Italian Sausage and Pinto Bean Stew

The days of class are dwindling, and so is my bank account.  So I have been stewing up some ideas to stay full on empty.  Soups and stews are great values for your money.  Both tend to be “set-it-and-forget-it” kind of recipes, great for exam periods when the only thing you (should be) involved in is studying.   Having a slow cooker or Crockpot makes your dinner just a click away, however, you can still do it old school – with a pot – like me.

Tonight’s dinner was a hearty bean and sausage stew.  It doesn’t require fancy vegetables, or great cuts of meat; it’s a pretty “pantry style” meal.  I loved this stew because it was not only savory the first time, but as a leftover, there were still unique ways to eat it.  In its original stew form, its velvety texture makes it a smooth criminal.  Spooned over rice or a thick slice of cornbread, you stretch it out, making it last for days.  Topped with cheddar cheese and a fried egg can make it protein packed and bursting with flavor.  So don’t be afraid of leftovers when you know you’ll have options.  It can be a good way to use less, and eat more.   

Italian Sausage and Pinto Bean Stew

Ingredients:

3 Italian Sausages (mild or hot)

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, with liquid

1 cup diced tomatoes (½ small can, with liquid)

1 T paprika (smoked or sweet)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instruction:

1.       First slice sausages in half, then slice each half into ½ inch pieces.

2.       Over medium heat, heat medium sized frying pan.  Add sausages and cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until well browned.

3.       Reserve about 2 T grease from sausages in frying pan, then add onion, pepper, garlic, and jalapeno.

4.       Over medium heat, cook onion mixture until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.  Season with paprika, salt, and pepper.

5.       Meanwhile, in a large saucepot, bring pinto beans and diced tomatoes up to a boil. 

6.       Once boiling, add sausage and cook until the liquid has reduced by about half, probably about 5-6 minutes.

7.       Add onion mixture, stir and reduce heat to medium. 

8.       Once sauce has come to desired thickness, remove from heat and serve.   (If you like a thinner stew, add water.)

Cucumber Avocado Soup

Summer rocks until you have been assaulted by a heat index of 114˚ and your kitchen isn’t air-conditioned.  All the food that could melt does; probably because you are constantly opening the freezer door just to cool down.  Needless to say, you want to minimize your time slaving over a hot stove (or stopping to take step-by-step pictures – my apologies, dear foodies).   Thus, a cold cucumber avocado soup won out after a friend dropped off a five pound bag of summer squashes, cucumbers, and peppers.   

After peeling, seeding, slicing, and simmering the cucumbers they turned from crisp and cool to soft and savory.  Cucumbers being mostly water, I never thought to cook a ‘cuke.   Although I admit I was skeptical at first, I have been won over.  There is something familiar and yet adventurous about cooking cucumbers.  Adding avocado was the secret to a smooth, silky texture and nutty, buttery flavor.  To brighten the soup, I used cilantro, dill weed, and mint for their tingly citrus notes and grassy-green taste.  

Once I had finished blending the soup, I took a taste of the warm cucumber soup and actually found that I preferred it over the cold soup.  (Ah the merits of taste testing along the way…) Eating the soup cold had its perks – it basically tasted like a thinner guacamole, yum! –  but the heat of the jalapenos did not blossom without heating the soup, and the cold soup’s texture became a bit strange after bowl two.   Overall, the soup was a successful attempt at minimizing time in the kitchen and maximizing my eating enjoyment (even when I can’t get the thermostat any lower than 85 without my AC busting).

Cucumber Avocado Soup “Cold Guacamole Soup”

Ingredients:

2 T EVOO

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 small onion, diced (about ¾ cup)

1 T fresh lemon juice

4 cups peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced cucumbers

1 ½ cups vegetable broth

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Dash of cayenne pepper

2 tsp jalapeno, finely diced

1 avocado

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp dill weed, dried

1 T fresh mint, chopped

½ cup plain yogurt

Instructions:

1.       In large saucepan or high-walled skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat.

2.       Add onions, cook for about 2 min.  Then add garlic, cook for an additional 2 min. 

3.       Add lemon juice and cook for 1 min.

4.       Add cucumber slices, broth, and season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

5.       Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers soften, about 6-8 min.

6.       Take skillet/pan off heat; let cool for about 5 min.  Transfer soup to a blender. 

7.       Add avocado, cilantro, dill weed, and mint; blend on low speed until smooth.

8.       Pour into bowl and stir in yogurt.  Garnish with fresh diced cucumber and cilantro.

Soup can be enjoyed hot, or can eaten cold after being chilled for about 2-4 hours.

