Halloween Beef Stew

From Shelly: Here is a yummy beef stew recipe we love.

We like to have it at Halloween cooked in a pumpkin. The stew is best when cooked in a baking pumpkin (hollowed out), not a pumpkin you use to carve a Jack-o-lantern. Let simmer in a pot for awhile and then cook in the pumpkin at 350° for 30-45 minutes sitting on a cookie sheet covered in foil. 

INGREDIENTS 

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup water 

3 Tablespoons instant tapioca

1 Tablespoon beef bouillon granules

2 teaspoons white sugar 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

4 carrots, cut into 1inch pieces 

2 celery stalks, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 onion, roughly cut

1 slice bread 

DIRECTIONS

To cook without a pumpkin: Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly grease 9 x 13 baking dish. 

To cook in pumpkin, follow directions at beginning of recipe. 

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the stew meat; drain and set aside. 

In a mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, water, tapioca, beef bouillon granules, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir in beef, all the vegetables, and bread cubes. Cook on stovetop for awhile if cooking in a pumpkin of pour into the prepared baking dish if not using pumpkin. Cover and bake for 2 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender or follow directions for cooking in a pumpkin. 

Beef Barley Soup

2 pounds beef  (I used round steak. Pick nicely marbled beef chunks)
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons oil
10 cups water
3 mounded Tablespoons good quality beef base (like better than bullion)
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1 large potato, peeled and shredded, or diced
3-4 large carrots, peeled and shredded, or diced
1 cup pearl barley, rinsed

Generously salt and pepper beef (I didn't do this since I was cooking for gr grandpa. I didn't think the final product needed more seasoning). In a large stockpot, heat the oil over med-high heat. When it is very hot, add about 1/3 the meat. Brown for about 1-2 minutes, then turn to brown the other side. Remove to a plate when it is browned on all sides.  Repeat with remaining meat in 2 more batches.  If you add it all at once it will steam the meat instead of browning it--not what you want.

When all meat is browned, add all the meat back to the pot with 10 cups of water. Add 3 healthy tablespoons beef stock concentrate.

Add the chopped celery, onions, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to med-low. Simmer for  about two hours with the lid on.

When the meat is tender and you can break it apart easily with a wooden spoon, add the potato and carrots.  Brings to a boil, then continue to simmer on low for another 30-45 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

Add 1 cup of barley. Bring to a boil then reduce to low.  Cook for another 30 minutes, or until the barley is tender.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

 

 

Submitted by Chris

5 stars

This is a great fall soup. Last time I made it, I used butternut squash in place of the pumpkin, and chopped pistachios instead of pumpkin seeds.  I think you could use any winter squash, but I do like the flavor of pumpkin.

 

three 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced shallot
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 cups beef broth
a 16-ounce can pumpkin pureé (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 to 4 tablespoons lime juice (optional)
Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds
Preparation:In a food processor or immersion blender, coarsely pureé beans and tomatoes. In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean pureé. Stir in broth and pumpkin until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Just before serving, add lime juice and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper.
Serve soup garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Chicken Spinach Gnocchi Soup

This cooler weather really has me craving soup. But I seem to always make the same ones over and over. I wanted to try a new one and this one definitely didn't disappoint! I've never used gnocchi so I was a little worried to try this, but I'm so glad I did! If I were to make this again I would double the recipe. There was definitely enough for Jorden, Krew, and myself, but I always like leftovers, and there were none tonight. But it was after church on a fast Sunday! I loved that this recipe called for lighter ingredients (like the half-and-half) But believe me, it wasn't light on flavor!

4.5 stars

Submitted by: Jessica

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 a cup)
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups fat free half-and-half
• 1 cup low fat milk
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 16 ounce package gnocchi
• 2 cups cooked, shredded or diced chicken 
• 1 1/2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste. 

