Heirloom Bean and Ham Soup

 

This is Wintertime hearty soup!

It is so easy to mix up a pot of soup these days. No recipe needed…
Just buy a bean mix, add a few spices, herbs, ginger, onions, cubes of ham, broth and as a final touch, pureed fire roasted tomatoes.  I love thickened soups, so I always add a small amount of quinoa. Usually it is just one-fourth cup.

This cooked on high for two hours and low for about 4 hours.  This is an old Crock Pot so it does not heat as hot as the newer fancy slow cookers.

This is after all day simmering

I found this large bag at a warehouse

Picked and rinsed well

I did a pre-boil with ginger to remove some of the toot power and the package also stated the mix would foam a bit. After boiling, drain and add drained beans to Crock Pot with spices and broth. 

Add the quinoa during the last half hour of cooking.

Isn’t it nice you can scan the can and find where the tomatoes were grown?

And of course I also baked some sweet potatoes in the skin

 

Now eating left-overs

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© 2015 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

Easy Non-Beef Burgers - “Revved Up” Italian Sausage Burgers

For my occasional ‘meat meal today, I had planned to make Andouille sausage meatloaf.  Well, there was no Andouille in the freezer!

So today, I am following my motto of “making do with what you’ve got”.

Well, I did have about 1 3/4 pound of Sweet Italian Sausage with the natural casing, AKA intestine.  So I removed it from the casing and gathered peppers, onions and spices with still the intent to make a meatloaf.  I am not particularly fond of meatloaf unless it is made with Andouille sausage!  So I decided to make ‘burgers’ instead.

Once this is mixed, it can be shaped into meatballs, patties or meatloaf.  Not fond of meatballs either!  So I made patties or ‘burgers’.  The peppers and onions keeps the burgers moist and juicy.

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“Revved Up” Italian Sausage Burgers

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

28 oz. sweet Italian bulk uncooked sausage ( or the kind in natural casings)

1 large red pepper, diced

1 large green pepper, diced

1/2 cup celery finely chopped

1/2 large white onion, diced

1/2 cup bread crumbs, optional (used focaccia bread crumbs)

2 tbsp various spices

1 tbsp dried herbs, salt-free

1 tbsp dried basil

2 tsp mixture of turmeric, cumin, Cajun spice

 

Procedure

 

Prepare all ingredients. Place all ingredients into a large plastic bag. For best results, double the bag, just in case the bag gets a hole in the inner one.

 

Using fingers or palm of hands, mix the contents until completely combined. 

 

 

 

Divide into number of servings as desired.  A scale was used to weigh the final mix and divided into 8 (6-ounce) patties.

 

 

 

The 'burgers' can be grilled or baked in the oven.  My preference was a pan with drainage so that any extra fat dripped off.

 

 

 

 

Bake at 350F or grill until internal temp reaches 160 F.  Remove to serving dish to stop cooking.

 

 

 

Enjoy plain or on a bun

 

 

Servings: 8   Makes 6 to 8 'burgers', depending on size.

 

Nutrition (per burger): 293 calories, 19.2g total fat, <1g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, 7.1g saturated fat, 76mg cholesterol, 805.5mg sodium, 13.9mg calcium, 112.2mg potassium, 16.3mcg folate, 15.7mg phosphorus, 4.1mg phytosterols, <1mcg lycopene, <1mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, 0mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, 38.8mg vitamin c, 0IU vitamin d, <1mg zinc, 7.1g carbohydrates, 1.2g fiber, 5.9g net carbohydrates, 4.2g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g lactose, <1g maltose, <1g sucrose, 22.9g protein.

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© 2013 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/

Quick Dishes - Creamed Coconut Gingered Carrots

There were carrots in the refrigerator that were supposed to be juiced.   Well good intentions….

The day before trash day is the day to see what remains in the fridge, so… often I will think of a dish to use something rather than throw it out, if I don’t think I  will be using it within a week.

I bought creamed coconut about a year ago and just couldn’t decide what to do with it.  Some people just eat bits of it each day.  I prefer to add it to something.

The two things I really love adding to carrots are ginger and coconut…..

