Navy bean soup

This soup tastes and looks like it cooked all day but really it is on the table in about 30 minutes with the help of canned (or jarred) navy beans.  Similar in ingredients to split pea soup I often make them at the same time since some people in our house don't like "green soup".  This one freezes great too!

Navy Bean and Ham Soup

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion - chopped (about 1 cup)
3 carrots - chopped (about 1 cup)
3 celery stalks - chopped (about 1 cup)
4 cups chicken stock
3 14 oz cans of navy beans - drained and rinsed and one can mashed
2 cups chopped ham
1 Tbsp granulated garlic
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat then add in onion, carrot and celery and saute until softened.  About 5-7 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking - drain and rinse the beans.  Empty one can into a bowl and mash fully using a fork or potato masher.  This helps to thicken the soup and give it the "cooked all day taste".
Carefully pour stock into the vegetable mixture, then add beans and mashed beans, ham, garlic, salt and pepper.
Allow to come to a boil and lower heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes until slightly thickened.

Enjoy!

Split pea soup

Without a doubt this soup is my husbands favorite.  Whenever we have ham I make a big batch of split pea soup with the left over bone.  It also freezes beautifully so feel free to double the recipe, you don't need to add another bone just toss in some extra ham.

Split Pea Soup with Ham

Ingredients-
1 pound dried split peas
1 meaty ham bone - or 2 ham hocks
6 cups chicken stock
1 large onion chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 carrots chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 celery stalks chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 Tbsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp marjoram
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper

Place ham bone, split peas and chicken stock in a large pot and bring to a slow boil.  Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour.
Remove ham bone from broth and add in vegetables, garlic and marjoram.  Pull meat from the bone, chop if needed and add back to the pot. 
Bring back up to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, adding water if needed in 1/2 cup portions.
Taste and add salt if needed.
Serve pipping hot and top with ground pepper.

Enjoy!

Ropa vieja - Cuban shredded beef

Ropa Vieja literally translates into Old Clothes in English, a nod to the shreds of tender beef.  Whatever you want to call it this is a dish you will make again and again.  It is also one that freezes well and re-purposes beautifully as left overs, so make extra!

Ingredients - serves 4-6
3 lb flank steak
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions - chopped
2 peppers - chopped (red, green or one of each)
6 cloves of garlic - minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
14.5 oz can of tomato sauce
1/2 tsp ground annatto seed
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3 cups beef broth
Pepper
1 cup green olives
2 Tbsp olive brine or vinegar
4 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro - about 1 bunch

Slice flank steak WITH the grain into 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces (this will really help later when shredding).  Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy bottom pot or dutch oven.  Brown the steak on both sides in batches if necessary add more oil.  Remove meat from pot and set aside in a bowl to catch the juices.  Reduce heat to medium, add in onions and peppers and cook for 5 minutes until onions are translucent then add in the garlic, continue cooking for 2 more minutes.  Deglaze the pan with the wine making sure to scrap the bottom of the pan.  Stir in tomato sauce, annatto, coriander, cumin, beef broth, pepper, olives and brine.  Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to keep a low simmer.  Add meat back to the pot along with any juices that were caught in the bottom of the bowl.  Simmer for 2 1/2 - 3 hours until meat is very tender.  Remove meat pieces to a cutting board and shred using two forks.  (Hold one fork still and pull with the other.)  Return shredded meat to the pot and add in the cilantro.  Stir well to incorporate the sauce among the meat shreds. 
Serve hot with white rice and sliced avocado.

Enjoy!

Ideas for left-overs - Omelet filling, Tacos, Enchiladas, Sandwiches

Stuffed shells, again

So usually I make stuffed shells with cauliflower or spinach in the mix like this one I posted last year.  However, the spinach didn't look so great at the market this week.  Venturing around the produce department I found some lovely broccolini.  I may never go back!  I blanched the broccolini in the pasta cooking water then trimmed it into 1/2 inch pieces and tossed it in the filling.  The flavor is a great contrast to the Italian sausage, give it a try I think its a nice change to a old stand-by recipe.

