytime you want to reduce carbohydrates!

Dijon Chicken
One of my personal favorites and super simple and rather fast.

4 Chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and opened up to cook quickly
8 slices of Canadian bacon or ham
4 slices of the cheese of your choice (I like Swiss best but my kids eat American better. It works w/ cheddar too!)

Dijon butter sauce
3/4 cup of light (or regular) butter
1-2 tbsp of dijon mustard (to taste - I use 2 because I like it stronger)

Spray a broiler pan with cooking spray.  Salt and pepper your chicken lightly and put on the broiler pan under the broiler for approximately 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, melt butter in a small saucepan.  Once butter is completely melted, mix in the dijon mustard to taste.

When the chicken looks like it's cooked through, add the two slices of canadian bacon or ham and top with a slice of cheese.  Broil for an additional 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Remove from heat.

Serve with dijon butter sauce! Yum.  Approximately 3 net carbs per serving.  Serve with other low carb veggies such as cauliflower, some asparagus, a little broccoli or as much salad (lettuce and cucumbers and celery) as you like. Watch your dressings! Some dressings with low carbs are caesar, oil and vinegar, blue cheese and certain brands of ranch.

Blue Cheese Steak Butter - part of my Spring Low Carb Journey

I'm beginning another low carb journey, specifically attempting to follow an Atkins Induction / South Beach Phase 1 type diet for the next two weeks followed by healthy lower carb lifestyle thereafter.  Specifically I'm going to try to avoid all baked good for the next 6 weeks.  I need to lose about 15lbs immediately since my clothes are all tight and I'm going on vacation in 6 weeks! Ideally I'd like to drop more like 25lbs by year end. We'll see how it goes!  This is mostly baby weight, but I've been somewhat lazy what with the holidays and Girl Scout cookie season...

On that note, I will likely be posting low carb recipes over the next few weeks. Sorry to the carb lovers out there. I'm sad too! But truly it has to be done ;)

First I'm so excited about this recipe. I hope and expect it will be yummy!
Blue Cheese Steak Butter
1/2 lb blue cheese, crumbled
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 garlic gloves, crushed
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
a dash of tabasco

Combine in a food processor until smooth.  Serve warm over steak.

Simple Crockpot Roast

I love roast beef.  Even better, I love roast beef sandwiches which are so yummy and must faster to prep in the morning. Plus its such and indulgence to have white rolls when all we ever eat is wheat! ;)  Either way, the basic recipe is the same:

One round roast or roast of your choice (approx 3-4lbs)
One package Lipton Onion soup mix
2-3 cups of beef broth (can also use water but it's better with the beef broth! :))

Stir together broth and soup mix and pour over the roast in your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Slice the roast and serve on your roll of choice with the juice. Yum!

To create more of a traditional meal, add peeled and quartered potatoes, baby or regular carrots in chunks, onion or celery to your taste.

Crockpot Baked Potato Soup

There are days or weeks (or let's face it, months!) where you just need comfort.  What better place to find comfort than in a big, cheesy, bacon-y, smooth bowl of baked potato soup?  After all, bacon really does make everything better!  I love my potato soup smooth and creamy so I used my brand new immersion blender to finish it off.  In case you are not aware, the immersion blender ROCKS! I would trade my husband's golf clubs for it in a heartbeat! (Ok, he would not agree, but that's my commitment level).  If you don't have an immersion blender now is the time to invest.  It's only about $30-35 and so much nicer than trying to move hot soup into a traditional blender or food processor.  Ok now the info-mercial is over and on to the recipe...

Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-style-loaded-baked-potato-soup-301754

Ingredients:
6 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion peeled and chopped
1 quart of chicken broth
3 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
1/2 cup of butter
2 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp black pepper

1 cup cream or half and half
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Toppings:
8 sliced of bacon cooked and crumbled
sour cream (optional)
sharp cheese for sprinkling

Combine the first set of ingredients (up to cream) in your slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Mash the mixture (or use your immersion blender!) until it is to your desired consistency.  Add the cream, cheese and chives and stir to combine.  If using the immersion blender, now is a good time to give it another blend just for fun :)
Serve with extra cheese, bacon crumbles and sour cream if desired. Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

This morning I decided to put another of my favorite crockpot recipes in the crockpot. I am looking forward to coming home to this one tonight!  Normally I'm quite happy with 5 ingredient recipes for busy mornings.  This one is a little more labor intensive than I like, but it's worth it.  My kids all like it but of course I have to be careful not to put the peppers or onions or mushrooms on their plates.  I suggest larger families may want to double the recipe. It's quite good leftover also.

