The 15-Bean soup that Deborah posted has me yearning for more - got any to share?

Thanks for starting this thread, Kim. I'm especially interested in seeing what chili recipies may be out there.
A friend of mine makes one with deer sausage.
Here in St. Louis, we have a regionally popular hard sausage (similar in appearance to pepperoni)called "Oberle Dog". It is made in the French settlement town of Ste. Genevieve by the Oberle family.
In the fall, many of the deer hunters take their venison to Oberle to have it turned into sausage. The sausage is sometimes ground up and used in place of the ground beef and pork in chili recipies.
My friend is pretty proprietary about her recipe, but I'll try to pry it out of her.

My current favorite chili recipe does not involved a crockpot. I open 3 cans of Bush's Pinto Beans, 1 small can of Hunts tomato sauce, and 1 can of Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes & green chiles, and empty them into a saucepan.

I brown a bunch of hamburger (Trader Joe's 4% fat content), with a dash or two of Lawry's Seasoning Salt, and toss that in. Stir until heated through and bubbly, and it's a nice low fat, high fiber meal.

This weekend, I braised some lamb shanks in olive oil (also had garlic and shallots), added red wine and veggie broth; they wound up falling off the bone so I thickened the sauce with some tomato paste, added back the meat, and ladled over pappardelle with Parmesan shavings and a Havens Merlot.

I also made a small white bean soup with sausage, herbes de Provence, chicken broth, and a healthy splash of white wine - didn't turn out as good as I hoped.

I love cooking for cold weather.

chrisv

Chris, I never think of it as getting cold in Napa - how low do the temps go?

In Napa we can wake up to 30+ degrees some mornings. We tend to get a lot of rain which has the effect of making for warmer weather. In 21 years, I have yet to see snow here but have experienced some heavy hail.

Last Saturday we had a chilly morning, so my husband was crowing about having the first fireplace fire of the season. But by afternoon, he was in shorts and the doors were open so he could continue to enjoy the fire.


Men - go figure


chrisv (who used to turn on the air in hotel rooms so I could sleep under blankets)

I made pea soup in my crock pot yesterday. Put everything in at 6 a.m. and it was done by early afternoon...tho certainly held until 5 pm quite nicely. I just washed a bag of split peas, put them in crockpot with 2 quarts of liquid (I used l/2 chicken broth, 1/2 water) added some sliced carrots, a diced parsnip I had hanging around, a russet potatoand a diced onion. I would also recommend you mince a rib or two of celery...but hubby had thrown mine out the day before and didn't put it on the shopping list! Don't forget about 1 tsp salt and some ground pepper. You could also add a little olive oil, a bay leaf, a cut up tomato if you can still get a good one! all these last items are optional. I cooked it on high for 6 hours, then had hubby turn it down to low. On low the whole time might have taken 8 hours or so. When done I put half in the blender, then stir it back in for a creamier taste. Taste and see if it needs more salt. If it's too watery you can cook it for a while with the lid off. It will thicken up as it cools, for eating the next day. This makes 6-8 servings.

BTW, I've been eating lots of soup and lost two pounds this week, without even trying. Wow! I've off to make the 15-bean soup recipe so it will be ready for tonight when we get home from running around. YUM!

Deb - I made the pea soup today - yummy and simple - can't beat that. I gave a quart to my father in-law, froze two quarts and I have a bit left to take for lunch tomorrow - can't wait!

I use practically the same recipe, (or is it more of an approach?) with lentils, too. I usually also add a minced clove of garlic and I've never used parsnip, but it sounds good. So guys, when your pea soup is gone, consider using lentils for your next batch!

-Krista

I make this frequently in a large soup pot, but I'm sure it would work wonderfully inn a crock pot. Just put the zucchini and chickpeas in for the last 2 hours or so.

Perla’s Chicken and Vegetable Couscous- makes 6-8 servings

2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 onions, sliced thin
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced

1 package peeled butternut squash, cut into 2-inch chunks (Perla uses turnip, which I don’t like- but feel free to use!)
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
2 big handfuls green beans, cut in half
1 small can diced tomatoes
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks (don’t use breasts, as they’ll overcook)

1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon paprika
dash cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne, more if you like spicy
pinch chili flakes, to taste
dash saffron, if you have it (optional)
1 bay leaf

1 cup white wine
1 box chicken broth (32 oz)

2 zucchini, sliced
½ can chickpeas (mash the rest for hummos, or use in salad)
Perla also sometimes puts in good green olives; or raisins if serving to children

¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley
1 cup frozen peas
juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper to taste

1-2 boxes Cous Cous (depending on how many you are serving)

In a large nonstick pot, heat the oil. Add the first group of ingredients (onion to celery). Saute 10 minutes, till vegetables begin to soften. Add second group of ingredients (squash to chicken); then mix in spices. Mix well, then add liquid. Cover pot, and let gently simmer 50-60 minutes, till chicken and vegetables are very tender. Add zucchini and chickpeas, cook till zucchini softens. Then add last group of ingredients (cilantro to salt). Let simmer a few minutes to heat peas. Taste for seasonings. Remove bay leaf.

In a separate pot, cook 1 or 2 boxes of instant cous cous according to package directions. Serve some cous cous, with the stew on top. Pass chili flakes or harissa to add.

Thanks Amy, - what do you mean by a package of butternut squash?

In the grocery store produce section you should be able to find a package of peeled, seeded butternut cut into large chunks.

LOL - Amy - that's pretty funny. Conveniance produce? Here? Hahaha - guess I'll be peeling and cutting it myself

Amy...that's quite a list of interesting ingredients and spices! I've got to give this a try. Have most everything on hand except the squash, so I may try this tonight or this weekend.

Diane

I just saw that the crockpot, which I have never owned, nor has my mother (which is perhaps why I never did), is making a comeback. There was a commercial on TV for something you buy at the store that has all the ingredients in it for the crockpot.

Since I always seem to catch things on the rebound, maybe this is the right time for me!