Enjoy!

Onion soup

Ok I wont lie to you, this is not a soup you toss together for a quick weeknight meal.  However... after a bit of prep you can have this on the table in 20 minutes.  Caramelizing the onions takes about 45-50 minutes but it is worth the effort.  I like to do 3-4 batches of onions in a huge pot then divide and freeze.  When you are ready to make your pot of soup simply defrost the onions add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.  If you want to cook in the crock pot add caramelized onions with additional ingredients and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  As for the toppings, that is personal taste, if you don't like the bread and cheese by all means leave it out the rich broth and onions are plenty delicious on their own.

Ingredients- (Makes 4 servings)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
5 cups sliced onions - About 3 pounds
1 tsp dried thyme
3 Tbsp sherry wine
4 cups beef stock
4 slices french bread
4-8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese

In a large heavy pot melt butter with olive oil over medium heat.  Add in sliced onions cook until they just start to brown, about 6-8 minutes stirring often.  Once they are starting to brown reduce heat to low cover pot, continue cooking stirring every 5 minutes until onions develop a deep rich brown color.  About 40 minutes.  Add in thyme and deglaze pan with sherry.
If you are going to freeze your onions stop cooking now.  Otherwise -
Add in beef stock bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
Ladle broth and onions into oven proof bowls then top each soup with a piece of bread and 1-2 slices or cheese.  Place 2 inches under broiler until cheese melts.
Serve with a simple salad.

Enjoy!

Dads Chili

My Dad makes amazing chili!  Unfortunately he lives in Miami and I am in Virginia so I have to make my own.  This recipe comes very close to his I tend to make it mild so the kids will eat it then spice it up at the table with some hot sauce for the grown ups.  Chili freezes great so make an extra batch for another night.

Ingredients-
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 pounds Ground Beef
1 pound Hot Italian Sausage with casings removed
2 small Green Peppers - chopped
1 large Onion - chopped
3 cloves Garlic - minced
1 14oz can of Tomato Sauce
1 28oz can of Diced Tomatoes
2 cans Kidney beans - drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp Chili Powder
Salt and pepper

In a large stock pot heat oil over medium high heat.  Add beef and sausage and brown well 5-8 minutes breaking up the sausage as it is cooking.  Add green peppers, onions and garlic and continue to cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.  Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with their liquid and beans.  Bring to a simmer.  Stir in chili powder, salt and pepper.  Turn down the heat and let simmer for 1 hour.  If it gets too thick just add some water.
Serve hot with assorted toppings.

Toppings -
Hot sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped raw onions
Sliced jalapenos
Crushed corn chips
Crushed tortilla chips
Sour cream

Enjoy!

Chicken soup with lemon

A dash of lemon juice can really bring chicken soup to a new level.  By giving the vegetables and chicken a little pre-cook and using pre-made stock or broth this delicious and hearty soup comes together in just under 30 minutes.

Ingredients
1 Boneless skinless chicken breast - cut into chunks
2 large carrots - sliced
2 medium celery stalks - chopped
1 small onion - chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
Quart of chicken stock
2 cups egg noodles
1 lemon - Juiced

In a stock pot heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery and onion and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Add chicken and continue to cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until chicken is about half way cooked.  Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.  Add in noodles and simmer about 8-10 minutes until noodles are done, vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through.
Remove from heat and add in the lemon juice.  Serve immediately with crusty bread.

This soup freezes well.

Congri - Black beans and rice

Congri is rice cooked with black beans and their liquid the result is a hearty side dish that you will make again and again.  It also freezes beautifully so make extra and store it away for a night you don't feel like cooking!

Traditionally congri would be started by soaking dried black beans and then cooking them as you would to serve over rice.  When the black bean "soup" is finished 2 cups of the beans and 1 cup of the cooking liquid would be taken out to make the congri.  We are going to skip this step and start using canned black beans.  This will take about 3 hours out of the prep time but if you have 3 hours to kill by all means start with dried beans.

