Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

 

I was very pleased with the outcome of this recipe. For myself, I made a few changes. I didn't use heavy cream. I'm sure it would have been even more delicious with cream, but 2% milk is good enough for me. I will use some smoked paprika next time and add that in when the garlic goes in. We had leftover rice from the Chicken and Chorizo recipe you can find here in the Nanners and I added that to the soup instead of the orzo. In the directions you'll find that she calls for a tablespoon of salt. Not even. I used a teaspoon and thought it was just fine. In fact, the reason for making soup is to get around the high sodium content found in canned soup, so thanks for no thanks on tons of salt. 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons good olive oil

• 3 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• Large pinch of saffron threads
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Grilled Cheese Croutons (recipe below)

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will -finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.

Grilled Cheese Croutons (Serves 4 to 6)

• 4 (½-inch-thick) slices country white bread
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyère on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyère, -buttered sides up.

Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute, and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Copyright 2012, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, All Rights Reserved

Chickpea Shakshuka

 
After several attempts at putting a picture in here, I'll just have to go ahead with the recipe. Note: This can be made in one pot. I love that!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
• 1/2 cup diced white onion or shallot
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper (chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (3 cloves yield ~1 1/2 Tbsp)
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1-3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2-3 tsp coconut sugar or maple syrup (or omit if avoiding sugar)
• Sea salt to taste
• 2 tsp smoked or sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 pinch each cardamom and coriander (optional)
• 1 ½ 15-ounce cans cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
• 4-5 whole kalamata or green olives (optional // pitted and halved)

Instructions

• Heat a large rimmed metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and fragrant.
• Add tomato puree or diced tomatoes, tomato paste, coconut sugar, sea salt, paprika, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, cayenne pepper (optional), cardamom, and coriander (optional). Stir to combine.
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add chickpeas and olives (optional). Stir to combine. Then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to develop and marry with the beans.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more cumin or paprika for smokiness, cayenne for heat, coconut sugar for sweetness, cardamom and coriander for earthiness (or slight curry flavor), chili powder for smoke/heat, or olives for saltiness and to balance the tomato flavor. Cook longer, as needed, to develop flavors.
• Serve as is or with bread, pasta, or rice. Garnish with fresh lemon juice, additional olives, and cilantro or parsley for extra flavor (optional).

From The Minimalist Baker

Coconut Curry

It's not for everyone, but if you like coconut and you like curry, you will love this. Quite a few things to chop, but it is worth every minute. You can count that time toward your Mindfulness Minutes. Caution: No way will this serve 6. And not 4, if it's the entree. Or at least, not when I'm invited, please.

Prep 20 min

Cook 40 min
Serves 4-6

3 tablespoons rapeseed or vegetable oil
½ large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 spring onions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
1½ tbsp curry powder (mild or medium)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1-14 oz. can chickpeas, drained
1-14 oz. can  coconut milk
1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 pound sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large carrot, sliced
1½ bell peppers (a mix of colours), deseeded and cut into 1cm dice
2 large tomatoes, diced (or 8 cherry tomatoes, halved)
4 sprigs thyme (or perhaps 1/4 or 1/2 tsp. of dried thyme)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp maple syrup or soft light brown sugar (optional)
1 tbsp desiccated coconut (I did not use this)
1 scotch bonnet pepper, whole (I used a jalapeño. Scotch bonnet peppers are super hot!)

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Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and saute for two minutes, add the garlic, ginger and the white part of the spring onions, then cook for another two minutes.

Add the curry powder, cumin and a tablespoon of water, and stir for a minute to combine. Stir in the chickpeas, coating them in the seasoning, then add the coconut milk, the all-purpose seasoning and cinnamon, and keep stirring for another minute or so.

Next, stir in the sweet potato, carrot, peppers, tomatoes and thyme. Add the salt, black pepper, maple syrup or sugar, if using, and the desiccated coconut, stir, then add the scotch bonnet. Turn the heat down to low, cover with the lid and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir, cover again and simmer for a further 10–15 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender. Now get yourself a really big bowl and fill it up!

Indian Black-Eyed Peas

If you want your kitchen to smell delicious, just start cooking up this recipe. Mmm-mmm.

Ingredients:

One (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes

1 tablespoon sunflower or other neutral vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoons cold water

 One (14-ounce) can no-salt-added black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

12 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, washed, patted dry and thickly sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the whole tomatoes to a medium bowl, leaving the extra juices and liquid behind (reserve it for another use). Snip the tomatoes into bite-size pieces with kitchen scissors or crush them with your hands.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until they start to darken, about 30 seconds. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds. Stir in the chili powder, turmeric and garam masala, cook for a few seconds, then pour in the water and cook until it evaporates and the oil separates, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, black-eyed peas, mushrooms and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the flavors have melded and the mixture has thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and, if you’d like, use a wooden spoon to mash some of the peas to thicken the sauce. Serve hot. You can top with hummus or sour cream or plain yogurt.

