Bex's Heavenly Beef Stew

This makes your house smell so good! I look at weather forecasts and pick a day where it's going to be cloudy and cold when I make this one!

2 lbs stew meat, trimmed
flour, salt, pepper, butter

4 C water
2 C beef broth
1 tsp worchestire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
1/2 TB salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
dash of allspice

carrots, potatoes

Mix some flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Melt 3 TB of butter in a skillet. Roll the stew meat in the flour mixture and then brown in the butter.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients, EXCEPT the carrots and potatoes, in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil.

Add browned meat and simmer for 2 hours, uncovered.

Add carrots and potatoes. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Serve with crusty french bread! SO GOOD!

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites

1 lb. Italian sausage
1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves minced garlic

4 c. water
2 stalks celery, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1-2 small zucchini, quartered and chopped
1 can beef broth
1 10-oz. can bean with bacon soup
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes

1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/8-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes


Remove casings from sausage and crumble the meat. In a large soup pot, brown Italian sausage with onions and garlic. Carefully drain, if necessary. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer on low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and breadsticks or French bread.


Additionally, you can make this in a slow cooker. Just brown the sausage, onion, and garlic in a frying pan, drain, and then transfer to a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and cook all day on low.

I have made this several times and love it. It freezes really well and the leftovers are amazing.

Crockpot Tortilla Soup - Denise's fave!

1.5 lbs cooked, shredded Chicken
1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 - 14 oz can HATCH Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
2 - 4 oz can HATCH Diced Green Chiles (one can also works fine)
1 - 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 med. onion, chopped
2 Tbs minced garlic
2 cups water
1 - 15 oz can chicken broth
2 tsp each: cumin, chili powder, salt & black pepper (to taste)
1 - 15 oz can corn, drained
2 Tbs cilantro, chopped
Cheddar &/or Mont Jack Cheese, sour cream, & avocado for Garnish

In Crockpot combine all ingredients except Cilantro & Garnish. Cover & cook on low 6-8 hours (or 4-6 on high). This is spicy - sour cream calms it down a bit. Also it makes a LOT so is good for a crowd or to put half in the freezer.

Christine's Mexican Bean Soup

Yummy and quick! Prep and cook time total 20 min.

4 teas of oil
1 zucchini, diced
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 (14 oz) cans of reduced sodium fat free vegetable or chicken broth
1 (15 1/2 oz) can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup fat free salsa
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup broken up tortilla chips

1- Heat oil in large saucepan over med-high heat. Add zucchini and scallions and cook, stirring, about 3 min.

2- Add broth, beans, corn and salsa, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered about 3 min. Stir in cilantro. Top or serve with the chips.

Makes 4 - 1 3/4 cup servings.

WW PointsPlus- 5

Slow-Food Tomato Soup

(A recipe from a Gourmet Magazine Top 50 Restaurants in the USA—where Nicole's DH works)

I guess this doesn't fit the criteria of quick & easy for the blog, but it's well worth the effort!!!

½ pound bacon, sliced into strips

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1 head garlic, peeled & sliced

1 bunch thyme (fresh)

2 cups Sauvignon Blanc

4 cups chicken broth or stock

3 bay leaves

4 cups pureed tomatoes (I had a garden full, so I pureed fresh without seeding or skinning them in a blender. I assume the chef wouldn't used canned tomatoes)

Place bacon in stockpot and crisp up. (I remove some of the bacon grease, not all)

Add thinly sliced onion and cook with bacon until translucent. Add sliced garlic and cook for 3 minutes.

Add wine and simmer until almost no wine remains (reduce the heck out of it). Add chicken stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, a pinch of salt & pepper.

