Curried Meatball Soup in the Slow Cooker

Want to try something a little different? If so, I highly recommend this soup. The recipe comes from Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever.  I can't recommend the cookbook enough. It is full of recipes from the very traditional--dump it in the slow cooker and leave, to complex recipes that require a bit more care. This recipe is very easy and also is full of different flavors. The meatballs are pretty labor intensive however. I made a triple batch the first time I made this recipe, and just pulled them out of the freezer and tossed them in the crock pot. It made the recipe almost too easy. I definitely recommend doing the same.

Ingredients for the Meatballs
1 cup cooked long grain rice
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef (or turkey)
1 teaspoon of curry powder
4 green onions, chopped, green & white parts
1 Tbs of Hot Mango Chutney
1 large egg (whoops, I was all out and used 1/4 cup of applesauce)

Ingredients for Soup
7 cups low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup soy sauce (I use gluten free)
1 bunch of bok choy, chopped,
1 cup snow peas
2 cups of bean sprouts for garnish

Optional Ingredients:
1/3 cup of water chestnuts
2 cups shredded cabbage

1) In a large mixing bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients and mix together well. To do this right, you may need to use your freshly washed hands. Once mixed, make the meatballs. They should be about an inch in diameter and you should get about 12-15 meatballs.

2) Add the broth and soy sauce to the slow cooker. Then add the meatballs. Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours. If you are like me and used frozen meatballs, cook on high for 4 hours.

3) Add in the bok choy, snow peas and any other veggies you choose to add. Cook on low for an hour.

4) Serve in bowls topped with the bean sprouts.

Quick & Easy Vegetable Soup

This recipe was inspired by this one from Giada de Laurentis. I doubled it, skipped the crushed red pepper, the beans, and added a lot of vegetables. I made a double batch and froze some of it. I know it is summer, but this is such a quick and easy meal to take to work and if your office is anything like mine, it is frigid in the summer! Feel free to add your own veggies--even frozen ones! It is supposed to be quick and easy. You could also make this meal super inexpensive by using just the marinara, the chicken broth, 1/2 a bag of mixed frozen veggies and the pasta.

Ingredients
1-2 Tbs of EVOO
1 garlic clove, minced
1 onion, diced
1 cup mushrooms
2-3 carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 cup chopped green beans
1/2 cup corn
1 cup frozen pearl onions
2 jars of marinara sauce (I use classico)
4 cups of chicken broth
3/4 cup small pasta (I used piccolini spinach and zucchini wheels)
salt & pepper to taste

1) In a large soup pot, heat the EVOO on medium heat. Add the garlic and stir. Quickly add the onion, mushrooms, carrots, celery, green beans and corn. Heat until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are no longer steaming.
2) Add the pearl onions, the marinara sauce and the chicken broth, until simmering.
3) Add the pasta and cook until soft, about 6-7 minutes.

And you're done! Top with Parmesan cheese if you would like. 

Green Monster Smoothies!

Maybe I am slow on the uptake, but I just heard about these! Apparently they are all the rage and have been making the rounds in the blogosphere. Well in case you are like me and you haven't heard--what exactly are Green Monster Smoothies? Green Monsters typically contain a leafy green like spinach and kale, some sort of fruit, a milk product (cow, soy, almond), and maybe some ice. I made one on Saturday with my eight-year-old cousin who had just gotten finished with three hours of gymnastics. I knew she needed a healthy lunch and I also thought she might get a kick out of making a Green Monster smoothie around Halloween. She helped me measure out the spinach, she peeled the banana, she added a small amount of blueberries and poured the milk in the blender. She was also happy to push the buttons on the blender and watch it go from salad to smoothies Then she happily drank one serving of vegetables and two servings of fruit! I was pretty impressed that she was willing to try to it considering spinach is not a typical smoothie ingredient. Since then, I have made my own batch of Green Monster smoothies. Below I will include the most basic recipe and then the one I made the other day.  The picture below is the smoothie I made with my cousin--it has two blueberry eyes and an apple mouth.

Basic Green Monster

2 cups of fresh spinach

1 1/4 cup of milk

1 ripe banana

ice if you want to add it

Put the spinach in the the blender first, followed by the banana and then pour the milk over it. Blend until you achieve the desired consistency.

