Vegetable Beef Soup

This is based on a recipe I got from Taste of Home several years ago. I have added and subtracted and got it just how I like it.

Saute 1/2 onion, chopped, and some chopped celery. Remove from pan, then brown one pound ground meat sprinkled with garlic salt and Italian seasoning. Add 2 cans beef broth, 2 cups water, 1 can diced tomatoes, and vegetables: potatoes (sweet potatoes are good), carrots and the onion/celery mixture, and a bay leaf or two.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.

Serve with grated cheese and fresh hot rolls or bread. So good!

My Favorite Quinoa

Every member of my family loves this! I'm committing to making it once a week. It makes me feel so happy to know that I am feeding my family such nourishing and delicious food.

Directions:
Saute about 1/2 an onion (or more) in a little bit of olive oil in a medium saucepan. When it is tender, add 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa, 1 cup water, a teaspoon or so of chicken bouillon and a can of black beans (drained and rinsed). Bring to a boil, then put the lid on and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes.

I need to double it these days because everyone complains if we don't have leftovers!

So easy and healthy! The perfect replacement for rice.

Roasted Veggies

Update: 
I'm convinced that the best way to roast vegetables is also the simplest. I always try complicated fancy things and they don't turn out any better than just the good old fashioned way. Which is:

Put veggies on foil-lined baking sheet. Spray them with Pam and sprinkle with kosher or garlic salt. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes.
This is the best way to roast cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato fries, stir-fry veggies, squash, and probably anything else you can think of. Sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar and wow! Best thing ever. I need to do this every single day for dinner.



I'm in the mood to try roasting vegetables! On the menu this week: Roasted Cauliflower and Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Here is the sprouts recipe:

Oven-Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Recipe by Our Best Bites


1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts
1 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, divided
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling before serving
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
Rinse sprouts in cool water and then chop off the tough ends. Pull any straggly leaves off the sprouts and then chop each sprout in half. Place in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, 1 1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt, and the freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle it over the chopped sprouts and then toss to combine. Spread the sprouts out evenly over the baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the sprouts are tender-crisp.
Remove from oven, transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with the reserved tablespoon of vinegar, and sprinkle with kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.



Here is the cauliflower recipe:


Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Cauliflower
Recipe by ourbestbites.com

Ingredients
3-4 tbs olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 head cauliflower
kosher salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons crumbled Parmesan cheese (stuff in a green can a-okay!)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place olive oil and garlic in a small bowl. Heat in microwave for about 20 seconds and set aside.

Remove stem and leaves from cauliflower head and trim into large florets. Slice each floret into 1/4 inch slices and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and garlic mixture and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Use clean hands to toss to coat. Add more olive oil if needed. Bake for 15 minutes and then toss with spatula. Bake 10 more and then toss with Parmesan cheese. Continue baking for 5-10 minutes until slightly golden brown on edges.

Taco Soup

There are very few recipes that are a sure hit with every member of the family, but this is one of them. From Jason to Jake, we all LOVE this soup. Let's be honest, most taco soups are good. I've tried millions of them. Well, okay, several different kinds, and while they are all good, this one wins because of its simplicity and flavor. My mother in law gave me this recipe as a "bag meal" where you have all the ingredients for a meal in one bag and can just grab it and go. I add ground meat (don't ask what kind, just pretend it's beef). This is originally a crock pot recipe, but I use my cast iron pot for a quick one-pot meal.

1 lb. ground beef or meat of your choice
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 can chili with meat
1 can black beans
1 can corn (I like to use frozen corn)
2-3 Tbs. taco seasoning (about 1/2 a packet)


Brown the hamburger in a skillet or cast iron pot. Drain fat if you want to. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through! Add taco seasoning to taste. Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc. The end.

Caramelized Green Beans

These are by far the best green beans I have ever had. Ever. I will keep bacon and frozen green beans and red onions on hand for the rest of my life so I can whip these babies up any time I feel like it. They are that good! This post is copied straight from Our Best Bites (where else?) for my own personal future reference.

Caramelized Green Beans

1 lb. (actually, just a little bit more…maybe 1 1/8 lb.) fresh green beans (or several handfuls of frozen)
1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 red onion, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
olive oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
Lots of freshly-ground pepper

Begin frying the bacon in a large skillet. Start boiling a large pot of water. Place beans in a colander and rinse them well. Then snap the ends off and snap them in half.


Prepare the sauce by mixing sugar, soy sauce, and salt in a small bowl.


Make sure your onions are sliced, garlic is pressed (or minced…but I think if you don’t have a garlic press, the Easter Bunny needs to bring you one this year), and everything is ready to go. Hold on tight…it’s a crazy, crazy ride.


Remove bacon from pan and drain on a paper towel. If you feel like it, you can crumble it now or wait until it’s cooled off a little. Pour bacon drippings out of pan (I keep an empty tin can around for this very purpose).

