Minestrone Soup

This is an adaption of several Minestrone soup recipes, it features what ever veggies you have a plethra of.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 yukon gold potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch bites
8 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup dried pasta
2 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch bites
2 cups kale, de-stemmed and chopped coarse
1 1/2 cup kidney or red bean, cooked
2 tsp fresh oregano
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
fresh ground black pepper
kosher salt
diced tomatoes
parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot, add onions and cook at medium-low heat until soft. After a couple minutes of cooking add garlic. Next add all of the hard vegetables; carrots, celery, and potatoes. Add a pinch of salt, and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring. Add stock and tomato paste, bring to a boil. Add pasta, green beans and kale. Add more liquid if necessary to cover all of the ingredients. Reduce heat to medium, cook until the pasta and the potatoes are done. Add the beans, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper to taste.

Top with tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Great with a crusty bread too!

~Enjoy

Verde Pork Tostada's

Thanks to Leila for sharing this with me. It was so yummy. Maybe even better the next day.

Verde Pork

I used my slow cooker for the pork
1 onion, sliced lengthwise
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 lbs pork roast, preferably from a known source
Kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 cups verde salsa or tomatillo salsa, medium heat

Put all ingredients into a slow cooked and cook on high for 6 hours. When pork is cooked, shred with forks, leave warm.

Aduki Beans

1 cup rinsed and sorted dried aduki beans
3 cups water
bay leaf
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
salt, add only at the very end of cooking!

Put beans, water and bay leaf into a dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for 2-3 hours. Add more hot water a 1/2 cup at a time if beans expand over the water level. Make sure beans are always covered with liquid. Beans are ready for spices when they are tender and can easily be smashed with a fork. Finally salt the beans to taste. Take note of you are going to be accompanying them with other salty foods; like cheese.

8 tostada shells

2 cups shredded purple cabbage
4 turnips, halved and sliced
1/2 cup lightly packed chopped cilantro
4 green onions, sliced
~ Combine cabbage, turnips, cilantro and green onions together.

1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
avocado slices
8 italian tomatoes, chopped
lime wedges

Place a tostada shell on your plate, layer with beans, cheese, verde pork, and cabbage mix. Top with sour cream, avocado's, tomatoes and a squeeze of lime.

~Enjoy!

Harvest Soup

This is a soup made from the bounty of goodies in my garden. Please substitute or add any other fresh veggies from your garden.

1/4 c olive oil
2 onions, sliced thin
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 large bunch kale, I used red russian, destemed and chopped coarse
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
2 quarts chicken stock
6 sausages, cut into 1" diagonal pieces
coarse sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 c fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
croutons

Croutons

Cut crusty white bread into 1" cubes
Toss with olive oil, salt and garlic powder

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until crispy and golden.


Saute onions in olive oil until soft, add garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes, add potatoes, kale and green beans. Cook for 3- 4 minutes, stirring. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley, parmesan and croutons.

~Enjoy

Garlic Shrimp with green beans, zucchini and vermacelli

My green beans are full on in my garden as well as the zucchini. I made this dish for my supper co-op. The flavors are very light, perfect for late summer.

Serves 4

1 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced

Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and shrimp, cook until shrimp are opaque and cooked though. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

In a large pot, start to boil some salted water to cook pasta and also to blanch the green beans.

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped in half if long
1 zucchini, ends trimmed and shaved into strips using a peeler (discard center seeded section)
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper

1 lb vermacelli noodles

1/2 cup shaved peccorino romano cheese

Add green beans to boiling water, blanch 3-4 minutes, until bright green. Remove from water. Add vermacelli noddles and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain noodles.

Toss noddles with green beans, zucchini, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Toss with shrimp and peccorino cheese.

~ Enjoy