Vegetable Beef Soup

I love soup. My favorite method for making soup is to make some broth, then throw in whatever veggies we have on hand, and barley. I love barley!!

My dear friend Jill made this soup once when we were visiting her and we loved it! My 15-year-old son asks for it from time to time, so this is one recipe I do follow (well - I closely follow it. Ha)

I will first post the original recipe as given to me by Jill, then the variations I did. I don't vary too far, because this is an amazing soup. I would love to give it a more special name, because it deserves it!

Jill's Vegetable Beef Soup

(Most all amounts are approximate!) 1 lb ground beef browned 1/2 cup red wine ( I use what may be on hand, Merlot usually) 3 - 4 bouillon cubes salt & pepper to taste Tony Cacheres Cajun spice to taste 1 med onion chopped 1 tsp chopped garlic (to taste or health need in my house!) 3 - 4 carrots chopped, or sliced 1/2 purple (or green if you prefer - I just love the color!) cabbage, chopped 3 med zucchini diced 3/4 cup tiny pasta (I like alphabets) 1 large can diced tomatoes 3 large stalks celery chopped 1/2 bag of fresh spinach, chopped 2 boxes beef broth

Here's the order I do things: Brown hamburger and use wine to deglaze the pan after transferring meat to soup pot. Empty 1 box of beef broth to pot and set on low heat. Saute' onion, garlic, celery and carrots in small amount of beef broth so they can actually brown a bit. Add to soup pot, then add chopped cabbage, zucchini, and diced tomatoes. Add remainder of beef broth (use a small bit to dissolve bouillon), season and bring to boil. Add pasta to boiling soup, stirring frequently. I usually have to add water after pasta has cooked. Season to taste. I add spinach last, let it just wilt and serve. I don't let it cook down much to preserve the antioxidant punch and the color of course! Wonderful with some french bread and butter.

VARIATIONS by me:

I don't use bouillon unless I have some all natural ones around, which usually I don't because it's hard to find.

Since we're eating clean at the moment, I left out the pasta. I did add some barley because I LOVE barley in soup. However, the store only had "quick barley". I will never use that again! It turned to mush.

I added 3 cloves of garlic because we love it and it's good for you. :)

I used fresh kale, chopped up, instead of spinach. I'm on a kale kick so it was in my fridge anyway, but I've started using kale in almost anything that calls for spinach or parsley! I used about 2 cups and stirred it in AFTER I turned off the burner, so as Jill said, it wilted but didn't really "cook".

My broth and beef just happened to be from an organic grass-fed cow this time around because we happened to have it, so I like to think of this batch as "super soup".

Daniel then told me he prefers the kind of beef soup with "beef strips" to the one with hamburger. I've made this before using cut up stewing beef - it's great either way!

**This is the ONLY way I can feed my gang a meal using only one pound of beef!

Chocolate Frosting

My 12 year old daughter found this recipe online recently. She can't remember where she got it. It's absolutely divine. If a little thicker, it would be fudge! I can't believe the amount of cocoa called for, but it's amazing. Eat it with a spoon; I dare you to stop!

3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 stick butter, softened
3-4 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

Stir sugar and cocoa together until well blended. Mix butter with 1 Tbsp cream. Gradually beat in sugar mixture, adding more cream as needed, until everything is combined and frosting is fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Frosts a 2 layer cake.

Honey Nut Cookies

Makes 8 to 12 cookies

1 Cup almond flour
2 T butter, melted
2 T honey
10 drops liquid stevia extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking powder
large pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 275 degrees (you read that right).

Stir together all ingredients except almond flour and pecans until well mixed. Add flour until a smooth dough forms, then stir in pecans. Drop by tablespoons onto a lightly greased cookie sheet; form into flat rounds. Bake for about 15 minutes. They will brown slightly around the edges, but not all over. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.

These are even better the next day, if they last that long.

I think the raw dough would make an excellent fruit crumble topping.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

This is an adaptation of this recipe.

I've been "eating clean" since October 1. For me, that means a "mostly" paleo diet, all natural, cooked from scratch, lots of raw stuff. With the holidays coming, I'm getting nervous about sticking to it. realistically, I don't expect to stick to it 100% and I don't want to even try. Life is short, and food is good! But, I do want to stay as healthy as possible. I've discovered that too much sugar makes me feel like crap. In the past I've had a hard time getting started again after the holidays are over, and I don't want that to happen. So I'm planning our Holiday menus and trying to figure out how I can take those recipes I can't do without and make them healthier.

Here is my first effort. You can compare it to the original at the above link if you like. This dish received rave reviews from the family today.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp 

1 cup almond flour or meal
1/2 cup quick oats
1 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar or substitute - I used Monkfruit in the Raw
pinch of sea salt

1 stick butter, softened

Combine dry ingredients until well combined. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.