Ingredients
4 slices of bacon - chopped
1 large onion- chopped
3 cloves of garlic - minced
2 cups parboiled rice
2 cans black beans and their liquid
1 cup of chicken or beef stock
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp white vinegar

In a large pot (that has a lid) brown chopped bacon over medium heat until it renders its fat.
Remove bacon and save for later.

Add onion and garlic to bacon fat and cook 3-4 minutes.  Add in rice and stir to coat rice with fat.  Carefully add the beans and their liquid, the chicken stock, oregano and cumin.  Skip salt for now depending on your bacon and beans you may not need any.  Bring to a simmer and put the lid on.

Simmer covered for 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat then stir with a fork to fluff the rice.  Add bacon back into rice and stir in vinegar.  Put the lid back on and allow to sit for 10 minutes (make sure the burner is off now).  Taste to see if it needs any salt.

Really this could be a meal on its own - we often eat it for lunch with a piece of fruit - but it makes a great side to a simple chicken breast or grilled steak.

Enjoy!

What to do with that left over buttermilk? - Pancakes of course!

There is nothing I hate more than throwing away perfectly good food.  You know what I am talking about, you buy an ingredient use it for the recipe intended and put the rest in your fridge.  It sits there until you realize it is 2 months past its expiration and becomes food for the trash monster. 
I used to have this problem with buttermilk.  I would buy a quart, make delicious buttermilk ranch dressing or fried chicken soaked in buttermilk but never use the whole quart.  Try as I may the buttermilk would mock me every time I opened the fridge.  Finally I have outsmarted it. 
With pancakes! 
We love pancakes and they freeze wonderfully giving me the perfect place for whatever quantity of buttermilk I have left over.

Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
2 cups buttermilk (no buttermilk?  no problem, see end of post)
4 Tbsp cooking oil

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Mix together well with a whisk.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten egg, buttermilk and oil.

Mix just until moistened the batter will be lumpy but that is OK - Over stiring will lead to tough pancakes.

Preheat your skillet over medium heat - I like to start with a light coat of nonstick spray it is not necessary for each batch, after the first batch you should be fine.  Drop about 1/4 cup of batter and leave them alone until bubbles come up on the top like the picture below.

Flip and cook about 1-2 more minutes until golden brown.

This made about 20 pancakes.

Enjoy!

To freeze - lay pancakes in a single layer on a baking sheet in the freezer until hardened then move into a storage bag.  Reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals.

No buttermilk?  That's OK you can use just plain milk but then increase the baking powder to 1 Tbsp.  You can sub milk for part of the buttermilk too just use an additional 1 tsp of baking powder for every 1 cup of milk you are using.

Cuban Beef stew - Carne con Papas

It is cold and rainy outside and nothing will warm you up like a hearty bowl of stew.  This one take a little prep work but can simmer low and slow until you need it.  I have made it in the crock pot with great success as well.  You can skip the browning of the meat but I don't recommend it, browned just tastes better!  I also like to cut my own stew meat, that way I control the size of the pieces and can make them more uniform. 
This recipe is geared for 12 servings.  I like to freeze some for a quick meal another day.

Ingredients-
6 pounds beef round cut into chunks
1 Tbsp ground oregano
1 1/2 Tsp ground cumin
3 Garlic cloves minced
4 Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp Sherry or dry white wine
1 large onion - chopped
1 large green pepper - finely chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
9 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce
4 large potatoes chopped into small pieces
4 large carrots sliced
2 cups green beans (fresh or frozen)
6 Tbsp Sherry or dry white wine
30 Spanish olives
Salt to taste

Trim excess fat from your roast and cut into desired size pieces  - I cut smaller for small people if only for adults I will cut into larger chunks.

Place cut pieces into a large bowl

In a small bowl combine - oregano, cumin, garlic, vinegar, Sherry, onion and green pepper and stir to combine marinade.

Pour over meat and coat meat well.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight.

