This is another recipe I'd forgotten about and it will officially round out my two weeks of more soup. I'm not sure where I got it, but I used to make it quite often. The sweet potatoes blend in nicely with the soup, adding a little sweetness to go with the spicy. It's very kid friendly and picky eater friendly.
Sweet Potato Chili
1 lb of ground beef or turkey, browned
2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of chili beans, not drained
1 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Toss everything in the crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until potatoes are soft. I like to try to mash the sweet potatoes up after they get soft, that way they blend (aka disappear) into the soup better. It does make for very thick chili, so if you like it thinner, you could add some tomato sauce, tomato juice or even some V8.
I've no picture to share but it just looks like regular chili, only oranger ;)
March 01, 2011
February 22, 2011
Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
This might very well be one of the yummiest things I've ever made! HERE is the recipe, I followed it as written other than cutting the peanut butter amount in half and we didn't do the tomato topping. I loved it, the kids loved it, and hubby sort of liked it, so I call that a success! It was such an awesome mix of flavors and it was a fairly simple soup to make. I just love sweet potatoes and coincidentally two of the other ingredients are things I used to hate but now love - cilantro and ginger. The peanut butter might seem like a funny addition but it gave it kind of a Thai flavor. And the lime sour cream 'topping' was like icing on the cake. Seriously, so yummy, I can't wait to make it again!
I was going to mention too that last week on a lazy day, we bought one of those convenience store rotisserie chickens for dinner. After we had eaten all the edible parts, I made broth out of its remains. I got about 5 cups of good broth and didn't add any additional ingredients or seasonings. That is what I used for this soup and still have some leftover. I think that's a good way to get some tasty 'free' broth!
I was going to mention too that last week on a lazy day, we bought one of those convenience store rotisserie chickens for dinner. After we had eaten all the edible parts, I made broth out of its remains. I got about 5 cups of good broth and didn't add any additional ingredients or seasonings. That is what I used for this soup and still have some leftover. I think that's a good way to get some tasty 'free' broth!
February 19, 2011
Roasting Vegetables
I have discovered that this is a magical way to prepare vegetables! And so far I've had awesome outcomes resulting in the kids devouring a whole pan of cauliflower and being sad when all the broccoli was gone. If that isn't magic, I don't know what is.
Roasting vegetables is a super simple way to cook them that brings out the natural sugars in them, therefore 'caramelizing' them into a sweet treat. It really sounds too good to be true and I don't know why it's taken me so long to discover it. It's basically taking a vegetable, cutting it into uniform chunks, tossing with olive oil, salt and pepper then roasting it at a high temperature in the oven.
Here's three articles I found that are great at explaining it and also include some great tips and recipes.
From WebMd
From the food section of Salon.com
And another from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food
My first experience was with cauliflower a few months ago. Using this recipe as a base, I now make a batch about once a week or whenever my market marks their cauliflower down to 99 cents because they have one or two little brownish spots that can easily be cut off. It turns out so delicious, I could eat the whole batch myself. I've also made green beans with great success and just last week I tried broccoli using Snack Girl's recipe. Her recipe requires the oven to be heated to 500 degrees. That's the hottest my oven has ever been! It made me a bit nervous but nothing exploded or caught on fire and even though broccoli has never been my favorite, I really liked how it turned out. And who knew it would be a perfect after school snack! It was so funny, when hubby came home my son told him, "sorry, we didn't save you any broccoli!" Hubby wasn't to upset about that since he has not caught the roasting vegetables excitement bug as I have. I cannot WAIT to try some more of these ideas and recipes!
Roasting vegetables is a super simple way to cook them that brings out the natural sugars in them, therefore 'caramelizing' them into a sweet treat. It really sounds too good to be true and I don't know why it's taken me so long to discover it. It's basically taking a vegetable, cutting it into uniform chunks, tossing with olive oil, salt and pepper then roasting it at a high temperature in the oven.
Here's three articles I found that are great at explaining it and also include some great tips and recipes.
From WebMd
From the food section of Salon.com
And another from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food
My first experience was with cauliflower a few months ago. Using this recipe as a base, I now make a batch about once a week or whenever my market marks their cauliflower down to 99 cents because they have one or two little brownish spots that can easily be cut off. It turns out so delicious, I could eat the whole batch myself. I've also made green beans with great success and just last week I tried broccoli using Snack Girl's recipe. Her recipe requires the oven to be heated to 500 degrees. That's the hottest my oven has ever been! It made me a bit nervous but nothing exploded or caught on fire and even though broccoli has never been my favorite, I really liked how it turned out. And who knew it would be a perfect after school snack! It was so funny, when hubby came home my son told him, "sorry, we didn't save you any broccoli!" Hubby wasn't to upset about that since he has not caught the roasting vegetables excitement bug as I have. I cannot WAIT to try some more of these ideas and recipes!
