Butternut Soup

I had 1/2 of a butternut squash in the fridge; my measures are approximate because when I am experimenting like this I never measure.

In Crock Pot
1/2 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 whole large onion
1 tsp. vegetable flavored Better than Bouillon (or vegetable bouillon cube)
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 tsp. garan marsla
1/2 tsp. Black strap molasses
(+/-) 2 cups distilled water--enough to cover vegetables

Cook on high for a couple of hours, then turn to low (or cook on low all day, whichever is convenient).  Just before serving, use immersion blender to blend until creamy. Stir in about 1/4-1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2.

I served it with Dill Havarti grilled cheese sandwiches on multi-grain bread, but it would be a very nice addition to any meal as a starter course.

Potato Soup- The Ultimate Comfort Food!

Potato Soup

6-7 pieces of bacon, chopped up to about 1/2 inch pieces

2 ribs of celery, finely chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed and cubed (about 3/4" cubes)

3 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup frozen sweet corn

1/4 tsp. dill weed

dash of marjoram

1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste-my broth was low sodium, so it needed a bit of salt)

2 cups whole raw milk

4 T whole wheat flour

1/2 stick of butter

Put the bacon in the bottom of a dutch-oven size pan on the stove and begin cooking. When some of the fat is tried out into the pan, add the celery and onion. Stir until tender, then add broth, potatoes, corn and seasonings. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are not crispy any more. Don't overcook or they turn to mush (unless that is what you want)

While the soup is cooking, make a white sauce with the butter flour and milk. Lightly brown the flour in the butter, then stir in the milk and heat to boiling, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add 3 oz. cream cheese and continue stirring until it is all mixed in. By this time, the potatoes should be just right, so stir in the white sauce and mix in thoroughly. When the soup is boiling again, it is ready--serve immediately.

This makes quite a big batch- at least six servings I think.  We served it for Christmas dinner this year, and it was a huge hit!

Roast with Onion Soup

The bountiful crop of onions from my garden inspired this attempt at "healthy" French Onion soup.

1 Arm roast --grass fed if available (the one I used was about 2 lbs. before I trimmed off the fat)

10 small onions or three large ones

2 large cloves of garlic- or more if you like

3 cups filtered water

2 tsp. "Better than Bouillon" Beef flavor

1/4 tsp. whole cumin seeds

2 whole bay leaf

Trim all visible fat from roast, and place in bottom of crock pot. Slice onions and put on top of meat. Press garlic on top. Mix Better than Boullion into water with fork or whisk, then add cumin seeds. Pour water over meat and onions in crock pot, toss in bay leaves, cover and cook for about 7-8 hours on low. Makes about 6 servings, depending on how much fat is trimmed off the roast.

Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup

1 T. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 c. carrots chopped
1 small head green cabbage
2 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 c. Asst. vegetables from the freezer including lima beans, green beans, corn, peas*
1 c. wild rice
1 t. dried basil (or 3-4 leaves fresh)
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. sea salt
6 cups chicken or vegetable low sodium broth

Heat oil in large dutch oven sized pan. Add garlic, onions and carrots and cook until tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on the stove for about 45 minutes, or until rice is cooked. If you don't like your vegetables cooked that long, you can add the seasonings, broth and rice to the pan and cook for about 30 minutes, then add the rest of the veggies, cooking until they are tender. When the soup is almost done, add 1-2 sliced yellow or zucchini squash.

*we have used mixed vegetables, green beans, limas, etc. based on what is in the freezer at the time and how many other fresh veggies we have on hand to add. I really did like the lima beans, though.