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat.  Shake excess marinade off the meat and brown each piece.  For small pieces brown on 2 sides, for large pieces brown on all sides.  Work in batches until all the meat is browned adding oil as needed.

Combine browned meat, marinade, water and tomato sauce to a stock pot and bring to a low boil over medium heat.  Turn heat down and allow to simmer for 1-2 hours until meat is tender.  Do not allow the water to fully evaporate.  If water level gets low add more. (Crock pot directions at the end of the post.)

Slice carrots and chop potatoes, I like to do the ahead of when I need them and I cover them with cold water until I am ready for them.

If you are freezing any portion you want to remove it now before adding the potatoes - they just do not do well in the freezer.  We will talk about reheating later. 
Now add the carrots, potatoes and green beans.  Add water if needed to cover at least half way.

Bring heat back up to a low simmer and cook until vegetables are done and sauce has thickened.
Add the remaining Sherry and the olives.
Salt to taste - First taste the stew THEN add the salt!
Serve over hot rice or alone with crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Freezer directions -
Basically you are freezing the stew half way made.  You can just defrost and continue the recipe from where you stopped or for a quick meal defrost then add in a bag of frozen vegetables, heat and serve.

Crock pot - After browning meat combine all remaining ingredients in the crock pot and set on low for 6- 8 hours.

Meal plan 2/1 - 2/6

2/1
Chicken potpies - making extra for the freezer

2/2
Chicken pesto pasta
Garlic knots

2/3
Pizza night

2/4 Saturday dinner for 13
Beef stew - Extra for freezer
Rice
Salad
Bread

2/5
Grilled tilapia
Couscous
Green beans

2/6
Chicken Divan
Rice Pilaf

Lunches -
Leftovers
PB crackers
Cheese triangles - Quesadillas cut into triangles

Breakfasts-
Oatmeal
Cereal
Pumpkin bread
Biscuit cups
Pancakes

What is meal planning?

Meal planning is simply planning meals before you cook them.  Some people like to shop first then plan meals around whatever was on sale.  Others like to plan first and shop only for what they need.  I do a combination of both. 
Before I sit down to plan a menu I open the pantry, fridge and freezer and take a quick inventory of what I already have on hand.  Then I plan meals, and make a shopping list for the remaining items.  After that is done I check the sales flyers for good couponing stock up deals.  We usually spend $10-$20 a week on sale items.  I do not go crazy here and it is easy to do.  My rule is if we wont use it I don't buy it - no matter what.  Period.  It is hard to pass up something that is free with a coupon but if you end up throwing it away unused you didn't save anything in the first place.

In my pantry -
Pastas, Rice, Beans (dried and cans), peanut butter, honey, maple syrup, cereal and oatmeal, dried fruits, crackers and pretzels,
Dry goods -
Flours (white, whole wheat, buckwheat), sugar (white, brown, agave nectar, stevia), baking powder and soda, spices, salt/pepper, baking chocolate, coffee and teas
In my fridge -
Milk, yogurt (homemade), eggs, juice, cheese, butter, condiments and dressings, fresh vegetables and fruit (depending on what is in season).
In my freezer -
Beef. We currently buy 1/2 a cow once a year.  This allows us to get organic grass fed beef for cheap than conventional meat at the grocery store.  Last year I paid $3.75 a pound.  That was for steaks, roasts, ribs, and ground cut to our liking.  Check out Eatwild.com for a farmer near you.
Chicken.  We get boneless, skinless chicken breasts from Zaycon foods (Sign up here to find a location near you).  They sell them in 40 pound cases for $1.79 a pound at the last event!
Dough for pizza crust and dinner rolls
Sauces. Tomato sauce and pesto made over the summer
Vegetables and fruit.  Corn, peas, green beans, stir fry mix, edamame, pureed pumpkin, blueberries and strawberries
Bread
Pre-made (by me) dinners and breakfasts

I am sure there is more but these are the basics for our house and the building blocks for our meal planning.