potato soup, sans dairy

Can you believe that I haven't made potato soup since cutting out dairy?

Well, it's possible. P.S. use up any sad veggies in your fridge by cutting them very small and tossing them into the pot.

Potato Soup

4 small potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks

2 T olive oil

1 stalk of celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/4 sweet onion, chopped

2 mushrooms, chopped

1/4 zucchini, shredded

3 thick slices of ham, cut into cubes

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, removed from the stem

1 T. fresh parsley, chopped

1 T. nutritional yeast

1/2 c. almond milk

optional to thicken: 2 T. cold almond milk + 1 t. gf flour mix

salt and pepper to taste

Put the potatoes in a medium sized pot and fill with water. The water should be about an inch above the potatoes. Boil until a fork can be inserted easily into a chunk of potato. DO NOT DRAIN.

In the meantime, put the veggies, oil, and ham into a large pot and sautee until the veggies are soft. Add the potatoes + water. This step is important because the starchy potato water will help the soup thicken. Mash some of the potatoes with the back of the spoon and stir frequently while the soup comes to a rapid boil. Add in the fresh herbs, nutritional yeast, and almond milk.

As the soup boils, keep stirring. It will thicken. If it needs to be thicker, mix 2 T. cold almond milk with 1 t. gf flour into a small bowl and mix that slowly into to the boiling soup. Let it boil for a minute while stirring, then remove from heat.

Top with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and a dash of smoked paprika.

Quick chili

I like chili. I think most folks like chili. Some have very strong opinions about chili, but I don't discriminate. I like all the kinds.

You know what else? I like beans in my chili. Yes, I live in Texas and I like beans in my chili. Get over it.

This simple, 6-ingredient basic chili is kind of my favorite.

Sautee in a pot: Chopped onion, a couple slices of chopped bacon, and some ground beef. I like frozen beef patties because they're already portioned out in small servings and they thaw quickly.

Halfway through cooking the meat, add in half a package of McCormick GF Chili seasoning. Making your own seasoning blend is great, and sometimes I mix some up to have on hand. But if run out, I like this kind.

When the meat is cooked, stir in a can (15 oz) of diced tomatoes and a can of kidney beans. Rinse the cans with a little water and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the consistency is right.

Feel free to add in things. Like leftover or sad vegetables. Or pumpkin puree. Or jalapenos.

freezer dump soup

It's hot.
Did I mention it's hot?
Because it's hot.

And I don't want to cook hot things. But salads and sandwiches get old.

Enter stage left: The crock pot. And the big freezer cleanout.

Dinner is served.

This is my freezer dump soup. The recipe changes, because it consists of cleaning out the fridge and freezer and dumping anything soup-worthy into the crock pot.

And it's usually delicious.

The secret to delicious freezer-dump soup is to heavily sautee all the things you can before dumping them in the crock pot. That char gives the soup and extra depth that really makes a difference.

This particular soup starts with sauteed corn, green peppers, and onion.

It got tossed into the crock pot with chicken broth, a forgotten carrot, peas, some wine, and a freezer burned chicken breast.

It turned out wonderful. I had 2 bowls.

I usually serve with a nice big scoop of rice or quinoa to round things out.

Pumpkin Chili

Or, more accurate, make regular old chili but hide the leftover pumpkin puree in it. Because Suzy  even suggested it and I was already thinking about it which means it's fate.

Make it even better- take this opportunity to use up old sad veggies! Which is why I added zucchini. Poor, sad zucchini. Squash on squash.

The chili doesn't taste like pumpkin. It's possibly a smidge sweet, but not noticeably so. Pumpkin gives it a nice texture and an extra layer of flavor in the background. I would not hesitate to hide leftover pumpkin in chili again. It just works.

I didn't tell hubs the secret ingredient until we were done eating dinner and he cleaned his bowl. Without any encouragement, I might add.

Muahahaha he is an unwilling participant in the pumpkin trend that I demand he partake in every fall. When you're the cook, you get to make demands like that.

Chili (+ pumpkin)

Brown some ground beef in a pot. Add in some chopped onion and celery and cook until soft.

Stir in 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of kidney beans, chopped zucchini. Do not drain the tomatoes or beans; dump in the whole can, juice and all.

Stir in leftover pumpkin puree.

