Beef Stew

Serves 6
This is a very basic recipe--nothing fancy. Great on a cold winter day.

2 lbs. stew meat
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. paprika
1.4 tsp. pepper
dash ground cloves
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 lb. small onions (optional)
1 can organic peas, drained (optional)
2 Tbls. rice flour or cornstarch, mixed with 2 Tbls. cold water

1. Heat 2 Tbls. oil in large pot over medium heat. Brown stew meat in pot with chopped onion, about 5 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaf, salt, sugar, paprika, pepper, and cloves along with 2 cups of hot water to the pot. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
2. Remove bay leaf and garlic. Add carrots, potatoes, and optional small onions to the pot. (You may have to add additional water at this point; add as much as you need to barely cover the vegetables.) Simmer for 30 - 45 minutes, covered, until vegetables are tender. Add optional peas and heat until peas are warm. Add flour (or cornstarch) and water mixture and stir constantly to thicken the sauce, about 1 minute. Serve.

Pot Roast with Vegetables and Red Wine

From the Family Circle Cookbook
Serves 16

Marinade:
4 cups dry red wine
2 cups sliced onions
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp. leaf thyme, crumbled
1 tsp. leaf rosemary, crumbled
1 tsp. black pepper
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
3 strips orange rind

1 rump roast of beef (5 lbs)
1/4 slab bacon, cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 cups beef broth (Pacific or Imagine makes good broth)
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 pounds carrots, pared, halved lengthwise and quartered crosswise
3 pounds small white onions, peeled
2 tablespoons dry Madeira
2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Prepare Marinade: Combine wine, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary, pepper, cloves, bay leaf and orange rind in large bowl. Add meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally (or, put marinade and meat in a gallon-sized zipper bag to marinate; carefully squeeze out all of the air before closing the bag and then there's no need to turn it occasionally).
2. To cook, preheat the oven to moderate (350).
3. Drain meat and vegetables, reserving liquid, meat and vegetables separately. Pat meat dry with paper toweling.
4. Place bacon in Dutch oven large enough to hold rump roast. Saute over moderate heat until crisp. Transfer bacon with slotted spoon to a plate. Add meat to pot; brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove meat. Add vegetables from marinade; cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Return meat to pot. Add marinade, broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring to boiling over high heat. Cover pot.
5. Bake pot in preheated moderate oven (350), covered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender.
6. Remove meat from pot. Strain cooking liquid and discard solids; skim off fat. Return meat and strained liquid to pot. Add 2 pounds carrots, small onions, and reserved bacon pieces, if you wish. Simmer, covered, 20 to 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
7. Transfer meat and vegetables to large platter. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and keep warm. Boil cooking liquid to reduce to 4 cups, if necessary.
8. Combine Madeira, cornstarch and cream, if using, in small bowl. Bring liquid in casserole to boiling. Stir cornstarch mixture into pot liquid; cook until lightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower heat; simmer sauce 5 minutes.
9. To serve: Slice meat and arrange on platter. Strain sauce into sauceboat. Spoon some of sauce over meat and vegetables. Pass remaining sauce.

Creamy Herbed Pork Chops

Prep Time: 1/2 hour
Serves 4

Delicious with Green Rice to soak up extra sauce!

4 pork chops, cut 3/4-inch thick
1 Tbls butter (or olive oil, for a dairy-free recipe)
1/3 cup finely chopped carrot
1 Tbls snipped fresh parsley
2 Tbls rice flour
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp vegan bouillon
2/3 cup milk (or chicken broth, for a dairy-free recipe)

1. Trim fat from meat. If desired, sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chops in butter (or oil) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn chops and add carrot. Cook until no pink remains (another 5 minutes if right thickness). Remove chops reserving drippings and carrot in the pan.
2. For sauce, stir parsley, flour, thyme, bouillon, and 1/4 tsp pepper into drippings and carrot. Add milk (or broth) all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Thin with a could Tbls of water if necessary. Return chops to skillet and heat through. Serve chops on a platter and sauce in a bowl or gravy boat.

A word about ingredients: Pork is not the healthiest meat or the easiest to digest. If you have digestive trouble, you may want to avoid it. You can try this recipe with chicken cutlets instead of pork chops.

White Bean & Kale Soup

Adapted from The Family Circle Cookbook
Serves 8

My kids insisted that I put this in "Kid's Favorites." May God bless you with children that will eat kale. They really do love this soup, though. I've tried kale in other recipes, and for some reason, it just tastes especially good with the combination of flavors in this soup.

2 15-oz. cans navy beans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed
3 stalks celery, diced
2 medium-sized carrots, pared and sliced
1 medium-sized onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 ounces bacon, diced
46 ounces chicken broth (Imagine Organics is the best--see links)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 bunch fresh kale, washed, stems removed, and coarsely chopped*
1/2 cup small shell pasta*
Grated Parmesan cheese*

1. Heat bacon in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook until fat begins to render. Add celery, carrot, onion, and garlic and cook stirring frequently, 5 minutes. Add all but 1 cup of beans, chicken broth, and pepper.
2. Mash the reserved cup of beans and add it to the soup. Add kale. Bring to boiling over high heat. Lower heat; simmer 10 minutes or until all ingredients are heated through and kale is tender.
3. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions; drain. Stir pasta into soup. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

*Notes on these ingredients:
1) Buy organic kale if possible. All dark, leafy greens soak up nitrates from the soil. Organic soil will have far less nitrates than soil that has been treated with chemical fertilizers. Nitrates attack the intenstinal system; the FDA warns pregnant or nursing women and infants to avoid nitrates.
2) You may use rice pasta for those who are gluten intolerant. Tinkyada makes small shell rice pasta.
3) Those with dairy allergies can simply eliminate sprinkling the Parmesan on their soup.