Homemade Tomato Soup

Hungry for tomato soup where you can taste more than canned, milky tomato paste? Try it homemade. Adding broth and allowing fresh herbs to steep in the mix embolden the flavor; flecks of real tomato flesh fill the texture void. Smoothed out by a creamy finish, it ends lightly on the pallet and replenishes an empty growling stomach. Ideal for snow days and chilly nights, homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese side-by-side is a classic childhood meal. Only now, we’ve grown up and grown out of the Campbell’s kind.

Sure, Campbell’s still has the pop-top can. But at the end of the meal that’s a one trick pony headed for retirement. Homemade tomato soup teeters the edge between being a lighter, broth-based soup and a thick and heavy, creamy one. It sure can walk the line. One ‘taste test’ easily becomes a sampling of nearly half the soup before it makes its way into a bowl. Once it did make it to the bowl, the surface shimmered like buttery gold on a red sea. Dunking toasted grilled cheese into the soft red soup struck all the right cords. A creamy tomato soup paired with a grilled cheese oozing gooey American cheese was the climax of the meal, and maybe even the week.

After a bowl I’ll bet the Campbell’s kind will start to taste like ketchup with a faint metallic tin finish.

Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

4 T butter

1 whole onion, diced finely

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans [14.5 oz] diced tomatoes

40+ oz tomato juice [use your discretion]

Salt and pepper

Fresh sprigs of basil, rosemary, thyme

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

½ cup whipping cream

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, melt butter until bubbly over medium high heat.

2. Add finely diced onions and garlic, sauté until translucent – about 5-7 min.

3. Remove pot from heat; add tomatoes to help onions cool.

4. Put all contents of pot into blender or food processor, blend.

5. Reintroduce mixture back to pot. Add a good amount of tomato juice [**how much you add depends on how thick you want the texture to be**]

6. Season with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs then add chicken broth.

7. Bring this to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Reduce liquids to desired thickness.

8. Add whipping cream and heat until warm.

9. Garnish with fresh sprig of basil if desired.

Hungry-Girl-Empty-Wallet Vegetable Soup

Living on your own, independently is chalk full of everything; like this vegetable soup I was making yesterday. In the end both are ‘good for you’, but can you guess which one is tastier right off the bat? When hunger is inversely proportionate to your bank account it can be a very bleak dinner outlook indeed. With empty pockets, I attempted to make an empty pantry a bountiful boon for soup. I put to use some dusty mason jars of canned summer vegetables and some cheap staples like potatoes and onions. The best part was that for all the money saved, I didn’t have to skimp on flavor.

Popping the lid of some miscellaneous Campbell’s soup may have been easier, but this homemade soup was healthier, chunkier and above all, more satisfying. The light, pleasant juiciness of the fresh canned vegetables reminded me of sitting in the middle of a garden, and sopping up the last traces of the soup with a slice of French bread kept my belly full. I emboldened the soup with chicken broth and contemplated adding pasta for a minestrone twist. It could even go nice with a bowl of rice or couscous. Basically, what you have here is a great basis from which to grow.

Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

3 small potatoes, diced, not peeled

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

6 button mushrooms, chopped

1 small can fresh canned green beans, aged

1 small can fresh canned tomatoes, aged

About 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Instructions:

1. In medium sized pot, boil water. Add potatoes; boil for about 7-10 min. Drain.

2. Heat oil in large pot over medium high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots. Cook for 5-7 min.

3. Add garlic and mushrooms; continue cooking for about 3 more min.

4. Add in the canned vegetables and chicken broth, bring to a boil.

5. Cover and cook for about 30 min, or until liquid has reduced.

6. Eat!

Japanese Udon Soup with Chicken

Trying a new recipe, especially a foreign one, is not what I would recommend when planning a dinner for company. The novelty will wear off as soon as you finish converting measurement from the metric system. If your company happens to have the necessary patience and tender encouragement however, you may be able to trudge through. In my frantic attempt to create this Japanese meal, I learned to never again go with a recipe that says “please reference this other recipe”. This makes it at least twice as confusing and severely unnerving, as you are always wondering if things apply to both? Either/or? Will the madness ever end?! Luckily, this frustration was just concerning these Japanese Green Tea Rolls I wish not to mention due to their malignant recipe.