Umbrian Lentil Soup

Or as I like to call it, "Best Soup Ever!" Randy Harvey drops off his Sunday edition of the NY Times for Mike to read on Mondays. Inside last week's were some delicious soup recipes that promised to "sustain us through the chilly days of early spring." Could have probably used these recipes last week when it was snowing. Onyhoo, this is so delicious that I had I had to share. Mike feels that leaving out the bacon would not harm the taste and I would agree. Although, what's better than bacon?

TOTAL TIME: 1 1/2 hours. SERVES: 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to finish
1/2 cup guanciale, finely chopped (Or bacon if your local Kroger doesn't stock cured pork cheeks.
   Peasants.)
4 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons finely chopped celery
4 tablespoons finely chopped carrot
1 leek, white and pale green parts only, quartered vertically, then thinly sliced horizontally
1 cup canned, whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 green lentils
4 cups chicken broth
Juice of one lemon (I believe Mike left this out)
1 bay leaf
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of cayenne pepper (Mike pinched twice)
pinch of black pepper, plus more to finish
salt
1//4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over low heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring until golden and fat renders, about 5 minutes. Add onion and butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 7 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and leeks and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Raise heat to high and stir in tomatoes. Lower heat and simmer 20 minutes.

2. Add lentils and stir to combine. Add broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, cloves, cayenne, and black pepper. Season with salt to taste. Increase heat to high and bring broth to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and maintain simmer and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. If soup gets too dry or thick, add stock or water as necessary.

3. Serve in warmed bowls, topped with grated Parmesan, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Cream of Carrot Soup

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 2 1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add carrots, potato, onion, celery, chicken broth, and ginger. 
2. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. 
3. Uncover and cool for 15 minutes.
4. Transfer soup in batches to a food processor; blend until smooth. 
5. Return soup to the Dutch oven; stir in cream. 
6. Add curry powder, salt, and black pepper; cook over low heat until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Minestrone Soup

A recipe that lends itself well to killing it at the produce game! As I'm doing gluten free right now I substituted some gluten free rotini in for the elbow macaroni and added in about a half pound of ground Italian sausage, both of which I cooked separately and added in for the last 10 minutes of simmering as I liked the idea of having more control of how well the pasta was cooked. The original recipe called for throwing the pasta in and cooking for the last 30 min (out of a total of 1.5 hours).

The results are delicious and virtuous!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• whatever other produce is starting to give you the evil eye in the fridge
• 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes
• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb Italian sausage, optional

Directions

1. Melt butter or margarine in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; saute for a few minutes.
2. Add beans, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, potato, stock, garlic, parsley, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes until vegetables are barely tender.
3. If using it, brown sausage while vegetables cook.
4. Add cooked pasta and browned sausage to the pot, and simmer for 10-15 minutes more, until the veggies are tender. Correct seasoning, and serve hot with grated cheese.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I'm not sure how it happened that we don't have a regular beef stew recipe in our collection, but I've fixed that today. Below is not the actual recipe that I used but after I made a very similar one this week I thought what I really would have liked in it was a bay leaf. And a little less tomato paste. And voila! Here is one that fits the bill. I also had thought about adding wine. I didn't think about adding beer, because I don't have any. In any case, beef stew is a flexible dish anyway so you could put in beer or wine or just stick with beef broth. This one calls for browning the meat, but I didn't. But I may try tenderizing it next time, as this one suggests.
Ingredients

• 1 pound beef stew meat
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
• 1/4 cup beer
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup peas
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Directions
Sprinkle stew meat with salt and toss till well combined. Using a fork, prick the meat in multiple places to tenderize. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, but ideally refrigerate overnight.
Toss the meat with flour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and then sear meat until browned on the outside.
While meat is browning, mix together tomato paste, soy sauce, beef stock (use more if you like it more soupy than stewy) and Guinness & red wine (if using) in slow cooker.
Transfer meat (browned or not) to slow cooker. Add garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, and black pepper.
Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 until meat is falling apart and tender.
If using peas, microwave for ~1 minute and then fold them into stew.
Remove bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Serves: 4 |  Serving Size: 2 cups
Per serving: Calories: 363; Total Fat: 11g; Saturated Fat: 3g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 9mg; Sodium: 582mg; Carbohydrate: 35g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 7g; Protein: 27g

Sausage Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage(some commenters suggested hot, I used mild)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 package sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 bag shredded carrots
• 1 package baby spinach
• 1/2 - 1 cup uncooked pearl barley

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, onion, mushrooms, and garlic until the sausage is evenly brown. Season with Italian seasoning. Remove from heat, and drain.
2. In a slow cooker, mix the sausage mixture, chicken broth, carrot, and barley.
3. Cover, and cook 3 hours on High.
4. About 1 hour before it's done, slice the spinach into shreds (you could just add it whole but I find that hard to eat whole wilted spinach leaves) and add to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. I stirred for the whole cooking time about once every half hour.

