Crockpot Lasagna Soup

This is a fantastic recipe! It’s not necessary to cook the soup in a crockpot. But for me it’s easier and the ‘sauce’ cooks long like old time spaghetti sauce recipes. Besides, it make the house smell homey!

FYI, this recipe makes a large potful of soup. If that’s too much for you, just make half of the recipe.

For the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. chicken Italian sausage
3 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 small can tomato paste
1 28-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2-1 qt. boxes chicken stock
8 oz. mafalda or fusilli or curly egg noodle pasta (the idea is to mimic lasagna noodles)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the cheesy yum:
8 oz. ricotta
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (depending on how much cheese you need/want.)

Preparation:

• In a skillet, heat the oil and brown the meat, onion and garlic. Cook over medium to medium high to medium heat until the meat is browned. Drain off fat, if necessary.
• Put the rest of the soup ingredients, except for the pasta and cheese, in the crockpot (DO NOT add pasta and cheese.) Stir to combine.
• Stir the meat mixture into the other ingredients in the crockpot.
• Cook for the soup 3-4 hours on the crockpot’s high setting.
• There are two ways you can prepare the pasta. (1) I was in a hurry, so I scooped out about a quart of the broth into a sauce pot, added the pasta and cooked it on the stove until it was a little more done than al dente. Then I added the pasta with all of the liquid back in the soup. (2) OR you could also just add the pasta into the crockpot during the last 30 or so minutes of cooking time. NOTE: I have not cooked it this way and it may take longer to fully cook the pasta, so just make sure you have time to let the soup cook a bit longer if the pasta isn’t fully done yet.
• NOTE: Don’t overcook the pasta. It will become mushy and less tasty.
• Prepare the cheesy yum by combining all ingredients. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Place a dollop of the cheesy yum in each soup bowl and ladle the hot soup over the cheese. Serve with a green salad and crusty Italian bread.

If you have leftover soup, it will taste better than the first serving! If you have leftover cheese (yea, right) it would be good toasted on leftover Italian bread (yea, right) or on eggs, potatoes… you get the idea.

Adapted from http://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/2011/03/24/lasagna-soup/

Cheesy Quinoa Bites, OH YEA!

I found this recipe on the sea of Pinterest posts.  The author was so emphatic about their deliciousness, I couldn't wait to try them.

These bites are one of THE best snacks that I have tried lately. They have almost no fat, are full of protein and veggies, and are basically guilt-free! I actually had them for dinner tonight.

The author says dip them in a sauce, but they don't need it. They taste Asian to me, so we put a spot of srirachi hot sauce on them.

• If you don't like cilantro, leave it out and make these anyway (you could add parsley, or more onion or cheese.) 
• If you are eating gluten-free, leave out the flour (I accidentally left it out on the first batch and the bites were slightly more fragile but didn't miss the flour.) 
• If you want low-fat, use egg beaters (or whites) instead of whole eggs.

I upped the oven temp a bit and got them pretty crunchy, oh yea! The second batch I made, I patted into balls before putting in the mini-muffin pan--crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside.

Cheesy Quinoa Bites  Makes 24 bites  2 cups cooked quinoa (cooled) 2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup Egg Beaters) 1 cup shredded carrot  2 stalks green onion, diced  2 cloves garlic, minced  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese  2 T. all-purpose flour  1/2 tsp. seasoning salt  1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Liberally spray a mini-muffin tin Mix together quinoa, carrot, egg, green onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese, flour, salt and pepper.  Distribute mixture into a greased muffin tin, filling each cup to the top (1 heaping Tbs each.) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and sizzling. Use a spoon to gently remove the bites from the pan.  Cool on a paper towel on a cooling rack.  Serve warm or room temperature, with our without a dipping sauce.

I haven't yet checked the exact WW points, but author says there are 130 calories in 4 bites. Make up a double batch and have them on hand to rescue you when you gotta have a bite. Enjoy!

Mango with Sticky... Oatmeal!

Byron was about to serve us a bowl of cold cereal for breakfast.  I appreciate him serving breakfast, but cold cereal is possibly my least favorite breakfast food.  Whenever he asked what I want, I always say, "Two eggs over medium, grits, country ham, biscuits, red-eye gravy and tomatoes."  I dream big!

I had some ripe mangoes I needed to use. They were cut up and in the fridge.  Would they be good in cold cereal?

"How about some oatmeal with mango?"  I was about half serious and half kidding.

Then I started thinking about it.  I had fresh coconut in the freezer, almond coconut milk in the fridge... maybe this would work!  It sounded like a breakfast twist on the classic Thai dessert, Mango with Sticky Rice.

Here are a few notes before you try the recipe:

• You can use canned coconut milk, but I had Blue Diamond almond coconut milk, found in the dairy section.  
• I think ripe mango is naturally sweet enough and the slight tartness pairs well with the slight saltiness of the oatmeal.  
• Don't skip salting the oatmeal.  You might even add a pinch more if you can't taste it when the oatmeal is cooked.

Mango with Sticky Oatmeal 1-2 mangoes, cut into bite-sized cubes  1 cup old-fashioned oats  1 cup Lite coconut milk  3/4 cup water 1/2 tsp. sea salt pinch of ground ginger 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 cup sucanat (or brown sugar) 1/4 cup fresh frozen coconut Start by cutting your mango.  Sweeten if desired (I didn't.)  Follow the directions on the box to cook the oatmeal, substituting the water coconut milk mixture for the water.  You can add the ginger, vanilla, sucanat or sugar and coconut anytime while the oatmeal is simmering. Serve the oatmeal in bowls.  Top with mango.  If desired, add a bit more of coconut milk and sugar to dress.  Makes 2-3 servings.

I will be making this again.  It was SO delicious!  I had some coconut oil and thought about adding it as I was eating it.  I might try adding a tablespoon next time (it's good for you!)

Let me know if you try this. Enjoy! 

Healthy Holiday Yummies

Here are the links to some holiday foods that look delish to me.  I got these in an email from the Clean Living website and magazine.

• Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast
  
• Sweet Crunchy Guacamole
• Spiced Apple Fizz

These come from Skinny Taste:

• Cranberry Pistachio Dark Chocolate Bark
• Vanilla Snowman Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing 
• Meatballs and Spaghetti Soup
  

Both of these sites have newsletters that you can sub to.  Their recipes are often vegan and Weight Watcher friendly. :)

Cheeseburger Soup

I suppose the real name of my version should be Cheeseburger, Fries and Salad Soup—the only thing missing from a burger is the mayo. It’s a delicious way to get hidden veggies into your family.

The original (absolutely decadent) version of this was on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives show. I used the same method, but toned it down so it’s still tasty, not lethal!

I can see lots of possible variations:

• Add extra veggies (green pepper, carrots, corn or green beans.) 
• You can also just stir the hamburger into the soup rather than using it as a topping.
• I added bacon bits to mine. You could also add sautéed mushrooms. To the topping, you could even add sliced or diced pickles!

WARNING: it’s so good, you will have to get out your self-discipline so you won’t eat the whole potful!  You might want to go ahead and double  the recipe.

Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken/beef/vegetable stock (or 5 cups of water and 3 bouillon cubes)
• 1-2 cups cubed potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes, diced)
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 2 Tbsps. oil
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion (medium onion)
• 2 Tbsps. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light sour cream
• 1/4 cup light cream cheese (or Neufchâtel cheese)
• 2 wedges light Laughing Cow light cheese
• 1-2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. prepared mustard (or to taste)
• 2 Tbsps. ketchup (or to taste)
• 1 head Romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped (think chunks)
• 1 tomato, diced chunky
• Cheddar cheese
• Bacon bits (or bacon crumbles)

Directions

1. Before you begin cooking, chop your veggies and grate the cheese. Set to the side for later use.
2. In a small 2 qt. pot, add stock (or water), potatoes and carrots. Cook about 15 minutes or until tender. Strain 3 cups of liquid into a small bowl. Set broth and veggies aside.
3. In a skillet, brown the ground beef; remove and allow to drain on a paper towel. Keep warm.
4. In the same skillet, add the oil and onion. Sauté over medium heat until onions are lightly browned. Stir in flour to make a roux (add a little more oil or flour if you need to get the consistency to that of an almost dry paste); brown lightly.
5. Gradually, add broth from the cooked veggies; whisk until you have the consistency of smooth gravy. Add more broth as needed. Reduce heat.
6. Stir in and melt cheeses and sour cream. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and mustard.
7. Pour cheesy mixture into pot with remaining veggies, and extra stock if needed (add stock or water to get to a thin gravy consistency.) Keep warm.
8. To serve: in each bowl layer as follows: lots of lettuce, hamburger; then cover with soup. Top with tomatoes, bacon bits, a sprinkling of cheese, and a small dot of mustard.
9. Serve with a hearty slice of bread so you can clean the bowl! Makes 4-6 servings

A downloadable print version of this recipe is available here.