Crockpot Chicken Yellow Curry

Today the project forecast in Saskatoon was a high of -45 C with windchill. As such nothing is better than a hot bowl of soup. Better yet... when the meal cooks itself. I made this curry soup in the crockpot and it was waiting for me when I got home from work. 

2 - 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into chunks
6 cups of veggies, chopped (onion, carrots, green beans, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower and red bell pepper)
1-14 oz can of full fat coconut milk
1 cup crushed tomatoes
3 tbsp yellow curry powder
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
1 cup water (for a thicker, curry-like sauce, omit the water)
Salt, to taste

Cut the chicken and veggie into medium-large chunks. Put everything into the crock pot. Stir in the coconut milk, and crushed tomatoes. Then add the spices and the water. Stir to combine everything.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours. I cooked mine longer as I went to the gym after work and it still turned out great.

If the you want it more like a curry and less like a soup, omit the 1 cup of water above.

Season to taste with salt and enjoy!!

Recipe from Stupid Easy Paleo

Beef and Cabbage Soup

What can I say? I really like soup. So here's another one for you to try for the potentially cold fall months ahead. I must admit now that I have a freezer full of soup that should last me a couple of months.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pinch ground cloves
3 cups cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 cups beef stock
3 cups water
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 lemon wedges

In large saucepan, brown beef over medium-high heat, breaking up with back of spoon. With slotted spoon, transfer to bowl. Drain fat from pan and wipe out pan.

Heat oil in pan over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper and cloves, stirring often, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. 

Stir in cabbage, carrots and celery; cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add stock, 3 cups water and tomato paste. Return beef to pan and bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.

Discard bay leaves. Serve with lemon.

Recipe from Canadian Living

Crockpot Minestrone Soup

I would like to thank everyone for their patience while I took some time to collect my thoughts and get back into the kitchen. My plan for the fall will be to post new delicious recipes every Sunday and Wednesday. This will allow me some more time to perfect and bring you new delectable recipes. 

Minestrone Soup is not one of my family recipes but I personally love soup. Soup helps to warm you from the inside out and when fall starts to become cooler nothing is more enjoyable. This recipe is courtesy of Our Paleo Life and I was inspired to make this when a friend post the delectable picture of a steamy bowl of this soup on instagram!

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 sweet potato, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 zucchini squash, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz chicken stock

28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

½ cup frozen spinach

2 bay leaves

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp parsley

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp sea salt

1-1/2 lb ground pork sausage

Place the olive oil in the bottom of the crock pot. Add the prepared sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, zucchini, onions, and garlic to the crock pot. Pour in the chicken broth. Add the entire can (including juice) of diced tomatoes. Add the frozen spinach (no need to thaw and drain, just add it frozen). Add in the oregano, basil, parsley, cayenne, and salt. Stir everything together, add the bay leaved, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. This just barely fit in my crockpot! About 2 hours before the soup is done, brown the ground pork sausage, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Once the pork is cooked through (no pink), add it to the crock pot and mix it all together. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Enjoy!!

Beautiful Beet Borscht

Well I hate to admit it but autumn is drawing near. The endless summery days are fading into cooler evenings and a beautiful array of colors. Autumn isn't all bad, in fact it's probably my favorite season. The days are still warm and the evenings are cooler making more enjoyable to sleep, workout and of course bringing out a whole different set of clothes. Growing up autumn always meant lots of cooking, baking and canning in my household. My mother would harvest the vegetables from her garden and start the arduous task of making large batches of borscht, salsa, pickles, pies and whatever else you can think of. It was always a treat coming home to a fresh bowl of soup or other goodies that may have been created that day. So now it is my turn to share some of those family favorites as well as some new recipes with you. Prepare yourself over the next few weeks to find yourself reading some delicious recipes that truly come from the heart!

The first autumn recipe and possibly one of my favorite dishes is a traditional Polish/Ukrainian soup called Borscht. Borscht is a soup made from beets, onions, and carrots that is simmered with dill, vinegar and cream. Now I must warn you that this recipe is not 100% paleo but it could easily be modified. I personally couldn't do it, I mean you can ruin a good thing!

To start with we need to make the soup base or broth. Now, personally I think this is a must however if this seems too time consuming you can use the purchased beef or pork stock. 

Stock

3 or 4 beef or pork soup bones

A package of short beef/pork ribs

4 L water

Place beef or pork soup bones and the package of short beef/pork ribs in pot. Cover with water, bring to boil. You will notice this lovely layer of "black foam" appear on the top, we need to get rid of this. Drain the water reserving the bones. Add new hot water to pot and simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours. Let mixture cool, skim fat and remove bones and meat. Reserve meat for later.

