Vegetable Barley Soup

Vegetable Barley Soup

Fill pot with veggies, chopped:
1 onion
3 celery stalks
3 carrots
1/3 head of green cabbage
1 zucchini
3 cloves garlic

Sauté in a little olive oil.

Cover by an inch of water. Add 1 TBSP vegetable “better than bullion” and 1 TBSP beef “better than bullion.”

Add 1 cup barley. Stir to combine.

Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until barley is tender (about 45 min.)

Add one 28 oz can crushed tomatoes. Add parsley, rosemary, basil, and thyme and, if needed, more beef bullion to taste. Adjust seasoning and thickness by adding more water, if needed.

Serve hot with fresh black pepper and grated Parmesan.

Italian Veggie Soup

This one is delicious--it's from my mom, so no surprise there! Thanks, Mom!

Italian Veggie Soup

2 T olive oil

3 fresh cloves garlic, minced

1 chopped onion

3 cans diced tomatoes (must use one Hunts with Spicy Red Peppers; the other two can be any kind of Italian, garlic, or plain diced tomatoes)        

2 cans beef broth

2-3 zucchinis or yellow squash, sliced

1 cup favorite pasta (I Used mini shells)

1 can small white beans

pepper to taste

Cook onion & garlic in oil until tender.  Add broth and tomatoes.  Bring to boil.  Add squash and return to boil.  Simmer until nearly tender and add pasta.  Simmer until pasta is tender.  Add beans and pepper.  Heat through.

Serve with fresh grated Parmesan and Asiago. If you need more juice after you've added the pasta, just add more broth.

For a busy night--I made a salad and the soup earlier in the day (without putting in the cooked pasta) and put the soup in the crockpot on low for a couple hours. When I got home, I added the pasta and toasted some garlic bread. Dinner is served!

Served with garlic toast and a salad. 

Yakisoba, 'Fried' Brown Rice, Apple Bran Muffins

Yakisoba

4 cups of shredded cabbage

½ cup of shredded carrots

1 small onion, sliced

1 lean chicken breast, chunked (optional)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided

2-4 TBSP low sodium soy sauce (to taste)

½ lb thin whole wheat spaghetti noodles

salt and pepper to taste

Boil water and cook noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil over medium high heat. Add chicken; stir until white on all sides. Add garlic; stir into chicken. Add soy sauce. Simmer 2 minutes. Pour chicken, garlic, and soy sauce mixture into a bowl.

In the same pan, heat the other tablespoon of avocado oil. Add vegetables and stir until wilted. Stir chicken mixture into vegetables until the chicken is fully cooked. Add noodles and toss until combined.

Fried Brown Rice

I don't measure much here. But here's the basics:

avocado oil

1 egg, whisked with a drop each of soy sauce and sesame oil

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup frozen peas (thawed by rinsing in warm water)

cold, cooked, brown rice (about 2 cups)

soy sauce, salt and pepper

In a non-stick skillet, heat a little oil to keep the egg from sticking. Pour the egg into the pan to coat the pan. When cooked through, remove egg to plate. Heat a little oil in the pan. Sautee onions until tender. Meanwhile, chop egg into little pieces. Add carrots and peas to onions. Cook and stir together. Remove to the plate with egg pieces. Put a little oil in the pan. Add cold rice and stir to heat thru. Add vegetables and egg mixture to rice. Stir to combine and heat thru. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Apple Bran Muffins

1 cup bran flakes

2/3 cup milk

1 apple, grated on large holes of box grater (with peel)

2 TBSP applesauce

2 TBSP oil

2 TBSP honey

sift together:

1 cup finely ground wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

optional: cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 400 (375 for dark pans.) Grease muffins tins or use paper liners. Combine bran and milk until liquid is absorbed. Add apple, egg, oil, applesauce, and honey. Mix.

Combine and sift dry ingredients. Stir gently into bran mixture. Fill muffin cups. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired. Bake 20-25 min. Yield: 10-12 muffins (depending on how big you make them.)