Beef Barley Soup

I made this the other night. It was cheap, delicious, and even better the next day.

BEEF BARLEY SOUP

2 lb. lean beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
6 c. water
5 celery ribs, chopped
6 medium carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 Tbsp. tomato paste (about 1/2 a 4 0z can)
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. pearl barley

In a big sauce pan, brown meat in oil on all sides and sautee the onions with the meat. Add the water, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, tomatoes, barley, tomato paste, bouillon and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50 minutes

Lentil Tacos

I made these lentil tacos last night and they were so good. My friend, Chelsea, found the recipe a while ago and I finally decided to try it. I didn't mash them like it said and didn't make the adobo sauce because I didn't have any peppers. They make a cheap, quick and delicious meal. I put avacado and lime in mine and it was great! Here's the recipe:

LENTIL TACOS

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed ( I didn't rinse them)
1 package (2.25 ounce) taco seasoning
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth ( I used chicken broth)
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (use half for less heat)
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
8 taco shells
1 1/4 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat (2 percent) cheddar

Preparation
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic and salt until onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are fragrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Mix sour cream, chile and adobo sauce in a bowl. Uncover lentils and cook until mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Mash with a rubber spatula. Spoon 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with 2 heaping teaspoons sour cream mixture, lettuce, tomato and cheese.

So Easy and So Good

The recipe below is so easy to make and so tasty. I grilled boneless pork chops instead of using the pork tenderloin. You can get boneless pork chops for a good price at Costco and they are so thick that you can cut them in half and freeze them for later use. Also, to make it a little spicy, I added red pepper flakes to the onion mixture. I served it over jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apricot and Caramelized Onion Sauce

2 pork tenderloins, (about 1-1/2 to 2 pounds total weight)
2-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
2 medium onions
2 Tbsp. apricot jelly
zest of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In an oven-safe skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork tenderloins with salt and pepper. Brown pork loins in the skillet on all sides, about five minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature of the pork loins reaches 145 to 150 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow the pork loins to rest for 10 minutes. This will bring the temperature of the pork up to 155 to 160 degrees.


Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions 1 to 2 minutes, then reduce the temperature to medium-low. Allow the onions to cook 15 to 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally, to make sure they don't burn. Add the apricot jelly and orange zest to the caramelized onions. Cook another 3 to 5 minutes until the jelly melts. Slice the pork loin diagonally and serve with the apricot onion sauce.
Serves 6.

Spicy Sausage Soup

Last night I made some really yummy, easy soup. It tasted especially good since it was cold and rainy yesterday. I made a few changes to the recipe because I can never seem to just follow them verbatim. It should feed about 8 or more people. Try it and tell me what you think!

Spicy Sausage Soup with Cilantro

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds hot Italian sausage links, casings removed, and sliced (turkey sausage worked great)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth (I added a little more water to thin it a bit)
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes and added Italian seasoning)
1 (15.5 ounce) can white hominy
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini, cubed (I used 4 stalks celery since Mike still thinks he doesn't like zucchini)
2 cups chopped fresh cilantro (I used about 1 cup cilantro and 1 cup fresh basil)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt


DIRECTIONS:
1.In a large skillet over medium heat, combine Italian sausage and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until sausage is evenly browned. Drain cooked sausage in a strainer to remove grease.
2.In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, combine the beef broth, hominy, stewed tomatoes, carrots, beans, and zucchini. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add sausage and cilantro; simmer for 15 minutes, or until carrots and zucchini are tender. Season with salt and pepper and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Fall Baking

Today has been a rainy and cozy day so I thought I would bake something. I always make pumpkin chocolate chip bread, so I decided to try something different. My friend gave me some butternut squash from her garden, so I thought I'd try using it.

Here is the recipe I tried. It turned out really yummy! I made a few changes to it in order to make it more healthy. When the squash is pureed, it makes about 5 cups so there is plenty more to freeze for later. I have a friend who freezes it in ice cube trays and then adds it to her kids mac and cheese. Sneaky idea!


Butternut Squash Spice Bread (taken from www.seasonalrecipes.com)

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar (I think it only needs 2 ½ or a little more, but not 3)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
1 cup water (I used about ¾ of a cup)
1 cup vegetable oil (I used natural applesauce)
2 cups butternut squash (cooked, pureed & cooled)
4 large eggs

Grease and flour 2 large loaf pans. Pre-heat oven to 325 F (My oven is old and won’t stay at 325 F, so I had to cook it at 320 F). I would think you could do muffins if you wished. They usually only take about 15-20 minutes.

Combine dry ingredients. Add water, oil, eggs and squash. Fill each loaf pan half full with batter. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Enjoy!

*Nuts, chocolate chips, or a glaze would be yummy in/on this bread*