Ham Potato Corn Chowder

This recipe takes some work, but everyone who sampled this recipe only raved about it...including a friend who stopped by the day afterward and had it for lunch. It is THAT good. I altered this from the original recipe and made it gluten free. I hope you enjoy.


Photo found here.

Ham Potato Corn Chowder
INGREDIENTS:
3 thick cut slices of bacon (chopped)
1 ham steak (cubed)
1 medium yellow onion (chopped fine)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
(3) 10 oz. cans of sweet corn (drained)
8 oz. original cream cheese (room temp)
1 can condensed cream of celery soup* (gluten free recipe below)
1/2 cup white grape juice
4 cups water
2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence (dry spice)
2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
about 2 tablespoons of butter
about 6 large red skin potatoes (diced into bite sized pieces)

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a large soup pot, melt about two tablespoons butter on medium-high heat. Add in your chopped bacon and render the fat from the bacon, stirring often with a wooden spoon.

Once the bacon looks cooked through and crispy, and you have a good amount of bacon fat in your pot, add in the white grape juice to scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pot. Add your chopped onion and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir often.

Now add in your ham and corn and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir often.Add in your cream cheese, cream of celery soup, and give everything a stir. Lower heat to low setting, add in your Herb de Provence, bay leaves, chicken bouillon cubes, about a teaspoon of salt, and fresh ground pepper, and 4 cups of water. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes on low (**about half way through, remove lid and taste for seasonings. Since the bacon and ham are salty we don’t want to add too much salt, but you may need more, so taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed)

In a separate large pot, boil some water. Add potato chunks and boil until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and add to the other pot. Stir and serve. 

*Homemade cream of celery soup*
INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup finely-chopped celery
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
8-ounces 2% evaporated milk
1 teaspoon onion powder (can substitute 1 tablespoon chopped onion)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon celery salt or table salt
Pinch of sugar

HOW TO PREPARE:
Saute celery (and onion if substituting for powder) in hot oil in skillet over medium heat.
When vegetables are softened, add milk, then whisk in remaining ingredients. Stir constantly and cook gently until thickened.

I found this recipe here. 

Perfect Potato Soup (Dairy free option)

I'm always looking for more potato soup recipes to try. I came across this one and it was a big hit with my whole family! My son, Keith, was recently diagnosed as lactose intolerant. I'm not going to lie - this has been tricky, as I love me some dairy. I realized that this recipe worked out because there's a time towards the end where I can scoop some soup out into a bowl for Keith before adding the yummy dairyness for the rest of us. And Keith LOVED the soup - so it's a win-win! WARNING: This soup makes enough for a small army.

Potato Cheese Soup
INGREDIENTS:
10 pound bag of potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 bag of carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
1 gallon water
12 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
Salt
Pepper
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1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup GF flour
3 pints from a combination of half and half and/or whole milk and/or whipping cream
1/2 tsp pepper
12oz shredded cheese

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a 9 quart pot (or larger) add potatoes, carrots, water, and bouillon cubes. Boil for ten minutes. Stir in frozen corn. Sprinkle in salt and pepper. Continue boiling until carrots and potatoes are tender. At this point, the dairy free soup is finished. Scoop out however much you want and enjoy. TURN OFF THE HEAT.

In a large saucepan, add minced onion and butter and cook on medium heat until the onion is softened. Whisk in flour. Stir in milk/half and half/whipping cream. Whisk until smooth. Continue cooking on medium heat until thickened. Once it has thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. DO NOT BOIL. Stir in the cheese sauce into the pot with the potatoes and carrots. Serve hot.

Serve with bread, if desired. Enjoy!

Moroccan Garbanzo Bean Stew

I found this recipe in this book. It was very satisfying! In fact, I have loved every recipe that I have made from this book. I highly recommend it!

Moroccan Garbanzo Bean Stew
2 cups dried garbanzo beans
3 tbsp oil
2 large onions
3 minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
Salt
Pepper

HOW TO PREPARE:
Rinse beans in a colander and place them in a mixing bowl covered with cold water. Allow beans to soak for at least 6 hours, or overnight. Or place beans in to a sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and soak beans for 1 hour. With either soaking method, drain beans, discard soaking water, and begin cooking as soon as possible.

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Scrape mixture into the slow cooker.

Place drained beans in the slow cooker. Add tomatoes and stock, and stir well. Cook on Low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3 1/2-4 hours, or until garbanzo beans are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper for the last hour of cooking time.

Note: the dish can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat it, covered, over low heat until hot, stirring occasionally.

Split Pea Soup

I didn't appreciate this recipe until I was an adult. Now I find it so smooth and comforting. And my kids like it, which always helps.

Split Pea Soup
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb bag green split peas
2 ½ quarts (10 cups) water
¼ tsp garlic salt

HOW TO PREPARE:
Bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Let stand 1 hour.

Mix in: 1 cup chopped onion, ½ tsp pepper, ¼ tsp butter, 1 cup celery pieces, 1 cup carrots, 1 tsp parsley.

First boil, then simmer. For 2 hours or until peas are done.

Take 2 cups of soup & blend it in the blender with 2 cups milk, then add back into soup.

Cook 3-4 bacon strips. Pour grease & crumbled up bacon into soup.

Cut up 2 slices of ham (½ inch each) into bitesize pieces and add to soup. YUM!

Ukrainian Red Borscht

Ukrainian Red Borscht

• 1 (16 ounce) package pork sausage or you can use a pork or beef roast chopped
• 3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
• 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
• 3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded
• 1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained or fresh, diced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sour cream, for topping

How to make it

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• Crumble the sausage into a skillet over medium-high heat (or chunked meat)
• Cook and stir until no longer pink. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Fill a large pot halfway with water (about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil.
• Add the meat, and cover the pot.
• Return to a boil. Add the beets, and cook until they have lost their color.
• Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add the cabbage
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Add the diced tomatoes and cook with onion
• Transfer to the pot, cover and turn off the heat.
• Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Taste, and season with salt, pepper and sugar.
• Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream and fresh dill or parsley.
• Note: I prefer to cook my beets with the skins on for about an hour in the soup water. The skins slip right off after boiling and its easy to chop or slice them, plus it increases the nutritional value of the soup!