Michelle's Slow Cooker (or Instant Pot) Beef Stew

Stew is a classic.  This is a simple and hearty meal that men particularly like.  Serve with warm biscuits if you want to have extra happy diners!  Note, when making stew, try to have all your vegetables/meat cut to the same size so they cook more similarly. Image from here. 

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 lbs beef stew meat (1 inch cubes)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika (smoked paprika is good too!)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 can petite diced tomatoes
*optional--can also add sweet potatoes, (mushrooms/peas--add these two at the very end before serving)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.  

2.  If using an instant pot, brown the meat first and cook about half-way through, then add the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook for 3-4 minutes.

3.  Serve warm in bowls (note this recipe does not have flour, so your stew will have a thinner broth).

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This is a flexible recipe.  

Soups are a great way to utilize all of the 

random vegetables in your fridge/freezer!

(Image from two peas & their pod)

Carmelize over medium heat for 7 minutes:
1 onion
3 TBS olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced

Add and simmer 10 minutes until vegetables just tender:
1 TBS Thyme
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c. celery, chopped
2 c. carrots, chopped
1 1/2 c. peas
2 c. zucchini
2 c. cooked chicken
2 quarts chicken broth (prefer Trader Joes brand)
*Optional add ins:  cooked rice, barley, quinoa, orzo, parsley, mushrooms
*Serve with rolls, biscuits, or soda crackers
*Trader Joes 21 Chicken Salute Seasoning works well with this recipe as well.

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This is a throw back to my husband's days working at a small deli in high school called Hickory Kist. They made delicious soups and this was one of his favorites!

Picture Credit:  Cooking Classy

Serves 7-8

7 C. chicken broth

2 C. slices carrots

1 C. sliced celery

1-2 C. wild rice, cooked

2/3 C. sliced green onions

Mushrooms (optional)

1 zucchini, diced (optional)

1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

Freshly ground pepper

salt to taste

Garlic

2 C. half-and-half or 1 c. cream

3 C. chopped cooked chicken (I like to use a Costco rotisserie chicken)

FOR THICKER SOUP--ROUX option

¼ C. butter

6 Tbs. all-purpose flour

-In a pan mix broth, carrots, celery, green onion (or leek), thyme, freshly ground pepper, and garlic.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes until vegetables tender.  

-Add cooked wild rice, cooked chicken, mushrooms/zucchini, and half and half ; heat through then serve.

-**NOTE for thicker soup option, for your first step: In large soup pan combine butter, flour, carrots, celery, green onion, thyme, freshly ground pepper, and garlic.  Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Slowly whisk in chicken broth.  Then continue recipe as outlined above.

Curry Chicken Salad Lettuce Wrap

This is a light delicious lunch (picture from onelovelylife.com)

Combine in a large bowl:

1/2 c. mayonaise

1 TBS fresh lime juice

2 TBS fresh cilantro

2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 c. diced cooked chicken

1/2 apple, diced

1-2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 c. shredded carrots

3 TBS red onion, diced

1/4 c. cashews

salt/pepper to taste

-Spoon mixture into romaine or butter leaf lettuce.
-Ketogenic version omit apple (can substitute cucumbers)

Garden Greek Salad with Balsamic Glaze

We have an abundance of tomatoes and cucumbers this year!  This is a great salad to utilize that abundance.  I love adding celery to give it the extra crunch, the creaminess of the avocado, and fresh basil and chives from our garden give this salad extra delicious taste!

In a large bowl combine (in any ratio you prefer):
cherry tomatoes (yellow pear tomatoes are beautiful too in this dish--mine aren't ripe yet!)
diced tomatoes
diced cucumber
chopped celery
diced avocado
feta cheese (or you can do fresh mozzarella cut in small cubes)
fresh basil
fresh chives (or finely chopped red onion)
salt/pepper to taste
--Toss ingredients with some Olive Garden Dressing.  Garnish with sliced tomatoes and balsamic glaze.

Chicken Salad Sandwich

This is my go-to simple Chicken salad recipe.  

Cooked chicken, chopped
Chopped Celery
Toasted Pecans (don't have to toast them, but it does taste better!)
Craisins
Mayonnaise
Salt/Ground Pepper
-Combine all ingredients and serve on croissants or rolls. You can also serve mini sandwiches open faced and garnish with a whole pecan.

Butternut Squash Soup

This original recipe comes from the Romney Family Table Cookbook.  I made a few alterations adding carrots and cream and omitting the butter as well as simplifying the cooking directions taking out the roasting process.

