Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vegetables. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Italian Style Bean Soup

Company's Coming Slow Cooker (1998) Recipes' "Beef Minestrone" soup revamped. It's now a vegetable and bean soup with Italian seasoning. Use OXO beef bouillon (make sure "wheat protein" is NOT listed in the ingredients) to keep it Gluten-free. A quick, hearty, satisfying soup.


1- 796 ml (19 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1- 398 ml (14 z) can kidney or mixed beans with liquid
2 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup finely sliced carrots
2 cups diced potato
1 cup diced zucchini
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3 teaspoons OXO* bouillon powder
1/2 teaspoon salt/ to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper/ to taste

Combine all ingredients in large pot. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered 15-20 minutes until vegetables are cooked. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Serves 4

*read the ingredients. To make Gluten-Free soup, make sure "wheat protein" is not listed as an ingredient. OXO bouillon powder should be good, but always check the ingredients first.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Cabbage Borscht

At Thomas' request. The recipe I "use" is in The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes, but as I was looking at it the other day I realized that if one followed this recipe verbatim it has the potential to become a pot of bones with a lump of onion and a whole cooked cabbage... so I'll write it out the way I make it. It's one of those "start with what you've got, and see where you end up" kind of recipes. So... let's see where we end up.


You will need: soup bones and/ or beef bouillon, a large onion, a small green cabbage, 4 or 5 medium potatoes, fresh dill or dried dill weed, fresh or dried parsley, a bay leaf, a can of condensed tomato soup, cream/whole milk/condensed milk. *Leftover roast beef is a good add-in option. I frequently make this soup with bouillon and add leftover beef at the end, with the tomato soup.

If you're starting with soup bones, put them in a large pot and cover with cold water. Simmer for 3 hours; Remove bones and strain the broth into a large bowl.

Finely chop the onion, and grate, shred or finely chop the cabbage (as for making Cole slaw). Clean and/or peel the potatoes, then dice them.

Put onion, cabbage and potatoes into the large pot. Add the beef broth and measure in enough water to cover, OR just cover with water. For every cup of water you use, add 1 teaspoon of beef bouillon. Add the dill, parsley and bay leaf.

Cook until the vegetables are tender.

Add the tomato soup. If you have quite a large pot full, (if your cabbage was bigger than mine or something) you may have to add two cans of soup. Let it simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Just before serving, add cream/milk/condensed milk (1-2 cups) OR have the cream available for each person to add as much or as little as they like.

Monday, May 07, 2007

"Middle Eastern" Sandwiches

I found this recipe in a Better Homes & Gardens Slow Cooker book from the 1970's. After I'd taken out the red wine and twigged a few spices my family really liked it. Served in Pitas, these "sandwiches" are great for lunch time, supper time, company time- any time really! Makes a fun change for Sunday Dinner- and if you do the vegetable prep the day (or evening) before, you'll have a fabulous, delicious meal on the table in no time flat!


4 pounds boneless beef cut in 1/2 inch cubes
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder
1 x 6-oz (156 ml) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin seed, crushed
salt to taste
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup cold water*(see Note)
1/4 cup cornstarch
Pita bread pockets*
1 large tomato, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cups shredded, sharp cheddar cheese

In skillet brown meat, in oil, in batches. Use a little more oil if needed for additional batches. Transfer drained meat to slow cooker. Add onion and garlic to skillet; cook until tender. Add to meat. Add first amount of water to skillet with bouillon powder. Stir to scrape bottom of pan and dissolve bouillon powder. Add to slow cooker. Stir in tomato paste and spices. Mix well.

Cover; cook on low setting for 4 hours.

To serve, turn slow cooker to high heat setting. Blend 1/4 cup water with cornstarch; stir into meat mixture. Cook until thickened and bubbly, stirring occasionally.

Fill pitas as you would to make a taco- with meat filling, vegetables, cheese and yogurt as desired.

Makes 10 to 16 sandwiches, (depending on the size of the Pitas)

*NOTE: if you use whole wheat pitas, I guarantee your white bread loving family won't notice, so give them the extra fibre.

I serve the meat filling, vegetables and cheese in serving bowls with spoons, and we pass the fillings around, each person making their own sandwich.

To cut down on the starch a bit, plan an extra hour into the cooking time, and remove the cover for the last hour before serving. Turn the heat to high and let it simmer and steam; this should allow for some natural evaporation of liquid, causing the sauce to thicken without so much cornstarch being needed. If, after an hour, the sauce is still too runny, try 1 Tablespoon water with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch at a time to thicken it up.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Dill Pickles

A lazy, unscientific summer project. I don't usually have a measured amount of cucumbers to start with- I just make up the brine and fill up the jars as the cucumbers ripen. If you're buying cucumbers at a Farmer's Market, just process them, making brine as you go until your jars are full! Unused brine may be stored in the refrigerator until needed. We usually make several jars of pickles every other day, picking cucumbers when they're a good pickle size and storing them in the fridge until there's enough for a few jars. 1 batch of brine makes about 4 litres/ quarts of pickles.

7 cups water
1/2 cup coarse, pickling salt
2 cups white vinegar
pickling cucumbers
fresh dill weed stems
garlic cloves


Wash (scrub) cucumbers and trim ends. Peel garlic and cut off root end. Rinse dill, if necessary.

Wash canning jars and lids. Place clean jars in the oven at 225* F for 12 minutes (and until needed) to sterilize. Place snap lids in a pot and cover lids with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes to sterilize, then keep warm on the back of the stove.

While jars and lids are being sterilized, boil water, salt and vinegar together until the salt is dissolved. Keep it at a low simmer while you continue.

Using oven mitt or tongs, take one jar at a time from oven; Press dill into jar- a largish cluster with seeds and a few of the furry bits. Place at least one large, peeled garlic clove, (but not more than 2) into jar. Pack the jar with clean cucumbers. Be careful, and remember the jar is hot.

When jar is packed, ladle hot brine over cucumbers, giving time for the liquid to settle. Use the handle of a spatula to stir out air bubbles. Fill jar with brine to cover cucumbers.

Carefully lift a snap lid from the hot water, (use small tongs or a canning utensil with a magnet on the end) and secure the lid with the ring sealer. Tighten firmly by hand, and set jar on a towel covered surface to cool.

When liquid cools, the lids should snap down, showing that they are sealed. Use unsealed jars first. Cucumbers will change colour from fresh green to... pickle colour as they cure. Best if left for at least a week.

1 batch brine will fill about 4 pint/ quart jars.