Pasta e Fagioli

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 large carrots, julienned
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15oz can red kidney beans with liquid
1 15oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans with liquid
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 46oz can V8 juice
1 tbsp white vinegar
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
0.5 tsp pepper
0.5 tsp thyme
o.5 tsp parsley
0.5 lb pasta

• Brown the ground beef in a large pot over medium heat.
• Drain most of the fat.
• Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
• Saute for about 10 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients, except the pasta.
• Simmer for 1 hour.
• When soup is almost done simmering, cook the pasta until al dente and drain.
• Add pasta to the pot of soup.*
• Simmer for 5-10 minutes more.
• Serve and Enjoy.

• *If you know that there will be leftovers, I recommend adding the pasta as needed or else the noodles are super soggy the next day.

Based on the recipe found here.

Meatless Chili & Corn Bread Casserole

1 - 40 oz. can of Brooks Mild Chili Beans
2 - 11 oz. cans Green Giant Southwestern Style Corn
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
0.25 tsp paprika
0.25 tsp cumin

0.75 cup all purpose unbleached flour
0.5 cup whole wheat flour
0.75 cup corn meal
0.375 cup sugar (or 3/8 cup)
1 cup Lactaid milk
0.25 cup oil
1 egg

Preheat oven 400 degrees

• Combine beans, corn, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cumin together and place in a 13x9 baking dish.
• Mix together flours, corn meal, and sugar.
• In a seperate bowl mix together mix, oil, and egg beating together lightly with a fork.
• Add egg mixture to flour mixture stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.
• Pour corn bread mixture over top of chili mixture.

Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Dish out and serve.

White Bean and Sausage Soup

I made a soup the other day based on a recipe that I found HERE.

I made adjustments based on different dietary needs of my family. For the most part we do not eat pork. (Actually I am the only one that does and it is only in the form of pepperoni occasionally on pizza.) I was also trying to use up some of the items in my pantry.

First I started by soaking the navy beans overnight. Then I placed the beans in the crock pot with some home canned spicy tomato juice. Regular tomato juice would work as well and is what I plan to use next time I make it.

While the beans were simmering in the crock pot, I browned up a packaged of Jennie O Turkey Sausage (a kielbasa style sausage) adding about 2 tbsp olive oil to do so. I cut the sausage up into quarters first. After the sausage was browned, I added it to crock pot.

Next I cut up and sauteed some celery and carrots in the same skillet that I had used for the sausage. I did add a bit more olive oil at this point. After about ten minutes of sauteing I added the celery and carrots to the crock pot.

I also added salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, and onion salt at this point. I am bad about measuring but would say about 1-2 tsp of each. At this point I let the soup cook on high in the crock pot for six hours or so. I just kept testing the beans to make sure they were done.

My family loved the soup. My boys (1.5 and 2.5) each ate two bowls of the soup.

A recap of the ingredients I used:
1 lb bag of navy beans
46 oz can of tomato juice
1 lb pkg of Jennie O Turkey sausage
2-3 tbsp olive oil
3-4 stalks of celery
1-2 medium carrots
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning