Vegetable Soup Part 2

So I knew when I finished the first installment last week that I was missing one but couldn't find it. I found it :-) This one is my most favorite of them all because I prefer the texture of barley over rice. Make it a day ahead though since the first day does not do this soup justice -- all veggie soups seem to be this way.


Dilled Vegetable Barley Soup
serves 8

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced

**Heat oil and saute onion in a large soup pot.

1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup pearled barlety
2-3 medium carrots, sliced
1 large red potato, peeled and diced
2 large celery stalks, diced
2 bay leaves
6 cups water

**Add all of these to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minut4es. Stir occasionally.

1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 T. chopped fresh dill (or 3 tsp. dried dill)

**Stir these in and simmer till barley puffs -- about 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This soup will thicken as it rests so add water to thin as needed.

Vegetable Soup

I have three really great vegetable soup recipes I wanted to pass along to my good friend Leslie and figured they might as well go on the blog instead of just an email only to her. The pattern for all veggies soups is basically the same, but some of us like a recipe for a guideline or so we can remember what ratio of stuff tasted really good!

I am typing out the recipes as they appeared when I copied them into my own cookbook. I have changed things a bit in my own side notes to make them suit our family's taste where needed but they are great just as they are printed here. As always, the salt and pepper is to taste, not just what the recipe says ;-)



Vegetable Soup with Rice (and dumplings)
serves 10

2 T. olive oil
1 cup diced onion (about 1 medium onion)
3/4 cup sliced celery (about 2 big stalks)

**heat the oil in a soup pot and saute veggies till tender

7 cups chicken broth
1 28 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

**stir all these in and bring to a low boil

1 16 oz. bag frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots, green beans)
1 15 oz. can kidney beans
1/2 cup white rice

**add these, reduce heat and cover; simmer 15-20 minutes


I am going to put my own notes here since this one I changed how we do the rice to accomodate a healthier brown rice. I lower the broth to 6 cups in the soup pot and cook my rice in a separate saucepan -- 1 cup broth with 1/2 cup rice cooked for 50 minutes makes 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, which I stir in at the very end and simmer 15-20 more. I've never cooked it in the broth but I may try it one of these days.

This recipe also originally calls for dumplings to drop into the simmering soup if you are interested. We make this all the time without the dumplings without altering the soup recipe at all. It's great both ways. If you are using the brown rice version drop these on right after you stir in the cooked rice.

Dumplings:

2 cups flour
3 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

**blend these in a mixing bowl

2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. fresh minced parsley

**add all of these to the dry ingredients and mix into a ball; drop by tablespoonfuls onto gently simmering soup; cover and cook 10 minutes then uncover and cook another 10 minutes



Lots of Veggies Soup
serves 4-5

2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped

**heat oil in a soup pot and saute veggies till tender

5 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 lb. Yukon potatoes, diced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. salt

**add these and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover partially and simmer 15 minutes

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 lb. green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup chopped broccoli (bite-size pieces)

**add to pot, return to simmer for 5-10 minutes





Vegetable & Lentil Soup
serves 6-8

1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, thin sliced

**heat oil in soup pot and saute veggies for 5 minutes

2 cloves garlic, minced

**add and saute 1 minute more

1 1/2 cups green lentils
8 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf

**add and heat to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes

3 medium yellow potatoes, diced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

**add and simmer 20 minutes more

1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 packed cups spinach or swiss chard cut into 1 inch ribbons

**remove bay leaf and add these; simmer 2 minutes more till greens are wilted



Served with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and a slice of whole wheat bread with butter these are great-tasting and also filling dinners or lunches :-)

A Recipe

Sometimes recipes are so good, you HAVE to share them. This is one of my new favorites. We have made it twice and it got devoured both times. I wish I could remember where I found it -- I never wrote the source down. I will type my version on here first and add some notes for what the original called for underneath.



Sausage Lentil Stew
Serves 4-6


1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
******
1 cup lentils
2 1/2 cups water or broth
1 bay leaf
******
6 oz tomato paste (3/4 cup)
2 cups water
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced


In a large soup pot, brown sausage. Scoop sausage out and reserve for later, leaving as much sausage fat 'liquid' in the pot as desired. Add lentils, water and bay leaf. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Scoop reserved sausage back into soup pot and add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil again, reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes. Serve as a thick stew as it is or over rice.



