Meatless Monday and PantryCleanerOuter - 3 Bean Soup

This post is in honor of my friend Cindy over at The reNOUNed Nest


Every few weeks, I go through the need to organize my pantry. There are a few reasons.

- my dear husband hates when I live at the grocery store every day of the week. If I know what I have, it could keep me from going (so I keep telling myself)

- I forget all the great ingredients I have which would be key to making a quick, easy meal.

- My pantry is the whole reason I like to cook - use what I have on hand for ease and for delicious meals.

That said, I bring you today a Meatless Monday soup compliments of my pantry.


1 can of each of black, garbanzo and cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can of stewed tomatoes (take a knife and kind of chop inside the can or use diced canned tomatoes)
1 small can of diced green chilies
½ cup of corn
2 cups of veggie broth (feel free to use chicken broth or beef)
1 TBS chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Handful of tortilla chips, crushed and tossed in

Put everything in a crockpot and simmer on low for 8 hours or high for 5.

Yum!

My food is good, my pictures stink!

Chex Mix Recipe

Here is a great Chex Mix recipe from one of my customers! Just thought I'd share it while I get my wares about me and get my posts going again :) Something you can snack on while you wait!

Julie's Chex Mix

1 bag pretzels
1 box each of rice chex, wheat chex and corn chex cereal
1 large can of cashew nuts or 2 smaller cans
1 box of cheese crackers

6 sticks of butter (divide into two pans I melt 3 sticks in each pan)
4 1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce split this and add to the butter after melted


1 1/2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 1/2 tablespoons celery salt
1 1/2 tablespoons accent seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons onion salt
I use two small dishes and split the dry seasoning in half and mix

This makes a huge quantity. This is the reason I split the butter and all of the seasonings into two batches. I use two of those large foil baking pans which take up a whole rack in the oven. I buy these in bulk at Sams club. Split the cereal, pretzels, nuts and crackers into two separate pans. Sprinkle the dry seasoning over the cereal mixture, pour the butter over the cereal and mix.

Preheat oven to 250 bake for 1 hour stir every 15 minutes. I bake both pans of chex mix at the same time. Every 15 minutes when I stir I alternate the pans on the lower and upper oven rack.

After 1 hour cool the mixture by pouring it out onto paper towels.

Broccoli Slaw Salad

What better to celebrate the return from my unplanned hiatus then to post something I've been making repeatedly for about as many weeks as I've been away from the site. I love, love, love this refreshing salad and its so easy but impresses so many people when you serve it. The vinegar breaks down the broccoli and makes it palatable even for the one person you know that really doesn't dig raw broccoli. Sorry for the lack of photo - I'll add one later! I was inspired by my friend Mahnaz who just makes delicious food, especially Persian food! Yum!

2 bags (3-ounce) Ramen Noodle Soup (I've used Beef and chicken, both work)
3 TBSP butter or the browning agent of your choice
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 bag broccoli slaw
1 bag of raw broccoli florets or 2 small heads of broccoli with the florets cut to bite size pieces but still somewhat large.
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Chopped green onions, for garnish

Dressing

3/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP white sugar (you can use 1/4 of one kind or another if you prefer - I like mixing so its not too sweet)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 ramen noodle seasoning packet

Put the ramen noodles in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin while melting butter in a large skillet over low/medium heat. Add the crushed noodles and slivered almonds to the skillet and saute, stirring occasionally (keep temperature at low/medium heat). Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Place the shredded broccoli into bowl and toss with the noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped green onions.

OT - Stick Horse for Kindergarten Project

So my kindergarten son has a project to make a stick horse by the end of this coming week. I was freting so badly. I finish the mane last night which took me and a yarn needle over an hour (making it about a 3 hour and 20+ dollar project) only to wake up to Noah this morning telling me that his teacher said they could buy one. Well, that's fine and if I had known that I probably would have opted for that. However, with us making one ourselves, he gets to bask in all the glory of the attention he'll get for making the cutest stick horse every. I hope he enjoys every last minute.

Chicken Tortilla Soup in honor of my Knife Skills Class at Central Market

I feel really crappy about not posting anything in a month. Really crappy. The last post was the fruit salad that I made before leaving on a week long business/personal trip to the East coast. I came home Feb 13th and its been non stop ever since. Things are starting to normalize a little. I was able to go to a Central Market Cooking School class Monday night and the topic was "Knife Skills" and of course, taught by non other than chef Dean Liesenfelt.

During the class we learned the anatomy (snicker) of a knife, how to hold said anatomy in our hands (giggle) and how to make sweet knife love with our vegetables, herbs and fruit.

