Ham and Lentil Stew

Okay, so I know this is the second post in a day, but I'm trying to make up for lost time.  This was our dinner tonight, and dare I say it was a HUGE HIT with the munchkins!  My kids always turn their nose up at soup for dinner.  I think it's genetic because their dad is the same way - unless it's accompanied by a nice big meaty sandwich.  My kids think this is just "ham and lentils", which is just fine with me.  It's like how we call every meat "Steak" or "Chicken", and every vegetable they may not like is a "different colored carrot".  Whoops, my train of thought has been derailed.  Back to the task at hand - here's my recipe!  Super yummy!

Ham and Lentil Stew

2 C small diced ham
1 C water
32 oz beef broth
8 oz dried lentils (this is by weight, not measurement)
1 C cut carrots
1/2 C diced bell peppers
1 small bag frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 small bag frozen cut green beans, thawed
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 C shredded cheddar cheese, if desired

Combine all ingredients into a crock pot and stir to combine well.  Turn the crock pot on High and cook 3 1/2 to 4 hrs.

Place a small handful of cheese in the bottom of the bowl and ladle the soup on top.  YUM!

Crock Pot Stew

Well, it's feeling like "Stew Weather" more and more these days. As I sat down to plan out this weeks meals, I had a hankering for stew AND didn't want to have to cook it when I got home from work at 6:30. I also had an overwhelming desire for Kettle Corn, but that's another story completely!

I ended up finding this great recipe for beef stew and tweaked it to my liking. I ALWAYS use those wonderful crock pot liners you find at the store too. They are a life saver! Hope you enjoy!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 carrots, cut into chunks

2 onions, cut into chunks

3 ribs of celery, sliced

2 lbs stew meat

2 c tomato juice

1 c water

1/3 c quick cooking tapioca, the small ones

1 T sugar

1 T salt

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

Grease the crock pot and place the potatoes in the bottom. Top with raw meat chunks. Place the remaining vegetables on top of the meat. In a small bowl, mix together juice, water, tapioca and all the seasonings. Pour over the vegetables and meat mixture.

Cook on Low for 8-10 hours. Stir and enjoy!

Barley, Lentil and Sun-dried Tomato Soup

I have this wonderful cookbook called "Wandering and Feasting", and it goes through Washington state area by area and gives a recipe specific to each. From Oroville to Yelm and Dayton, there are recipes from all over the state. It's a great book! Well, that's where I got this recipe. All I had to do was turn to the most wrinkled, crispy page and there's one of my favorite soup recipes! I made this when I was 19 for our valentines dinner at church and it was a big hit!

Sometimes I use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make a great vegan soup! Let me know what you think! This one's for you, Janet. :)

Barley, Lentil and Sun-dried Tomato Soup

2 T vegetable oil

1/2 c chopped red bell pepper

1/2 c chopped onion

1 c chopped celery

1/4 c chopped carrots

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

5-14oz cans of chicken broth or 8 1/2 c homemade stock

1-28oz can of crushed tomatoes with juice

1 c pearled or whole grain barley

1 c dry lentils, any color, rinsed and drained

1 c tomato juice

2 c water

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried thyme

8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

In a large kettle or stock pot, add oil and over medium heat saute red pepper, onion, celery, carrots and garlic until tender.

Add salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute longer. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. (If using whole grain barley, cook for 2 hours or until barley is tender.) Check and stir occasionally. May be thinned with broth or water. Ladle into soup bowls and ENJOY!

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Okay, so Mom and Dad came over for lunch today, and I had every intention of making chowder. It's kind of an old stand by. While looking for my chowder recipe, I stumbled on this Wild Rice and Mushroom one. It was so very good! Of course, I made some changes to the original recipe, which I thought made it spectacular! LOL. Enjoy!

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

1 T vegetable oil

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

6 C beef broth

2/3 C wild rice, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 C milk

1/2 C heavy cream

1/4 C flour

1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 C fresh mushrooms, sliced thinly

In large soup pot, cook the onion in oil until lightly browned. Remove onion from pot and set aside. Place wild rice and beef broth in the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until rice is soft.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine milk, cream, flour, thyme and pepper. Whisk to combine well. After rice is soft, add milk mixture, sliced mushrooms and onions to the rice mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Makes about 7 cups of soup. YUM!

Yummy, Easy, Tortilla Soup

Am I the only one who knew it was national soup month all month? Boy, did I celebrate! We had all sorts of soups, mostly out of necessity, but they were definitely yummy and hearty. Sarah's favorite one is my tortilla soup, which is super easy. We made it for her birthday dinner this year. Here's the recipe, for all you last minute soup lovers!

Corn and Black Bean Tortilla Soup

1 C Corn and Black Bean Salsa

1-2 tsp garlic powder

1 T minced onion

16 oz can refried beans

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

2 C chicken broth

1 1/2 C cooked, diced chicken, if desired

Crushed tortilla chips

Shredded cheddar cheese

Combine everything except chips and cheese in a large saucepan. Over medium to medium low heat, simmer 10 minutes. Serve with crushed tortilla chips and cheese. It's just THAT easy!