Thai Curry Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 pound rice noodles (pad thai noodles)
2 TBSP. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBSP. minced lemon grass
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 TBSP. and 1 tsp. red curry paste
2 (32 oz.) cartons chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 TBSP. white sugar
2 (13.5 oz) cans reduced-fat coconut milk
1 cup peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 /2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 (5oz.) bag baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add rice noodles and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking; set aside.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in garlic, lemon grass, and ginger;  cook and stir until aromatic, 30 to 60 seconds.  Add the curry paste, and cook 30 seconds more.  Pour in about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, and stir until the curry paste has dissolved, then pour in the remaining chicken stock along with the soy sauce and sugar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk, shrimp, mushrooms, spinach, lime juice, and cilantro.  Increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until the shrimp turns pink and are no longer translucent, about 5 minutes.

To serve, place some rice noodles into each serving bowl and ladle soup on top of them.  Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of sliced green onion.

Lentil Tomato Soup

This is a yummy, warm weather soup.  Next time I think I will add some italian flavored sausage to it, but it was yummy just as it is.  If you are trying to eat healthier, this is a great nutritious soup.  I will tell you, my younger children didn’t gobble it up, but the rest of us really enjoyed it.

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups water
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2/3 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 can (6oz.) tomato paste
2 TBSP. minced fresh parsley
1 TBSP. brown sugar
1 TBSP. white vinegar
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. dried tarragon
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large saucepan, combine the water, carrots, onion and lentils; b ring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables and lentils are tender.  Stir in the remaining ingredients; return to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

3/4 cup equals 138 calories, 27 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 8 g protein.

Pork and White Bean Chili

2 TB olive oil, divided
1 lb boneless pork loin,cut in 1" cubes
2 c chopped onions
2 TB chili powder
1-1/2 tsp Ancho chili pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Mexican oregano leaves
2 cans (15-1/2 oz ea)cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14-1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 TB fresh chopped cilantro
2 TB fresh lime juice


Heat olive oil in large skillet on med-high heat. Add the pork,brown on all sides. Stir onions into skillet and cook untill tender. Add seasonings,cook and stir 1 min or till fragrant. Add pork,beans and broth,mix well.Bring to boil.
Reduce heat to low. Simmer ,uncovered,15-20 mins or till pork is tender,stirring occasionally
Mix avocado,cilantro and lime juice in small bowl. Serve chili topped with avocado mixture.

Taco Soup

This is a recipe I make all the time. My family loves it. Typically when I make it, I will five times the batch and then freeze it in meal-size freezer bags. I figure if I'm going to take the time to make it, I might as well make a bunch. It's perfect for those nights when you just don't want to cook...just get it out and throw it frozen into your crockpot on low or even warm and dinner is done! Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
2 cans mexican diced tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, don't drain the liquid
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.)

Brown the ground beef and saute the onion with the beef. Add the taco seasoning mix, tomato saue and tomatoes. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer on low. Or....just brown the ground beef and saute the onion and dump the rest in your crockpot on warm (if you are leaving it all day) or low if it is only for a few hours. Serve with fritos, cheese and sour cream.

Venison Stew

If you are married to a hunter, as I am, then you will find that you have a lot of Venison to use up from your freezer. My husband, Warren, actually found this recipe online and we have made it many times since, although we have altered a bit to give it a bit more flavor. I am posting our alterations. We love it on Sunday because we can put it in the crockpot and come home to a yummy, hearty meal. Tonight it just sounded good because it was another miserable, cold, wet, rainy day!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds venison stew meat
3 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups water
7 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 cups chopped carrots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water


Directions
In a large soup pot, deeply brown the meat in oil with the onions and garlic. Season your meat with your favorite steak seasoning. We love the Whiskey Steak seasoning from Cabela's, but we are out, so tonight a used a mixture of two: a steak dust from Costco and Montreal steak seasoning. Place your meat, onions and garlic in the crockpot. Add Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme, salt, flour and 3 cups of water and the carrots and potatoes. I throw in celery as well, if I have it. Cook on low all day or on high for 5-6 hours.

Tortelini Soup

This isn't actually a "new" recipe for our family, but it is a well-loved one. I was going to grill something for dinner, but with all the clouds and rain, it just seemed more of a soup day. And this sounded good and good it was! We love it served with scones, but I was too lazy to make them tonight, so we just had garlic bread from the grocery store.1 pkg. three cheese tortelini
1 1/2 pkg. Jimmy Dean Sausage - sage flavor
1 medium onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped and quartered
4 carrots, chopped
5 1/2 cups water
5 tsp. chicken bouillon paste or 5 cubes
1 tsp. basil
1 bay leaf
1 big can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 small cans diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Brown the sausage and saute the onion. Pour all ingredients (except the tortelini) in a pan. Add sausage and onion. Put the tortelini in about 10 minutes before serving. Make sure the soup mixture had come to a boil, then put the tortelini in and turn the soup down.