Reduce by ½, strain out any chunks through a mesh sieve and enjoy with cheesy or crusty bread. (Restaurant serves with 12 year cheddar and a crouton)

Denise's Easy Tortilla Soup

1 med onion chopped

 2 cloves garlic (minced)

 2 cans beef broth

2 cans chicken broth

1 sm. can tomato sauce

1 can chopped stewed tomatos

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 jalapeno chopped

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp worsteshire sauce

1 1/2 cups cooked chopped chicken (or 2 large cans)

 

Saute onion & garlic.  Add cumin, chili powder, jalapeno, salt and worst sauce.  Add the broth, tomatoes & tom sauce.  Add chicken.  Simmer for ~ 40 mins on low.  Serve over tortilla ships and top w/ shredded cheddar cheese and avacado slices. 

Sunshine's Potato and Cheese Soup

6 C peeled, cubed potatos

2 C water OR Vegetable broth

1 C thin sliced carrots

½ C chopped onion

2 t. ground parsley flakes

3 chicken boilon cubes (omit if using veg. Broth)

1 t. salt

1 t. garlic powder

½ t. ground pepper

******************

¼ C flour

¼ C whole milk

2 ¾ C whole milk

2 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix all the 1^st group of ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low until potatoes are cooked. Then in a small bowl, mix the ¼ C. flour and ¼ milk to make a paste. Add to potato soup and mix well. Then add in the remainder of the milk and heat through. Right before serving, melt in the cheese. Yummy w/crusty bread.

Mika's French Onion Soup

3 large onions, sliced, separated into rings

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

2 cans (10-1/2 oz. each) condensed beef broth

1 Tbsp Steak Sauce

1 cup seasoned croutons

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Cook onions in butter in large saucepan on medium heat 10 min. or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
Add broth, 2 soup cans water and steak sauce. Bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low heat 5 min.
Heat broiler. Ladle soup into 4 large ovenproof bowls; top with croutons and cheese. Broil 2 to 3 min. or until cheese is melted.

Why-the-Chicken-Crossed-the-Road Santa Fe-Tastic Tortilla Soup by Rachael Ray

Thanks, NAt!!!!!

Ingredients

• Vegetable or corn oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons -- 2 turns of the pot in a slow stream
• 3 ears corn on the cob or 2 ears fresh-frozen cobs, defrosted (to save time & if not charring, I just use frozen)
• 1 red bell pepper, split and seeded
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
• 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/3 palm full
• Salt and pepper
• 1 small to medium zucchini, small dice
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 to 2 chipotle in adobo peppers (medium to hot heat level), chopped -- available in small cans in Mexican and Spanish food section of market (I freeze the extras to use later)
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, 28 ounces
• 1 can tomato sauce, 8 ounces
• 3 cups chicken stock
• corn tortilla chips, broken up into large pieces
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or pepper Jack cheese (or Mexican blend)
• 1 can black beans (I add this for extra protein & to thicken the soup a little)

Directions

Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium high. Drizzle oil on corn and place on grill. Add red pepper to grill with corn. Char vegetables 10 minutes, total, turning occasionally. Remove to cool, 5 minutes. Remove charred skin from the pepper. (Sometimes I do this, but if I'm in a hurry, I skip this step.)

While vegetables cook, dice chicken. Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot soup pot. Add chicken to pot. Season with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Lightly brown chicken on each side. Add zucchini, onions and garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables with chicken 5 to 7 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock. Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.

Scrape corn off cob and add to soup. Chop grilled red pepper and stir into soup (with black beans, if adding). Serve soup topped with chips & some shredded cheese.

Mika's Taco Soup

2lbs ground beef (or turkey)
1 chopped onion
1 can green chilies
2 cans pinto beans
1 can corn
3 cans tomatoes
1 pkg dry taco mix
1 pkg dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 ½ cup water

Brown beef and onions. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and simmer 30 minutes.

Mika's Clam Chowder

2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
1 stick butter
2 tbsp diced green onion, chopped
¼ cup flour
2 can mince clams
1 tsp salt
16 oz half & half
½ cup whole milk
1/3 cup clam juice

Cut potatoes and cook until tender. Drain. Melt butter, add onions. Cook, add flour to butter and stir. Mixture will be creamy. Place rest ingredients in pan and bring to boil on medium-low heat. Turn temperature down to low and let simmer 15 minutes. Stir frequently.