Recipe- Lentil and Barley Soup

Lentil and Barley Soup

Although it is not even August yet, I was in the mood to create a soup today.  I checked my freezer and pantry and decided to throw this together.  The result was healthy and delicious.  All five of my kids enjoyed it, which was great since it contains a bunch of vegetables.  I did add some chopped chicken that I had in the freezer, but it could easily be made vegetarian by leaving the chicken out and subbing vegetable broth for the chicken broth.  I loved the convenience of making this since I had the onions and peppers already prepped and frozen. Enjoy!

Ingredients
- 1 cup onion, chopped (about 1 medium)
- 1/2 cup chopped green pepper 
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 8 cups of chicken broth (I used homemade stock I had frozen, but you could easily use bouillon cubes or canned broth)
-  3 medium carrots, sliced (you can halve or quarter larger slices)
-  1/2 cup dried lentils (I used red, but any lentils should work)
- 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp Kosher salt 
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup medium barley
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 2 medium mushrooms)
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes, undrained (can also use crushed tomatoes) 
- 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped (optional) (you could really add any cooked meat and it would go well with this soup)

Steps
1) In a soup pot, add the onions, green pepper, garlic, and butter.  Over medium-high heat, saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
2) Add in broth, carrots, lentils, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and barley; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for 35 minutes.
3) Add meat (if using) and mushrooms; return to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover.   Simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.
4) Add the tomatoes and heat through, about 1 minute.

Makes about 8 servings 

 

Going Gluten-Free and a recipe: Southwestern Tuna and Rice Casserole

Last week, my doctor suggested I try going gluten-free for a few weeks to see if it helps with some issues I have been having.  It is a difficult transition, but I am finally figuring it out.  On the plus side- since I started the gluten-free diet last week, I have lost 6 pounds and 1.5% body fat.  I had been eating pretty healthy anyway and exercising, but my weight was at a plateau and would not budge.  I am guessing this is the kick start it needed.

Opening my pantries to shelves full of food I couldn't eat, was starting to depress me, so I am spending much of this week reorganizing them so that one is full of food I can eat and the other has the food I cannot eat.  In doing this, I have discovered that my packet of taco seasoning has wheat as the first ingredient and that tomato soup also has wheat in it.  Those were both surprises to me and the tomato soup meant I could no longer use it for the recipe I wanted to make for lunch.  Had it been the taco seasoning, it would not have been an issue as that is pretty easy to make with what I had on hand, but since tomatoes are not in season, I do not have any stored, and I only had 1 small fresh tomato on hand, the recipe needed to be scrapped.  Instead, I created a different tuna and rice casserole:

Southwestern Tuna and Rice Casserole

2 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 pound Velveeta, cubed (I used the 2% milk variety)
1 c sour cream (I used fat free)
1-15.5oz can black beans (you could also use red beans)
2-5 oz cans of tuna fish
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh oregano (1 1/2 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 small tomato, diced
1 small onion, diced
lime flavored tortilla chips (regular ones will work too, just less flavor)

1) Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish (a 9x9 pan also works).
2) Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently stir until well blended.
3) Put all ingredients in the prepared casserole dish.
4) Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.
5) Remove from oven and stir together.
6) Crumble desired amount of tortilla chips over casserole and serve.


If any of you have any super yummy, fairly easy gluten-free recipes that you would like to share, please post a link in the comment section.  Also, please share any great gluten-free recipe blogs.  I currently follow A Year of Slow Cooking and Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, both of which offer lots of GF recipes, but would love to add a few more.  Thanks so much!

Baked Potato Soup

Today I am sharing a recipe for one of my favorite fall soups: Baked Potato Soup. Like most recipes that I use, this is easily adaptable to whatever you have on hand. I personally prefer to use fat-free or reduced-fat versions of dairy products, but they do not always work in all recipes. Fortunately, in this one they do :)

5 cups mashed potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
6 cups fat-free milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 chopped onion
9 slices turkey bacon, crisp-fried and crumbled
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 cup fat-free sour cream
2 green onions, chopped

Over low heat, melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Add chopped onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually, add the milk, stirring as you do. Cook over medium heat until thickened and boiling, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper.

Add potatoes, 1/2 cup of the bacon, and 1 cup of the cheese. Cook till heated through. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Sprinkle each serving with reserved bacon and cheese and chopped green onions.

Helpful Tips:

- To save time, make mashed potatoes for dinner 1-2 nights before making the soup and make a few extra. You can also substitute instant potatoes or scoop out the pulp from 4-5 baked potatoes.

- Chop the bacon before cooking it and then just fry it in a skillet. To reduce fat, drain well and pat with paper towels to remove excess grease.

- The last time I made this, I did not cook the bacon until crisp. It was cooked well, but was still a little chewy. I also had cut the pieces a little bigger than they would have been if I had crumbled them. The family really liked the bacon this way and I will probably do it this way in the future, but either way works.

Enjoy!!

Low-Fat Alfredo Sauce

I made this for supper tonight and decided that I wanted to post it here. This is a recipe that easily allows for substitutions, especially if you do not have the fat-free products. I serve it over cooked whole-wheat pasta and steamed broccoli for a quick, easy dinner.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (I was out, so I used salt and garlic powder)
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk (or 2 cups evaporated skim milk)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (or sub 1 T dried parsley)
1/3 cup grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and garlic salt until smooth. Slowly, whisk the milk into the sauce until completely incorporated. Add the garlic, parsley, and Parmesan cheese, whisking continually. Bring the sauce to a simmer; cook, stirring regularly, until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.