2 lbs (approx) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
3 TBS olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tsp dried sage
4 c. chicken broth (may add more if you like a thinner soup)
1 c. cream
freshly grated parmesan cheese (or pecorino romano) for serving/garnish
chives chopped, optional garnish

-In large soup pot, caramelize onion with 3 TBS olive oil, cooking on medium for 7-10 minutes.  Add chopped butternut squash, celery, carrots, sage, salt, pepper, and broth.  Bring to simmer and cook 10 minutes until butternut squash tender.  Remove from heat.
-Using a blender, blend soup in batches until smooth.  Return to pot and warm.  Serve garnished with sage, chives, parmesan croutons, or grated parmesan cheese.

Candice's Lentil Soup

This recipe comes from a friend who always makes something delicious!  I've altered her recipe slightly adding more garlic and celery.

 

Serves 6 -8

PrepTime: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours (6 hours on low for crockpot)

 

8 ounces/ 1 c red or brown lentils, rinsed and    drained 2 onions, finely chopped 3  large garlic cloves, finely chopped 3-4  carrots, finely chopped 4 stalks celery, diced 1 can sweet potatoes, drained, and diced 2 T olive oil 2 bay leaves

Generous pinch of dried marjoram or oregano 6 1/4 c vegetable or chicken stock 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Salt and ground black pepper to taste Celery leaves, to garnish (optional) Crusty bread rolls, to serve

 

1. Put all the ingredients except for the vinegar, seasoning and garnish in a large, heavy pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hour, stirring the soup occasionally to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom.

2. Remove the bay leaves and add the red wine vinegar, with salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a little extra vegetable stock or water. Serve the soup in heated bowls, garnish with celery leaves. Serve with warmed crusty rolls.

 

Crockpot Version:  Throw everything into crockpot (except diced onions.  Carmelize those for 7-10 minutes with a little olive oil and then add to crockpot).  Cook on low for 6 hours.

Potato Leek Soup

Oooooo this is velvety soup; I love the texture in my mouth!  This is probably the only recipe where I use leeks.  They look like BIG green onions.  Make sure you CLEAN the leeks since they are very dirty!  It is easiest to cut them up, through them into a big bowl full of cold water and stir them around a bit.  Let sit about 5 minutes and the dirt settles to the bottom!

15 min. prep Time
Serves 6-8 as appetizer for course meal
6 medium leeks, whites only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, cleaned
3 stalks celery, diced (optional)
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
1 large baking potato peeled and diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 heavy cream
-In large saucepan combine leeks, broth, potato, salt, and broth. Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables tender about 20 minutes.
-Working in batches, puree soup in blender transferring to clean pan as you work.  Stir in cream.  Serve warm or chilled garnished with fresh or dried chives (I prefer the soup warm!)

One-Pot Curried Cauliflower Rice

This is an adaption from an Everyday food recipe adding some extra vegetables, substituting brown rice and literally just throwing everything into "one-pot!"  Easy and delicious!

In large oven safe pot (pictured Le Creuset) put:
1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3-4 celery stalks, diced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 1/2 c. brown basmati rice
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 14 oz. cans chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
-Mix so everything is combined.  Cover and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until all broth is absorbed and rice is tender.

Zucchini-Potato Soup

Another "thick" soup for a hearty winter meal (or to use all that garden zucchini in the fall!)

Carmelize onions 7 minutes over medium heat:
1 medium onion, diced
2 TBS olive oil
Add and simmer 20 minutes until potatoes tender:
3 stalks celery
2 large garlic cloves
4 c. chicken or vegetable broth
3 medium zucchini
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled, chopped
-Blend soup until smooth and return to pan.
Add:
1/2 c. cream
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper
-Serve warm. Garnish with crumbled bacon.

Homemade Marinara

This is a yummy homemade marinara sauce (the carrots are the secret ingredient!)

In large pot saute over medium-high heat for 10 minutes:
1/4 c. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
-After you saute, blend up vegetables until smooth.
Return mixture to pan and add:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 TBS white sugar
3 dried bay leaves
-Lightly simmer uncovered for 1 hour until sauce thickens. Discard bay leaves. Salt to taste.

Veggie Sloppy Joes

I was craving sloppy joes the other day. I don't think I've EVER made sloppy joes! This recipe turned out great. My children loved them, although they found the name "Sloppy Joe" weird!

In large skillet, brown beef with the following:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 green peppers, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced

Drain grease and Add:
2 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. chicken broth
15 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 c. BBQ sauce
salt/pepper to taste
-Simmer 5 minutes then spoon mixture onto wheat bun or bread (I prefer it toasted).

