Soups & Stews
Soups and Stews are not only easy to make but they are cheap, hearty, freeze nicely, serve alot of people with minimal effort and can hide alot of vegetables. I make big batches and freeze in individual serving containers for a quick meal or school lunch. Using the crock pot makes most stews and soups a great choice when you are busy.
Beef Stew
1 1/2 pounds lean cubed beef
4 tablespoons GF Flour mix
1 dash paprika
1 GF beef bouillon cube
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 carrot, 1 inch thick
2 potatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
15 ounces stewed tomatoes, canned with juices
15 ounces corn, canned with juices
15 ounces peas, canned with juices
1 teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Dredge meat in flour, brown in hot oil. Add meat and all other ingredients into crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 2-4 hours. Or cover and simmer on medium for 90 minutes.
Beefy stew
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying, plus more to drizzle
3 tablespoons CF margarine
2 cups GF Flour mix
2 to 3 pounds beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch pieces (this cut is also called chuck shoulder pot roast and chuck roast boneless)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bottle good quality dry red wine (recommended: Burgundy)
8 fresh thyme sprigs
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 orange, zest removed in 3 (1-inch) strips
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups beef stock
9 small new potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut in 1/2
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups frozen pearl onions, a large handful
1 pound white mushrooms, cut in 1/2
1/2 pound garden peas frozen or fresh
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the oil and butter.
While the pan is heating, arrange the flour on a large dish. Season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and then toss in the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour and add the beef chunks in a single layer to the hot pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan, you might have to work in batches. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate and reserve.
Add the wine to the pan and bring up to a simmer while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon being sure to loosen up all those tasty bits. Once the wine has gotten hot add the browned meat, thyme, smashed garlic, orange zest strip, ground cloves, freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the liquids start to thicken, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours.
After 2 hours add halved potatoes, sliced carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms, along with a pinch of sugar to balance out the acid from the red wine. Turn the heat up slightly and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. Add the frozen peas during the last minute of cooking. Season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme sprigs.
Black Bean-Chipotle Chili
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups black beans, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 x 8 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 x 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 or 2 canned chipotle chiles, seeded & minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a large saucepan or skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for about 7 minutes. Stir in all remaining ingredients and cook covered for 4 hours over medium-low heat, or until beans are soft, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with fresh chopped cilantro.
Chicken Noodle Soup
2 boxes of chicken broth
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
2 to 4 stalks diced celery
15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
oil
coconut oil
Rice flour noodles or whatever kind you can use, if you can
1 whole chicken, pre-cooked or boil a whole chicken (and use it's water for the broth above)
Cook the onion in olive (use whatever kind of oil you like) and add a small amount of coconut oil. This adds a very unique flavor and thickness to the soup. Cook up until onion is translucent and add garlic for a minute. Add the other ingredients and simmer for as long as you like /need to. At the last 20 minutes or so add the noodles then the last few minutes add the de-boned and skinned chicken.
Chicken and vegetable soup
1 large whole chicken
Celery
Onion
Carrots
Bay leafs
Peppercorns
Water
Vegetables of your choice: green beans, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, corn (off the cob), spinach, zucchini, stewed tomatoes, etc.
Thyme
Salt and pepper
Chicken bouillon
Place the chicken in a large boiling pot with the celery, onions, carrots, bay leaf, peppercorns and cover with water. Cover pot with lid and boil on medium heat until chicken is done. Remove chicken to bowl to cool. Strain vegetables out, reserving stock. Add the new vegetables of your choice into broth, adding thyme, salt, pepper, and condensed chicken bouillon. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and put all the meat in the pot and heat through. Serve.
Chili
4 cans kidney beans
2 lbs hamburger
1 medium onion chopped
1 30 oz can stewed tomatoes
2 pkgs GF chili seasoning (such as McCormick's Tex Mex Chili Seasoning or Carroll Shelby Chili Mix)
1 small green or red bell pepper, chopped
Brown hamburger meat, drain off grease. Combine all ingredients in crock-pot, stir and let cook 6 hours. You can substitute ground turkey or buffalo/bison meat in this recipe too.
Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
1 pound dried small red beans, picked over and rinsed
2 large smoked ham hocks
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green onions, green part only, chopped, plus more for garnish
Red pepper sauce
2 andouille sausages, cut into 3-inch chunks
4 cups cooked white rice
Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Soak the beans overnight in the refrigerator.
Drain the beans and put them in a large heavy pot with the ham hocks, adding just enough cold water to cover (about 2 quarts). Add the onion, celery, green pepper, cayenne, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, garlic, green onions, and several shakes of red pepper sauce; give everything a good stir to combine. Simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 21/2 hours. You want the beans to be almost overcooked, like they are getting ready to burst. Stir the beans occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot. Add about 1 cup of water toward the end of cooking if the mixture appears too thick or dry.
Mash about 1 cup of the cooked beans against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon, this makes the broth thick and creamy. Toss in the sausages and cook for another 30 minutes to heat them through. Adjust the seasoning, if needed. Serve the red beans in a wide bowl over some steamed white rice and garnished with chopped green onion.
