Broccoli Apple Slaw

My lunch today - dinner tonight for the hubs!

I have not blogged for over three years.  I have often thought about sitting down at the computer and writing up some of the recipes I have made over the last few years.  Unfortunately, still on chemo, my taste buds are not perfect and I worry something I think is great...is not.  Still, I regret losing some of those creations...the chemo also wreaks havoc on my brain.  Anyway, today I made this salad for my vegetarian husband in the effort of finding something new to fill in our sometimes boring meals (he NEVER complains and is very appreciative of his fatigued wife cooking at any given time).  Tomorrow is the 3 year anniversary of my Stem Cell Transplant.  I am doing really well, all things considered.  No cure for my cancer, but I managed to find my blog, find my recipe site, and took a couple of pictures without shaking too horribly.  I can't really decorate cookies anymore.  It is too much for me at this point.  But, give me some time, some shortcut ingredients, and I can put together a few tasty meals.  We'll call this a "Thank God I'm Alive" post since it has been a long,  long time since I have posted any food offerings here, and truthfully, I was not sure I would be alive 3 1/2 years post diagnosis.  I was gone from my home from mid-2015 until March 2018.  We traveled and I had treatments...and I am enjoying being back on the coast in our condo.   Will I keep blogging?  My kids encourage me to.  I may, or may not, continue.  You'll know if you see me!

This slaw was adapted from one posted on Natasha's Kitchen.  I had to tweak and develop some short cuts to allow me to complete it within my fatigue parameters!  I think this is a different enough recipe that I can say it is mine, but with accolades to Natasha.  I encourage you to follow the link to her recipe if you want to do more hand chopping and have a love for a tangyer dressing.  This meets my family's taste buds (well I hope, we'll see when the mister gets home). I have also tasted a very similar recipe which used bottled poppy seed dressing, another that used slivered almonds instead of pecans, and one with only raisins, not dried cranberries. Mixing it up is what makes cooking fun!  No cooking required here (other than toasting pecans) so it is an easy addition to a Thanksgiving meal, or to take to a potluck.  Bet it would be a winner!

Broccoli Apple Slaw

A link to printable recipe is above

Ingredients: Salad: 1 bag Broccoli Slaw with Carrots (if you live in Texas the     HEB bag is perfect - not too finely chopped) 1 large Honeycrisp Apple - cored and diced - do not peel 1/2 medium purple onion diced - this should be a subtle      background taste - small dice 1 cup toasted, unsalted pecan halves, rough     chopped - big pieces 1/2 cup reduced sugar Craisins 1 oz box Raisins (or more if you love 'em) Dressing: 3/4 cup mayo - we like Hellman's 1/2 cup sour cream (whole, not reduced fat) 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice - 2 good      sized lemons squeezed should do it. 2 heaping Tbsp granulated white sugar 1 tsp Kosher salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper Instructions:  In a 16 ounce jar with lid add dressing ingredients and shake  vigorously until a lovely creamy dressing forms.   Put aside until salad mix completed.  You can make this in advance. Start by toasting your pecans in a small skillet just until  just hot to the touch, stirring nuts around while they toast.  Set aside to cool. Prep your vegetables as described in ingredient list. In a large mixing bowl, add the bag of broccoli slaw,  diced apple (skin on for color and crunch), purple onion,  Craisins, raisins, and cooled pecans.   Fold ingredients together gently until well mixed. Taste your dressing.  It should be creamy and sweet/tart.   Adjust to taste. Too tart?  Add a bit more sugar.   Not tart enough, add some more lemon.   Add all of the dressing to the salad and stir until completely  coated.   Give it a taste.   It is delicious! Serve immediately or it can sit for a few hours in fridge.   Ideally the lemons will keep the apples from turning brown.   All mixed up and ready to put in a serving bowl Bon Appetit, Y'all!

Dump-in Beef Vegetable Soup

We were so hungry we didn't take photos...although my husband deemed this soup worthy of a wait for photographs.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel like setting it all up.  When I make it again, I'll add some photos.  It was absolutely delicious.  Give it a try!


Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound quality stew meat chunks or chunks of thick sirloin steak
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 15oz can crushed tomatoes
3 tbsp. tomato paste
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, halved and sliced
1 tsp dried basil
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/3 head of green cabbage, large dice
1 cup sugar snap peas, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can cut green beans
1 can black-eyed peas
1 quart low-sodium beef broth
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
kosher salt - to taste
fresh ground pepper - to taste

Method:

Heat olive oil in a Dutch Oven.  Season beef with salt and pepper and add to pan, tossing to brown.  Add onions and garlic with a pinch of salt, stir around for about a minute.  Add tomato paste and stir in and cook for a minute or two.  Add the celery and carrots, stir for a minute or so.  Add can of crushed tomatoes and all of the other ingredients except the canned green beans and black-eyed peas.  Stir well and bring to a boil then reduce to simmer.  Leave on a good simmer (not too high, not too low) until meat is tender, stirring every so often to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.  In last 30 minutes before serving, add green beans and black-eyed peas (do not drain) and re-season to taste. 

I let mine simmer for several hours.

A hearty and delicious vegetable beef soup - perfect on a chilly night!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Soup

I know it isn't cold outside (well, not down here anyway)... but a slow cooker meal is what I needed for the day.  The hubs is home this afternoon for a nice well-earned vacation during graduation week.  We'll have more family arriving through the week and week-end to come...but for the first 5 days the teen and I have him to ourselves.

This is a man who will eat a can of soup...straight from the can, without warming it.  Uggghhh...it's unbearable.  But he is what he is.  That's not to say he doesn't deeply appreciate home cooking when he is home though!  I know I won't get back from retrieving him from the airport until close to 6:30 (assuming everything is on time) and I don't want to have to get started on a meal at that point.  The slow cooker seemed the simple answer.

I decided to go with a vegetable beef soup because it is easy to chunk up some stuff, season it, and let it roll.  No muss, no fuss.  I usually make this on the stove top, so I had to think of what needed to be different for a slow cooker preparation ... fresh herbs at the end, wait to salt so it doesn't get overly concentrated, careful with the pepper and pepper flakes as they would have time to intensify.  I also am using a product I've not used before and it looks and smells awesome!  I had a can of Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes in the cabinet.  Decided to add it instead of my usual can of whole peeled tomatoes.  Wow, the bits of blackened tomato skin and the rich roasted tomato flavor - I think it was a great choice!  Here's what I came up with:

Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 large Russet Potato, peeled and cut into medium chunks
1/2 large sweet onion (I used a huge 10/14 Texas onion), peeled and large diced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced or chunked (I had a mix of chunks and slices)
2 large ribs celery, cleaned and quartered and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 28 ounce can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
1 can water, rinsing the can of tomatoes at the same time
1 1/2 pound piece of Chuck Steak or Round Steak - cut into chunks
   (remove any large pieces of fat from the outside of the beef)
1 1/2 pints from a 1 quart box of reduced sodium beef broth
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
4 or 5 turns of the black pepper mill
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Whole Wheat Pasta shape of your choice - added 30 minutes before service
4 large basil leaves, chiffonade - added 5 minutes before service
Salt to taste (and it did need about 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt)
A sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese on top at service

Method:

As you chop and dice - add each ingredient to the slow cooker insert.  Stop after you add the dried basil.  Stir and cook on Low for 7-8 hours.

The beef, vegetables, and canned tomato 

Beef broth added

Dry seasonings on top

Stir and put the lid on and walk away!

One half hour before service, turn heat to High and add about 1 to 2 cups of whole wheat pasta shapes - I used Central Market Organics WW Gemelli - I had about 1 1/2 cups in the bag.

Five minutes before service, add the chiffonade of basil and stir.  Check for salt at this point and add if needed.

Fresh basil on top of the thick soup - perfecto!

Serve in a soup bowl or pasta bowl and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese at service.

Some warm crusty bread on the side for dipping and sopping up the liquid, makes for a complete meal with minimal effort.

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!