Stir in seasonings:
2 T. chili powder
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder


If it's thick, stir in a little water. I like my chili on the thick side so I don't add much water.

Simmer until everything is heated through and the veggies are tender. Serve with cornbread.

Enjoy the pumpkin season!

Psssstttt: More Pumpkin.
.

chicken soup for when your tummy is crummy

Let's say you eat a taco from a place you've eaten before with no problem. You get it on a corn tortilla and even while you're chowing down you notice it's not sitting quite right in your stomach. Then the thought crosses your mind that it's probably not 100% free from cross-contamination but you take the chance because you're hungry and you've already eaten half of it.

Most of the time that situation happens without any consequences. The discomfort passes without incident and you chalk it up to hunger or a miniscule amount of gluten.

Then there are those times that you regret it and you can't believe how stupid you are for taking that chance. You could have stopped eating when you noticed the discomfort. You could have avoided the situation altogether by not ordering gluten-questionable food. You could have reminded yourself that hunger is much more preferable to being glutened.

Yesterday was one of those times. One of those times that I'm thankful for zofran and pepto bismol and heating pads and understanding husbands.

After a glutening, even one followed by drugs and tons of water, sometimes it takes a few days for things to get back to normal. Even simple things like cereal are hard to digest.

Which is why today I made a simple chicken soup. Chicken soup is inherently comforting. It's easy on the tummy but substantial enough to call it a meal and keep you going.

My mother in law made a big pot of this soup when my husband broke his wrist. I loved it and was surprised at how ridiculously easy it was.

"I got glutened" Chicken Soup

In a big pot, combine:

chopped carrots
chopped celery
chopped onion
chicken breasts or thighs

Add enough water to cover the contents.
Bring to a boil and then simmer until the chicken is cooked. I let mine go for about an hour.
Remove and shred the chicken, then add it back in.
If you'd like, add rice and simmer until it's cooked. If you'd like a brothier soup, stir in more water. It's a very forgiving recipe.
Add salt to taste.

Start by eating just the broth, then add in chicken and vegetables when you can handle it. Then remind yourself that taking a chance with gluten is never worth it.

Ham and potato soup

Why is it that there are ALWAYS ham leftovers? It's impossible to cook a ham, even a small one, without having weeks worth of leftovers. I always package them up in the freezer for quick sandwiches or an addition to soups.

The rest of this week was brought to you by sad vegetables. This is no exception. Three sad potatoes in the pantry got made into soup and I'm happy to say nothing got thrown out.

I will forever wonder how people take pictures of soup that don't turn out yucky-looking. That being said, SOUP:

Ham and potato soup

leftover cooked ham, chopped
3 potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
milk
shredded cheese
1/2 tsp mustard powder
salt and pepper, to taste
frozen peas, because I jam vegetables in everything now

Place the potatoes in a pot with some water-- just so they're halfway covered. Cover the pot and boil until the potatoes are fork-tender. Remove the lid to let some of the water burn off. Smash some of the potatoes with a fork, leaving it kind of chunky. Pour in enough milk to get the consistency you want, and stir in the ham and mustard powder. Bring to a boil and stir in the peas to warm up.

Serve with cheese on top.

Clever leftovers: Chicken Tortilla Soup

We've got some more leftover roast chicken. I already made Chicken Pot Pie. You know what that means! Time to get creative!

This edition of Clever Leftovers involves chicken tortilla soup. Not just any chicken tortilla soup-- really quick chicken tortilla soup. Like, came home from work late and it's cold and rainy and everyone is hungry quick.

 
Put a big pot on the stove. Throw in the pot approximately:

2 cups leftover chicken
1 c. frozen corn
1/2 jar salsa (1 c)
2 c. chicken broth
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
crushed tortilla chips

These are all approximate amounts, as almost all leftover-type recipes are. Throw in whatever you've got that you think will taste good.

Let it warm up, then serve with a dollop of sour cream and more tortilla chips.

Makes appx 4 servings.

Quick Potato Soup

We got a bag of Simply Potatoes free with bacon at the grocery store.

We also have the last few cool days before it gets to be a million degrees. Rather than cook these up for breakfast, I threw them into a pot and made some potato soup-- really quick.

