Lentil Soup

We are nearing the end of soup season here. I thought I needed to send this one out there while we still have some warm days. I love this soup. Maybe it is because it reminds me of my childhood. It is cheap and easy to make (which I think we are all looking for right now). I leave out the mint (YUCK). I took a picture and it didn't do it justice so you will have to imagine :) Also, the leftovers make a great burrito filling! This is vegetarian at it's finest. Even my meat lovin' husband makes yummy noises over this one :)

Mom's Lentil Soup
1 1/2 cups lentils
8 cups water (or unsalted chicken stock is what I used)
bay leaf (I was all out so I left this out)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp sage
2-3 cloves minced garlic
4 medium tomatoes blanched and peeled or 16 oz can or chopped tomatoes (which is what I did for times sake)
1 large red onion diced
2 1/2 TBSP fresh minced mint (yuck, trust me on this)
2-3 stalks of celery (when I get celery in my produce co-op I always slice it and freeze it, I used about a cup of this)
butter
EVOO
salt and pepper

MAKES 10 cups
combine lentils, water, and spices in a pot. Boil for 2 hours until soft. Saute the onion in a little butter and EVOO for a couple minutes. Add the garlic and celery. Cook until the celery starts to soften. Add the tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. Combine the veggies with the lentils. Season with mint (yuck), salt and pepper. Let simmer until ready to serve.

Best and QUICKEST chicken taco soup

This month has been a good month for recipes at work. One of the girls I work with brought this and the smell drove me crazy! I had to ask her for the recipe. I only work 2 days a week but since I got the recipe I have brought it to work every Friday. This is one of those deals that you can make in an instant and it is even better when it sits in the fridge a couple of days. I have been freezing single servings and it defrosts GREAT. Lee and Keaton like it all dolled up as shown. I like it just plain or with a dollop of light sour cream.

Chicken Taco Soup

2 or 3 frozen chicken breasts (I use these chicken shreds)

1 pack Taco seasoning (I make my own)

1 pack of Ranch Dressing mix

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 can Kidney beans

1 can White beans

1 can Vegetarian baked beans (use the small can or 1/2 of large can)

1 can corn

This is the easy part! Throw it all in the crock pot in the order listed. Do not drain anything just throw it in. Cook on low 6-8 hours if using raw chicken. 1-2 if using shreds.

Voila!

Pineapple chili

My lil sister Meesha commented about a great pineapple chili she made. She is a dumper (she always just throws stuff in and doesn't measure so it took a while to get it out of her). I have made it 2 times and it is great. In the picture I served it on Paula Deens Cornbread Waffles . I thought the concept was kinda cool...like a Navajo Taco without the deep fry. I wasn't wild about the recipe though...too bread like, not enough cornbread like. I think next time I will just try throwing my own cornbread recipe on the waffle iron and see what happens. My little boy liked the cornbread waffles and chose to dip his in a bowl of soup instead (it was nice to not have them load up the cornbread with butter and honey).

Well, without further ado here is the best Chili recipe you will ever try :)

Meesha's Pineapple Chili (with a few minor adjustments)

3 cans of chili beans (these are just beans in a little bit of spicy red sauce, I tried using my own cooked beans and they needed LOTS more seasoning then but are do-able)

Large can of chopped tomatoes (I used peeled chopped and frozen ones from my freezer)

1 Can of chunk pineapple plus most of the juice (I chopped them in thirds so there was pineapple in more bites)

1 big onion chopped and sauteed

1 big green bell chopped and sauteed with the onion

1 lb of lean ground hamburger (browned)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 chili seasoning packet

*she also added a little BBQ sauce for a smokey taste, I did not.

Dump it all in a pot and let it simmer for 30 minutes. It is also GREAT leftovers, it tastes better the second day.

15 minutes prep....the series.

My good friend Lisa asked the other day if I had any quick healthy dinners up my sleeve. I am so glad she asked. When I watch Ms. Ray I often think...who has 30 minutes anymore. This week I will share what I can get on the table in 15 minutes prep. To kick if off I am sharing this great chili recipe. It is from Cooking Light. It was tucked in a corner of their magazine probably 8 years ago. I cannot even find it on their site anymore. Every time I share this recipe it is a hit. I actually ran into a girl the other day in Target that was in my ward probably 4 years ago and she was telling me she was making it again tonight. P.S. I timed myself making this....4 minutes.

Nonstop, no-chop chili

3/4 pound ground round browned (I always have some hamburger pre-browned then rinsed (to get the extra fat off) in my freezer, great time saver)

2 cups water

1 1/2 cups frozen corn (have you tried the Costco frozen corn....WOW)

1 cup bottled salsa

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp sugar

2 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp salt

1 can chili beans undrained

1 can diced no salt added tomatoes, undrained (I used a ziploc sandwich bag full off peeled diced fresh tomatoes I froze from our garden)

* I also added a cup of zucchini I shredded and froze from our garden for some extra veggies (it disappears...no one will know)

Anyway...add it all to a pot and let it simmer until you are ready to go. How easy is that? I also have put it in the crock pot to let it simmer all day! Check back tomorrow!