Carrot, Cumin, and Barley Summer Stew

Ingredients

For the carrots

• 500ml/18fl oz carrot juice
• large pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 6 carrots (ideally Early Nantes), skin on, scrubbed, halved lengthways then cut into 1cm/½in slices at an angle

For the barley

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 80g/2¾oz white onion (about ½ a medium onion), chopped
• 2 Pasilla Bajio chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
• 150g/5½oz pearl barley
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 corn cob, cooked in boiling water for 20 minutes, covered
• 4 rainbow chard leaves, rolled and chopped; stems cut into 3cm/1¼in pieces
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• small bunch coriander, chopped
• ½ lemon, juice only
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

To finish

• 1½ tbsp rapeseed oil
• micro coriander (optional)

1. For the carrots, in a large saucepan over a medium heat, bring the carrot juice and 100ml/3½fl oz water to the boil, then add the salt and cumin. Add the carrots and simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until they are cooked through. Remove from the heat, remove the carrots and reserve the cooking liquor.
   
2. For the barley, in a medium, lidded saucepan over a medium heat, heat the oil and gently fry the onions and chillies for 5 minutes, covered with a lid, until softened. Stir in the barley and cumin and continue to fry for a minute. Add 500ml/18fl oz of the carrot cooking liquor to the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with the lid and cook for 50–55 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the barley swells and is firm with a good bite. Check the texture, taste and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes more, if necessary. Set aside in the pan.
   
3. To finish the barley risotto, using a long knife, carefully cut the kernels off the corn cob by running a knife along the central core. Keep 4 of the biggest lengths intact to use as garnish. Set these aside then release the kernels from the rest. Add the chard stems and leaves, spring onions and loose corn kernels to the barley pan and stir. Place the pan back on a medium heat and cook for 12 minutes. Add the coriander and cook for a further minute until wilted. Finally, taste and adjust the seasoning if required, then add the lemon juice to sharpen the flavour.
   
4. To finish, in a frying pan over a medium heat, fry the cooked carrot pieces in the rapeseed oil for 6–7 minutes, until caramelised. Add the reserved pieces of sliced corn to the pan and cook for 3 minutes, or until they begin to brown.
   
5. To serve, remove the caramelised carrots, add them to the barley risotto and divide the risotto evenly between four plates. Finish with a length of sliced corn and micro coriander, if using. Serve immediately.
   

Very Unrefined Chicken Soup

Here's a version of a soup which I put together fairly regularly. As Liz said, when I roast chicken, I keep the pan juices to "beef"-up the stock.  I Scotland I'd use "neep" (rutabaga) instead of sweet potato, and maybe a small leek, or cabbage, or any other vegetable that was to hand, but the onion and carrots are constants for me.
The soup in the photo was made this week, and it has Savoy cabbage in it. You could add any small pieces of leftover chicken.

Very Unrefined Chicken Soup

1 carton chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 cups diced sweet potato
2 cups kale, finely chopped
1 or 2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth to a simmer, adding all ingredients as you do. Simmer for 45mins to 1hr..............ummm.....

that's it.

Beef Barley Soup

 I used Meredith's suggestion and used frozen hash browns. Could not have been easier and this was super delicious. I did the on the stove variety since, as Meredith said when she made it, the slow cooker way isn't all that much less work.

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 pounds stew meat (nicely marbled beef chunks)
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 10 cups water
• 3 mounded tablespoons good quality beef base*
• 3 stalks celery (about 2 cups), chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large potato, peeled and shredded, about 2 cups
• 3-4 large carrots, peeled and shredded, about 2 cups
• 1 cup barley, rinsed

Instructions

1. Generously salt and pepper the beef. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. When it is very hot, add about 1/3 of 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.
3. 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.)
4. When all the meat is browned, add all the meat back to the pot with 10 cups of water. Add 3 healthy tablespoons beef stock concentrate.
5. Add the chopped celery, onions, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 2 hours with the lid on.
6. When the meat is tender and you can break it apart easily with a wooden spoon, add the shredded potato and carrots. Bring to a boil, then continue to simmer on low for another 30-45 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
7. Add 1 cup of barley. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Cook for another half hour, or until barley is tender and the soup tastes...like home.
Slow cooker instructions:
8. In a large pan, brown the meat according to the instructions. Remove the browned meat to a large crockpot.
9. Add 2 cups of the water to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir up all the browned bits. Add this and the remaining 8 cups of water to the crock pot.
10. Add the beef base, celery, onions, and garlic to the slow cooker and stir.
11. Cook on low for about 6 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another hour.
12. Add the barley and simmer for another hour or so, until it is tender.

