Black Bean Soup with Bananas

1 pound dried black or turtle beans
3 quarts water
1/2 cup brown rice
8 ounces pancetta or very lean unsmoked or lightly smoked bacon
2 medium onions (12 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
8 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon salt (less if the pancetta or bacon is salty)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce (I used 1 tsp hot sauce)

Garnishes:
2 bananas
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Remove and discard any damaged beans or debris, and wash the remaining beans well in cool water. Drain the beans, place them in a bowl, cover with cold water, and soak for 3 hours.
2. Drain the beans, put them in a stainless steel pot with the 3 quarts water, and add the rice. Cut the pancetta or bacon into 1/4-inch cubes and add them to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered (this will take about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the top. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook for 1 hour.
3. Add the onions, garlic, herbes de Provence, chili powder, tomatoes, and salt to the pot, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Using a hand blender, emulsify the mixture in the pot for 5 to 10 seconds. (Alternatively, remove 2 cups of the mixture, puree it in a food processor, and return it to the pot.) You want to thicken the mixture slightly while still maintaining its overall chunkiness.
5. Mix together the oil, vinegar, and Tabasco in a small bowl, and add to the soup.
6. Just before serving, prepare the garnishes. Peel the bananas and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss them in a small bowl with the lemon juice and pepper.
7. Divide the hot soup among four bowls. Top with the banana slices, sprinkle on the cilantro, and serve.

Source: Essential Pepin

Try #1 - April 28, 2013
This was a unique soup, Puerto Rican in flavor.  The bananas and cilantro were great as garnishes.  Abby loved it... she kept asking for more!  William was kind of "eh" about this dish, but he's been like that lately for most things. :)  Lucy seemed to like it too.  I did take out some soup for the kids and pureed it before adding the hot sauce, so it wasn't spicy.  I thought it had just the right kick.

Salmon and Swiss Chard

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Salmon-and-Swiss-Chard-Quiche/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-with-salmon-and-swiss-chard/

Spring Beet Soup

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, cut into thin crescents
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
3 to 4 cups water
1 bunch spring beets, cut into large matchsticks (save the beet greens)
1 carrot, cut into large matchsticks
1/4 head cabbage, shredded
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp tamari or shoyu (I omitted this)
1 Tbsp snipped fresh dill or 1 tsp dried, for garnish
1/4 cup sour cream, for garnish
Sliced radishes, for garnish (optional)

1. Heat oil in a 4-quart pot.  Add onion, garlic, and salt; saute until soft.  Add water, beets, carrots, and cabbage and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
2. Meanwhile, wash beet greens, remove tough stems, and cut greens into short, thin strips.  Add beet greens, lemon juice, and tamari to soup; simmer another 3 to 5 minutes.  Serve at once, garnished with dill and sour cream.

Source: Feeding the Whole Family

Try #1 - April 21, 2013
This was great, and easier than borscht.  I pureed it for the 3 kids, and they all liked it too!  We used sliced radishes as well as the sour cream for garnish.

Winter Vegetable Pasta with Cheese

12 oz angel hair or linguine pasta
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and cut into small wedges
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups cooked winter vegetables (such as parsnips, rutabagas, winter squash, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale), cut into bite size pieces
2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
3 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 oz cheese (such as feta, goat, Cheddar, or Monterey Jack), crumbled or shredded
1/4 cup (1 oz) grated Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago cheese

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and place in a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, or until almost soft.  Add the garlic, vinegar, and broth.
3. Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the cooked vegetables, oregano, and parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 3 minutes, or until heated through.  Pour over the pasta, top with the cheeses, and toss to coat well.

Source: Your Organic Kitchen

Tiny French Beans with Smoked Sausage

2 lbs smoked sausage, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup minced shallots
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups dried flageolets or other dried white beans (about 1 pound)
2 cups water
1/4 cup minced fresh or 1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 (14-oz) cans chicken broth
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add sausage, saute 5 minutes or until browned.  Remove from pan; place in a 5-qt slow cooker.  Heat oil in pan over medium heat.  Add shallots and garlic; saute 1 minute.
2. Sort and wash beans.  Add beans, shallot mixture, water, thyme, celery seeds, pepper, and chicken broth to cooker.  Cover and cook on HIGH 8 hours or until beans are tender.  Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Note: Soaking beans overnight will yield a much faster cook time.

Source: "Cooking Light Slow Cooker"

Try #1 - April 15, 2013
This was good... and has the potential to be even better.  I used chicken apple sausage from Trader Joe's, which was ok, but next time I will definitely use a more flavorful sausage, probably beef.  Also, I didn't have any chicken broth so I substituted water.  I think the broth would have given it a richer flavor (plus I ended up needing to add some salt).  But the fresh thyme was delicious, and it was a hearty stew, great served with fresh bread.  I soaked the beans overnight and cooked it for about 4 hours on HIGH and then 2 hours on LOW.  I also used only 12 oz instead of 2 lbs of sausage... which I think was plenty.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

1 (1-pound) top round steak (1 inch thick), trimmed
1 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 oz (2 cups) mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
8 oz sour cream
2 cups hot cooked medium egg noodles (about 1 1/2 cups uncooked pasta)
Chopped fresh dill (optional)

1. Cut steak diagonally across grain into 3/4-inch slices.  Place steak and next 8 ingredients (all except sour cream, noodles and fresh dill) in a 3-quart slow cooker; stir well.
2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife.  Place flour in a small bowl, and gradually add broth, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Add broth mixture to cooker and stir well.  Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour.  Reduce heat to LOW, and cook 7 to 8 hours or until steak is tender.
3. Turn cooker off, remove lid.  Let stroganoff stand 10 minutes (this is important so as to prevent the sour cream from curdling).  Stir in sour cream.  Serve over noodles.  Sprinkle with chopped dill, if desired.

Source: "Cooking Light Slow Cooker"

Try #1 - March 19, 2013
This was really excellent.  Restaurant quality, in my opinion.  I think it's important not to substitute anything for the sour cream... I will sometimes substitute plain yogurt for sour cream in recipes, but the sour cream definitely makes this dish.  Everyone except silly William loved it.  Something I could definitely serve to guests... and super easy since it just goes in the crockpot!

Try #2 - May 1, 2013
William liked it this time!  Yay!