Tomato Curry Stew with Chickpeas and Potatoes

Posted on February 3, 2012 by mschro

This stew is a staple recipe for me as it is easy to put together and is healthy and flavorful. When I want something light and healthy this is one of my favorite go to recipes. I use the slow cooker and all it requires is chopping the veggies and throwing everything in the crock pot to cook for about 8 hours. All the veggies get nice and soft and the flavors of the curry marinate until the stew is bursting with good curry flavor. I served it with warm curried rolls and topped with yogurt.
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Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup)

Posted on December 2, 2011 by mschro

Pasta e Fagioli is a traditional Italian peasant soup that translates to “pasta and beans.” It’s a soup that can be made with several types of pasta, usually tubettini, ditalini, or conchigliette. Prosciutto or pancetta is used for the base to give it a nice smoky flavor. I wanted to make a big batch so I used a slow cooker to cook the beans and broth. It turned out great, though I forgot to cut up the rosemary and it should really be finely chopped. Just before serving I mixed in the cooked pasta. I strained the rest of the noodles out before putting it away to prevent them from absorbing all the broth over night. The soup was great with a warm, crusty baguette and grated parmigiano reggiano.

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Creole Split Pea Soup with Andouille Sausage

Posted on November 16, 2011 by mschro

After making a good pork roast it’s always great to use the leftovers in a soup. A great way to use the bone from a pork shoulder (or ham hock) is making pea soup. A few years ago I visited New Orleans and I was taken with the flavors they used in their soups and seafood so I decided to try a creole inspired pea soup. I started with a base of onion, garlic, celery, green pepper, and carrots which sauteed in butter until soft. Then I added some creole spices like thyme, sage, oregano, paprika, dried sassafras, and cayenne pepper. The andouille sausage was my favorite twist on the traditional pea soup. The sausage was delicious and had great sweet and spicy flavors.

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Chipotle Lentil and Bean Chili

Posted on October 30, 2011 by mschro

October and November, in my opinion, are the best months for soups and chilis. I can’t really get enough of a warm bowl of something tasty during these months. Since I had quite a few leftover ingredients from other meals (e.g. lentils, beans, tomato sauce, cilantro, etc) I figured I should try creating a chili out of what I had sitting around. I kept looking around for more things to throw in and noticed I had some frozen green peppers and jalapenos, so I cut them up and threw them in too. I was very happy with how the chili turned out! This chili does not need an ounce of meat as it is packed with protein from the lentils, kidney beans, and pinto beans. The ground chipotle chilis were great and gave it a more smoky, aromatic flavor. I garnished the chili with sour cream and cilantro, but yogurt would be a good substitute for the sour cream.

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Chicken Noodle Soup

Posted on October 20, 2011 by mschro

It was a bit cold and rainy this past week and I wanted something warm and comforting for dinner. Since I had a whole chicken in my freezer, I thought making chicken noodle soup would be a great meal on these cold and damp Fall days. Making chicken noodle soup only requires humble ingredients and a simple cooking process, yet it yields such delicious flavors! You just can’t go wrong with home made chicken noodle soup. The one thing that was slightly disappointing was that I could not find Reames Egg noodles at my grocery store. Instead I opted for the curly egg noodles which were great but not as good as the thick, slightly doughy, egg noodles. It was not too much of a loss though since this soup turned out great anyways. I learned of a new trick to making chicken noodle soup which was adding a 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric to the broth. I really liked how it made the broth pop with color and the flavor of the turmeric was a nice addition to a traditional recipe.

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Lentil Stew with Italian Sausage and Spinach

Posted on October 2, 2011 by mschro

I wanted to kick off October with a good fall soup and lentil stew is a perfect fall and winter dish that is both hardy and healthy. I had never tried cooking Italian sausage in a soup before and I was happy with the results. The sausage became very tender through the slow cooking process. This stew is simply seasoned with bay, oregano, and balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar gives a nice depth of flavor and the acidity is very nice. The recipe could be prepared over the stove in a sauce pot instead of a slow cooker, just cook it for 2-3 hours on low. The spiciness of the sausage flavored the broth wonderfully and all this soup really needs is a thick crusted bread to accompany it.

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Chile Verde Roasted Pork Stew

Posted on September 18, 2011 by mschro

Since I had several pounds of shredded pork, I decided to make a stew out of the leftovers. This stew is an interpretation of a chile verde pork stew but with an addition of red chili flavors. Chile verde with pork is usually green and looks a lot like salsa verde. This stew has the flavors of a green chili with the addition of red chili flavors like paprika, chili powder, and ancho chilis. It turned out really well and I enjoyed all the layers of flavor this stew had. The recipe isn’t too difficult to throw together and it is a great way to use leftover pork roast. I recommend saving the bone from the pork shoulder and throwing it in this stew for added flavor.

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Moroccan Lentil Soup with Preserved Lemon and Quinoa

Posted on March 26, 2011 by mschro

It’s been raining a lot lately and I wanted to make something nice and warm from the slow cooker. One of my favorite recipes has been the Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and I wanted to see if those flavors could translate into a stew. I figured red lentils and chickpeas would go well with the curry flavors of the dish, and it ended up being really good. The soup was pretty thick from the quinoa and needed extra chicken stock throughout cooking. I will probably be adding more later since the lentils and quinoa will keep on absorbing the liquid. This recipe makes a big batch so I will have a lot of leftovers (which won’t be a problem at all).

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Ham and Lentil Soup

Posted on December 10, 2010 by mschro

I have been sort of obsessed with my crock pot for the last few months. All I can say is get one (crock pot companies should be paying me for this advertising!) This soup is great for the slow cooker–the ham cooks nicely and flavors the broth without being too salty. I threw in the ham bone for added flavor. I liked how the lentils got really soft and almost dissolved in the broth. This soup turned out great and I will definitely make it again sometime.

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Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Posted on November 30, 2010 by mschro

After Thanksgiving, it is a tradition in my family to take the carcass of the turkey and boil all the leftovers down to make a soup. The flavors of this soup were very good and the broth was excellent because it simmers for a few hours. I had some leftover brown rice so I threw that in with the wild rice. You can always make it with thick egg noodles instead. It’s sad to throw out the picked over chicken or turkey and not use it for anything–with this recipe there is no waste. This recipe also works very well with the leftovers of a whole roasted chicken.

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