Rachel's Green Monster (double batch)

4 cups of fresh spinach

2 cups of milk

6 oz of plain Greek yogurt

1 bag of Dole frozen strawberries, bananas and peaches (bag contains about 3 cups of fruit)

1 Tbs of ground flaxseeds

1 Tbs of honey

I used a food processor, which I actually prefer to a blender, but of course a blender works and is more inexpensive. I added the yogurt for creaminess some extra protein and some probiotics. I used frozen fruit because the bananas at the grocery store were still green and I also love strawberries and peaches.  The flaxseeds add some Omega-3s and fiber and the honey is for sweetness. I love this smoothies--it is such a great way to get your vegetable and fruit servings in plus iron, protein, Vitamin A, calcium and many more nutrients! I made a double batch (about 4-6 smoothies maybe), had one and froze the rest to drink throughout the week.



Just a Vegetable Curry

First off--I am not claiming this is an authentic Indian curry. It is based off of this Jamie Oliver recipe and I had to make some changes because things I needed were not available at the grocery store. Anyways--regardless of authenticity, this dish was delicious and I will definitely make it again. I am trying to come up with an arsenal of delicious vegetarian recipes so I turn to vegetarian dishes more often. This was ridiculously easy, very healthy and pretty inexpensive to make. Two thumbs up!

 

Ingredients

1 medium onion cut into chunks

2 cloves of garlic, diced

1 "thumb" of ginger grated

1 tbs of butter

3 tbs of EVOO

2 red peppers cut into chunks

1 can of chickenpeas, drained

1/2 butternut squash cut into cubes, peeled (I used the already cut-up 8 oz bag of it)

1/2 jar of Patek's mild curry paste

1 head of cauliflower, stemmed and cut into florets

3 tomatoes, quartered

2 cans of diced tomatoes

 

1) Heat oil and butter in a large pot (if you do not have a large stockpot, half the recipe) and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 10 minutes until the onions are golden and translucent.

2) Add the red peppers, the chickpeas, and the squash. Coat all of the veggies with the curry paste and simmer for a few minutes.

3) Add the fresh and canned tomatoes and then the cauliflower. Simmer covered for 45 minutes. Check the curry at about 30 minutes and if it is still thin, let it simmer for the final 15 minutes without a cover.

4) Serve over brown rice. 

 

 

 

*I skipped 1 bunch of coriander (trimmed) and 1 red chili (diced), which should go in with the onions, garlic and ginger. The recipe also called for Jalfrezi curry paste which I could not find.

Slow Cooker Sunday: Adobo Chicken

I got this recipe from my blog friend Shannon.  It is a Filipino recipe and not only was it delicious, but it was super inexpensive to make.  I did a few things different--I added frozen broccoli because I wanted to add a veggie to this one dish meal and I also put the peppercorns in a tea infuser because I do not like crunching on peppercorns.  Shannon suggested reducing the sauce, and although it was still good, I would recommend it for a more flavorful sauce.  Additionally, I would add the frozen broccoli about 30 minutes before the dish is done because if it sits in the stew all day, it will get mushy.  


Ingredients
1 lb chicken thighs ($2.50 on sale)
1 12 oz package of frozen broccoli ($1.99)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into half rings ($0.30)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce (stocked in the pantry)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (stocked in the pantry)
peppercorns (stocked in the pantry)
8 crushed garlic cloves (stocked in the pantry)
2 bay leaves (stocked in the pantry)
brown rice (stocked in the pantry)

1) Place the chicken thighs in the bottom of the slow cooker and cover them with the onions and frozen broccoli.  Put the seasonings over the veggies.
2) Mix the water, soy sauce and white wine vinegar in a separate dish and pour it over the veggie chicken mixture
3) Let it cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve over brown rice.

This meal is a little over $5 and for about 5 servings.

Slow Cooker Sunday: Sweet & Sour Stew

On Sundays, I am going to try to post a slow cooker recipe that you can use during the week.  In my opinion, when your time is limited, when it is frigid outside, there is nothing better than coming home to a warm dinner in the crock pot.  Crock pot cooking can be extremely easy to challenging.  I find making healthy meals is a bit more difficult, and there is nothing worse than coming home to something that just did not work.  I am going to try to make traditional recipes a bit more healthy and everything I post should turn out as long as your follow the instructions.

