Recipe: Vegetable Beef Soup

We had spring thunderstorms all day yesterday, so it was a perfect day for warm hearty soup.  This thick and flavourful soup has a wonderful tomotoe herb base, with ground beef and vegetables.  What I liked most about it, is that it wasn't too beefy at all.

I modified this recipe to what I had on hand.  The recipe had some big gaps in it where it mentions an ingredient but never says what to do with it.  It was a good base to go from, and the end result was delicious.

Although I loved this soup, the kids didn't really care for it.  I served some to my friend who was visiting that afternoon and she really enjoyed it.  It's so difficult sometimes to find a dish that everyone likes.

VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
Printable Copy

1 24oz. can  of diced tomatoes
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried or 1 Tablespoon fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
dash salt & pepper
Put herbs in food processor with juice from tomatoes and process 20 seconds. Add tomatoes and pulse 4 times. Put in bowl and set aside.

1 lb. ground beef
1 large white onion
3 garlic cloves minced
1 cup tomatoe juice
Blend together in food processor 30 seconds. Place in wide bottomed soup pot and boil 20 minutes until ground beef is fully cooked.  Add tomatoe and herb mixture that was set aside.

3 cups tomatoe juice
3 cups beef broth
1 cup pearl barley
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
4 small (or 1 large) red potatoe, diced
2 bay leaves
Add to cooked ground beef mixture and simmer on low heat until carrots and potatoes are tender. Discard bay leaves.

I made this around 2:00pm so I'd have it ready for after school.  I transferred it my slow cooker and placed it on low (or keep warm setting).  I froze the leftovers into lunch-sized portions for later.

Enjoy!

My troop flys-up from Brownies to Juniors soon. 

I'm so proud of them!

Recipe: Tomatoe and Basil Salad

This delicious salad recipe comes from our monthly MOMS Club recipe exchange.  We take turns hosting each month and everyone brings a themed recipe and sample to share.  This salad is so fresh and flavourful with a mix of tomatoes, olives, mozzerella, red wine vinegar and more - yum!

TOMATOE BASIL SALAD

Printable Recipe

1 8oz. mozza ball

2 tomatoes diced

1/2 cup black olives

1-2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (or more)

1 Tablespoon olive oil (or more)

salt

pepper

1/4 cup dry basil (1/2 cup fresh basil)

Enjoy!

from the book "Springtime Tree Seeds"

by Helen Ross Russell

Illustrations by Stanley Fleming

1972  Regensteiner Publishing Enterprises, Inc.

Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore Soup

I'm not posting a St. Patrick's Day recipe today.  Our family heritage is more of a "mush" than anything else.  I'm English (Grandad from England), Scottish, Acaidian French, Spanish (Great Grandfather from Spain), and who knows what else.  Then our kids have a mix from Dad's side (Saxon, Irish, et al) so our kids are like 6 or more heritage mixed together - mush!

So, I'm posting an Italian recipe just to throw everyone for a loop ;o)  I actually had a bottle of Ledo's tomatoe sauce that my darling husband got for me the last time he was in Maryland that I've been dying to cook with.  Don't know Ledo's Pizza?  I (and Gail from Oprah) can only describe it as the best tasting pizza ever!  Ledo's Pizza was featured on Oprah's Quest for the Best: The Best Pizza in America back in Nov 2006.

I found a great recipe on the Food Network Site for Chicken Cacciatorie Soup by Pat Bias.  Oh boy, this was soooo delicious and quick to make.  I read it's taste described as "spaghetti soup" and I think that's a good fit.  We had it sprinkled with parmesan cheese and served with a side of homemade Buttermilk Cheese Bread (I'll post this yummy bread machine recipe later).  Our daughter had a friend over for supper and even she gobbled it up.  Our 3 year old son (who we can hardly get to eat anything) ate his whole bowl.  Sucess!