Quick Potato Soup

Throw in a medium pot:

1 bag of Simply Potatoes (I used Steakhouse seasoned diced potatoes)
crumbled cooked bacon
chopped green onions
enough milk to just barely cover the potatoes

Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Mash them up a little bit with a pastry blender or potato masher. Top with shredded cheese.

The idea was that because the potatoes are already seasoned, I wouldn't have to add any seasoning.
I was right, but it was also pretty salty. I suppose that's what you get for something that is supposed to be "Simple" but ends up tasting pretty processed.

This is actually the second time (and second flavor) of these potatoes that I don't particularly like. There's something in there that tastes bitter to me. Hubs seems to like it, though. Am I crazy?

Either way, they were free and it was quick.

Clever Leftovers: Spaghetti Sauce

There are leftover people, and there are not. I am leftover people, but even I get tired of the same thing night after night, especially if I make a big batch of something.

Enter Clever Leftovers: the Spaghetti Sauce edition.

Leftover spaghetti sauce can be easily made into a tomato-based soup. Or baked ziti. The soup version gives you an alternative to just another pasta dish.

Place your leftover spaghetti sauce into a pot.
Take 1/2 of the amount of the leftover spaghetti sauce and add in broth. (make SURE it's GF)

Add in:
frozen mixed vegetables
chopped mushroom
canned beans
fresh thyme or rosemary
even if you leftover spaghetti, cut up with kitchen shears

Pretty much whatever floats your boat. These are leftovers; use up what you can. You can even accomplish this in a microwave- you're just creatively reheating.

Serve with GF crackers & hummus, or a nice spinach salad, and you've got yourself a nice lunch that doesn't even remind you of it's previous spaghetti sauce life.

Creamy Chicken Soup

I know! No picture! I suck! But I forgot and just ate my meal. I always hate when people post recipes and neglect to post a picture. But, sigh, it happens occasionally. 

Instead of chicken soup, you get a picture of kitties in a bowl:

I recently discovered how wonderful corn flour can be as a thickener. I prefer the texture to dishes thickened with corn starch. I'm also a big fan of using milk in place of cream, mostly because I just don't buy cream. This works great and keeps the dish lighter.

Creamy Chicken Soup

2 large stalks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/4 c. chopped bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
2 T. fresh oregano, finely chopped
large chicken breast, cut into pieces

3 c. chicken broth (make sure it's gf)
1/4 t. thyme
1 t. pepper
1 T. corn flour (NOT corn meal or corn starch)
salt to taste
1/4 c. milk
2 T. sour cream

Toss your veggies in a pan over medium-high heat and cook them for a few minutes to soften. Add in the chicken and garlic and cook for another minute to get a sear on the chicken. Pour in the chicken broth, herbs, and spices and bring to a boil, cooking the chicken through. Sprinkle the corn flour over the top and stir it in, boiling until it starts to thicken. Turn the heat off and let it stop boiling for a few minutes before stirring in the milk and sour cream. Salt to taste (will vary depending on how salty the broth is).

Serve it with some corn bread muffins, crank down the ac, and pretend it's cold outside.

Lemon Basil Bean Soup

My hands smell like lemon, garlic and basil. Mmmm.

Please forgive my terrible photography skills.

This was one of those "pull everything from the fridge that needs to be eaten" types of meals. I really loved the combination of bay leaves and lemon when I made the artichoke, so I created the same kind of taste here.

Chicken broth, a half-used lemon, and some sad-looking celery and carrots were pulled out and paired with some dried beans from the back of the pantry and some fresh herbs from the garden. I could be getting the hang of this.

Lemon Basil Bean Soup

1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 chopped carrot
1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 T. crushed bay leaves, or 2 whole ones
1 1/2 c. dried beans
Fresh parsley, handful-ish, roughly chopped
Fresh basil, handful-ish, roughly chopped
3 c. chicken broth
zest and juice from 1 lemon

1/4 c. fresh basil and parsley, finely chopped, to add after cooking
salt and pepper

Soak the beans overnight, or quick soak: Rinse, bring to a boil in some water, cover and turn the heat off, let them sit for an hour. Drain before using.

In your soup pot, heat up olive oil. Sautee the carrot and celery for a few minutes until they start to get soft. Add in the garlic for a minute. Toss in the drained beans, herbs, lemon juice & zest, and broth. Simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the beans get soft but aren't too mushy yet.