Now…if you want to be naughty (and who doesnt??), return a couple tablespoons of bacon drippings to the pan. Otherwise, just use some olive oil and heat pan to medium-high heat. When the pan is hot…

–Add onions and garlic. Give them a quick stir and then…

–Add beans to boiling water. Place colander in a clean sink. Boil for one minute; you’re not cooking them until they’re done, just blanching them to take the edge off. Meanwhile, stir the onions and garlic so they don’t scorch. After one minute, drain beans in the colander in the sink.

–Once beans have been drained, add them to the onions and garlic. Stir fry 2-3 more minutes.

–Give your sauce a quick stir and then pour on top of the beans. Keep stir-frying until the beans get kind of glazy. Yeah, I make up words. Do this (stir fry, not make up words…you don’t have time to make up words right now!) for another 2 minutes.


–Add crumbled bacon and lots of freshly-ground pepper to the beans. Keep stir frying until the sauce sticks to the beans and the bacon. Transfer to a serving dish and allow to stand a few minutes so the beans cool down a bit and the glaze thickens up a little.

Sierra's Granola

This granola is legendary in my family! It is very hard to live without. I usually add pecans.

Granola
makes 3 1/3 cups

3 c old-fashinoned oats
1/2 c pure maple syrup
1/4 c powdered milk
1/4 c brown sugar
2 T unsalted butter melted
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1 t kosher salt

Triple Recipe
makes 10 cups

9 c old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 c pure maple syrup
3/4 c powdered milk
3/4 c brown sugar
6 T unsalted butter melted
1 T + 1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1 T kosher salt

1. Heat oven to 250. On a large rimmed baking sheet measure and spread out the oats. Bake to (1)toast slightly, 10 minutes for the (2)small batch, 20 minutes for the triple batch.

2. While the oats are toasting add the remaining ingredients to a large bowl. Mix well.

3. When the oats are toasted transfer them to the large bowl and mix well. Line the baking sheet parchment paper. Pour the mixture onto the prepared sheet. Bake 30 minutes for the small batch, 60 minutes for the triple batch.

4. Remove from oven. Holding onto a long side of the parchment paper, pull and flip the granola onto the baking sheet (3)upside down. Gently spread to an even thickness. Bake 20 minutes for the small batch, 45 minutes for the triple batch.

5. Remove from oven and stir gently. Push the edge bits to the middle and the middle to the edge for even baking. Bake 10-15 minutes for the small batch, 30 minutes for the large batch.

6. Remove from oven and stir again. Bake, check and stir every 10-15 minutes until oats are deep (4)golden in color and crunchy when chewed. The intial bite may be a little soft, but if it cools and crunches quickly in your mouth it is ready.

7. Place baking sheet on a cooling rack and cool completely. Serve or store in an airtight container up to 3 weeks at room temperature.

Notes

1. Toasting the oats helps form clumps. It also gets crunchier without over-baking the other ingredients.

2. I recommend making the small recipe first to get the crispness right. When you know how it should look and taste try the triple recipe. It's great to have granola on hand!

3. To form clumps, stir the granola as little as possible in the first two stirrings. Pulling the parchment paper out while flipping the granola is a good way to stir it without breaking up the clumps.

4. The trickiest part of making this granola is knowing when it is done. The last 2-3 times I remove it from the oven it looks about the same. Taste testing is the most accurate way to know if it's done. The first bite will be a little soft, but it will cool quickly and crunch in your mouth if it is done.

Underbaked- It may taste good and be crunchy the first day or two, but will start to soften after this.
Perfect- It will be good and crunchy and store well up to three weeks.
Overbaked- It will taste a little burnt even if it doesn't look like it. It will store fine however if it still good enough to eat.

Alicia's Granola Bars

This is my friend Alicia's recipe. I have made these twice in the last week! 

These granola bars are so easy! Better than store bought (and healthier, too!)

Homemade Granola Bars

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies (can increase up to 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup light corn syrup or honey (I used 1/4 c. of each)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup raisins (optional) or chopped nuts (optional) or seeds (optional) or coconut(optional)
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Prepare a 13 x 9-inch baking dish by lining it with foil and spraying with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl combine Rice Krispies cereal, oats and raisins. (And any other fruit, nut or seed you choose to use.)

In a saucepan, stir the corn syrup or honey and brown sugar until just at a boil.
Immediately remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until well combined.
Pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl; mix to combine.
Mix in mini chocolate chips (if using). Work fast, the mixture hardens quickly.
Transfer the mixture into prepared baking dish, then using slightly wet hands push evenly down into the pan. (Be sure to press it all down firmly. I used the bottom of a measuring cup.)

While the mixture is still soft, for easier slicing take a sharp knife and slice into desired size bars.
Chill until firm.