Recipes

Since I've been known a time or two to come begging for recipes, I thought I'd share two from the last two nights...made based on what's in the pantry, plus those yummy veggies from the other day.

1. Hamburger Vegetable Soup
I got this from Allrecipes.com, but modified it for what we had in the fridge...and it turned out really well!

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (organic, free-range)
4 cups chicken broth (organic, free-range also)
4 cups water
1 package (1 oz) onion soup/dip mix (Simply Organic brand - nothing nasty)
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 package whole wheat curly noodles
zucchini, carrot, potatoes, green beans, red cabbage

My green beans were frozen, everything else fresh. Just add to your taste!

(the recipe called for tomato sauce, not tomatoes, and 16 oz frozen mixed veggies plus 2 stalks of celery; also for 2 packages of onion dip - I only had one, and I think more would be pointless)

Brown the beef; meanwhile in a large pot, combine everything else. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the noodles are done. Add the beef, and eat! I also recommend a dash or two of hot sauce (we use AZ Gunslinger, but Tapatio or Tabasco or the like should do the trick).

2. Tacos, Bass-style

The filling
1 lb ground beef
1 can black beans
Some frozen corn
Taco seasoning

The other filling
Potatoes, chopped, skins on
Onion
Garlic
Cumin
Chili powder
Olive oil

The salsa
5 heirloom tomatoes
Cilantro
Green onions
Garlic
1 red pepper
Small amount of lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Canned jalapenos

Other toppers
Canned green chilis
Lettuce

Brown meat, add seasoning to taste, simmer with beans and corn.

Microwave potatoes on high 5 minutes, then stir and microwave another few minutes until mostly soft. Saute in oil with onion, garlic, and spices. Add a small amount of water and cover to finish steaming...remove cover after a while.

Combine salsa ingredients. Don't overdo the jalapenos - about 1/4 can did the trick for us - some good spice, but not overpowering.

Serve on your choice of tortilla - we use whole wheat-corn blend ones from Trader Joe's - add meat, potatoes, salsa, chilis and lettuce...we were out of cheese, but that would be good too. Here's my first attempt at food photography (wish I'd captured the soup with all its pretty colors). Sorry it kind of looks like a big pile of mush...it was much nicer in person...and really tasty, I promise :)