Meatball and Rice Soup
1 pound ground turkey (or veal)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil (substitute other oil if desired)
2 cups cooked white rice (more if preferred. Jasmin rice is nice too)
1 or 2 cartons vegetable or chicken broth
Mix meat with spices. Roll into thumbnail-sized balls. Add oil to skillet and sauté meatballs in pan until pink is gone and they are light brown in color. Remove meatballs, leaving juice in pan. Add 1/4 cup water and carrots to juice, cover and sauté until tender.
Heat vegetable broth in a stockpot. Add rice, meatballs, carrots and juice. Stir. Add additional broth as needed for desired thickness.
(Tips from Diane: If you want thicker soup, leave soup to sit on a low burner. The rice will swell and absorb broth. Also: Adjust spices to taste for more or less flavor. The meatballs are great on their own. The may be made ahead for warming in the microwave during the week, or frozen for later. I sub chicken stock for water to add flavor, and sauté chopped onions and a little garlic in GFCF margarine first.)
Split Pea or Navy Bean soup
2 bags dry beans – split pea or navy beans
4 large carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
10 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
Pepper
3 medium bay leaves
1 large ham bone from Honey Baked ham store (or similar spiral sliced ham)
If using navy beans, soak overnight in cold water. (Do not soak split peas overnight)
Place beans in crock-pot with ham bone. Add onion, celery, carrots, thyme, pepper and bay leaves. Do not add salt until beans are soft or the beans will not cook properly. Remember to remove bay leaves and fresh thyme sticks before serving.
Red Wine Beef Stew with Potatoes and Green Beans
Making an amazing stew is a whole lot simpler than most people figure. After you brown up your beef, all you basically have to do is throw a bunch of tasty ingredients in a pot and let it do its thing. Adding green beans at the end of cooking freshens up the stew and their snap is cool. You can make it completely in advance, as far as 2 days ahead of time. Just refrigerate it right in the pot and reheat it over low heat. You’ll have to stir in a cup or so of water because the stew will have thickened up. (Do the water thing if you’re reheating leftover stew too.) I like using Burgundy or Cabernet Sauvignon but the basic rule is that as long as you’d be happy drinking what you’re cooking with you’re in good shape.
2 pounds beef chuck for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons CF margarine
4 medium carrots, peeled, halved and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 small onions, diced
2 tablespoons GF Flour mix
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans reduced-sodium beef or chicken broth
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 handfuls green beans, ends trimmed
Season the beef cubes lightly with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the margarine in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium heat. As soon as the margarine starts to turn brown, add half the beef and raise the heat to high. At first, the beef will give off some liquid, but once that evaporates, the beef will start to brown. Cook, turning the beef cubes on all sides until the pieces are as evenly browned as possible, about 5 or 6 minutes after the water has boiled off. If the pan starts to get too brown at any point, just turn down the heat a little. Scoop the beef into a bowl and brown the rest of the beef the same way using the remaining butter.
Scoop out the second batch of beef, then add the carrots and onions and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour until it has been worked into the veggies and you can’t see it any more. Pour in the chicken broth, wine, and crushed tomatoes, and toss in the rosemary. Slide the beef back into the pot and bring the liquid to a boil.
Turn down the heat so the liquid is just breaking a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook 50 minutes. Stir the stew several times while simmering so it cooks evenly and nothing sticks to the bottom.
Stir the potatoes into the stew, cover the pot completely, and cook until the potatoes and beef are tender, stirring occasionally, about another 45 minutes. Add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes until the green beans turn bright green and are cooked through but still have a nice snap to them.
Turkey Rice soup
Leftover turkey parts with meat (wings, drumsticks, legs)
Peppercorns
Celery stalks
Bay leaves
half an onion, quartered
4 Carrots, sliced
Celery, chopped
Onions, chopped
Thyme (fresh or dry)
GF Chicken bouillon
2 cups rice
Place all leftover turkey parts in pot, cover with water. Add celery stalks, peppercorns, bay leaves and ½ onion in pot. Cover and cook on medium heat for 90 minutes or until meat falls off bones very easily. Remove meat and strain broth back into pot. Cool meat and then pick off bones and set aside. In pot with broth, add chopped carrots, celery and remaining onion. Add thyme and bouillon, cook until veggies are soft then add rice. Cover and cook 20 minutes, add turkey meat back in and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Venison Stew
2 lb Venison steak
1/2 lb Bacon or salt pork
2 tbsp GF Flour mix
6 cups of stock
1 can stewed tomatoes or preferably zucchini
8 small carrots
2 Stalks celery diced
2 tbsp. sugar
7 small onions
garlic to taste
1 cup peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut bacon into 1" cubes and sauté in large saucepan until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Cut venison into 1 1/2 or 2" pieces and brown over high heat in bacon fat. Stir in flour and make a roux. Lower heat and let brown 2-3 minutes. Then add stock and stir till smooth. Simmer 1 hour or more until venison begins to get tender, add more liquid as necessary.
Add all the other ingredients, except peas, and continue to simmer to make a thick stew. Simmer peas in a separate pan until done. Strain and spoon over or around stew when served. Serve with corn muffins, potatoes or parsnips and a salad.
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