I like to mush up a few of the beans and add them back into the soup. Reserve 1/4 of the soup. I recently discovered that I have this badass immersion blender. That thing is fun. Blend it with the extra 1/4 c. herbs, and add it all back to the pot.

Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken and Corn chili

I tried this dish a few weeks ago at my friend's house. It was SO good that I just had to make it myself. Turns out it is ridiculously easy. I love love crock pot recipes.

Here's the link to the recipe on Allrecipes.com. The recipe says to cook 8 hours, but I didn't come home until after 10 hours and it was just fine. Not dry or anything. Of course I didn't drain the corn or the beans, for extra moisture. I also used black beans instead of pinto beans. NOM.

Please, be sure every ingredient that you use is gluten free. :o)

I originally wanted some avocado to go with it, but it had sat too long on my counter and was funky. Too bad, it would have really made this dish rock. Horray for leftovers! Lunch is going to be good tomorrow.

Pumpkin Carving Party... gluten free

Whew, I'm pooped!

But the Second Annual Pumpkin Carving party was a success.

The menu:

Vegetarian vegetable soup (recipe to follow)
Chex mix (Glutino pretzels really made the mix.)
Apple cider
Toasted pumpkin seeds

And guests brought some snacks to share:
Betty Crocker GF Chocolate cupcakes with halloween sprinkles!
Boo cups made with Kinni-toos
Mummy dogs (to make them gluten free, substitute your favorite biscuit recipe for the crescent roll dough)

The vegetable soup was delicious. Even the babies gobbled it up.

ADORABLE- especially when they're happily eating my food. :o)

I made the soup with my friend in mind. She is a vegetarian and always makes sure there is something gluten free for me at her parties, so I wanted to make sure there was an option for her in my carnivorous world that wasn't just snacks. Besides, it's a great fall recipe that feeds a crowd.

It is beyond simple to make. Here's how I made it.

Vegetable Soup

Chop into small cubes

1 large potato
2 carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 red onion

Preheat your big soup pan to medium heat, and add a glug of olive oil. Saute the veggies for a while until they're tender. Season with pepper and salt. 
While they're cooking, chop finely and add in

3 cloves of garlic
a handful of fresh parsely
a handful of fresh rosemary (fresh herbs really make the dish)

Once the veggies are mostly soft, stir in 2 cups each of tomato juice and vegetable broth. Let it simmer until you're ready to serve.

I forgot to take a picture of the soup when it was finished. I did realize that I got my taste-test bowl in a picture though.

The apple cider was easy peasy too.

You can buy bottled apple cider in the juice aisle of the store. I poured some into my crock pot with a couple of orange slices and a cinnamon stick. I don't even like apple juice-type of things and I really enjoyed it.

Pumpkin seeds... Oh, such a treat.

 

Just separate them from the goop and rinse them in a colander. Spread them out on a cookie sheet, top with some salt, and cook for 45 minutes at 350, stirring them every 15 minutes.

Summary:

Carved pumpkins... check

Happy belly and a nap in the afternoon sun... check and check.

Cowboy Soup Mix

picture links to product info

Today was one of those days where you go back and forth from the fridge to the pantry because there's "nothing to eat." After a few trips, I spotted this forgotten soup mix in the back of the pantry.

I had all the ingredients (ground beef and tomatoes), so I dragged out my pot and started on soup.

The first thing I realized was that this mix makes a giant pot of soup. I had to switch to a larger pot two times. I guess I'm just used to making small amounts. But seriously, this could feed a small crowd. Anyway, it was super easy to make. I just browned the beef, added the mix, tomatoes, and water, and let it cook.

It smells delicious. The chili powder and cumin aromas are mouthwatering. It had a good flavor, not too spicy but not bland. I added some beans just because it smelled and tasted like it should have beans. I also served it with some GF garlic croutons on top. Overall, a tasty and filling soup. I think it'd make a great meal if you paired it with a grilled cheese sandwich made with Udi's bread.



I hope it freezes well because I have a lot of it!

P.S. It's not that green; I took the picture before turning the heat up and it's all the dried parsley and stuff floating on top.

Cozy Potato Soup

We have had some beautiful weather here lately. I'm digging the hoodie weather in the morning, and the AC in my car hasn't been run in a while. Windows down, baby. This week schoolwork is not piled up, so I get to cook and eat real food!

