2 Meals in One...Meal 2: Roast beef Sliders with a Zippy Lentil Soup

Now that you have dined on this superb roast...Are you ready for sliders?

Zippy Beef Sliders
Break up the remaining beef and warm up. you can warm in a micro or on low on the stove. I prefer to steam it so it retains its moisture. No matter how you do it, warm up your meat. Then, spoon onto your buns (you can toast if you prefer).  Top with a thick slice of Swiss cheese. Please all in a cake pan, cover in foil and warm in a 300 degree oven until cheese is melted.

**Don't have left over roast, use cooked chipped beef or chop up Roast beef lunch meat.
I served with Lentil soup

Zippy Red Lentil Soup

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t hot paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bay leaves
2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth
2 14½ ounce can petite-diced tomatoes
1 pound (2½ cups) dried red lentils (I bought bulk organic red lentils)
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 medium cloves of garlic, chopped
Kosher Salt


1. Add all ingredients to your stock pot and bring to a boil. Stir frequently so the lentils do not stick. Remove any foam that forms while cooking. reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Lentils should be tender but not dissolving! :) Serve with a dolup of sour cream or my favorite a dollop of plain greek yogurt!

The Organic Way... Oh! Chili Please

I'm Back! After a long hiatus, I am back and ready to start posting again. Life has finally settled down and I can't wait to start sharing all my culinary creations. Many things at home have changed and so has our culinary focus. We are now solely eating organic and avoid all processed foods. I read every label before it enters my home. I have a laundry list of chemicals (aptly named) we completely avoid, but to keep it simple basically if I can't read it, I don't buy it. Now, to preface this...I have not won the lottery and I shop primarily at Whole Foods. For a family of 5 (3 adults and 2 kiddos) I spend roughly $120-150 a week on groceries. I will try to share the pricing as often as possible so you can see how sensible organic can be. So, here is my first new recipe...

Oh! Chili Please!
1 can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed ($0.89)
1 can White Northern Beans, drained and rinsed ($0.89)
1 can Lime and Chile Refried Beans ($1.19)
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes ($0.49)
1 box Beef broth ($1.99)
1/2 lb ground Turkey ($3.49)
 1/2 lb ground Beef ($2.70)
1T Chili powder
1t Hungarian Paprika
1t Cumin
1t Garlic powder
1 1/2t salt

***Reminder All ingredients are ORGANIC and all spices are from a local Amish market

In a large pot, brown the meat. Drain and pour in remaining ingredients. Simmer for 15-20 minutes and serve.

Servings: This recipe provided 7 hearty (adult) servings for a total of $11.64, that is ONLY $1.66 a serving for an ALL ORGANIC recipe. Not bad if you ask me!

Smokey Zuccchini Soup

I know you just read the title and went...wha...Zucchini soup. Trust me it is delicious! Since it is the end of the season and I still have a several zucchini sitting around, I decided to make some soup. This is great soup to hide veggetables  if your husband...errr...I mean kids don't like vegetables. This hearty soup is oustanding addition to a cool summer night!

Smokey Zucchini Soup

3 slices of pancetta, bacon or smoked meat
1 onion, minced
2-3 zucchini, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 c chicken or vegetable broth
1/4c feta
2/3c cream
1. Brown bacon until crispy and tehn remove from pot. Add onion and cook until translucent. Then, stir in the zucchini and potatoes. Cover and allow to cook down until softened (5-7 minutes).
2. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until veggies are tender (about 20 minutes). Remove soup and puree. Then, retrun to pot and add cream and feta. Season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to low until warmed all the way through. Garnish with panchetta (or bacon).

Picky Eaters: Soup

My son is a very picky eater. Half the time I cannot even get him to taste what I am offering, but today I decided to play to his fancy...Letters!

Simple Alphabet Soup
Chicken stock (or a few cups of water and a few boullion cubes)
Alphabet pasta

Bring to a boil and cook until pasta is tender.

Normally I would recommend cuting up tiny carrot cuves, but I didn't want to push it! I was content that he even ate this!

Pinto Bean Soup...Croatian Style

We STILL had ham left over and I needed to make something to use it ALL up. We are all a bit HAMMED OUT!! So, I thought it was time for some bean soup.