Hot Dog Casserole

Serves 4-6

1 package "uncured" hotdogs (no nitrates)
6 potatoes
1 16-oz. package of Imagine Organic Creamy Potato Leek Soup
salt & pepper to taste
(grated cheese-optional)

1. Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Boil until you can prick it through with a fork.
2. Slice hotdogs into bite-sized rounds.
3. Mix all ingredients together in a 9x13 casserole.
4. Bake at 350 until bubbly, 20 - 30 minutes.

Peasant Vegetable Soup

From The Silver Palate.

Serves 6 to 8

1 1/2 c dried Cannellini beans (or great northern, navy, or other white bean)
4 T salted butter (or olive oil)
1 c finely chopped sweet or yellow onion
4 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed, and finely chopped
3 leeks, white part only, thoroughly cleaned and thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, washed and coarsely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
8 to 10 cups organic chicken broth
3 parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 or 3 ham (or I like turkey-ham) steaks, cut into cubes
1/2 of a small white cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
1/2 c chopped fresh Italian parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Sort through the beans and discard pebbles. Soak beans overnight in water that covers them by about 3 inches.
2. Drain the beans. In a large soup or stock pan, warm the butter or oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, leaks, celery, and carrots, and cook, uncovered, until vegetables are tender and lightly colored. (I add the parsnips in this step sometimes, too.)
3. Stir in the thyme, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Then add parsnips, ham, and beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 40 minutes or until the beans are tender.
4. Add the cabbage and parsley; simmer another 5 to 10 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning (I add about 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper to start with). Serve.

Rosemary Lentils

This is good for a light lunch or supper.

1 c dried lentils
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 t salt
1 t red wine vinegar
2 t olive oil
black pepper to taste

1. Put lentils, garlic, rosemary, and bay leaf in med. saucepan; cover with cold water by 2 inches (about 5 c water). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med. low and partially cover and simmer, stirring occassionally until lentils are tender. About 20 minutes.
2. Drain. Discard garlic, rosemary stem, and bay leaf. Return lentil mix to pan. Stir in salt, vinegar, and oil. Season with pepper. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

Shepherd's Pie with Butternut Squash and Potato Topping

Serves 6-8

Squash and Potato Topping:
1 med. butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded, pared, and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 lrg. red potatoes, pared and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 T unsalted butter
½ c whipping cream
¼ c chicken broth (or ½ c and ¼ c cream)
1 ½ t salt
¼ t black pepper
¼ t ground nutmeg
1/8 t ground red pepper
1 egg
paprika

Filling:
2 T olive oil
1 lrg. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 ½ lbs ground beef
1 T dried basil
1 T dried oregano
1 t ground cumin
1 t salt
½ t leaf thyme
¼ t pepper
1 lb frozen green beans, steamed 3 minutes
1 can (28 ounces) Italian style plum tomatoes, diced

1. Prepare topping. Drop squash and potatoes into a lrg. pot with enough salted water to cover them by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil 15 minutes or until tender.
2. Drain squash and potatoes, dump in mixer bowl. Add other ingredients for topping except egg and paprika. Mash until fuffy. Cool slightly.
3. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare filling: Heat oil in lrg. skillet over med. heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Remove to plate.
4. Crumble beef into skillet and cook over med. heat until browned. Stir in spices and onion mixture. Add tomatoes and green beans. Cook 10 minutes. Spoon into 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish.
5. Beat egg into squash mixture. Spread evenly over filling. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake until bubbly (about 40 min.) and top is golden brown. Cool on rack 20 minutes before serving.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Vegetables

From The Family Circle Cookbook
Serves 4
The taste of the sauce and the vegetables is worth making this dish.

1 tbls olive oil
2 lbs meaty lamb shanks, cut into 1 1/2-inch thick pieces (ask your butcher to cut this for you if necessary)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or white rice flour, for gluten-free cooking)
1 large onion, chopped
7 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp chopped pared fresh ginger
1 lb all-purpose potatoes, pared and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
12 oz white turnips, pared and cut in 1/2-inch chunks
6 oz carrots (2 to 3), pared and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 tsp leaf rosemary, crumbled
3/4 tsp grated lemon rind
1/8 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to moderate (350)
2. Heat oil in ovenproof Dutch oven or pot over moderately high heat. Dredge lamb in flour. Working in batches, add lamb to oil; saute until browned all over, about 5 minutes. Remove lamb to plate as it browns. Lower heat.
3. Add onion, garlic and ginger to pot; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.
4. Add potatoes, turnips, carrots, broth, white wine, rosemary, lemon rind, pepper and lamb. Bring to boiling. Cover.
5. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350) for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Transfer meat and vegetables to serving platter. Skim fat from sauce. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Serve.

Red Beans & Rice with Kielbasa

1 T olive oil
12 oz. Turkey Kielbasa sausage, cut into slices
6 green onions (1/2 c)
1 small red pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans kidney beans
2 cups water
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t oregano
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t black pepper
1 bay leaf
Green Rice

Saute olive oil and sausage in a large skillet. Remove, and then in the same pan saute vegetables (except kidney beans) until tender. Add spices and 1 and a half cans of kidney beans. Add 2 c water and cook about 10 to 15 minutes. Crush the remaining half can of kidney beans and mix in with vegetables; add cooked sausage back into pan. Cook a couple more minutes til flavors are combined. Serve with Green Rice (recipe is in Rice Grains and Beans label).