(The original recipe calls for 1 pound of sausage which I find overwhelming, so we cut it in half. I'm even thinking of reducing it to 1/3 next time. The original also calls for 1 tsp. salt to be added to the lentils while cooking and then another 1 tsp. salt when remaining ingredients are added. Yikes!! I leave it all out and love it as is. Those with a palate that necessitates a salt flavor I still recommend salting at the table rather than the pot. Sausage is the naturally salty ingredient here -- and maybe the tomato paste unless you use salt-free. There was a suggestion to add 1/2 pound of fresh chopped spinach during the last 5 minutes of simmering, which I have not tried yet since spinach is super expensive in the winter, but it sounds delicious and would add a leafy green to the meal.)



This really is so super easy, so hearty and filling and smells amazing. Perfect for winter dinners!

Idea Man

After church: Let's eat at Patti's Pizza.

After eating pizza: Let's go to the zoo.

After breakfast: Let's set up the playdoh.

After play-doh: Let's play camp-out behind the chair.

After lunch: Let's make pudding.

After pudding: Let's take a night walk.

We have done all of the above this week ...
and have had so much fun together :-)

Posted by Bree

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Our pudding recipe:

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 T. sugar
3 T. unsweetened cocoa
3 T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

*Combine 1/2 cup milk with sugars, cocoa, cornstarch an salt in a 1 pint jar. Screw lid on tightly and shake vigorously until blended (a few lumps are fine).
*Heat remaining 1 1/2 cups milk in a saucepan over medium heat. When small bubbles appear on the side of the pan, pour cocoa mixture into saucepan and whisk to combine. Cook, whisking, until pudding thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
*Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Serve hot, warm or chilled (with fresh whipped cream).
YUM!

Just the Two of Us

The boys are off-roading all day today (the Jeep is back in action after a long hiatus) so it's just us girls. We went to visit my sister and Chris and play with their three bunnies. Chloe had a sweet time having snacks with Bryce and playing chase with Chris. When we came home she was actually tired.... and she is napping :-)

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Since I have some time to type I thought I'd share our favorite recipe. Everyone of us likes it a lot! I got it from a magazine but can't remember which one. It even freezes and reheats well (odd for a chowder). I will put my small modifications in italics.

"Chicken & Corn Chowder"
45 minutes prep and cook
6-8 servings

4 slices uncooked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium leeks (white and green parts) thinly sliced, rinsed in a dish of water and drained
3 ribs celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken broth
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
3 cups red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 pound)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup frozen petite peas, thawed
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper

Cook bacon pieces in a large heavy pot until crisp. (I just cook a whole pound, I mean, who only uses bacon as a "topping" right?) Remove half of bacon; drain on paper towels. (I remove it all -- it gets too squishy when cooked up in the soup) Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. of drippings. Add leeks, celery and garlic; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth (I use only 4 cups instead of 5 since we like "stew" better than "soup"), bay leaf, potatoes, and corn (I also don't thaw the corn or peas, I just dump them in still frozen); bring to low boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Lower heat and simmer 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft. Add chicken, peas and cream. Simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parsley and remove bay leaf. Serve with bacon bits as topping (or as a side dish!).

Posted by Bree

Muddy Buddies

Surprised that this is not a post featuring my children covered in mud? Me too actually.

I have a yummy recipe to share (some of you have probably made it before).

Chex Muddy Buddies

9 cups Chex-type cereal
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Measure cereal into a large bowl and set aside.
Melt butter in a saucepan.
Add peanut butter till soft.
Turn off heat and stir in chocolate and vanilla.
Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
Pour coated cereal into a 2-gallon ziploc bag (or divide between two 1-gallon bags).
Add powdered sugar and shake to coat.
Spread evenly on waxed paper till cooled.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Makes 9 1-cup snacks.

You could also do this in the microwave just heating and stirring till the stuff is melty.