Curry Butternut Squash Soup

1 Large Onion, diced
4 Whole Cloves Garlic, peeled
1 Tbl. Butter
1 Tbl. Coconut Oil

S&B Hot Curry Sauce, 2 pieces*
1 Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded, & cubed into 1" pieces
4 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 Can Cannelini Beans, undrained
Vegetable or Chicken Stock
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

Toppings:
Sour Cream, Plain Greek Yogurt, Toasted Coconut, Toasted Almonds, Croutons, etc....

Put diced onion, garlic, butter, and coconut oil in large slow cooker sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  DO NOT use slow cooker bags you will need the immersion blender and it will shred your bag and ruin your recipe(yucky plastic soup, no thank you).  Turn the slow cooker on high and cover for one hour, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and beginning to brown.  Add apples, squash, curry squares, beans, red pepper flakes, and just enough stock to come up to the bottom of the top layer of squash cubes.  Cook on high for 5-6 hours, until squash is very tender.  Turn slow cooker off, fish out the garlic cloves and discard.  Use the immersion blender to puree until smooth, or use blender in batches.  I prefer the immersion blender to avoid burns.  Return to slow cooker to warm until ready to eat.  Serve with a variation of toppings.

*There are 5-4 squares/rectangles per package.  I found 2 to be the perfect heat, and I like things hot.  So, you may want to start off with one square and add the other after taste testing, they do dissolve pretty fast.

Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup

Mise en Place

(Unfortunately my camera died before I could take any more pics.  Email me or leave a comment if the directions aren't clear.)

I've never liked French Onion Soup, I've just never found one that didn't taste like canned beef broth.  So I decided to try THIS recipe. It's fall and I love my husband, and it's relatively healthy.  I followed the recipe pretty darn close, except, I used beef stock I had reserved in my freezer and some from our pot roast last night.  It's a lot of beef stock.  But well worth it.  I used non-alcoholic beer(2 bottles for tasty measure) so it has great flavor.


I tweaked the bread slightly.  First, toast the bread under the broiler for a few minutes on each side.  This helps prevent the bread from becoming instantly gummy.  Spread one side lightly with one clove of roasted garlic.  I made 2 bulbs of roasted garlic today and they spread like "buttah".  Ladel some soup into the bowl, then plop the toasted bread garlic side up on top of the Onion Soup.  Place a slice of Swiss Cheese or sprinkle generously with grated Gruyere.  It's okay to overlap.  Broil for 2-3 minutes, until cheese starts to bubble and brown.  Serve very carefully as bowl will be very hot.


This would be a FANTASTIC get together dish.  Just toast up the bread as above, on a cookie sheet with the garlic and cheese.  Leave on a side plate for people to top their soups as they dish it up.  (We had a funky schedule tonight with meetings and sports, so I did this for the kiddos that came home later, it worked)

Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup

(adapted from http://www.howsweeteats.com)

makes 8-10 servings

4 med. sweet onions, sliced thin

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 cup of butter, sliced into pats

2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

2 bottles non-alcoholic beer(such as O'Doul's)

8 cups GOOD beef stock

1 Tbl. dried thyme

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt

Sourdough or French bread(stale works best)

gruyere cheese, sliced or grated

Add onions, garlic, brown sugar, butter, salt and balsamic and mix until combined in a large slow-cooker. Cover and let cook on high for 60-90 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until onions are translucent and brown on the edges and just caramelized. Sift in flour and stir thoroughly, let sit for 5 minutes with lid on. Sprinkle in Thyme, fresh ground pepper, beer, and stir well.  Add in remaining beef stock, and cover.  Cook on high for 4 hours, then turn down to low and cook an additional 2-4 hours.  

Slice sourdough or French bread into 1" thick slices.  Arrange on non-stick cookie sheet and toast each side under broiler.  Leave door open slightly and watch closely so they don't burn.  Remove from oven and spread each slice with  one clove of roasted garlic.  Fill soup bowls almost to the top, cover with slice of bread and a handful of grated cheese or slice. Set under the broiler for 2-3 minutes(leave door open so you can watch carefully), or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Be careful when serving as bowls will be hot!  Sprinkle with fresh parsley or fresh thyme.  