In anticipation of the cool air coming tonight, I decided to make something cozy. A quick trip to the pantry revealed some garlic cloves and a lonely potato. 30 minutes later, potato soup was simmering on the stove and smelling very, very good. And cozy.

It's quick, cheap, and it's a one-pot meal so that means less dishes for me. Yay!

Potato Soup

1 potato, cut into cubes. Peeled or not is your choice. I go 50/50.

1 T. butter
1 c. milk (cream works too if you like it extra rich)
1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 t. ground pepper
1/4 t. salt
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 t. chicken bouillon (gluten free)
1 T. parsley
1/2 T. potato flour (not starch)

Boil the potato pieces in water until they're soft but not quite falling apart. Pour as much water off as you can. Place the pot back on the burner to boil the rest of the water off.

Turn the heat to low-med. Stir in the butter until it's melted, mashing the potatoes a little bit. Leave them as chunky as you like.

Stir in the milk, cheese, pepper, garlic, bouillon, and parsley. Once it's heated, stir in the potato flour bit-by-bit to thicken it up. Don't stir it in too fast or it will clump. Just sprinkle the top, stir it in, and repeat.

Serve it with cheese, parsley, chives, and sour cream.

Serves 2.

Quick Vegetable Soup

When I want something hearty and healthy in a hurry, I make vegetable soup. It freezes well, so it's easy to make a big batch and freeze individual portions for instant meals.

This isn't really a recipe, but more of a guide:

-Start with the tomato base: Mix equal parts broth with tomato juice.
          Of course, this is flexible. Whether using chicken broth or vegetable broth: Make sure it's GF. Sneaky source of hidden gluten. Tomato paste or sauce may also be used. Or, leftover spaghetti sauce.

-Add in leftover, cooked, canned, or frozen veggies.
          Beans and cooked rice or quinoa can also be thrown in. This is a great time to clean out the fridge!

-Season with salt, pepper, oregano, fresh minced garlic, and parsley

That's it. Suddenly you have soup. I like to pair it with cornbread, crackers, or grilled cheese.

So, freeze a big batch and cross your fingers another Hurricane Ike doesn't happen and ruin the freezer full of food!

Crock pot chicken & dumplings, and "sopapillas"

I know it's hot and sticky outside, and the last thing you're thinking about for dinner is a hot bowl of soup. But, I had to use up some chicken, and the thought of dumplings made my mouth water. Tuck this recipe away for the first really cool day of fall. Or, crank down your AC and make it now. The crock pot cooking method does keep your kitchen cooler, though.

A little disclaimer: the lighting in my kitchen always makes my pictures of soup look funky. It looked more appetizing than this, I promise.

This recipe fits my 2 qt crockpot, and makes 2-4 servings.

Here's what you do:

Preheat a pan on medium high heat.
Add 1/4 cup each of chopped celery and carrots to the crock pot.

Take a baggie and put about 1/2 c. of gluten free flour in there. It doesn't really matter what kind, but starches will thicken the soup more. Sprinkle in some thyme, pepper, rosemary, and garlic powder to your liking. Close the bag and mix it up.

Then, add in three raw chicken strips or whatever kind of chicken you need to use up. Close the bag and coat the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides, and add it to the crock pot. Dump in any remaining flour from the baggie that didn't stick to the chicken.

Put a little chicken broth on the hot pan to loosen up the browned bits of goodness, and add that to the crock pot. Fill the crock pot with enough chicken broth to cover everything, plus a little more. Stir it all up well.

Let that cook covered on low heat for about 4 hours, or until the chicken and veggies are done. My chicken was fall-apart tender and juicy.

Once that's done, it's time to make the dumplings:

2 T. each brown rice flour and millet flour
1/4 c. potato starch
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 T. shortening, warmed
1/4 c. rice milk or milk
1/4 t. xanthan gum

Mix the dry ingredients together, then smoosh in the shortening. Make a soft dough with the milk. Either drop the dough by spoonfuls into the crock pot, or flatten it out and cut it into strips like I did. Put the crock pot on high and cook until the dumplings are done. They were perfect and slightly chewy. Oh, I was supposed to add peas towards the end but I forgot.