Directions:

1. In a 4 or 5 quart pot (bigger if you're doubling it), heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the chopped onion, carrots and thyme. Cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots are slightly tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stirring often.
2. Add the garlic. Stir constantly
3. Whisk in the flour and continuously stir until flour is lightly golden. About 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and chicken broth. Stir while bringing the mixture to a boil over medium to medium-high heat.
4. Allow to cook, stirring often until the mixture is slightly thickened. About 5-7 minutes. Stir in the uncooked gnocchi and simmer over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
5. The soup will thicken up while the gnocchi is cooking. Stir in the cooked chicken and spinach and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

We served ours with ciabatta bread.

Acorn Squash Soup

submitted by Chris

This is the recipe Uncle David posted on facebook recently and it is so good. Aunt Judy mentioned that she used a winter squash other than acorn, and it was still good. I think you could use any winter squash you have on hand.

3 cups mashed acorn squash

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon dill weed

1/4 teaspoon curry powder (or more, to taste)

dash cayenne pepper (or more)

2 cups chicken broth

12 oz. fat free half and half

4 oz cream cheese

David suggested preparing the squash this way: put whole squash in microwave, cook for 5 minutes. Cut in half, remove seeds and fibers, place cut side down on plate, return to microwave for 6-8 minutes (till it starts to "wilt").  Let it cool, scoop out the squash and mash.  (Note: My squash was pretty soft at this point, and I just mashed it a bit with a fork.) Set aside.

Cook onion and celery in butter in large sauce pan. Add bouillon granules, dill weed, curry powder, and cayenne pepper, stir until well mixed. Gradually add chicken broth, half and half, and cream cheese, bring to boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 2 minutes. Add squash and salt and pepper to taste (I didn't think it needed more salt and pepper and neither did Dad). Blend in batches in a blender (or use an immersion blender) and serve immediately, or return to pot to keep warm, but be sure to keep stirring as it will scorch easily.  Garnish with crumbled bacon, if desired.

I doubled this recipe, because it seems to have been "undoubled" (what am I going to do with 4 oz of leftover cream cheese?). I hope it freezes well, although we liked it so much, it may not last long enough to freeze the leftovers...



Sweet Potato Soup

Submitted by Shelly

I love this recipe.  I don't know if it is the pregnancy thing, but it just hits the spot for me.  Sorry this is not  a very accurate picture of the soup (it looks like there are tons of sweet potatoes and no broth or black beans).

1 Box of chicken stock (3-4 cups)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 lb- 1lb Cooked chopped sausage (I often just use chicken since I normally don't have sausage on hand)
1 large or two small sweet potatoes chopped in small cubes
1-2 cups apple cider (or apple juice)

Let it all simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft and tender. About 15-25 minutes.

Mediterranean Chicken, Bean & Pasta Soup

4 1/2 stars

submitted by Chris

2 tsp olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
2 medium carrots, cut into thin half-circles
2 large celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes, finely chopped, including juices
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (I used leftover turkey)
1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup ditalini (small, short pasta tubes) (I used leftover wild rice)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (or 1-2 Tablespoons dehydrated)
8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (or 1/2-1 teaspoon dried)
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add shallot, carrots, and celery. Saute until the vegetables are beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes with juices, chicken broth, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Uncover the soup, remove the bay leaves, add cooked chicken, beans, and pasta. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, add 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley and 8 leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve.

Serves 6 to 8.

Creamy White Chili

I forgot to get a picture until after we started eating--sorry for the sloppy bowl shot.

This may look a little unexciting, but it is sooo good!

Use low fat sour cream for a healthier version.

5 stars
submitted by Chris

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips. Makes about 6 servings.
recipe from melskitchencafe

Creamy Chicken Soup

submitted by Chris
4 stars
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 regular carrots or a handful of baby carrots)
3 cups chicken broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced (I like to leave the peels on red potatoes, if using them)
1 cup milk (1% is my milk of choice)
4 tablespoons flour
1 (8 oz. package) regular or light cream cheese
2-3 (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth. Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn’t burn. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft/melty. I usually place the unwrapped cream cheese on a plate and microwave it for one minute at 30% power. I like it really, really soft so it doesn’t leave lumps in the soup. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through then whisk or stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.