Hearty slow cooker beef stew

I love an easy meal that you can prepare ahead of time, and then just pull out of the fridge, plug in and leave as you're walking out the door for the day. I'll let you know how this turns out once we eat it!!

Edit: The beef stew was great, but I ended up skimming a good amount of fat off the top of the pot and added at least a tsp of salt!

Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 large celery, sliced thick
1 large potato, cubed
1 small onion, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced thick
1 lb. stew cut beef
1/4 c flour
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
2.5 cups water
2 cubes beef bouillion
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat water and bouillion to boiling in pot or in microwave. Stir to dissolve bouillion.Combine flour and spices in a large bowl. Mix in beef and toss well to coat. Pour into bottom of slow cooker.

Cutting up the veggies is the most time consuming part of this meal.

Add vegetables and cover with broth (bouillion and water). Stir well to combine. Cook on low 8 hours or high for 5 hours. Salt and pepper to taste.

White bean and kale soup - future cooking

Last night I made a white bean and kale soup to freeze. I've had good experiences with freezing and reheating soups so I figured I would try a new one. I think soup is underrated in its potential to be a perfectly rounded meal alone.

I actually had enough of this for both of us to bring for lunch today too. I modified it quite a bit from the Better Homes and Gardens Big Book of Italian Recipes, but their recipe was a good base for mine. This is easily made vegetarian by substituting veggie bouillion for the chicken.White Bean and Kale Soup
Makes 6 entree servings
Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
pinch of crushed red pepper
6 cubes chicken bouillion
4 cups water
2 cans cannellini beans (aka great northern beans), rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, with liquid
4 cups raw kale, chopped

Directions:
In a 4 qt or larger pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add garlic, dried herbs and pepper, and saute one minute more. Add bouillion, water, and tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Add beans and reduce to low. Simmer 5 minutes. Add kale and simmer 5 minutes more. You can salt to taste, but honestly, I didn't add any. The bouillion provided plenty.
I had a burst of energy last night so I also made enchilada style burritos for dinner and to freeze. That recipe follows tomorrow!

Makeshift minestrone

Monday night I wanted to make and Italian-esque veggie soup but didn't have the traditional ingredients for minestrone. What I ended up with was tasty and went well with the pesto bread, but not your traditional minestrone. Next time I might add some tomato sauce or paste to thicken up the broth a little though.Makeshift Minestrone
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 leek, cleaned and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped (about 1 tbsp)
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp sugar
32 oz chicken broth (you could use veggie)
2 cups water
1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup dried pasta (I used gemelli, but macaroni or penne would be really good)
4 cups kale, washed and chopped
grated parmesan for topping

Directions:
Heat oil over medium heat in 4 qt or larger pot. Add leeks and carrots. Saute until leeks are just tender. Add garlic, basil and rosemary and saute one minute more. Add salt, sugar, pepper, broth, water and tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Add pasta, kale and chick peas and reduce to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with grated parmesan.

Chicken enchilada soup

When I read this recipe last week for tortilla soup, my mouth was watering. I found I didn't have many of the ingredients so I came up with my own recipe to fulfill the craving. This is seriously so easy, pretty healthy and really really good. I urge you to give it a try. Thanks to Real Mom Kitchen for the inspiration! Please forgive the photo, I'm finding that soup just doesn't really photograph all that well.

Chicken Enchilada Soup
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
10 oz can red enchilada sauce
10 oz can cheddar cheese soup
4 oz can diced green chiles
2 cups milk (I used skim)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken (I used breast tenderloins)
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb frozen sweet corn
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions:
Combine canned ingredients with milk in crock pot and stir well to mix through. Add all remaining ingredients, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove chicken and pull apart with forks or tongs and return to pot. Cook 1 additional hour on low. Garnish with sour cream and cheese!

Chile corn chowder

Chile Corn Chowder
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
16 oz frozen sweet corn
2 poblano peppers (charred with skin removed), chopped
4 oz can whole or diced green chiles
1 potato, diced
6 green onions, chopped
2 chicken bouillion cubes
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
3 cups water
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
handful of chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Sautee onions and potatoes 4 minutes. Add chiles, red pepper, butter and flour and stir. Cook 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium high. Slowly add water, 1/2 cup at a time and stir to incorporate. Once all water has been added, drop in bouillion.

Bring to a boil. Reduced heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add milk, corn, parsley and sour cream and stir. Cook until heated through and serve.

Cream of vegetable soup

This weekend was much cooler then recent weeks with high temperatures remaining in the 70's and lows in the 50's. I was inspired by the cool air to cook up warm things. This started with a cream of vegetable soup on Saturday. Soup is usually made of whatever I have on hand and I think it's a great way to clean out frozen and fresh veggies. Now we have easy lunches for this week! I will warn you that I use no cream in my cream soups because I like to keep them pretty guiltless, but they're still packed with flavor and I never miss that cream. I doubt you will either.

Cream of vegetable soup
Makes 6 large bowls
Ingredients:
16 oz frozen corn
1 head broccoli washed and cut in florets
4 medium potatoes cubed
1 medium yellow onion diced
2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
2 tbsp flour
32 oz chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp dried crushed thyme
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (for kick)
2 tbsp minced garlic (could use powder instead)
handful of chopped parsley (for color, optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil potatoes over high heat until tender, drain and reserve. In a large pot, saute onions in oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add minced garlic, thyme, basil, red pepper, 1/2 tsp salt and saute one minute more. Add in flour and stir well. Stirring and scraping bottom of pan, continue cooking another minute or so.

Slowly add milk about 1/4 cup at a time and continue stirring until you have a thick gravy. Slowly add chicken stock so that the thick liquid is slowly diluted. If you add too much liquid at any point, the creaminess will completely separate. Slow is key.

Add in cooked potatoes and blend with an immersion blender to break them up and add body to the soup. Leave some chunks for texture. Add broccoli, corn, parsley and cheese, reduce to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a crusty bread.