The story resolves itself at the table place with a big, steaming bowl of Japanese Udon. Swirling my soup around, smelling the pungent ginger-and-sesame-infused broth seemed to compensate for everything. The simple-minded western cook in me is tempted to call this recipe Asian Chicken Noodle Soup, but I know it would be heresy. It had much more body and unique character than typical chicken noodle: shiitake mushrooms, leeks and spinach [also sriracha or hot seasonings if you choose]. The mushrooms, ginger and touch of sesame oil and soy sauce give it a pleasant oriental taste, as I am sure the additional heat would as well. The white udon noodles were about half the size of regular fettuccini, but about the same width; they were very salty, even when dry. I kept them separate until serving so they would not become bloated and limp by soaking in the broth for hours. Homemade chicken or vegetable broth is always better than canned and quality matters with this broth-based soup. There are many varieties of udon, as well as varying methods and ingredients. I wanted chicken in mine, so I was inspired to use this recipe.

I paired the meal with those Japanese Green Tea Rolls, which were quite yummy, and their unique green shade did become a talking point of the table. However, I sincerely believe that this recipe was intended to be my culinary chagrin of the night. It sent me on a wild goose chase of multiple recipes and odd ingredients, so I have decided against including such a recipe. Once I find a simpler one, if it exists, I will post.

Japanese Udon Soup with Chicken

Ingredients:

4 tsp olive oil, divided

2-3 tsp sesame oil

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced

3 leeks, cleaned and sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1 ½ cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sriracha [Asian hot sauce], optional

10 oz package udon noodles

2 cup fresh spinach

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 tsp olive oil and sesame oil in large pot over medium heat.

2. Add chicken; cook until just browned. Remove.

3. In same pot, add remaining oil, leeks, garlic and ginger. Cook until leeks are almost tender, add mushrooms. Cook another 5 min until mushrooms are soft.

4. Add broth, soy sauce, and sriracha. Return chicken to pan. Boil, then reduce to low for about 25 min.

5. Meanwhile, prepare udon noodles according to package instructions.

6. Just before serving, add fresh spinach. Once spinach has wilted, ready to serve.

7. Serve over bowl of noodles.

Serves about 5-6 people.

Leeky Faucet? No!! Potato Leek Soup

I’m on a roll this week! …well, maybe more of a potato.

After buying a 5 lb bag of potatoes this weekend against my will, complaining that they would all go rotten, I ended up with only 4 small ones left after two days. First, it was the enormous pot of Champ mashed potatoes and then another pot full of Potato Leek Soup. There is a high probability that I will use up the rest this week, but then again I am the one having real issues with statistics right now. Maybe I’ll just flip a coin…

Anyway, back to soup. Leeks add a complimentary flavor to this dish. Although some substitute green onions for the leeks, I would advise against it. Green onions have a bitter taste, while a leek has a mild onion and cucumber flavor – and mild is what this soup is all about. It’s a cream based, comfort soup that gets almost to the consistency of soupy mashed potatoes.

This time I did add a bit of dry white wine, which gave the soup a little tinge of flavor. Keep in mind this was low grade cooking wine, so the flavor was quite lacking. Don’t skimp on wine quality – you cook with wine you would like to drink. Substitute your favorite dry white wine for my cooking wine and you will be glad you did. Also, I used homemade chicken broth, which I would also highly recommend if you have it on hand. If not, go for a low sodium kind because you will be adding salt throughout to taste.

The soup takes some time, but will yield plenty of leftovers. It is a great lunch or addition to dinner [try with a chicken and/or mushrooms dish]. Also, to the side I would recommend toasting a few slices of French bread to help ensure that you get to enjoy every last drop.

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:

About 5 medium sized potatoes, cut into hunks

3 leeks, sliced about ¼ in thick

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1/3 cup dry white wine

4 T butter

¾ cup milk or cream

Instructions:

1. Boil chicken broth [if using homemade] for about 15 min in a large saucepan.

2. Add water, keep the liquids hot.

3. In a frying pan, add olive oil and leeks. Sauté those for about 7 min over medium heat. Add the garlic, cook for about 2 more min.

4. In another pot, boil potatoes for about 20 min until very soft.

5. Add leeks and potatoes to the liquids, bring to a simmer.

6. Add the wine.

7. Cook down the liquids until the soup has somewhat thickened.

8. Add butter; melt, continue simmering.

9. Add milk, simmer for a few more minutes.

10. CHOW DOWN. Add chives for more flavor!

Makes about 5 servings. NOMS: 9