Grilled Steak & Roasted Sweet Potato & Kale Soup

Roasted Veggies

1 Large Sweet Potato – Peeled and ½ inch dice

½ Medium Red Onion – Thinly Sliced

4 Large Cloves of Garlic – Smashed

2 Medium Anaheim Chili Peppers – Seeded and ½ inch dice

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Pepper

½ tsp Crushed Rosemary

Beef Broth

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well to coat everything.  Then put in a baking dish with just enough beef broth to cover the bottom to prevent burning.  Cook in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove and set aside to cool.

Steak

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Pepper

½ tsp Onion Powder

½ tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp EVOO

2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 Steak (I prefer London Broil)

Marinate the steak at least ½ hour but could be marinated over night.  Grill steak about 4 minutes each side and then set aside to allow the juices to redistribute.

Soup

½ Medium Red Onion – Finely Diced

2 Carrots – Peeled, Finely Diced

2 Celery – Finely Diced

1 Cup Crimini Mushrooms – Finely Minced

EVOO

8 Cups Beef Broth

8 Cups Water

5 oz Kale – Stems removed and rough chop

2 Cups Brown Rice – Cooked)

In a large pot, coat the bottom with EVOO and add in mushrooms.  Sautee about 5 minutes then add ¼ cup beef broth and cook about 2 minutes or until the broth is almost evaporated.  Then add in onion, carrots, celery and sautee about 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften. 

Add beef stock, water and kale and simmer about an hour w/ the lid slightly cracked.  Then add in rice, roasted vegetables and steak that has been sliced into ½ inch cubes.  Simmer another 15 minutes.  Adjust seasonings with salt / pepper if necessary.  Enjoy.

* This is a slightly spicy soup.  To reduce the spice level, only add 1 Anaheim Pepper.

Modern Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

½ Medium Onion – Finely Chopped

1 Cup Mushrooms – Finely Chopped

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1.25 lbs Ground Turkey

2 Scallions – Finely Chopped

½ Cup Parsley – Finely Chopped

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

3 Large Cloves Garlic – Minced

½ tbsp Salt

½ tbsp Pepper

¼ Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

1 Egg – Beaten

¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese

In a pan over Med/High heat add about 2 tbsp EVOO and onion.  Sautee about 2 minutes.  Then add mushrooms and sautee 5 minutes.  Add in balsamic and sautee about 1 minute until almost all cooked out.  Turn off heat and set aside.

In a large bowl add turkey, scallions, parsley, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper.  In a separate bowl add egg, bread crumbs and cheese.  Beat until mixed then add into turkey mixture.

Combine everything with a fork until mixed but don’t overwork. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  On a baking sheet (with sides) roll meatballs into about a 1 inch ball.  I got 36 meatballs out of my mixture.  Put in oven and cook for about 20 minutes.  When finished set aside.

Soup

1 tbsp Bacon Fat

1 tbsp EVOO

2 Carrots – Peeled and finely diced

2 Celery – Finely diced

½ Med. Onion – Finely diced

4 Garlic Cloves – Minced

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ Cup White Wine

6 Cups Chicken Stock

6 Cups Water

5 oz. Kale – Shredded

½ lb Thin Pasta – Broken into about 1 inch bits

2 eggs – Beaten

½ Cup Parmesan Cheese

In a large pot over med/high heat add bacon fat and EVOO.  Add carrots, celery, onion.  Sautee 5 minutes.  Add salt, pepper, garlic and sautee 5 minutes.  Add wine, sautee 1 minute and then add chicken stock, water and kale.  Simmer about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl add eggs and cheese and beat then add into soup and combine.  Break pasta into soup and simmer about 5 minutes.  Add in meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes.

Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

Chick Pea Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
2 Stalks Celery – Finely diced
2 Carrots – Peeled and Finely diced
1 Onion – Finely diced
2 Leeks – Finely chopped
5 Cloves of Garlic – Smashed and finely chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – (EVOO)
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
1 tsp Cumin
½ cup White Wine
2 Chicken Breasts – Small dice
4 Cups Chicken Stock
4 Cups Water
1 Can Peeled Diced Tomatoes
¼ Lb. Thin Pasta – Broken
½ Cup Chopped Parsley

In a large pot coated w/ about 4 tbsp of EVOO, over med/high heat add in celery, carrots, onion and leeks. Sautee about 10 minutes. Add in garlic, salt, pepper and cumin. Sautee another 5 minutes. Add in wine and cook until wine is almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Add in chicken stock and water and bring up to a simmer. Add in diced chicken and tomatoes. Simmer about 5 minutes then add in the pasta and chick peas and cook for another 10 minutes w/ the lid slightly cracked.

Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings accordingly and serve.