stuffed pepper soup

This is a great soup full of garden veggies.  It is almost too hearty to call a soup.  Nikole made this soup as part of a healthy welcome home meal and it is great.  It has all the flavor of a stuffed pepper without having to stuff and bake the peppers.

Unfortunately this picture does not do it justice.  It goes together, start to finish, in less than an hour and serves 6. 

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 pound lean ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (just over 1/2 of a medium)
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can low sodium beef broth
2 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, more for garnish
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 cup uncooked white long grain or brown rice

In a large pot heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.  Once hot add the ground beef to the pot and season with the salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally while breaking up the beef until browned.  Drain and then pour onto a plate lined with paper towels, set aside.

Heat remaining olive oil in the pot and add onions, red bell pepper and green bell pepper to the pot and saute for 3 minutes.   Then add the garlic and saute 30 seconds longer.  Pour in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, parsley, basil and oregano.  Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring just to a light boil and reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While soup simmers cook the rice according to package directions.  Once soup is done simmering stir in the cooked rice (see below) and serve with garnish of additional parsley and grated cheese (optional)

For a thinner soup add only part of the rice.  For a thicker soup add all of the rice.  If making the soup ahead of time or planning for leftovers add the cooked rice to each bowl as it is served rather than adding it to the pot to keep it from turning mushy.  Orzo can be substituted for the rice.    .

healthier stir fry with Thai peanut sauce

In an effort to make a stir fry with less sodium Nikole made a great stir fry with a Thai peanut sauce.  The stir fry included carrots, onions, celery, garlic, fresh ginger, bell pepper, cauliflower, water chestnuts, pea pods and chicken thighs.  The ingredients were cooked in stages in a wok in oil and then combined and cooked all together for the last couple of minutes.  The chicken was seasoned with Mrs. Dash.  Once the stir fry was done it was served over a small portion of rice and topped with the peanut sauce that added great flavor while being more healthy for those watching their sodium intake than the traditional soy sauce or soy sauce based sauce.  It was great.  There are some of our family that prefer less heat and so the red curry paste was left out.  It was still very good and it the omitted salt was not missed either. 

Thai Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup coconut milk

2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste (Nikole left this out but would recommend using it)

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar or to taste

2 Tbsp ground peanuts (Nikole did not use this but would recommend)

Salt to taste (none added)

Place all the ingredients except for the ground peanuts in a saucepan and whisk together.  Place the pan on the stovetop and cook over low heat.  Continue to whisk until all ingredients are well combined.  Once it begins to simmer and bubble, remove from the heat.  Add the ground peanuts and drizzle over the cooked vegetables and chicken.

lemon chicken orzo soup

I received this recipe from my daughter after having a chance to sample it when she had made it.  The recipe included a caption which absolutely captures the essence of this soup perfectly describing it as full of hearty veggies and tender chicken in a lemony broth.  It was originally found by my younger daughter who shared it with my older daughter who cooked it for us and then shared the recipe.  It was so tasty and done in only 30 minutes.  Makes six servings.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cloves garlic minced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
5 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 sprig of rosemary
 juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in dutch oven or large stock pot over medium heat.  Add chicken thigh pieces, season with salt and pepper and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes, then set aside.

Add remaining olive oil to the stock pot.  Add  garlic, onion, carrots and celery.  Cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Whisk in the chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in the orzo, rosemary and chicken.  Cook until orzo is tender, 10-12 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.