Another Saturday Night.......
I have come to enjoy Saturday nights in my kitchen! Wow how times have changes! When we are young, we want to be out on the town. As for me, I cherish time at home. It allows time to create dishes and master some of my standards in the kitchen. As the today began to come to an end, I wondered what to have for dinner. Whenever I begin a plan, I think about leftovers and how to use them.
It is amazing to think about how much food goes to waste in our world, it begins with each of us in our own homes to reduce this from happening. According to the NRDC, Americans put 40% of their food into landfills. (http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-ip.pdf). This is a staggering figure! There is good news though, with planning, you can do your part to reduce this in your home. Tonight's menu was to use food in my refrigerator so it does not go to waste. I used a basic recipe for vegetable beef soup and let my creativity kick in! As you work through my recipe, add and subtract the kind of vegetables to assist you in your endeavors to use your leftovers.
Do keep in mind the four day throw away rule, for more information visit http://www.4daythrowaway.org. Remember, when in doubt, throw it out!
Vegetable beef soup Aspen Style
1 lb beef steak cut in cubes
1/8 c flour
1/2c wine to deglaze pan
2 tbs. butter
1 medium onion chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced
3 small potatoes scrubbed and chopped
3cups beef broth
3 cups water
1 qt tomato sauce
1/2 c barley
2 cups Kale
Directions:
1. Melt butter in stock pot, sauté onions, carrots and potatoes.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 2tbs. Canola oil. Toss cubed beef in 1/8 flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Put floured meat in skillet. Cook until meat has just a little pink.
3. Remove meat from pan, add to the vegetables. Pour in beef broth ( I like to use beef base, it is less expensive and goes a long way) and water to this mixture.
4. Deglaze the meat pan with wine. Stir in wine just as you would for gravy. You could use water for this process. The wine enhances the beef flavor so it is not required to use wine. Add this to the soup mixture.
5. Add the tomato sauce and barley. Bring soup to complete boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and cook for at least a half hour. For more tender meat, cook longer.
*This would be a good slow cook soup.
Fall is the beginning of crisp cold weather and in a way, it is sad as summer is gone, but there is so much to love about fall! The whole landscape is colorful and it beckons the cry for comfort food. Soup is such a creative way to be healthy while staying on a budget. It adds to family gatherings or quiet evenings at home.
I am mindful that Nebraska gives us lovely seasons and I am reminded of one of my favorite bible verses, Ecclesiastes 3:1 to everything there is a season. Enjoy yourself right where you are and add delightful foods to the experience and you will have memories for a lifetime to share with your family and for generations to come.
It is amazing to think about how much food goes to waste in our world, it begins with each of us in our own homes to reduce this from happening. According to the NRDC, Americans put 40% of their food into landfills. (http://www.nrdc.org/food/files/wasted-food-ip.pdf). This is a staggering figure! There is good news though, with planning, you can do your part to reduce this in your home. Tonight's menu was to use food in my refrigerator so it does not go to waste. I used a basic recipe for vegetable beef soup and let my creativity kick in! As you work through my recipe, add and subtract the kind of vegetables to assist you in your endeavors to use your leftovers.
Do keep in mind the four day throw away rule, for more information visit http://www.4daythrowaway.org. Remember, when in doubt, throw it out!
Vegetable beef soup Aspen Style
1 lb beef steak cut in cubes
1/8 c flour
1/2c wine to deglaze pan
2 tbs. butter
1 medium onion chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced
3 small potatoes scrubbed and chopped
3cups beef broth
3 cups water
1 qt tomato sauce
1/2 c barley
2 cups Kale
Directions:
1. Melt butter in stock pot, sauté onions, carrots and potatoes.
2. In a medium skillet, heat 2tbs. Canola oil. Toss cubed beef in 1/8 flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Put floured meat in skillet. Cook until meat has just a little pink.
3. Remove meat from pan, add to the vegetables. Pour in beef broth ( I like to use beef base, it is less expensive and goes a long way) and water to this mixture.
4. Deglaze the meat pan with wine. Stir in wine just as you would for gravy. You could use water for this process. The wine enhances the beef flavor so it is not required to use wine. Add this to the soup mixture.
5. Add the tomato sauce and barley. Bring soup to complete boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and cook for at least a half hour. For more tender meat, cook longer.
*This would be a good slow cook soup.
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| 1. Toss meat in flour, salt and pepper |
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| 2. Chop onions, cut in half, and then in threes |
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| 3. Cook floured meat in canola oil. |
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| 4. Slice Carrots, I do not peel my carrots, I just scrub them so they are very clean. |
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| 5. This is what pan looks like after I deglazed it, most of the meat drippings are gone and add lovely flavor to the soup. |
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| Kale adds lots of vitamins and minerals along with color! |
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| Everything stirred in the stock pot together, the aroma fills the air with a beautiful smell that says soups on! |
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| Add your favorite sandwich and perhaps a nice glass of wine and you are ready to indulge! |
Fall is the beginning of crisp cold weather and in a way, it is sad as summer is gone, but there is so much to love about fall! The whole landscape is colorful and it beckons the cry for comfort food. Soup is such a creative way to be healthy while staying on a budget. It adds to family gatherings or quiet evenings at home.
I am mindful that Nebraska gives us lovely seasons and I am reminded of one of my favorite bible verses, Ecclesiastes 3:1 to everything there is a season. Enjoy yourself right where you are and add delightful foods to the experience and you will have memories for a lifetime to share with your family and for generations to come.
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