Chicken Pot Pie (or Chicken Cobbler)

This is a family favorite...especially with my husband. It is a great family casserole type dish, or you can spiff it up a bit by making individual servings in ramekins. I've used lots of different types of biscuit toppings and all have been good, so feel free to modify the recipe below depending on your ingredients on hand!

Preheat oven to 400
Saute 7 minutes:
2 TBS olive oil
3 carrots, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1 small/medium onion, diced
Stir in:
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
1-2 cups cooked chicken, diced
-Layer cooked vegetables/chicken into bottom of 9x 13 casserole dish.

Sauce:
4 TBS butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk (regular soy milk works fine)
1 tsp thyme
1 TBS parsley
3/4 tsp salt
ground pepper
-Heat butter over medium heat in empty pan until melted. Add 1/2 cup flour; cook about 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth, milk, and spices. Continue to whisk and simmer until sauce just begins to thicken.
-Pour sauce over vegetables/chicken in casserole dish.

Biscuit Topping:
2 cups flour (can do 1/2 wheat)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream (or butter)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
-Mix together all of the above in large bowl until just mixed. Drop by spoonfuls on top of sauce/vegetables. (Or you can roll out biscuits and make nice round circles or use a rolled out pie crust and put it on top)
-Bake on middle rack at 400 for 30 minutes (20 minutes for small dishes) until biscuits brown and golden. Note: You can make sauce and vegetables ahead of time, but you'll need to warm the mixture in the oven before adding biscuit topping, then add biscuits and bake the 30minutes. Serves 6-8

KETOGENIC version:  substitute almond flour in place of regular flour.

Dad's Omelets

Omelets are one of the few things my dad made growing up, and it was always such a treat. I often requested them when my birthday fell on a Saturday or Sunday. They are not your typical omelet in that there is A LOT of vegetable filling and the filling has a slight "sweet taste" due to the brown sugar. So here is his recipe for the filling!

In non-stick pan saute:
filling enough for 4 small or 2 large omelets
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
4-6 green onions, diced
1-2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 TBS brown sugar
1-2 TBS Worcestershire sauce

-Cook all vegetables together until tender about 5-7 minutes. Set aside in bowl. Make omelets (salt/pepper egg as it cooks in pan) and fill generously with vegetable filling and cheese (optional). Delicious!
-Feel free to add your other favorite filling items like ham or mushrooms...

Tuna Sandwich

Cold tuna salad sandwich

Open faced-toasted tuna salad sandwich
I love grilled tuna sandwiches. Nordstrom Cafe has the BEST warm tuna sandwich on marbled rye if you want to try it :-)

In bowl combine:
6 oz. canned tuna, drained
1 stalk celery, diced
1 green onion, diced
2-3 TBS mayonaise
1 tsp mustard (dijon or regular)
1/2 tsp dill (optional)
-Spread on your favorite whole grain bread (homemade white wheat pictured). Serve cold, toasted with a little cheese on top, or grilled in a sandwich maker.

Minestrone w/ Pasta and Beans

I love minestrone soup! The wonderful thing about this soup is it is so flexible. Vary the ratio of vegetables or add something extra like cabbage, bell pepper, or zucchini, and it is still delicious. I recommend adding pasta because it makes a more filling for the male gender although it is not as good leftover since the pasta gets soggy...

1 medium onion, carmelized in 2 TBS olive oil
Add:
2-3 medium carrots, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
2 garlic cloves minced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and ground pepper to taste
-Bring to a boil and simmer 10-15 minutes until vegetables tender.
Add:
1 can white cannellini (great northern) beans, drained
1-2 cups small pasta cooked al dente
1/2 cup browned hamburger (optional, but again makes it a heartier soup for men)
-Serve warm and garnish with shaved Parmesan and fresh parsley.

Cauliflower Soup

Oooooo this is velvety soup; I love the texture in my mouth!  This is probably the only recipe where I use leeks.  They look like BIG green onions.  Make sure you CLEAN the leeks since they are very dirty!  It is easiest to cut them up, through them into a big bowl full of cold water and stir them around a bit.  Let sit about 5 minutes and the dirt settles to the bottom!

15 min. prep Time
Serves 6-8 as appetizer for course meal
6 medium leeks, whites only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced, cleaned
3 stalks celery, diced (optional)
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
1 small head cauliflower, diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 heavy cream

-In large saucepan combine leeks, broth, cauliflower, salt, and broth. Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables tender about 20 minutes.
-Working in batches, puree soup in blender transferring to clean pan as you work.  Stir in cream.  Serve warm garnished with fresh or dried chives , ground pepper, and/or celery leaves.