Cauliflower Leek Soup

2 leeks
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
1 large head cauliflower, diced
Vegetable or chicken stock
Seasonings:  Fresh grated black pepper, white pepper, bay leaf, ground mustard, nutmeg(all to taste)

Discard any leek leaves that look questionable.  Slice leek lengthwise down the middle and then into half moons.  Place in fine sieve strainer that fits inside another bowl.  Cover with water and soak.  Rinse several times to remove all sand.  Pour all ingredients into large crockpot.  Add enough stock just to cover veggies.  Cover and cook on high 4 hours, turn to low another 2-3 hours.  Remove bay leaf.  Using an immersion(stick) blender puree until smooth, it helps if you use a potato masher first to break up large pieces.  Optional toppings:  bacon pieces, Parmesan cheese, shredded chicken, pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of flavored olive oil, etc....

Chili (I served this at Girls Camp Fundraiser)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cans black beans(do not drain)

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 can tomato soup

 2 Heaping Tbl. each Chili Powder & Cumin
2 Tbl. Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

 1 Medium Onion, Diced

1 Jalapeno Pepper, finely diced, most of the seeds removed

1 Anaheim Pepper, finely diced, most of the seeds removed

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Tbl. Beef "Better Than Bouillion"

1 3 lb. lean Beef Roast, cooked and shredded

1 lb. chorizo, cooked and drained

Sriracha Sauce to Taste

DIRECTIONS:
In a large slowcooker, combine all ingredients EXCEPT meat.   Add enough water to the cans of beans to rinse all of the grainy fibery goodness out, about half to two thirds up the can.  Swirl around to loosen up all the residue and add "bean juice" to the crockpot.  Stir all the ingredients.  Cook on High 1 hour and turn down to Low for 5-6 hours, until onions are translucent and soft.  In a large non-stick pan, cook chorizo.  Pour into a fine sieve strainer and drain.  Go back and scrape the "bits" left in the pan, you can add a little water to help.  Pour the "bits" and drained chorizo into the chili mixture.  Add shredded beef and stir well.  Cook for one more hour.  The beef will soak up a lot of the liquid and it will thicken up.  Add Sriracha Sauce to taste if you'd like to add more heat.

**I slow-cooked the roast the day before in the crock-pot.  I use London Broil in the crock-pot A LOT, and this would also work well, any cheap cut will do, even pork.

Serve with Honey Corn Bread or Muffins.

Updated, my favorite version(10/10/15)

INGREDIENTS:

3  cans red kidney beans(do not drain)

2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

 1 Heaping Tbl. each Pasilla Chili Powder, California Chili Powder, & Cumin
1 Tbl. Worchestire Sauce

 1 Medium Onion, Diced

1 Tbl. Minced Dried Onion

1 Jalapeno Pepper, finely diced, most of the seeds removed

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Tbl. Beef "Better Than Bouillion" 

1 tsp. ManSmith's Dry Fire Seasoning 

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Combine above ingredients in crockpot and cook on high one hour, then turn down to low and cook another 5-6 hours.

Add the ingredients below and more water if needed and cook on low for another hour.

2 cups cooked and shredded Beef Roast

2 cups cooked ground beef(drain the oil)

1 cup finely diced cooked bacon

1 Tbl. Cocoa Powder(good quality)

Crockpot Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1" pieces
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large or 2 small apples, peeled and diced(any kind, gala or fuji best)
1 qt. vegetable stock
1 rounded tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. each: black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, and cumin
pinch of red pepper flakes or more to taste
1 cup plain almond milk(or milk/cream)

Preheat oven to 425'. Spread diced butternut squash on large cookie sheet lined with non-stick foil. Drizzle olive oil over squash to coat, mix with hands if needed. Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until some pieces are starting to golden up around the edges and pieces are all sizzling. While baking add the diced onion and apple to crockpot. When squash is done add to crockpot. Sprinkle seasonings over the vegetable mixture. Pour vegetable stock over crockpot ingredients and just give it a gentle stir. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours. Just before ready to serve, blend mix with an immersion blender(stick/handheld blender). Pour in almond milk and mix well. Serve in a mug or bowl. Top with toasted coconut, croutons, grated parmesan cheese, and toasted pine nuts on the side and soft garlic breadsticks or rolls.