Now, I had a little bit of dumpling dough left over that I couldn't use or I'd crowd the pot too much. Rather than toss it, I sprinkled them liberally with cinnamon & sugar, then pan-fried them. I sprayed a pan well with cooking spray, then put it up to medium-high heat. I put the dumplings on the pan, sprayed with some more cooking spray, and covered the pan for about 5 minutes. They came out crispy and gooey at the same time. I drizzled honey over them. They reminded me of sopapillas, only not puffy.



There you have it. It was a longg day and I'm thinking a glass of wine sounds really nice.

Etouffee!

Oh yum. This hit the spot. Like Mardi Gras in my mouth.

I found this recipe in a Cajun cookbook that was lying around my house, only I have no idea where it went to tell you which one it was.

*DISCLAIMER: I know I told some of you that I'd have you over for etouffee this week, but I wanted to try this recipe first to make sure it didn't suck before I served it to a bunch of people. It has been approved.

The etouffee in my picture is not as thick as it should be. I must have messed up somewhere when I was trying to quarter the recipe. What it lacks in thickness, it sure makes up for in taste. Holy cow, this was good. So good it even made me slow down and savor every bite.

Get some ingredients and make this.

Etouffee

1 stick butter
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
1/2 c. chopped green onion
1/4 c. parsley
2 c. water
1 t. salt (My shrimp was pre-cooked and was packaged with salt, which I realized when I tasted it and it was a smidge salty- check and see. I remedied it by sticking a some small chunks of potato in there for a while.)
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (I added more for a kick)
1/4 t. black pepper
1 1/2 - 2 lb seafood (fresh or pre-cooked and frozen. Crawfish is best- Shrimp is good too.)
2 t. corn starch

If you're using frozen seafood, take it out to thaw- and toss one down to your frantic-looking cat who has come over to investigate what's going on in the kitchen and smelled seafood.

Melt the butter in a pot. Saute the veggies for a while until they're soft and the butter starts to brown.

Add 1 3/4 c. water and all of the other ingredients EXCEPT cornstarch into the pot. Boil that for 20 minutes, stirring often.

Mix the corn starch with the 1/4 c. water left over and mix that into the pot. Cook for 10-15 more minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Makes ~ 6 servings, depending on your appetite.

Serve it hot over rice and think of New Orleans and zydeco music.

Potato Soup

Apologies for the crappy picture.

After peanut butter cookies for breakfast, I scrapped the waffle idea for today. I couldn't take that much sugar at one time.

My mom had boiled too many potatoes for potato salad, so I took them and this morning decided that potato soup would be the best use for them.

Potato Soup

4 T. butter
3 T. cornstarch
1 T. sweet rice flour
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese
3 c. milk
1 t. parsley
1 t. GF chicken bouillon (I used Orrington Farms)
leftover cut up boiled potatoes

Melt the butter, then add the flours to make a smooth paste. Stir in the milk, add the cheese, bouillon & parsley, then plop in the potatoes. Let it simmer for 30 minutes or so, until it's hot and creamy.

Top with crumbled bacon, sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, or whatever.

Italian Pasta Soup

I made a soup in Home Ec when I was in 7th grade that was so good I made it for my family. They gobbled it up and asked for seconds. I thought of the soup yesterday when I was in my "soup mode" and dug through the house looking for it. It seems like we've kept everything else in the world BUT that recipe. That means it's time to throw stuff in a pot until it seems familiar.

I chopped and sauteed in some olive oil: 3 stalks celery and 1/2 an onion.

Then I threw in 1 1/2 lb of lean ground beef and cooked that up until it was brown. I shook on some spices at random will, heavier on coriander and cumin because that's what I like. Italian season blend, some garlic powder, mustard powder, parsley, you name it and I threw it in there, haha.

I added:

1 15 oz can kidney beans
1 15 oz can black beans
1 16 oz can tomato sauce
1 can-ful of water
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes

I let that simmer and stirred occasionally for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I put on a pot of noodles to boil. I used brown rice shells, appx 8 oz. I drained those and stirred them in the soup.

My mom came in to taste, and she's been back through a couple of times to taste some more, saying, "I need another bite." Ha ha, that's the best compliment there is!

*note: I don't like my soups to be "brothy" so it's hearty. Add more water or chicken/beef/ veg broth to taste.