January:Menu planning/one pot meals

Pasta
Red Beans and Rice
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Chicken Noodle Soup
Black Beans
Cheeseburgers
Snack Wraps


Pasta
Cook pasta according to package directions. We like bowtie or penne. And serve with your favorite sauce.
Red sauce:
In a large pot sauté one onion chopped and 3 minced garlic cloves in about 3 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add 1 lb of ground beef and cook until meat is no longer red. Add some basil and oregano and 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes. Add 2-3 cans crushed tomatoes and simmer. Kosher salt to taste.
White sauce:
In a large pot melt ½ c butter; add ½ pint heavy cream and 6 oz fresh grated parmesan cheese. Melt and stir on med-low heat. Add fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste.
Pesto:
In blender combine about 3 oz fresh basil leaves, 6 oz fresh grated parmesan cheese, 3 minced garlic cloves, ½ c pine nuts. Blend on low while slowly adding olive oil. When it becomes a thick paste and all leaves are thoroughly blended add just about 1 tablespoon more olive oil.

Red Beans and Rice
2 T vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 t kosher salt
1 t pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz pickled pork, cut into 1 in pieces (recipe follows) 3 bay leaves
1 t thyme
1 t hot sauce
½ t cayenne pepper
2 quarts water
1 lb dry red kidney beans, rinsed and picked of debris
For Rice:
3 c water
1 ½ T butter
2 c rice
1 t kosher salt
Place the oil in a large pot over med-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 6-8 min. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 min, stirring constantly. Add the pork, bay leaves, thyme, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, water and beans to the pot and increase to high heat. Cook stirring frequently until boils. Decrease to simmer, cover and cook 1 ½ hours; stirring every 30 min. Uncover, increase the heat slightly to maintain a steady simmer and continue to cook another 30-40 min. Prepare the rice during the last 30 min.
Pickled Pork:
2 c water
1 c apple cider vinegar
¼ c kosher salt
6 crushed garlic cloves
2 T sugar
2 T mustard seed
2 T hot sauce
1 T celery seed
1 bay leaf
¼ t whole black peppercorns
8 oz ice
1 ½ lb fresh boneless pork butt, cut into 2 in cubes
Combine all except the ice and pork in a pot bring to boil over high heat. Simmer 3 min. Remove from heat, add the ice and stir. Place the pork into a 1 gallon Ziploc bag and add the cooled liquid. Remove as much air as possible; seal the bag and place in the fridge for at least 3 days, turning the bag occasionally. Use within 2 weeks or remove the pork from the brine and freeze. Note: it is usually hard to find a small pork butt roast, so I buy an 8-10 lb roast and cut off approximately 1 ½ lb and save the rest for pulled pork sandwiches.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Boil a whole chicken with cut up onions, celery, carrots, bay leaf and garlic to make a stock.
Remove chicken from bones and discard. Add meat back to the stock and add more water and chicken bouillon to the stock. Simmer. To make the noodles:
In a large bowl combine 3-5 eggs, beaten and enough flour to form a ball. Roll out on a floured surface until very thin. Using a pizza slicer, cut into very thin strips and add to the soup. Turn up the heat to a boil. The noodles will expand as they cook. Season with salt and pepper.

Snack Wraps
Tyson crispy chicken strips
Tortillas
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions
Ranch or bbq sauce
Cheddar cheese
Cook chicken according to directions and then slice into smaller strips. Warm tortillas and wrap up with desired toppings. Serve.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Using the leftover pork butt roast from the Red Beans and Rice meal, add plenty of water and the roast to the crock pot on high for several hours. Shred the pork, discarding the fat, and add a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. Heat thoroughly. Serve on Kaiser buns.


Black Beans
Prepare black beans as you would for Black Bean Soup, using a little less water. Serve over brown rice, top with cheddar cheese and Pico de Gallo.

Soups from November

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
16 oz cheese whiz
4-5 diced and peeled potatoes
3/4 cup flour
2 cup milk
16 oz bag broccoli

Combine onion, potatoes, broccoli in enough water to cover everything.
Cook until tender. Remove from heat and save water. In a separate bowl melt butter. Mix flour with milk and pour into butter. Mix in with onions, potatoes and broccoli. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat cheese whiz in microwave until thick, stirring occasionally. Add to broccoli and water.


Fire Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
28 oz Muir Len fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
14 oz chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

In medium saucepan, warm oil over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in oil 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until onion is crisp/tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth, 1 tablespoon of the basil, sugar and red pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Uncover and cool slightly, about 5 minutes. In blender, puree mixture in batches. Return to saucepan, heat over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat. Stir in cream and remaining 1 tablespoon basil. Garnish with sour cream.


Black Bean Soup

2 15 oz cans black beans
1 can water
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 teaspoons chopped, pickled jalapeno slices
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cider or wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Pour the beans along with the liquid into a medium saucepan. Add the remaining soup ingredients and mix. Bring the soup to a boil; then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, adding water if necessary or until it is as thick as you like. Serve each bowl with a garnish of red onion, jalapeno slices and sour cream arranged in center of soup.


Cheesy Vegetable Soup

1 bag carrots-cut
4-5 potatoes-diced
2 cans cheddar cheese soup
2 1/2 cups milk
1 can corn
1 can beans
salt
pepper
onion salt

Boil potatoes and carrots until tender. Drain. Mix together soup and milk. Add all of veggies to mixture and heat. Add seasonings to taste. Serves10-12


Olive Garden's Pasta Fagioli Soup

2 cup small penne pasta noodles
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup diced carrot
2 14.5 oz cans Italian diced tomatoes
15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can tomato sauce
11 oz can V-8 juice
3 cup beef, chicken or veg. broth
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon basil flakes
1 teaspoon oregano flakes

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
While pasta is boiling, brown ground beef in large, nonstick pan. Once the beef is nearly cooked, add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots to the pan. Stir mixture and let it cook together for about 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except for the cooked pasta. Stir together and then simmer for 45 minutes. Add cooked pasta and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes. Pasta will get soggy if left in soup too long. If you plan on using some for leftovers, only add noodles to what you are going to eat immediately.
Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over each bowl.

Rock Soup

2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 lb chorizo, ham or leftover meat, chopped
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 ribs celery, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
6 cups chicken broth
15 oz can diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
2 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
2 cups cubed stale bread
chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish

In a soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, garlic and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, 7 to 8 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and season with the paprika. Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes and hot sauce and bring to a boil, about 6 minutes. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
Place 1/2 cup bread cubes in each of 4 bowls and drizzle with olive oil. Pour in the soup; top with parsley.


Potato Soup

2 celery ribs, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 chicken bouillon cubes
8-10 potatoes, peeled and diced

Put in a large pot and bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft

While that is cooking, in a saucepan melt
3/4 cup butter-after melted add
3/4 cup flour and stir, then add
1 quart milk

Bring to a boil until it thickens, stir often with a wire whisk

Add 2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste

Add the sauce to the potatoes and liquid (do not drain the potatoes)
stir together, add cheese just before serving or serve with grated cheese.