Monthly Archives: April 2020

Hannah Swensen’s Meaty Minestrone Soup

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Crock Pot: low 7 hours (NOTE: add in pasta after 6hrs cooking)

Ingredients:

1 c chopped onion

1 c chopped celery

3-4 uncooked Italian sausages, cut into bite sized pieces

1 medium sized yellow squash, unpeeled, chopped

1 medium sized zucchini, chopped, unpeeled

1 c peeled carrot slices

2” Parmesan rind

1-2 tsp minced garlic

2 cans 14.5 oz each beef broth

24 oz jar spaghetti sauce

1 c water (swished into empty spaghetti sauce jar, then poured into crock pot)

2 cans 6.5 oz each sliced mushrooms

1 c dry, uncooked corkscrew pasta

S & P to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Additional Ingredients;

1 c cut green beans

15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 c tomato juice

Directions:

Spray inside of crock pot for easy clean up

Add all chopped veggies, sausage, and aromatics into crock pot and lightly toss

Remaining ingredients (except for pasta)

Stir the contents together

Season with S&P

Cover, cook on Low 6 hours

Uncover, stir and add in uncooked pasta

Stir again, cover and cook on low for another hour

Serve with crusty bread

Beefy Mexican Rice Soup

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Serves: 8 Cal: 393

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 2 quarts beef stock
  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 15.5 ounces black beans (rinsed and drained) 1 can
  • 14.5 ounces petite diced tomatoes (drained) 1 can
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon cilantro
  • 1 cup whole grain rice

Instructions

  • In a large dutch oven, brown the ground beef, onion and minced garlic. Drain. 
  • Add in the taco seasoning and mix together.
  • Add the beef stock, corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, tomato puree, lime juice, salt, cilantro and rice. 
  • Bring this to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes until the rice is done. 
  • Serve with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro if desired.

Roasted Sweet Potato Pear Pomegranate Spinach Salad

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Prep: 15 min Bake: 25 min Total: 40 min Serves: 6

Ingredients

  • For the sweet potatoes:
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into ½ cubes (can also use cubed butternut squash)
  • 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or coconut sugar or maple syrup)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Freshly ground salt and pepper
  • For the pecans:
  • ½ cup pecans
  • For the salad:
  • 2 (6 ounce) bags organic spinach (about 8-10 cups spinach)
  • 3/4 cup pomegranate seeds, from 1 pomegranate
  • 2 medium ripe bartlett pears, thinly sliced
  • ½ cup goat cheese (or can use feta)
  • For the dressing:
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar, minced garlic, cinnamon and cayenne. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and pour mixture over the top. Season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Roast for 20-30 minutes until sweet potatoes are fork-tender, tossing a bit halfway through. They should get a little crispy on the edges.
  2. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, you can toast the pecans on the stovetop: Add pecans to a pan and place over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 2-5 minutes until pecans are fragrant and slightly golden brown on edges. Remove from heat and transfer to a cutting board. After a few minutes, chop the pecans into big pieces. Set aside.
  3. In a mason jar or small bowl, add all of the dressing ingredients. Shake or mix well to combine. Taste and add additional salt/pepper, if necessary.
  4. In a large bowl, add the spinach, pomegranate seeds, pear slices, and cooked sweet potatoes. Top with toasted pecans and goat cheese crumbles. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing, then toss to coat. Add to bowls and serve with extra pecans and goat cheese, if desired.

Recipe Notes

If you are serving this to a crowd/gathering, I recommend layering it on a platter. First add spinach, sweet potatoes, pear, pomegranate. Drizzle with dressing, then top with pecans and goat cheese. Do not toss together.