quinoa beef vegetable soup

I stumbled upon this recipe by adding ingredients that we had on hand. I even had it as an after-hours snack in lieu of my usual bowl of ice cream (it turned out that good- or just happened to really satisfy an intense craving for vege'bles).

Here's what went into it--

1 lb ground beef
5 cups water
2 beef bouillon cubes (to be dissolved in 4 cups water)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 medium potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
fresh basil, chopped (I used freeze dried)

I don't think there was any rhyme or reason to the how or order of things going in. Just how I thought best. And I think this would actually be a good crock pot meal with the ground beef replaced with cubed beef (and the cooked quinoa reserved until the end- or added, uncooked, in the beginning). I have to add, too, that I got "Thank yous" from at least two of the four kids for making this meal tonight.

Pasta Fagioli soup

1 lb ground beef- brown and drain any fat
12 oz. pasta- cook until al dente
1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped (saute the onion, garlic and carrot in oil until tender)
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (28 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can (white) northern beans, drained
7 cups chicken broth
3 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons pepper
3 teaspoons parsley (Combine the rest of ingredients up to this point in a large pot and simmer for an hour or so.)
2 cups spinach, chopped (add spinach before serving)

This was an experimental soup, in which I kept adding more and more things I found in the refrigerator and cabinets that sounded like they might do well in an Italian pasta soup-- I was trying to make plenty so we'd have leftovers to freeze for after the baby comes. It turned out very good and was enjoyed by everyone- that's the fastest I've seen Iris eat in a long time, and she asked for a second bowl. I think we'll all be happy to have it again.

I forgot to take a picture, but this is the closest I could find to what it looked like (except imagine beef instead of chicken)- from shutterbean.com.

Mexican lasagna

From 08/17/2012 (by Eye-Fi)

...totally experimental, but it got good reviews from all partakers. Abigail kept thanking me "so much!" for making it.

I was actually just trying to use up some ingredients we still had hanging around after our lake trip-- here's what went in...

~1 lb ground beef
~one onion, chopped
~4ish cloves garlic
~maybe 1/2 a packet of taco seasoning
~1 can enchilada sauce
~1 can black beans, drained
~1 cup salsa
~some pepper
~1.5 cups cottage cheese
~2 cups shredded cheddar/Mexican cheese
~lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 400. Brown meat, drain any fat and set aside. Saute onions and garlic and add to meat. Add taco seasoning, enchilada sauce, beans, salsa, pepper and simmer together for a few minutes. Layer meat mixture, cottage cheese, shredded cheese and lasagna noodles for 2-3 layers and end with last of meat mixture topped with shredded cheese. Cover with foil and cook for 45 min. Remove foil and cook for another 15 min. Serve with fruit and salad. Yum.

Spaghetti Pie

While I was stalking Suzy Homemaker, I also found a recipe for Spaghetti Pie that looked promising, with this group of "fagetti" lovers. I gave it a whirl tonight, and the reviews were good. This was an easy dish to sneak in some extra veggies too.

INGREDIENTS -
1 pkg. (12 oz.) vermicelli
3 tbsp. butter
1/3 c. Parmesan
2 eggs, beaten
-------------
1/2 c. low-fat sour cream
1 c. mozzarella cheese (split in half)
--------------
1 1/2 lb. ground meat
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. bell pepper, chopped
1 can (12 oz.) stewed tomato
1 (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic salt

DIRECTIONS -
**Cook vermicelli according to directions. Stir butter and Parmesan into hot vermicelli. Add eggs and stir well. Spoon into casserole dish which has been sprayed.

**Brown beef with onion and bell pepper. Drain. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings.

**Spread sour cream evenly over pie shell. Sprinkle with half of the Mozzarella cheese.

**Spread on Beef mixture. Top with any veggies you may want such as mushrooms, olives.

**Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella Cheese.

**Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Serves 8 or more.

Alaska Burgers!

Tonight, Mike told me this may make it to one of his favorite dinners EVER, but what do you expect when it's hamburgers and french fries? We had these tasty Alaska Burgers (In honor of Heather and Rob, who've been living in Alaska for the past few weeks) with homestyle fries, grilled squash and cantaloupe. Here's how you can too--

(recipe from Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals)

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 Spanish onion, minced or processed (I just finely chopped it)
4 shakes Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp allspice (1 good pinch)
1/2 tsp ground cumin (2 good pinches)
cracked black pepper
1/3 lb (minimum) brick of smoked cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2" slices.

4 fresh, crusty onion rolls (we stuck with our $0.89 buns)
thick sliced tomato and lettuce to top

Mix first 6 ingredients in bowl. Take 1/4 of mixture and form around a slice of cheese (patty should not be more than 3/4" thick. repeat with remaining mixture for four patties.

Heat nonstick pan or griddle to med. high. Cook burgers 5-6 min. on each side until cooked through and cheese melted. Top with tomato and lettuce.


For the squash, I just cut in half, scored, topped with pepper, garlic salt and some garlic, and broiled in the toaster oven for 20 minutes.