Therefore……

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Creamed Coconut Gingered Carrots

 

 

Ingredients

 

3 pounds carrots, raw

1/2 cup fresh ginger, sliced thinly

3 pieces un-crystallized Candied Ginger (used Trader Joe's)

1/2 tsp salt

2 ounces Creamed Coconut (used Let's Do Organic)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp Sodium-free Herb mix  

 

Procedure

 

Prep the carrots, place in water and cook until tender.  Cool slightly. Place cooked carrots and ginger a food processor and pulse until smooth.

 

 Add the salt, spices and creamed coconut and pulse until thoroughly mixed.

 

 

 

 

Serve warm as a side.

 

 

Yield: 8 sides

 

 

Nutrition (per serving): 134 calories, 5.2g total fat, <1g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, 0g trans-monoenoic fatty acids, 4.3g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 238.2mg sodium, 60mg calcium, 571.9mg potassium, 33mcg folate, 62.4mg phosphorus, <1mg phytosterols, 1.7mcg lycopene, <1mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, 0mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, 10.4mg vitamin c, <1mg zinc, 20.4g carbohydrates, 6.6g fiber, 13.9g net carbohydrates, 9.4g sugar, <1g fructose, 0g galactose, 1g glucose, 0g lactose, 0g maltose, 6.1g sucrose, 2.7g protein.

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© 2012 retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com

Quick & Easy Meals - Dirty Potatoes Breakfast Skillet

Dirty rice is supposed to be good, but I have never eaten it!  I think it was about the little bits of stuff in it that I did not know where it came from…  I am a picky eater from way back!

I really love the ‘Golden’ or ‘Gold’ potatoes because they seem to not get mushy as quick as the other yellow or white fleshed potatoes.  Since I shouldn’t eat potatoes every day, I look for ways to ‘season’ without lots of sodium.   Although this dish has more sodium than normally added, it is a side dish, rather than the main.

Everyone tend to have little bits of this and that in the fridge.  Some just dump everything the night before ‘trash’ day! 

My little bits tend to be things like chopped peppers, chopped bacon, mushrooms, spinach, chili peppers…    I will add all of those to an omelet, except the chili peppers.

Last night was the time to prepare for ‘trash’ day, so I quickly went thru the fridge to see if I would be throwing anything.  Nada.  But I had placed four small ‘golden’ potatoes on the counter by the sink and realized that I now had a potato dish recipe!  In “Minnesotan”, that’s ‘hot dish’!

This is probably not the dish to have ‘man-sized’ servings, because it is loaded with carbs and sodium in larger quantities.  It is meant to be a side dish with another food item to complement it such as egg or small steak.

The chili peppers gives this dish that little ‘kick’ that some of us love!  It’s not hot, just a little ‘kick’.

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Dirty Potatoes Breakfast Skillet

 

 

Ingredients

 

4 small golden potatoes, sliced, as if for French fries, cut to 2-inch lengths

1/4 cup   sweet peppers, finely chopped

1 thick slice bacon, cooked, chopped (used baked)

1 link sausage, cooked, diced (used Bistro Sensations - GF)

1 tbsp dehydrated onions or 2 tbsp raw, diced

1/2 can (4-oz) chili peppers

1 tsp Southwest savory seasoning, sodium free

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried herbs seasoning, sodium free

2 tbsp olive oil for cooking

 

Procedure

 

Heat the olive oil in the skillet to medium high, place the potatoes in the skillet and stir to coat the potatoes.  Add remaining ingredients except the chili peppers. Sauté and stir, scraping the bits from the skillet for about 5 minutes. 

 

 

Stir in the chili peppers to mix.

 

 

Reduce the heat to low, cover and allow to steam about 5 minutes. Scrape the skillet as you stir to mix everything.

 

Remove from the heat. The potatoes should be crisp with a soft center, not mushy.

 

 

 

Serve, scraping bits from the skillet so each serving has some of the 'dirty' mix.

 

 

served with spinach omelet..

 

No additional salt is needed as the sausage and bacon has sufficient amounts

 

 

Servings: 4 (4 to 6)

 

Nutrition (per serving): 221 calories, 9g total fat, 5.3g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, <1g linoleic acid, 1.7g saturated fat, 15.9mg cholesterol, 219mg sodium, 54.8mg calcium, 738.6mg potassium, 14.1mcg folate, 18.2mg phosphorus, 15mg phytosterols, <1mcg lycopene, 1.3mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, 46.2mg vitamin c, <1mg zinc, 28.9g carbohydrates, 2.8g fiber, 26g net carbohydrates, 1.9g sugar, <1g fructose, 0g galactose, <1g glucose, 0g lactose, 0g maltose, 0g sucrose, 8.3g protein.