3 cups of chopped beats (we always shred the beets in my household)

1 big onion chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 tbsp salt

¼ cup vinegar

1 tbsp white sugar (omit for true paleo)

Dill to taste

Reserved meat

Add these ingredients to the broth and let boil together until the beets are soft. Then add:

 

1 – 2 diced potatoes (omit for the paleo purist)

¾ cup of frozen peas

Simmer until vegetable cooked. Add:

2 cans of tomato soup or stewed tomatoes

2 cans of pork and beans (I know this is weird but it really does the trick!)

Let simmer for a few minutes. Take some soup of the pot and add 1 small container of whipping cream to the removed soup. Pour back into the pot and heat.

Enjoy! This is truly a family favorite and I hope you can add this to your repertoire as well!

Homemade Chicken Stock

1 carcass from roast chicken
7 cups of water
1 bay leaf
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, quartered
1 yellow pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 bunch fresh parsley
8 to 10 peppercorns

Put the leftover bones and skin from a chicken carcass into a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to bring the stock to barely a simmer. Simmer uncovered at least 4 hours, occasionally skimming off the foam that comes to the surface. Remove the bones and strain the stock.

I always have chicken stock in my fridge and has so many different uses including soups.  

Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a Spanish-style soup made from tomatoes and other vegetables and spices, served cold. This is a to-die-for summer dinner.

2 cloves garlic, minced
½ whole red onion, diced
1 whole large cucumber, diced
5 whole roma tomatoes, diced
1 whole zucchini, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 dash sea salt to taste
4 cups tomato juice
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
⅛ cup apple cider vinegar
6 dashes Tabasco
1 dash black pepper to taste

In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine the minced garlic with half the red onion, half the cucumber, half the tomato, half the zucchini, half the celery, half the tomato juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Tabasco, and a dash of salt. Pulse until all ingredients are blended well; mixture will have a nice speckled, colorful texture.

Pour into a large bowl and add the rest of the tomato juice, and the remaining onion, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, and celery. Stir mixture together and check seasonings, adding salt if needed. Chill soup for at least a couple of hours; soup needs to be very cold!

Remove the soup from the fridge and stir. Check seasonings one last time. Ladle into a bowl and garnish with a sliver of fresh avocado or chopped cilantro. 

Recipe from the Pioneer Woman

Turkey Soup

I love homemade soup and this is a gem. My mom makes this after every holiday involving a turkey. I often make this anytime I buy a roast chicken. It may be a two day process but it is well worth it!

Stock
1 carcass from roast turkey or chicken
7 cups of water
1 bay leaf
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, quartered
1 bunch fresh parsley
Salt and pepper

Soup
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chicken base
Salt and freshly ground pepper 

Put the leftover bones and skin from a chicken carcass into a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Add veggies like celery, onion, carrots, parsley. Add salt and pepper, about a teaspoon of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to bring the stock to barely a simmer. Simmer uncovered at least 4 hours, occasionally skimming off the foam that comes to the surface. Remove the bones and strain the stock.

For the soup, bring the stock to a boil, add the vegetables and spices. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Ham Bone Soup

We had a ham for Easter and decided that we couldn't let the ham bone go to waste. So I threw it in the crockpot and made this soup.

One ham bone (mine still had some meat on it)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

4 large carrots, chopped

1 large head cauliflower, chopped

1 1/2 cups sweet potato, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

2 bay leaves

water to fill your crockpot

leftover ham, diced

Place all chopped vegetables in crockpot and top with ham bone. I had to rearrange the vegetables a bit to actually get the lid to close on my crock pot. Add water until almost full. Add spices and mix around. Cook on high for 4-6 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. Take ham bone out with tongs and use a slotted spoon to pick out any fragments that may have fallen off the bone. Put back any usable meat off the bone. Toss in cubed leftover ham for more meat.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a large baking sheet add the chopped butternut squash, sweet potato, and carrot. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to make sure they are all coated with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Stirring every 15 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a large soup pot, add the olive oil. Add in the onion. Cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the roasted veggies. Cook for five minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Let the soup cook for 20 minutes. 

Puree the soup with a hand held blender. If you don't have one (aka me) I put small batches into my Magic Bullet and blend then added each batch back to the pot and combine back together. Serve the soup hot. 

You can freeze this soup!