Split Pea Soup(Double Batch)

2 lb. bags split peas rinsed, cleaned, debris removed
2 Tbl. Chicken Stock Base
16 cups HOT water
2 Bay Leaves
1 onion finely chopped
6 stalks celery finely chopped
1 1 lb. bag baby carrots finelly chopped in food processor
2 4 oz. bags Bacon Pieces(cooked, found in salad toppings aisle)
salt & pepper to taste
white bean flour to thicken if needed

Rinse peas, remove rocks & debris if any, put in large saucepot with chicken stock base(as pictured on the side in this blog), and 16 cups hot water, and bay leaves. Bring to boil, remove from heat, cover, and let sit 1 hour. Add onions, celery, and about a 1/2 tsp. pepper and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat to gentle simmer for 1/2 hour. Add chopped carrots and cook for another 1/2 hour. Add bacon pieces and cook for another 1/2 hour. Turn off heat. If you need to thicken it, you can mix about 2 Tbl. bean flour with 1/2 cup cool water, strain through wire mesh strainer if it's too grainy. Add to soup and bring to a slight rolling boil while stirring. The bean paste really thickens it up fast! Add salt and more pepper to taste.

2 Too Good Vegetarian Taco Soup

Do NOT drain!

2 28 oz. cans Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans
2 15 oz. cans black beans, undrained
2 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
2 mix packets of taco seasoning
1 can of vegetarian refried beans
1 onion finely diced

I snuck some Sneaky Chef vegetable puree in mine. Mix all ingredients in a large crockpot, cover, cook on high 3 hours, switch to low for the last 2-4. You can also add corn in the last hour, play with it. I did not add any extra salt at all. Top with chopped cilantro, sour cream and cheese with tortilla chips or warm tortillas on the side.

Creamy Red Potato & Bacon Soup(EASY!) & Basil & Red Pepper Muffins

5 lb. bag of red potatoes
4 green onions sliced, whites and green parts
1 2.8 oz. bag of reduced fat cooked bacon pieces(found by the salad dressing aisle usually) or 1 packaged cooked bacon, diced
2 Tbl. chicken base concentrate
1 tsp. each salt and black pepper**
1/2 tsp. each, ground mustard, white pepper**, thyme, & sage
a pinch of red pepper flakes**
2 bay leaves(to be removed when done cooking)
water
1 pt. fat free half n half, cream or regular half n half

Wash & Scrub 5lbs. red potatoes and dice into approx. 1" pieces(do not peel) and put in large stock pot.



Add to potatoes, chicken based concentrated stock, such as Better 'N Bouillon or McCormick Chicken Base, bacon, green onions, & spices.




Pour in just enough water to cover the potato mixture, approx. 8 cups.



Bring to boil and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for approx. 1 hour. Stir every so often(don't you love those clear instructions?). When the potatoes become creamy and tender, mash about half of the mixture with a potato masher. You still want some chunks, but mashing some of it releases some more starches to thicken it up. Turn off heat and add 1 pt. of cream or half 'n half and mix well. Top with additional green onion tops or chives and bacon pieces or ham.

**This has a bit of a kick, so cut back on the pepper if you prefer it a little more mild.

My kids have begged me to make this since school started so they can take it in their lunches. It's a family favorite so I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Serve with muffins, biscuits or rolls.

Basil & Red Pepper Muffins


2 cups fat-free milk
2/3 cup canola oil
4 egg whites or 1/2 cup egg product, such as Egg Beaters
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbl. sugar
2 Tbl. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 16 oz. jar, roasted red peppers, drained and minced
3 green onions, chopped(green & white parts)
2 Tbl. chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 cup shredded cheese, such as Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 350'. Spray pans with non-stick spray. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix. Stir in onions and red peppers and stir. If you mix them in to coat with flour mixture they won't float up to the top in the muffin pans. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, oil, and milk. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and pour in wet ingredients and mix until moist, do not over mix. Divide into either 12 Jumbo Muffin tins, 24 Reg. size muffin tins, or 48 mini-muffins. Bake for approx. 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center most muffin tin comes out clean.

White Bean & Pumpkin Soup(WW=2pts.)

Butter Flavor or Olive Oil non-stick spray
1 shallot finely chopped
1/2 tsp. dried cilantro
1/4 tsp. cumin
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 15.5 oz. can white beans, do not rinse or drain.
1 15.5 oz. can pumpkin(not pie mix)
2 cans fat free vegetable(or chicken) broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

Spray non-stick pan with non-stick spray and cook onions and fire roasted peppers with lid on until translucent. Add dried cilantro, white beans, pumpkin and brother and mix well. Bring almost to a boil, lower temp and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree in blender in patches. Add salt and pepper to taste. Great sprinkled with parmesan cheese or lowfat sour cream(just be sure to add points). 2 pts. per cup.