This first recipe is an old family recipe.  I believe it might be my great-great grandmother's.  Although it is not the healthiest, it is definitely fits the definition of comfort food as the stew is served over creamy smashed potatoes.

Ingredients for the Stew
2 lbs of beef stew meat
2 tbs of flour
salt & pepper to taste

1 cup of water
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, cut into chunks
3 stalks of celery sliced (optional, I had it on hand so I threw it in)

Ingredients for mashed potatoes
6 baking potatoes or yellow potatoes, cut into eighths 
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup unsalted butter
salt & pepper to taste

1) Heat a frying pan to medium to high heat.  Add meat, flour and salt & pepper and cook until the meat is brown (about 5-7 minutes).
2) Add the browned meat to a crock pot.  Add the water, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, and cut up veggies and stir until the veggies and meat are covered in the sauce.
3) Set the crock pot on low and let it cook for the day, at least 4-5 hours.  If you only have 2-3 hours, cook it on high for at least an hour.
4) About 30 minutes before dinner, boil the potatoes until they are soft.  Drain the water.  Add the butter, milk, salt & pepper and mash until they are to your liking.  (I know there are a million ways to make mashed potatoes, so do so however you like!)
5) Serve the stew over the mashed potatoes.

I also like to have a salad on the side, just to make sure I get some green veggies.

Snow Day Soup

What is better on a day so snowy, that leaving the house is impossible, than homemade chicken noodle soup? The soup was originally meant for a neighbor who is kind enough to let us use his driveway during the frequent snow emergencies we have, but I accidentally added so many vegetables that more broth was needed, so everyone got to enjoy soup for lunch.  The recipe is taken from Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso's New Basics Cookbook.  I have altered the recipe quite a bit to my taste.

Ingredients for the Soup
5-6 cups of chicken broth
1 to 1 1/2 cups for chicken
3 parsnips sliced
3 carrots sliced
3 stalks of celery sliced
1 medium yellow onion chopped
3/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
salt & pepper to taste

Ingredients for the egg noodles
1 egg
2/3 cup of flower
1/2 tsp salt

1)  This recipe could not be any easier.  Combine all the ingredients in a large stock pot.  Let it simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the carrots and the parsnips are soft.  Once this is done, it is time to make the noodles.  If you do not want to make homemade egg noodles then add about 8 oz of egg noodles and let them simmer in the soup until they are soft.
2)  Break an egg into a small mixing bowl.  Add salt and whisk into the egg.  Gradually add 2/3 cup for flour while stirring.  The mixture will seem really dry and pebbly, but this is okay (I used to panic and want to add more egg, but that just makes a sticky mess).  Cover your hands in flour and mold it into a ball.
3) Cover a surface in flour.  Roll the ball until it is very thin.  Cut into strips that are about 1/4 wide and 1 inch long.  Let them sit for about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile bring the soup to a boil.
4)  When the soup is boiling, add the noodles and let them simmer in the boiling water for about 4 minutes.  The soup is done! Enjoy.

I love this soup--Rocco's Tortilla soup.

This recipe is out of Rocco DiSpirito's cookbook Now Eat This.  I have modified it quite a bit to my liking, but the concept is the same.  You can control the level of spice by choosing what salsa to add.  You can also skip the adobo chilis.  This recipe can be made using chicken, turkey (leftover from Thanksgiving, perhaps?), or black beans.

Soup Ingredients
32 oz of chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken, turkey or a can of black beans (meat can be from a rotisserie chicken, cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, leftover turkey)
1 cup of salsa, spice level of your choice (I recommend a nicer salsa--not the Tostitos brand)
2 minced adobo chilis in adobo sauce
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 can of corn
1 green pepper (optional)
1 red pepper (optional)

Toppings
bunch of fresh cilantro
plain greek yogurt or sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
tortillas cut into narrow strips about three inches long

1) Add broth, tomatoes, chilies, peppers, corn and salsa into a large pot.  Bring to a boil, and turn down to medium low heat.  Add meat or beans and simmer for about 8 minutes.

2)  Serve in soup bowls and top with fresh cilantro, yogurt, tortilla strips and shredded cheddar cheese.