Pinto Bean Ham Soup
1 bag pinto beans
Left over bits of ham and the ham bone
(Or purchase a ham steak)
1 small bag sauerkraut, crained but NOT rinsed

1. Soak beans overnight OR use canned beans. Drain.
2. Place drained beans in the slow cooker along with all other ingredients. Cover with water and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Serve with yummy fresh bread or cornbread!

Chicken's Winter Stew

As it continues to stay rather cool out it is time for another soupy stew! This is another super simple recipe that is delightfully flavored.

Chicken's Winter Stew

6 skinless chicken thighs (or a whole chicken cut up and skinned or go super simple and chunk up a rotisserie chicken)
Seasoning: salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic
3 potatoes
3 carrots
1/3 pound green beans (if you have on hand)
1/2c corn (fresh off the cob or frozen)
1 bell pepper (if you have on hand)
1 small onion (if you eat onion..lol!)
1 can diced tomatoes (or 1/2 can of tomato paste)
Water or chicken broth

1. Season chicken with the seasonings of your choice. If you don't have much on hand, a simple salt and pepper rub would be fine! Then, in a large stock pot, brown chicken, peppers and onions in a tablespoon of olive oil. Brown both sides of chicken.
2. While chicken is browning, chop up remaining veggies and then add to the pot. Cover with water or broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. In a food processor, process one can of tomatoes. Mix into soup. Simmer until veggies are tender. Season soup if needed with additional salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Crockpot: Brown chicken, onion and peppers. Then, add everything into the crock pot at one time. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Spicy Lentil Soup

I made this last night and it was delicious! I served it with the french bread I made earlier in the day. I made a prosciutto panini with provolone and pimentos.

Spicy Lentil Soup

4c beef broth (I made my own but you can use the canned/box stuff)
carrots (or use a can)
1/2c lentils
1/2 can of kidney beans
1/2 can of northern beans (you can use whatever type of beans you have on hand)
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
1 strings of leeks- chopped
1t cumin
1T red wine vinegar
1 spicy kielbasa- sliced and chopped

1. In a pot, bring broth to a boil. Add carrots, lentils, beans and garlic. Simmer for 45 minutes or until carrots and lentils are tender.
2. Saute kielbasa and leeks in a little Pam. Then, add to the soup along with seasoning and vinegar. Simmer 10 minutes longer. Serve hot!

Per your request...

White Chicken Chili a la Crock Pot!


1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 oz) can diced jalapeno peppers (I use 1/2 can so it isn't too spicy)
2 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
2 t ground cumin (Don't panic if you don't have in hand!)
Salt to taste
1 t cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 c chopped cooked chicken breast (I boil and shred my chicken)
3 (15 ounce) cans white cannalini beans
1 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or your choice of cheese)
Sour Cream to garnish

1. Add all of the ingredients into the crock pot and cook on low for at least 5 hours (6-8 hours preferred).
2. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream.

Potato Soup and Reubens

Since I had leftover sauerkraut, I thought it would be a great idea to make Rubens.

I started hubbie off with the potato soup. Now, I know this was going to be a challenge for him, but I knew if I made the directions simply enough he would be fine...he was not so confident.

Here is how to make the Delicious Potato Soup:

Delicious Potato Soup


3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes ( I did this while on the couch)
1/4 cup diced celery (skipped)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (skipped)
3/4 cup diced cooked ham ( we used leftover sliced ham)
3 1/4 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
5 tbsp butter (I used non-salted butter)
5 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (I used 1c cream and 1c milk)

Boil the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a pot over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the bouillon cube, salt and pepper. in the micro melt butter and whisk in flour with a fork. Put bak in micro for 30 sec, stir and repeat for 30 more seconds. Slowly whisk in milk so there are no clumps. Micro for 1 more minute the add to pot. Cook soup until heated through.


Rubens
1/3lb Corned Beef
1/4lb Swiss
Sauerkraut
Thousand Island dressing
Rye or your choice of bread

Spread Thousand island dressing on both halves of bread...spread generously. Then, add meat and swiss. Top with sauerkraut and bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts (about 3 minutes) or if you are my hubbie stick in the toasted oven!

Easy Veggie Beef and Barley Soup

This was a really hearty soup. The great thing about this soup is you can use any cut of beef. I would recommend browning the beef first to keep the meat juicy and then cook until tender. I had enough left to freeze for another day! Great meal for a cool night!