White Northern Bean & Bacon Soup

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I usually walk into the kitchen with a blank slate or a recipe I know I will modify, but this one is inspired by seeing a jar of soup at our local veggie shop Easy Way. As we were shopping, a jar of soup caught my eye, and the label read, Bean & Bacon. So instead of spending $5.99 on the jar of soup, I decided to buy a bag of northern beans, two cans of chicken stock, and a package of bacon and throw it together on my own. I love making soup from scratch, and bottling it, so this was perfect.

I must say this is the best soup from scratch I have ever thrown together. It has a very strong spice aspect though, and although it tastes amazing, if you have gas problems, this is not the recipe for you! I have a hard time translating the "throwing together" aspect into a detailed recipe...so I will provide an approximation of ingredients and their quantities. If a measurement is listed, it means the quantity or amount is accurate to the amount I used in my batch.  The ingredients without measurements or quantities are ones I kind of threw in, let simmer, taste tested and modified to my liking.  It is fun to experiment.  Adding the dashes of hot sauce and fresh ground black pepper seemed to really add a kick to it that is subtle and creeps up on your taste buds.

Ingredients:

1 package Northern Beans
4 slices of Bacon (cook in a skillet and cut with kitchen shears)
2 Cans chicken stock
3 cups water
2 tablespoons flour (added to 2 tablespoons of water as a thickener)
3 dashes Louisiana hot sauce (or any other type of hot sauce you like)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Ingredients that are flexible to taste, I used the measurements in parentheses, but I tend to add ingredients that I feel will balance the taste after it simmers a few minutes. Sugar counteracts high acidity, and butter adds a fullness, if it tastes to sugary, I will add a dash of hot and spicy seasoning along with a dash of vinegar to reduce the sweetness.  Also, I ran into a race of sweet and sour balance for this one, adding too much honey, so I added vinegar to counteract it, but added too much.  Then I added a little bit of white sugar, black pepper, and dashes of hot sauce, and it made it perfect.  Trial and error!

Butter (unsalted, sweet cream - 3 tablespoons)
Olive oil (1 tablespoon)
Marsala cooking wine (1 tablespoon)
Parsley (2 teaspoons)
Basil (2 teaspoons)
Cumin (1 teaspoon)
Black pepper (1 teaspoon)
Apple cider vinegar (listed above)
Honey (listed above)
Sea Salt (2 teaspoons)
Won ton soup mix (1 tablespoon - this can be omitted, it has MSG, which I happen to love, but others do not)
Dried onion (1 tablespoon)
Chicken poultry seasoning (1 teaspoon) this can be omitted as well because I did not use enough to make a significant difference in the taste.

Directions:

1. Modified quick rinse for beans.  Fill pot with water to sit about an inch above beans.  Heat until boiling, then boil for approximately 20 minutes.  Strain, rinse with cold water and return to pot.  (I manually removed the skin of some of the beans that did not naturally shed).
2. Cook Bacon while beans are boiling.
3. Add water to pot with beans
4. Add chicken stock
5. Add bacon pieces
6. On medium to high heat begin heating the soup.
7. Add butter, and seasonings.

Here is where you can use my recommended amounts, or modify the soup to your liking.  Have fun!

1. Boil uncovered on a medium heat for 30 minutes.
2. Check the bean hardness, water levels, and strength of the seasoning.
3. If the beans are still fairly hard, add another cup of water, and adjust seasoning to taste.
4. Continue step 10 until you feel it's ready.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to a small bowl, mix with two tablespoons of water until smooth.
6. Add to soup, stir, and let simmer another 10 minutes.
7. Finished!

Unfortunately, this is not a pretty soup, so a final picture is not available.  Remember the bean-o, breath mints, and nose plugs (just kidding), except about the bean-o...  I may not be able to duplicate this one again, but it was awesome while it lasted, and hopefully this will recipe page will help me and lil T remember  ;).

Simple Taco Salad

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My mother is an inspiration to me.  She raised me to eat healthy foods, and as she and I grow older, her habits carry over.  She managed to reverse her diabetes through a low carb diet.  I lost weight on low carb too, but I think there can be modifications made to the diet to create a low carb, low fat and low calorie, but still very flavorful and filling.

This simple taco salad is just that.  It is simple, tasty, low carb, low fat, and low calories.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey (this is for the whole recipe, each serving is about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the cooked mixture)
1 1/2 packages of low sodium taco seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup shredded iceberg
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream (low fat, reduced fat, whichever you choose)
3 tablespoons salsa (of your choice)
1 tablespoon taco sauce

Variations:  add black beans, fresh diced tomatoes, or jalapenos.

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to non stick skillet.
2. Add ground turkey and brown.
3. Follow directions on taco seasoning package (usually adds 3/4 cups water and seasoning, then heat until thick).
4. Prepare lettuce with mandolin slicer, or chop on cutting board.

I usually buy shredded cheddar, but if you prefer to shred your own, have at it!  

Plate 1 cup of shredded lettuce, top with ground turkey mixture, top with taco sauce, salsa, sour cream, then shredded cheese.  If you choose to add variations like black beans, or other variations, add those before topping with sour cream and cheddar.

You are finished!  Enjoy this easy healthy meal.

Low Carb Bread

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I tried baking bread from scratch tonight for the first time, and I must say I am pleased with the results.  Although I was hoping for a lighter bread, one to make grilled cheese sandwiches with, this bread will be good for cold sandwiches, topped with butter, preserves, or even for garlic bread.

Once again, I modified the recipe because although I try to eat low carb, low fat, this bread is very low in carbs regardless of the slight modification of using real sugar instead of sugar substitute.

This recipe is great because it does not require the lengthy process of kneading and letting the bread rise.

Ingredients:

Original Recipe:

2 cups Atkins Cuisine All Purpose Baking Mix
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 packet sugar substitute ~ I used 2 tablespoons of sugar instead
1 1/8 cups water (1/8 cup water = 2 tablespoons)
3 tablespoons canola oil ~ substitute with olive oil, or other flavored oil.

My additions:

1/4 cup flax seed meal
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (for after it bakes, melted on top and sides)

Directions:

Heat over to 350, and prepare a bread pan with non-stick cooking spray, set aside.  Spray a plastic cutting board with cooking spray and set aside.

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl with a spatula.
2. Add oil and water, and mix slowly
3. Coat hands with cooking spray (lightly), and transfer to plastic cutting board.
4. Form dough into a loaf.
5. Add to bread pan.
6. Bake for 60 minutes.
7. Allow to cool before slicing.

If you have an hour, you will enjoy this easy to make bread!  I will try this bread with other variations and let you know how it turns out.  Perhaps adding more seasoning and nuts.  

Enjoy!