2 pounds apples (about 6 medium)
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 Tbsp. sugar or equivalent sweetener

Peel, core and slice fruit (I leave the peel on). Place in a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp sweetener. Sprinkle with topping.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve with ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

You could lower the carb count by eliminating the oats (replace with almond flour or flax meal) and replacing the brown sugar with sweetener. I decided they add to the authentic taste without too much "cheat". Since I am trying to compromise, that works for me.

Pumpkin Hummus

I happened on this while looking for pumpkin dessert recipes. It was wonderful! It's even better the next day - so much so that I would make it ahead from now on.

I personally like it a little chunky so I mixed it by hand. Use a food processor if you like it smoother.

I would add even more garlic and lemon juice, but that's just me. Taste it first and decide for yourself.

Makes about 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree 

1/4 cup tahini

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

1 Tbs fresh minced parsley

Mix all ingredients together. If you like it smooth, use a food processor. If you like it more chunky, do it by hand.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. This is SO much better the next day, that it's worth the wait to make it a day before you need it.

Shepherds' Pie, Family Size!

I was in the mood for Shepherds' Pie so I Googled for a low carb version. Of course I tweaked it quite a bit!

It is *mostly* low carb and *mostly* paleo. I did take a couple of liberties as you will see. You will be able to easily make changes to make it more exact if you want.

It filled my huge lasagna pan, and the six of us barely ate half. I have a hard time switching back and forth to the college boys being home. When they are here, it seems there is never enough! But this would be easy to adapt quantities, too.

It was liked by all, and will be a keeper.

Shepherds' Pie

4 pieces bacon, chopped
3 pounds ground beef
large onion, chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups chopped vegetables of your choice. I used carrots, yellow squash, and broccoli.

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 head cauliflower (or 16 oz. package frozen)
1 medium potato (peeled if you like. I don't peel mine.)

1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 T butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Drain. Add the vegetables and heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Mix the 1/2 cup yogurt with the beaten eggs. Stir into meat mixture along with 1 cup of cheese. Spread into pan(s). I used a large lasagna pan. It's about 15x12. You could also use two 9x13 pans with no problem.

Meanwhile, cut the potato into chunks and cook with cauliflower in boiling water for about 12 minutes until very tender. Drain well. Put the cauliflower, potato, 2 T butter, 1/2 c yogurt and 1/4 c cream into a food processor. Process until smooth. Adjust seasoning if necessary, then spread over the meat mixture in the pan(s). Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

NOTES:
* To lower carbs and make it more "legal", leave out potato. It added more authentic taste and texture for not a lot of carbs per serving, but would be fine without it.

* You can cut this recipe in half and use either a 9x13 pan, or a 9x9 pan (will be thicker). We could easily have fed 6 on one pan of this.

* Add whatever veggies you like, in whatever quantity you like, or none at all. The beauty of something like this dish is it's great to use up what you have languishing in the fridge! It would also be a great way to sneak something in that the kids usually don't eat. For instance, I had a few kale leaves that needed to be used, not enough to make kale chips (which the kids will eat), so I chopped it up and stuck it in. :)

* I think in the future I would like the meat mixture to be a little creamier, so if I cut the recipe in half I would use the same amounts of egg and yogurt. If I made the large recipe, I would double that. Just my personal preference.

Pizza Burgers

I created this dish on the fly the other night, and it was amazing, so I want to get it down even though I didn't measure anything!

My daughter had her birthday party and the kids made their own pizzas. My husband and I are eating low carb so I got out some ground beef to make us some hamburger patties. As it thawed, I was feeling kind of bitter about missing the pizzas. I love pizza! Then I got the idea to season them into "pizza burgers". I chopped up the pizza toppings and mixed them right in with the meat, formed it into burgers and cooked them on the stove.

As they cooked, I got to thinking I could top them with mozzarella cheese, just like the pizza. Then I thought how about some pepperoni? And I kept thinking!

So, here's the basics. I didn't measure any of it, just put in what you like.

1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
about 3 T bread crumbs or substitute (since we are low carb, I used ground flax meal)
1 clove garlic, pressed
about 1/4 onion, chopped fine
a few slices green pepper, chopped fine
about 10 back olives, chopped fine
about 10 slices pepperoni, chopped fine
about 1 tsp Italian seasoning
about 1/2 tsp salt
a sprinkle of red pepper flakes
about 2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
about 3 Tbsp pizza sauce

mix all of the ingredients together until well mixed. Form into patties (we got 5). Flatten the patties as much as possible, but not too thin or they'll fall apart.

Cook on both sides just till brown. They'll be rare, but that's fine.

Transfer to an oven safe pan if your skillet is not oven safe. Top the patties with another dollop of pizza sauce and your choice of toppings. We used - in this order - cheese, pepperoni, sauce, then more cheese.

Bake at 425 for about 8 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly brown. This was the same time and temp the pizza crusts said to use, so we ran with it and it seemed to be just right. Keep an eye on it and don't let the cheese burn.

Serve with extra sauce and parmesan cheese.

This will definitely go into our meal rotation!