I did make a few changes to the recipe.  I cooked the diced chicken in Montreal Chicken Spice and Olive Oil prior to adding it to the soup.  Why?  Becasue I thought it wouldn't be as gross would taste better than adding the uncooked chicken to the soup.  After all the ingredients were mixed I transferred it to the slow cooker turned on low for an hour until we were ready to eat.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE SOUP
from Food Network's Pat Bias

1 cup uncooked rotini
3 cans vegetable broth
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces)
1 (30-ounce) jar of extra chunky spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and diced onions
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic puree
1/3 teaspoon Italian seasoning
3 teaspoons red wine (optional)
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, cut up in juice
1 medium zucchini sliced

Cook rotini according to package directions, substituting 1 can vegetable broth for part of the water. Cook until done (about 10 minutes). Drain and set aside. Cut chicken breasts into a 1-inch dice. In a large pan, combine spaghetti sauce, 2 cans of vegetable broth, onions, garlic puree, chicken, Italian seasoning, red wine, tomatoes, and zucchini. Cook until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through (20 to 30 minutes). Add cooked rotini, and cook until heated through.

For a printable version of this recipe go here.
Enjoy!
 

Sugar and Spice Cookbook for Kids
by Julia Kiene
1950 Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Appliance Division

Recipe: Tomatoe Basil Soup

My daughter and I had some Tomatoe Basil Soup at a coffee shop last week and it was so good I had to try to make this at home.  She's always loved Tomatoe Soup and used to call it "plain soup" when she was little.  If I could make this at home then it would be a good soup for her to take for school lunch.

I found a recipe for "Rich and Creamy Tomatoe Basil Soup" from http://www.allrecipes.com/.  The only ingredient I couldn't find was fresh basil leaves so I substituted with dried basil leaves.  I also made a double batch so I could freeze some for future use.

Instead of peeling the tomatoes with a knife I blanched them in rapidly boiling water for about 25 seconds until you see the skins "crack".  Then you can just pull the peels off with your fingers.  See example picture of the tomatoes with the skins "cracked" below.

Not only did my daughter love this but my husband and 3 year old son did too - score!  Isn't it great when you make something that everyone can agree on, and it's good for them?  We had this as a side dish with hamburgers last night.  It is very creamy and the basil is not overpowering but compliments the tomatoes well.

TOMATOE BASIL SOUP

4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced (I blanched the tomatoes to peel them easier)
4 cups tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil (I used ALOT of dried basil with the tomatoes & at the end with the butter)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste (I forgot this step)

Place tomatoes and juice (and dried basil, about 3 tsp) in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the stock pot.

Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter (and dried basil, about 4 tsp). Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.

For a printable copy of this recipe go here.

Happily submitted to Ultimate Recipe Swap - Lunchtime Edition over at Life As Mom.

Enjoy!  Sarah
 
It's another cold day today so we'll be staying indoors doing lots of this....
 

 
From the book "The Macmillan Science Life Series 1"
Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
1962 The Macmillan Company

Recipe: Tomatoe and Cannelli Bean Soup

This recipe comes from Woman's Day September 1, 2009 magazine. They ran an article on Jewels and Jill Elmor new cookbook "The Family Chef: Make Your Kitchen the Heart of Your Family" and previewed a few recipe's like this soup. I already had a bowl full of fresh tomatoes, that a friend had given me from her garden, and fresh onions from the farmer's market. This was a great way to use them.

Jewels’ Favorite Soup Jill Makes Recipe
By Jewels and Jill Elmore from Woman's Day; September 1, 2009 September 1, 2009

Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 36 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 T bsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

4 ripe tomatoes (fresh or canned), cut in small chunks

1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

6 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water

3 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1⁄4 cup parsley, chopped

Serve with: grated Parmesan

PREPARATION
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and sauté 5 to 6 minutes until soft. Add tomatoes and salt, and sauté 3 minutes.

2. Add broth, beans and garlic, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes for flavors to blend, adding the parsley during the last 5 minutes. Serve with grated Parmesan.

The soup was quick and easy to make, very colourful and delicious. I served it as a side dish with london broiled steak. The leftovers I poured into a gallon Ziplock bags and froze flat to save for later.