 

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© 2012 retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com

Quick Meals - No Time or Energy for Making a Full Meal..

The past few days have been rather strenuous for me to just go into the kitchen. So I thought about what to grab and quickly fix. Of course, all food in my home is gluten-free.

Last night, I made a  quick potato dish with julienne cut potatoes, roasted red peppers and baby bellas.  I sprinkled a bit of coriander, cumin, red pepper and salt-free Perfect Pinch spice over the potatoes.  I also sprayed a splash of garlic infused olive oil over the potatoes before cooking.

Quick Savory Potatoes


Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil (EVOO)
1 medium white potato. about 6 to 8 ounces
2 tbsp chopped roasted red peppers in oil
1/4 cup baby portabellas, sliced
1 splash garlic infused olive oil (I use a Misto sprayer)
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch coriander
1 pinch Red pepper flakes
1 pinch salt-free Savory Perfect Pinch spice

Procedure

 Cut the potatoes into thin strips like a julienne cut.
 Place all ingredients into a non-stick frying pan.
 Sauté, stirring until potatoes begin to get translucent.



 Cook only until potatoes are soft, yet still has texture. (I heard on Dr. Oz, that the longer you cook potatoes, the higher the starch content)


Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Servings: 1
Yield: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 376 calories, 9.8g total fat, 6.8g monounsaturated fat, 1.2g polyunsaturated fat, 1.3g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 67.2g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 59.1g net carbohydrates, 4.1g sugar, 29.9mg sodium, 2708.5mg potassium, 11.6g protein, 33.9mg calcium, 715.5IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, 83.4mg vitamin c, 1.4mg vitamin e, 5.4mcg vitamin k, 2.2mg iron, <1g lysine, 25.3mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, 2.6mg zinc, 0mg caffeine.

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I avoid soy where possible, but the tuna I bought is packed in water and broth  which contains soy.  For a late breakfast(brunch) today, I made tuna salad.

Tuna Salad for Breakfast(Brunch)




Ingredients

1 6-oz can  Solid White Albacore Tuna, water packed, drained
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch coriander
1 pinch turmeric
1 tsp horseradish sauce
3 tbsp canola mayonnaise (used Hellmann's Canola)
1/3 cup broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup finely diced celery
1 cup raw green peas

Procedure

Scald the peas or cook in microwave just to get hot.

Spray the broccoli florets with olive oil, cover.  cover celery with cellophane. Microwave both together 45 seconds.

 Place broccoli, peas and celery in a larger bowl.


I prefer to just drop the frozen peas in boiling water and drain.  Today I microwaved 3 minutes - a little bit too much for my taste.


 Drain and press water from Tuna. Place Tuna in a smaller bowl. This drainer is for the 9-ounce can, so I had to press the tuna  with a spoon to remove the liquid.


 



 Add spices to tuna and use fork to break it up. I find I use less seasonings, if spices are added to the main ingredient.




Mix in the horseradish sauce and mayonnaise. The horseradish sauce kicks it up a bit!




Mix the tuna into the vegetable bowl.



Serve as a side or as a meal. 



The ingredients - sometimes I also add small (cooked) pasta shells





Servings: 2 (or 1, if really hungry!)

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 237 calories, 9.1g total fat, 3.8g monounsaturated fat, 3.4g polyunsaturated fat, <1g saturated fat, 35.7mg cholesterol, 12.6g carbohydrates, 4.3g fiber, 8.3g net carbohydrates, 4.6g sugar, 0g starch, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, 3.6g sucrose, <1g maltose, 520.3mg sodium, 476.3mg potassium, 24.6g protein, 49.3mg calcium, 995.3IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, 1mcg vitamin b12, 41.3mg vitamin c, <1mg vitamin e, 24.6mcg vitamin k, 2.3mg iron, 2.1g lysine, 57.9mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, 1.4mg zinc, 0mg caffeine.

© 2012 http://retiredwithnoregrets.blogspot.com/