Tips
-I often make chicken stock out of a fryer and then shred and freeze the meat to use later in soups
-You can fry the tortillas in vegetable oil to make them crispy and then put them in the soup.  I skipped that step in favor of time.
-Use avocado instead of the yogurt or sour cream.

Southwest Lasagna

This recipe is inspired by my friend Leanne.  She told me about it one night, and I decided to try a version of my own.  I was a little unsure of a few things--so I got a few suggestions from my mom as well.  The flavor was great.  It was easy to make.  The only thing that went wrong was the lasagna sort of fell apart on my plate.  Suggestions anyone?  I also had way too much filling for my two quart casserole pan, so I froze the rest of it.  This recipe either calls for a bigger casserole dish or halfing the recipe (unless you want to freeze it like I did).

4 whole wheat tortillas
1 can of enchilada sauce
1 lb. of ground beef or turkey
1 yellow onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 packet of taco mix
1 can of corn (drained very well)
1 can of tomatoes (drained very well)
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
1 can of chopped chilis
8 oz of cheddar cheese or the Mexican blend
Handful of chopped olives for the top

1) In a frying pain, brown ground beef.  When close to done, add chopped green pepper and onion. Then follow instruction on the taco mix packet.  Drain the grease.  Transfer to a large bowl.
2)  Add the corn, chilis, tomatoes and chopped cilantro to the the bowl and mix well with the ground beef mixture.  Set aside.
3) Use cooking spray or butter to grease the sides of the casserole dish.  Pour enchilada sauce into a bowl.  Cut the tortillas into strips about 1 1/2 inches side.  Dip in the enchilada sauce and cover the bottom of the pan.  Add a layer of the ground beef and then cover with cheese.  Cover the mixture with layers of tortilla strips dipped in enchilada sauce.  Repeat this step until the pan is full.  The last layer should be tortilla strips, cheese and olives if you would like to add them.
4) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and cook for 30 minutes.  The cheese should be melted and the lasagna bubbling.

Tips:
* Make this vegetarian by adding black beans instead of meat.
*This dish should freeze well.
*This dish can be made the night before, refrigerated and popped in the oven for a quick dinner.   

Pizza Soup

First off, I would like to apologize for not posting for awhile.  I have been busy getting into a school a routine and hopefully that routine will include the occassional blog post. 

I found this recipe while I was craving pizza after wisdom teeth extraction.  It definitely hit the spot.  I found the recipe here, but that author adapted it for her family living in Africa from the original.  Anyways--this recipe is great and should hit the spot on the cooler nights. 

1 14 oz jar of pizza sauce (I prefer the Contadina brand)

3 jars of water

1 can of tomato sauce

3 oz of pepperoni (I like to use the Hormel Turkey pepperoni because it has less fat)

1 green bell pepper

8 oz mushrooms sliced

1/2 pint of grape tomatoes quartered (or a can of diced tomatoes)

1 zucchini sliced and quartered (optional)

1/2 yellow onion diced

shredded mozzarella cheese to sprinkle on top

10 chopped fresh basil leaves 

1/2 tsp fresh oregano 

(you can use 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning in place of the fresh herbs)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 pound of dried pasta (I had gnocchi in my pantry and used that and recommend if possible)

 

 

1) In large pot combine pizza sauce, tomato sauce and three jars of water.  Let it simmer on the stove on medium heat. 

2) Meanwhile chop up veggies, herbs and pepperoni and throw in the simmering broth.  Add seasonings as well.

3) Let simmer until veggies are tender, about 30 minutes. Then turn the heat up, and when the soup is really simmering, add the pasta.  Cook for 7-9 minutes or until pasta is al dente.   

4) Serve with shredded mozzarella on top.

Tips:

-You can add any vegetable you feel is missing or subtract ones you do not like.

-Feel free to experiment with meats.  Ground turkey with Italian seasoning, Italian sausage or roast chicken would all be good in this soup.

-This soup will serve 3-4 people, but if it is just you it holds up well in the fridge or freezer to bring to work or school for lunch. 

-I like a heartier more flavorful soup, but if you would like something lighter, skip the tomato sauce.

-This recipe is also great for a crock pot.  Throw all of the ingredients in the crock pot, except the pasta, turn to low and cook for 7-9 hours.  Right before you want to serve it, turn the crock pot to high and throw in the pasta.  Cook until pasta is al dente, about 30 minutes.