 I usually keep sliced green pepper, sliced onion and sliced mushrooms in my freezer. This way I can quickly grab them for this recipe and toss it in.  The freezer tip is also helpful because we don't eat mushrooms in many recipes. This one, the mushrooms do add value to the flavor and I don't really notice them when I'm eating it.  As with the onions and green peppers, I try to remove the mushrooms before a child spots it. :)

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore
http://busycooks.about.com/od/chickenthighrecipes/r/cpcacciatore.htm

Chicken Thighs - I usually use four frozen

14 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (if you only have diced tomatoes just add more Italian seasoning separate)
6 oz. can tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, sliced or chopped (I slice mine so I can easily identify them for the kids)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine the above ingredients in your crockpot and mix to blend evenly.  The original recipe also calls for 1/2 cup dry red wine but I've never added it. We aren't wine drinkers in my house and I never seem to have any easily on hand. The recipe is just as good without but if you have wine you may want to try adding it. I imagine it adds a depth of flavor.  Cook on low 6-8 hours (I do 8 hours for my frozen thighs).

About a half hour before serving combine:

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

3 Tbsp. cold water

Add to the crockpot and continue cooking. This should help thicken the sauce.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! It's a nice twist to the traditional spaghetti and healthier too!

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings for the busy mom

I've adapted this recipe from a similar recipe on Allrecipes.com. Nearly everyone in my house seems to like it, which is a great accomplishment with younger children! :)

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 onion diced
2 carrots peeled and sliced
1 stalk of celery washed and sliced
2 potatoes peeled and diced into big chunks
4 chicken breasts (I usually use frozen)
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
a few good shakes of Pepper
~ 1 tsp Thyme

Dumplings
Bisquick
Water as directed on the box
(as an alternative you can use refrigerated biscuit dough instead)

Combine the above in your crockpot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours (use the longer cooking time if you are using frozen breasts or if your slow cooker is slower than average.  About an hour before the end of cooking time, mix up your Bisquick by following the directions for dumplings on the box.  Drop by tablespoon-fulls into your crockpot mixture and let cook for an additional hour to hour and a half.   Add additional salt / pepper as needed.

The Crockpot - A mom's best friend

I love coming home to a home cooked meal.  The smells that hit you when you walk in the door are priceless.  I love the relaxing evening of just eating. I love a night off from rushing to put together a meal in the midst of kids and dogs and endless demands. 

My crockpot is my best friend.  Seriously. I kicked my husband to the couch, so my crockpot could have a spot to rest ;)  Of course I'm kidding. Thankfully the crockpot doesn't speak or it would have me making all kinds of concessions.  A good meal that I don't have to make is hard to come by!  Well, technically I did make this meal, but since I made it on average 8-10 hours prior... it doesn't FEEL like I'm making it, know what I mean?

Last night I made one of the simplest and yummiest meals I've found for my crockpot. I call it Mexican Chicken (actually, that might even be the name of the dish? I'm not sure since I've lost the original poster's information. If it's you, please claim it!).

Crockpot Mexican Chicken
Chicken breasts (I usually use 3-4 frozen)
Taco Seasoning packet (or use your own if you like)
A jar of salsa

Spray your crockpot / slow cooker with cooking spray.  Mix the taco seasoning and salsa together. Place your chicken in the crockpot and pour the salsa mix on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (I usually do 8-9 hours with frozen chicken) or on high for 4 hours.  Shred the chicken and serve warm on tortillas with shredded cheese of your choice (I like the mexican blend) and any other toppings you like.  Serves 4-6.