FREE LOW COST RECIPES # 3, SOUPS, STEWS, GUMBOS

MARY'S HOMESTEAD GUMBO, SOUPS, AND STEWS RECIPES

MARY'S HOMESTEAD GUMBO RECIPE

1/2 POUND Italian sausage links, cut into 1/3 inch slices,(or use 1 pint home-canned sausage), 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, ( or use 1 pint home-canned chicken breasts), 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 medium sweet red pepper, chopped, 1 medium onion, chopped, 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 cans ( 14-1/2 ounces each ) chicken broth, 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice, , 1 can ( 14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained, 1 cup sliced okra, (use fresh, frozen or canned).

In a Dutch oven, brown the sausage and the chicken in the oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In the drippings, saute red pepper, onion, and the peppers until tender. Stir in the seasonings; cook for 5 ,minutes. Stir in the broth, rice and sausage mixture; bring it to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender.
Stir in the tomatoes, and okra; cook for 10 minutes or until the rice is tender.

BEEF BARLEY AND VEGETABLE SOUP

2 pkgs ground beef, 1/2 cup medium pearled barley-uncooked, 2 large potatoes, diced, 2 cups diced carrots, 2 stalks celery diced, 1/2 to 1 large onion diced green bell pepper, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can tomato juice, 2 beef bouillon cube or powdered ( 2 tsp), 1 tomato bouillon cube or powdered ( 1 tsp), 1 tsp dried basil crushed, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, celery salt to taste, 8 cups water and add more as needed as it will get thick with cooking.

In a huge pot add the olive oil, carrots, celery, onion and green pepper. Suate until the onion is clear, add the beef and brown it up some. Then add the potatoes, water, barley and the other seasonings.

Bring to a boil and then cut down to medium low and let it cook for about 2 hours or a bit more until all the veggies are tender. You will need to add water periodically as it will thicken up. I sometimes add a little more powdered bouillon to the water before I add it to the pot or you can use Beef broth in a can.

You can use a package or two of frozen mixed vegetables for a faster soup, or you can use your home canning vegetables.

You can also use a very large crockpot ( 7-8 quart), just do the above up to the browning of the meat, then add it all to the crockpot and add the remaining ingredients and let it cook on low for about 8 to 10 hours. You may need to add more water as it will get pretty thick with the barley swelling.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

1 medium onion, chopped, 3 stalks celery, chopped, 1 pound chicken pieces, thawed, 3 large carrots thinly sliced, 4 cups ( 6 oz. ), dry noodles

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Stir until the onion softens, about 3 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces and 10 cups water. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 hours. You can boost the flavor by adding a can of chicken broth or a couple of chicken bouillon cubes to the water. ( This will add to the cost slightly, and will also increase the calories, fat and sodium content.)

With soap and water, wash your hands, counter surfaces and equipment that came into contact with the raw chicken.

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the cooked chicken pieces from the broth. Cool. Pull meat from the chicken and return to the broth.

Use a spoon to skim the fat from the surface of the broth ( fat will rise to the surface).

Add the pasta. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, about 6 minutes.

Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. If refrigerated, use within 2 days. To reheat, bring to a boil.

OPTION:

YOU CAN MAKE TURKEY NOODLE SOUP.

Use 1 pound turkey from you roasted turkey instead of the chicken. You may also make the broth from the bones of your turkey.

MORE SOUP RECIPES

CREAMY SOUP BASE

This easy to make soup base will keep in your refrigerator. Then, simply use it as the creamy soup base mix in both of the recipes below for a quick and healthy weeknight meal ! ( makes 3 cups dry mix.)

2 cups nonfat dry milk, 3/4 cups cornstarch, 1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon, 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon basil, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

Time to prepare takes 5 minutes. Be sure all equipment and ingredients are dry. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Use this dry mix for the creamy soup base mix in the tasty recpies below !

CALIFORNIA MEDLEY CHEESE SOUP

1-1/2 cups frozen chopped broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, 3 cups boiling water, 1 cup dry creamy soup base mix, 3/4 cup grated cheese.

Add 1-1/2 cups of your canned chopped vegetables, ( drained) to 3 cups boiling water and cook slightly, mix 1 cup of dry creamy soup base mix with 3/4 cup cold water in a small bowl. Add cold soup mix to boiing water when the vegetables are cooked in. Add 2 tablespoons of grated cheese just before serving. Cover and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. This yields 7 and 1/2 cups.

OPTION: Use frozen chopped frozen chopped vegetables to 3 cups boiling water and cook slightly. You could use almost what you want but some ideas are: chopped broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

ANOTHER OPTION: Buy canned commercial vegetables if you are not able to homestead.

TORTILLA SOUP

4 cubes instant bouillon seasoning, chicken flavor, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup salsa, 1 teaspoon chile powder, 1 5-oz. can chicken, packed in water, 3 green onions, 1 large tomato, 1/2 cup ( 2 oz.) Monteray cheese, 4 oz ( 48 chips) tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS FOR THE RECIPE

For the above recipe you can make the tortillas, ( http://www.maryshomestead.com/id97.html

Recipes for salsa: http://www.maryshomestead.com/id110.html

CREAMY TURKEY SOUP

One leftover turkey carcass, ( 10 to 12 pound turkey), 2 quarts water, 1 medium onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 bay leaves, 1 cup chopped carrots, 1 cup uncooked long grain rice, 1/3 cup chopped celery, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 can of commercial cream of chicken soup, ( or any other flavor you like), or see recipe for homemade cream soup below.

Put the turkey carcass in a stockpot, and add the water, onion, salt & the bay leaves, slowly bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 2 hours.

Remove the carcass, cool, strain the broth in the pan and add the carrots, rice, celery and chopped onion. Cover and simmer the rice and the vegetables until they are tender.

Remove the turkey from the bones, discard the bones and cut the turkey into bite size pieces. Add the turkey and the cream soup to the broth. Heat the soup until the temperature you desire.

YIELDS: 8 to 10 servings.

About 2 quarts.

OPTION : You can can the broth and the leftover turkey and add vegetables . Then make the soup from that .You will not have to cook it so long.

I also use my pressure cooker for making soups , and I add the foods that cannot go into the presure cooker last and I cook it until the last ingredients are done.

It is good to know how to cook old fashioned way. If something happens that you would not have electricity it good to have the recipes that you need that are old fashioned and cook the long way.

While we have the blessings of electricity it helps to use the modern ways to cook. I use my crockpot , toaster oven, conviction oven , electric food processor , electric mixture and much more. Learn how to do it other ways, however, if we do not always have electricity.