Minestrone Soup

Since fall is upon us, I have been in the mood for soup! Yay! I love soup, but for some reason I enjoy them more in the cooler temperatures. With that said, I wanted to make some soup for my husband as the girls and I were not going to be home that evening. I didn't want him to be without supper, so I knew that soup would be a great option to place in the crock-pot and could remain warm until he got home. I wanted to try something new so I checked out Pinterest for some recipes on Minestrone soup. There are a ton of them. I found a recipe that was simple enough to have my girls help me. Its from the blog, My Life in Food. I made it just like it says. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did.

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, minced

1/2 cup chopped zucchini (about 1 small)

1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 stalk celery, minced

4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

4 cups vegetable stock (do not use chicken broth)

2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained

2 (15 ounce) cans white beans (great northern or cannelini), drained

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, left un-drained

1 medium carrot, chopped finely

1/2 a small can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

3 cups hot water 

4 cups fresh baby spinach

3/4 cup small or medium shell pasta

Method:

1) Heat three tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Saute onion, celery, green beans, zucchini, and carrots in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook another minute, stirring.

2) Add the 1/2 can of tomato paste and stir in with the vegetables. Add the vegetable stock to the pot, then add hot water, tomatoes, beans, spices and Parmesan cheese rind if using. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer with the top on for 30 minutes.

3) Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. It may need more salt or herbs depending on your preferences.

NOTE: This can be made gluten free by getting GF vegetable broth and GF pasta shells. 

I also needed to keep it heated for awhile, so I completed steps 1 and 2 but did not let it simmer. I poured it into a crock-pot and put the uncooked pasta in it to cook. It turned out perfectly. If the water starts to go down, you can always add more to meet your desired consistency. 

Crock-Pot Sesame Tofu

As a child I was not really fond of tofu, or any form of Chinese food. Now as an adult, I have come to realize that some of it is quite tasty and if made right is quite enjoyable. This recipe I found off of Pinterest, but I have changed it so much that it has become my own recipe. It originally was for Sesame Chicken. I hope you enjoy it. By the way, my girls approve of this one. Probably because it is so sweet.

Crock-Pot Sesame Tofu

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 Package of firm or Super firm tofu (chopped in bite size pieces)

1/2 cup honey

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1/2 onion, diced

2/3 cup ketchup

2/3 cup water

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp sesame seed oil or extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced, pressed or grated

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

2 cups dry brown rice

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb broccoli florets

Method:

Put tofu into crock pot.

In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, water, ketchup, brown sugar, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over tofu.

Cook on low for 2-3 hours or on high 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours, or just until tofu is cooked through and marinates.

Cook rice according to package directions.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet until hot. Add broccoli and saute 5-6 minutes or until cooked but tender. Add to tofu mix in crock-pot.

Serve tofu over rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Black Bean and Rice Soup

Since it has been nasty and cold weather lately, I wanted to make something that was warm and tasty. As I sat on the stool in my kitchen, I spotted my crock pot. Oh, I got it, bean soup! I jumped online to see if I could find a recipe for a crock pot soup and wouldn't ya know, there are thousands. One in particular jumped out at me. It was black bean and rice soup. I found the recipe from southernfood.about.com. They actually have a lot of tasty recipes, but not many for vegetarians and vegans nonetheless. The best part of making the soup was sharing the time with my girls. They had a blast making it and eating it too. Enjoy and have a warm and tasty evening.

Black Bean and Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder ( I used 1/2 tsp)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed (I only had one can, so I added a can of navy beans).
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cans chicken broth, or about 3 to 3 1/2 cups (I used McKays Chicken Seasoning)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups hot cooked rice ( I added 2 cups of rice).

Method:

Combine all ingredients except rice in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours. Add cooked rice before serving. Serves 6.

Vegan Quinoa Chili

I have always enjoyed my mom's chili and have never tried anything different. However, it would not be right if I didn't try something new. I recently bought some Quinoa, and to be honest, I have never cooked with it before. I knew it to be healthy but I thought it would be more of a hassle in my busy life. Boy was I wrong. I found a recipe for Vegan Quinoa Chili from savvyvegetarian.com. I do have to admit, it is a little more involved with lots of ingredients, but once I had everything prepared I just left it cook in the slow cooker. It was a real hit among my girls.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups water or bean cooking liquid
• 1 1/2 cup cooked kidney beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
• 1 1/2 cup cooked black beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
• 1 cup unsalted tomato sauce OR: 1/4 cup unsalted tomato paste + 3/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 Tbsp (2 - 3 cloves) minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp gr coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried basil leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram leaf
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp light molasses
• 1 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos, or soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• More Heat: Add more chile powder

Method:

Stovetop Directions:

1. Soak the quinoa 5 minutes
2. Rinse, then drain into a colander
3. If using canned beans, drain into a colander and rinse well
4. Peel & mince the garlic and jalapeño pepper
5. Dice the onion
6. Wash and trim the celery, slice lengthwise, then crosswise to dice
7. Seed and dice the red and green pepper
8. Heat the oil on medium-high in a dutch oven or large sauce pan
9. Fry the garlic, jalapeno, onion and celery until soft (about 5 minutes)
10. Add the peppers and fry 5 minutes
11. Add the spices and herbs, stir 2 minutes
12. Add the beans, water or bean liquid, molasses, tomato sauce, and quinoa
13. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer 20 minutes or until quinoa is cooked
14. Stir in Braggs or soy sauce, and pepper. Adjust seasonings
15. Serve garnished with cilantro
16. Optional: Add a dollop of dairy or non-dairy sour cream to each bowl

Crockpot Directions: ( I did this one)

1. Sauté jalapeno, garlic, celery, and peppers in oil for 5 minutes on med-high

2. Add spices and herbs, stir 2 minutes

3. Combine with water, tomato sauce, salt, quinoa and beans in a 6 qt crockpot

4. Cover and cook on low for 5 - 6 hour.

5. Add Braggs or soy sauce, molasses, pepper

6. Serve garnished with chopped clilantro and sour cream (optional)

Crock-pot Granola

This is a recipe that I received from Donna Lawnicki. I believe she found it on the internet, but I have altered it a little to meet my family's taste buds. I was quite surprised how this actually worked and how easy it was. The best part is that when I had to stir the granola, I didn't get it all over the place. When I would make it in a pan, I would have a mess all over the place. I love limiting messes, especially when I have two little ones to pick up after. This recipe is also great for visitors as well.




Ingredients:
1 Crock-pot
2 c. Barley Flakes
3 c. Oats
1/2 c. Sunflower seeds
1/2 c. Apricots- dried
3/4 c. Craisins (I added more craisins than normal, since I like them.)
1/2 c. Walnuts- coarsely chopped
1/2 c. Honey
1/2 c. Unsalted Butter


Method:


1) Put all dried ingredients into crock-pot (including fruit and nuts).

 2) Melt butter in microwave and then add to dry ingredients. Add honey and then stir up all ingredients. 

3) Cover crock-pot, but vent. (I used a flat wooden spoon) 

4) Cook on high for 3 hours. Make sure to watch the granola so it does not burn. I stirred it every 20-30 minutes or if I could smell it. Toward the end of the 3 hours I was stirring every 5-10 minutes. 

Notes: If you want a trail mix type of granola, you need to add more honey and butter so that it will clump. I have not tried it like that so I am not sure how much more honey to add. 

5) Remove granola onto cookie sheet or parchment paper to cool. Once cooled package into ziplock bags and freeze, or you can choose to eat it. 

Serve as a cereal or on top of some yogurt.