We cut, sliced and diced avacados, cilantro, onions, tomatos, carrots, celery, bell peppers, romaine and oranges. We tossed them together in to a lovely, delicious, fantastic, stud muffin, Fabio bowl of scrumptious guacamole; a magnificent, warming and comforting pot of chicken tortilla soup; a rainbow of goodness of a salad with Dean's "on hand refrigerator ingredients" dressing and a juicy orange for dessert.

So long story short - I made chicken tortilla soup today.

6 cups of chicken stock (I had homemade in the freezer) - if you guys use canned, scale back the salt and taste taste taste before you had too much.

1 1/2 cups of chicken peices (I had leftover roast chicken in the fridge)

3 fresh button mushrooms, stems removed - sliced

10 baby carrots, sliced in to round pieces

1/4 of a medium onion diced

1 cup of tortilla chips, hand crushed and tossed in to the broth (before you add salt below - taste first - chips = salt!)
about 1 TBSP of chili powder
about 1 TBSP of cumin
1/2 - 1 tsp of granulated garlic
1-2 tsp of salt (see above)
1 cup of fresh spinach
2 TBSP chopped cilantro

Simmer and taste - adjust seasoning as necessary. Enjoy!

Winter Fruit Salad

I am trying to celebrate the close of what has been a very long, taxing week of trying to balance four snow days with two children and work. I am also trying to prepare for a business trip. Instead of celebrating with something sweet, like we normally think to do, I'm celebrating by making a "scrumptions" (Noah's fav word) winter fruit salad.

2 Rio Star Sweet Ruby Red Grapefruits, peeled and sectioned (videos on internet if you dont know how to do this.
Juice of the grapefruits (video should show you how to
3 Moro Blood Oranges, peeled and sectioned. (you can get these at Market Street)
1 lb Strawberries, sliced top to bottom with tops removed.
2 Naval Oranges, peeled and sectioned.
I will add bananas but not until we're ready to consume it.


Mix with the best kitchen tools God gave you - your hands.

Enjoy :)

Central Market : Paella 3 Ways

On Tuesday, I had the honor (again) of joining the team at Central Market Cooking school in Plano This time, Dean Liesenfelt and his team member, Margaret, cooked up Paella, not 1, not 2 but 3 ways!

Paella, pronounced "pa-e-ya", is named for the pan which is used to cook the dish. La Paella is made of iron, historically or most commonly now, stainless steel. The pan is circular and shallow and has two handles. The word itself has a latin meaning of flat basket.

During the centuries following the establishment of rice in Spain, the peasants of Valencia would use the paella pan to cook rice with easily available ingredients from the countryside: tomatoes, onions and snails. On special occasions rabbit or duck might be included, and the better-off could afford chicken. Little by little this 'Valencian rice' became more widely known. By the end of the nineteenth century 'paella valenciana' had established itself.

The special thing about this evening is that Dean treated us to a slice of Pata Negra For your information, Pata Negra (black footed) pigs are fed acorns and grasses. It develops a meat that is high in fat but is mostly unsaturated. It is exported from Spain to the US. I believe that Dean said that Central Market sells it for like $150.00 a pound? Maybe more? The link I sent says $28.50 for a QUARTER pound. What a treat - it was delicious.

Paella Three Ways

Paella Valenciana

Some of the ingredients: pork, chicken, garlic, onion, green peppers, saffron, Valencia rice, shrimp, scallops, squid rings, grouper, clams, mussels, peas, white asparagus, lemon wedges and multiple spices and stock.

I did not taste this one. The peas turned me off a bit. I bet if I had tasted it, I'd have been fine.

Clam Fideuá (Pasta Style Paella) My Favorite!

Some of the ingredients: small clams, monkfish, tomatoes, garlic, fish stock, saffron, paprika, fieas or spaghetti, mussels.

My total, hands down favorite. I love mussels and clams, noodles, saffron and paprika. No way to lose me here!

Squid Paella Negra

Some of the ingredients: cleaned squid, mussels, shallot, garlic, hot pepper flakes, tomatoes, paella rice, squid ink, broth, clam juice, saffron, parsley.

Tasting notes: a little musty from the ink and slight kick from pepper flakes. I enjoyed this fresh but not leftover the next day.

I had the pleasure of getting the recipes since I volunteered. I don't have the energy to type it all here but if you see something you like, please comment and I'll try to get it scanned and emailed to you.

The February volunteering schedule is full so I won't have any new posts until March, if I can get in. BUT, I now have $40.00 to put towards a class and plan to try and get in on one of Dean's classes as a student.