Pork and Potato Stew

     I wanted to make some creamy and delicious potato soup. Michael asked me if I was going to put any meat in it or anything, but I didn't have any plans to. I decided to do so, that way he would enjoy it a bit more. I thought about putting some crispy bacon in it to add some savory salty goodness, but I didn't have any on hand. (I know, I know. I don't keep bacon on hand.) Anyways, I did have pork. Soooo, I just cut up a piece of pork into bite-size pieces and it worked just fine. This would definitely be delicious with bacon, what isn't!? This soup is definitely hearty for dinner, but isn't so heavy you can't enjoy it for lunch the next day (which would be fabulous!)
 
     I did end up adding a few tablespoons of cornstarch with water to make this a bit thicker, because I did want a stew, more than I did a soup. Either way, it is delicious.

Potato-Pork Stew
Yields: 4 servings

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

½ lb. pork, cubed

1-1½ lbs. potatoes, cubed

1 medium carrot, julienned

1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes, undrained

½ tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. paprika

2 bouillon cubes (chicken, beef, vegetable)

3 cups water

 

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté until translucent.

 

Add the garlic and stir continuously for 30 seconds, then add the pork and allow to brown a bit before stirring.

 

Allow the pork to brown on all sides before adding the potatoes and carrots. Once the potatoes and carrots have been added, allow them to cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

 

Next, add the cumin, paprika, and bouillon.

 

Stir for 30 seconds and add the tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce to a low heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. If you like your soup a bit thicker, you may need to add a bit of cornstarch dissolved in water

 

 

 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 375.9 
• Total Fat: 12.1 g    
• Cholesterol: 44.8 mg
• Sodium: 668.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 44.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.2 g
• Protein: 22.0 g

Simple Potato Soup

Hey y'all! I hope you are all doing well! I'm doing alright, just relaxing at home while I have dinner cooking away in the slow cooker. If the recipe turns out as expected, I will definitely have a post on it with the recipe. Tonight's dinner is not what this post is about. No, what this post is about is how it's spring time here in North Carolina, but we have had freeze warnings and temperatures in the 20s recently. Are you serious, mother nature? Anyways, this weekend is supposed to be much warmer, with highs in the mid-60s, so I wanted to take advantage of a soup...just once more. 
     Don't get me wrong, I can eat soup during spring, summer, fall, or winter, but it's just so much more appealing in the colder months. Let's face it, when it's 95 degrees outside, do you really want to be stuffing your face with 98 degree soup?! I think not. Anyways, for lunch, I decided on some potato soup. I have been craving it recently and decided on making some. I did want to lighten it up a bit, as most classic potato soups have heavy cream. I will tell you this: I succeeded. Give this recipe a try, you won't regret it. You will never miss the cream in this tasty soup! 


Simple Potato Soup

Yields: 2 servings

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large potato, cubed
¼ c. onion, chopped

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 ¼ c. chicken stock

¼ c. milk

1 tsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. water

     

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic clove and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Next, add the onions and allow to cook until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. 

Add the potatoes, Italian seasoning, and parsley and cook, stirring frequently about 3 minutes.

Carefully add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Continue to cook on low heat for approximately 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Using a potato masher, break some of the potatoes up. This is optional, but I think it helps add a little more thickness.

 Create a slurry using the cornstarch and water, by mixing them together and adding to the soup. Bring to a boil, once again, and stir for 1 minute. Once you are satisfied with the texture and thickness of your soup, remove from heat and stir in milk!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 2
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 214.7

• Total Fat: 6.6 g
• Cholesterol: 20.2 mg
• Sodium: 645.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 35.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.9 g
• Protein: 5.3 g

Pasta e Fagioli- YUMMY!

     It's a cold and rainy day here in North Carolina, very rainy. We had dinner at Michael's parent's house tonight; pot roast, green beans, and mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were rich and creamy, the roast was tender and juicy. Dinner was absolutely delicious; sometimes it's nice not to cook dinner and just enjoy it with family. Even though I didn't cook dinner, I still have a recipe to provide you with that is one I'm sure you will enjoy! It's absolutely perfect for cold and rainy days and is very tasty.
     Whether you like Italian flavors or Italian restaurants, this dish is sure to please! The acid of the tomatoes balances perfectly with the herbs, beans, and pasta. Choose whichever cut of pasta you prefer, but I will recommend choosing a short cut pasta and I chose rotini because there's something about those little twists that I absolutely adore! 


Pasta e Fagioli
Yields: 6-8 servings

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (14.5oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15oz.) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 c. vegetable juice

1 tbsp. vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp. salt

1 tbsp. oregano

1 tbsp. basil

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans beef broth

1/2 pound pasta al dente, uncooked

Start with browning 1 pound of ground beef in a large stock pot over medium high heat, drain excess fat.  Add the prepared veggies to the browned meat. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce,  vegetable juice, vinegar, salt, oregano, basil, pepper and thyme. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Add the kidney beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour then add 1/2 pound of pasta cooked al dente. Simmer 10 more minutes and serve.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 10
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 289.0

• Total Fat: 10.4 g
• Cholesterol: 34.0 mg
• Sodium: 1,823.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 34.0 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.5 g
• Protein: 15.8 g

Soup called what?

YES! I have found the secret recipe for the amazing soup that is given at the beginning of the meal at a Japanese steakhouse! It is known by many names- hibachi soup, steakhouse soup, and I have even heard it called chicken broth- weird. Although it does have chicken bouillon in it, it is not the broth of a chicken! Like myself, I'm sure some of you are tired of asking to purchase a quart and getting a funny look. Now, I won't have to stand the looks anymore!

Contrary to what most believe, the soup that is served is NOT miso soup. Miso soup is essentially a Japanese soup in which dashi (stock made with seaweed and sardines) is combined with miso (fermented soybean paste). This Japanese onion soup is more basic, much easier to replicate, and in my opinion, SO much tastier!

It's fairly simple to make because there isn't much prep work and once it's boiling, you just let it simmer. How long it simmers is up to you, but no less than 45 minutes. The vegetables do not need to be diced or chopped precisely, as they are the flavoring and will be strained out. Also, taste occasionally as you may need to add more water. I added an additional 1½ cups of water because when I tasted mine, it was a little salty. In total, I used 9½ cups of water.

Japanese Onion Soup

1 small onion, quartered
2-3 carrots, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, halved
2-3 cloves garlic, halved or quartered
½ inch of ginger, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. beef bouillon
2 tbsp. chicken bouillon
3 mushrooms, quartered
8 cups water

Optional toppings include scallions, french fried onions, thinly sliced mushrooms, etc.

Place all ingredients into a large saucepan or stock pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to medium. Gently simmer for at least 45 minutes. (You may simmer anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours or more!) I recommend simmering for about an hour and a half. Remove from heat and strain the vegetables from the liquid. The vegetables should be discarded because they should have already given up their flavor into the stock. My favorite topping is french fried onions and scallions while my boyfriend prefers the mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 34.9

• Total Fat: 0.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 506.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 6.8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
• Protein: 1.2 g