Notes

*I suggest Better than Bullion Beef Base.

The simmer times on this soup are pretty rough. I let mine simmer all morning because I was feeling a lazy-soup-day. The best kind of day for October.

If your meat is not marbled well, you might want to add a bit of worcestershire sauce toward the end, to boost the flavor.

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 

A couple of years ago, after Stella was born, I was getting ready to go back to work and Amanda was just about to give birth to Ethan. The two of us got together for an all day cooking marathon. We cooked 9 different recipes to freeze in order to prepare us for the next, even busier, phases of our lives. This was one of the recipes that Amanda brought to the marathon. She added in some cubed ham steak, probably when you add the milk to make sure the ham got properly warmed up. A delicious comfort food and one of my favorite soups of all time. I don't usually have a lot of luck with the kids and soups, but I'm pretty sure they would gobble this up. Hmmm, this may have to make it into next week's meal plan.

 

Ingredients

• 4 large baking potatoes (Idaho or russet)
• 12 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups 2 percent low-fat milk, heated
• 5 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces sour cream
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the potatoes on a roasting tray and bake for 45 minutes. When done, the tip of a paring knife should go through the potatoes easily.
3. Slice the bacon into lardons (thin strips) and cook in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot.
4. Add the flour to the drippings in the pot and stir to combine. Cook, without adding color, until the flour and fat has combined, about 1 minute. Pour in the milk while you whisk to incorporate. Cook over medium heat until bubbly and thickened, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.
5. Scoop out the potato pulp from the skins and add to the milk mixture. Mash with the back of a wooden spoon leaving it a little bit chunky.
6. Add the cooked bacon (leaving a little out for garnishing the soup), 1 cup of the cheese, and season well with salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with sour cream (from a squeeze bottle), sprinkle with remaining bacon bits, grated cheese and chives.

Recipe from foodnetwork.com

Photo from communitytable.com

ngredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup pre-chopped onion
1 cup pre chopped celery
2 cloves crushed garlic
2  32oz boxes of chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ bag of baby carrots
1 precooked rotisserie chicken
premade biscuits in the tube
¼ cup flour
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup frozen peas
2 teaspoons dried parsley
Heat oil over medium heat in large pot. Add onions and celery and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 boxes of chicken broth, carrots and basil. Boil for 15 minutes. Meanwhile open the tube of biscuits and tear each one into 3-4 pieces and drop into a bag with ¼ cup of flour. Be sure to cover each piece with flour. Add to the broth and boil for 10 minutes. Debone the chicken and add to the pot along with the frozen corn and peas. Cook for another 5 minutes, add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4 with plenty of leftovers.
- See more at: http://www.cookingwithmykid.com/dinner/mackis-famous-chicken-dumplings/#sthash.RwOj5ebK.dpuf

ngredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup pre-chopped onion
1 cup pre chopped celery
2 cloves crushed garlic
2  32oz boxes of chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ bag of baby carrots
1 precooked rotisserie chicken
premade biscuits in the tube
¼ cup flour
½ cup frozen corn
½ cup frozen peas
2 teaspoons dried parsley
Heat oil over medium heat in large pot. Add onions and celery and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 boxes of chicken broth, carrots and basil. Boil for 15 minutes. Meanwhile open the tube of biscuits and tear each one into 3-4 pieces and drop into a bag with ¼ cup of flour. Be sure to cover each piece with flour. Add to the broth and boil for 10 minutes. Debone the chicken and add to the pot along with the frozen corn and peas. Cook for another 5 minutes, add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4 with plenty of leftovers.
- See more at: http://www.cookingwithmykid.com/dinner/mackis-famous-chicken-dumplings/#sthash.RwOj5ebK.dpuf

Pinto Bean Chili with Corn and Winter Squash

 
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups (12-ounce) packages cubed butternut squash (about 5 1/2 cups)
• 3 cups cooked pinto beans
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undraine
• 3 ounces crumbled queso fresco (about 3/4 cup)
• 6 lime wedges

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Add chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. Place onion mixture in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Add butternut squash and next 6 ingredients (through chiles). Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender and chili is thick. Sprinkle with cheese; serve with lime wedges. 

Photo and recipe from myrecipes.com

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