February 17, 2011
Mushroom Barley Soup
You know, lately I'm starting to realize how many wonderfully simple things I've never made that are so easy, delicious and nutritious. The produce section is becoming my absolute favorite place to hang out! And it helps that I have a two-year-old helper whom I have nicknamed 'queen of the twist ties.' She's awesome and is always there when I need my bag sort of closed. I'm going to have some magical vegetable recipes to share in the next few days, but before that, here is the next soup I've chosen to make in my two week soup challenge. It is kind of a combination of several recipes I found, since I was trying to use ingredients I had, along with what I thought everyone would like. So, here is the recipe, but keep in mind, I'm just kind of a throw it in the pot kinda gal and don't really measure much, especially the vegetables. So much of it is just to taste.
Mushroom Barley Soup
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4-5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup barley
Saute the veggies in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add a few cranks of freshly ground pepper if desired.
For my broth portion, I used one can of beef broth since that is what I had on hand, then I dissolved two beef bouillon cubes in 2 cups water for the remainder of the broth. The bouillon portion of the broth I heated and combined in a large Pyrex measuring bowl in the microwave and when it was dissolved, I added the dry barley. I let that soak for about an hour before combining it with the rest of the soup.
Let it all simmer on low for about 20 more minutes then enjoy.
It was rich, hearty and so so yummy! I will definitely make it again.
Mushroom Barley Soup
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4-5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup barley
Saute the veggies in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add a few cranks of freshly ground pepper if desired.
For my broth portion, I used one can of beef broth since that is what I had on hand, then I dissolved two beef bouillon cubes in 2 cups water for the remainder of the broth. The bouillon portion of the broth I heated and combined in a large Pyrex measuring bowl in the microwave and when it was dissolved, I added the dry barley. I let that soak for about an hour before combining it with the rest of the soup.
Let it all simmer on low for about 20 more minutes then enjoy.
It was rich, hearty and so so yummy! I will definitely make it again.
February 15, 2011
Nothing says love like Asparagus Soup
I've never ever made anything with asparagus and I think I've only eaten it a handful of times, but it was on sale this week and I was pretty sure I liked it so I decided to try to make Cream of Asparagus Soup. It was part of our little Valentine's Day dinner, nothing fancy, just the 4 of us at home. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and here it is-
Cream of Fresh Asparagus Soup
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 c chopped onion
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 c milk
1/2 c sour cream
1 t fresh lemon juice
In a large saucepan, combine asparagus, chopped onion, and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until asparagus is tender, about 12 minutes. Process the mixture in a blender to puree the vegetables. Set aside.
In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining chicken broth, and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Stir in the asparagus puree and the milk.
Put the sour cream in a small bowl, and stir in a ladleful of the hot soup. Add the sour cream mixture and the lemon juice to the soup. Stir while heating the soup to serving temperature, but don't allow it to boil. Serve immediately.
It really turned out wonderful! That's my opinion anyway. My son tolerated it and hubby said it tasted like peas, which for him is not a good thing. And, I have to say that it was a lot of steps to make, more than I'm used to and not easy with a 2-year-old underfoot! Not sure if I'll make it again anytime soon but it was really fun to try something new. I also made some stromboli to go with it, which basically was a pizza all rolled up and baked. And that, of course, was a hit with everyone.
I'm still deciding on my next soup, so check back in a couple days :)
Cream of Fresh Asparagus Soup
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 c chopped onion
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 c milk
1/2 c sour cream
1 t fresh lemon juice
In a large saucepan, combine asparagus, chopped onion, and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until asparagus is tender, about 12 minutes. Process the mixture in a blender to puree the vegetables. Set aside.
In the same saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining chicken broth, and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Stir in the asparagus puree and the milk.
Put the sour cream in a small bowl, and stir in a ladleful of the hot soup. Add the sour cream mixture and the lemon juice to the soup. Stir while heating the soup to serving temperature, but don't allow it to boil. Serve immediately.
It really turned out wonderful! That's my opinion anyway. My son tolerated it and hubby said it tasted like peas, which for him is not a good thing. And, I have to say that it was a lot of steps to make, more than I'm used to and not easy with a 2-year-old underfoot! Not sure if I'll make it again anytime soon but it was really fun to try something new. I also made some stromboli to go with it, which basically was a pizza all rolled up and baked. And that, of course, was a hit with everyone.
I'm still deciding on my next soup, so check back in a couple days :)
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