Shredded Beef Enchiladas

4-12 oz cans roast beef
3 T red wine vinegar
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 onion, diced
8 oz green chiles
1 T flour
2 c sour cream
2 c shredded jack cheese, divided
20 corn tortillas
oil

Heat oven to 375. Mix beef, vinegar, chili powder and cumin.  Saute onion till soft, mix in chiles and flour.  Cook 2 min.  Stir in sour cream and 1/2 of the cheese.  Reduce heat to low and cook 10 min.
Soften tortillas in oil 30 sec or microwave, or just have crumbly tortillas. ;)
In each tortilla, scoop 1/4 cup beef mixture, and 1/4 cup sour cream mixture.  Roll and sprinkle with 1 cup Jack cheese.  Cook 30 min.

Food storage:  canned onion is a great sub!

Creamy Oatmeal Mix

To make up enough to store in a #10 can:

10 cups rolled oats (instant or regular)
1 cup powdered milk
1 Tbs salt
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs cinnamon
1 Tbs nutmeg

To prepare:
Add 1/2 cup mix to 1 cup water and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.  Add raisins or other dried fruit before cooking or add fruit, granola, nuts, etc. after.

Cinnamon Milk

2 cups powdered non-instant milk
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup coffee creamer
 Yields 1 quart of mix.  Add 1/4 cup to 1 cup boiling water.

Swedish Apple Pie

This pie is delicious and a wonderful dessert to make when you are craving some apple pie but don't have the time to make a crust.  However, please don't think it's some sort of second-rate apple pie in a pinch.  It's so tasty I make it even when I *do* have the time for an old fashioned apple pie.  It's in a class all by itself.  :)  Oh my gravy it's good! 

5-6 medium apples, sliced
 OR use your apple slices from your food storage (I buy mine in bulk from the LDS Home Storage Center, everyone is welcome - find one near you here)
I use 2.5 - 3 cups dried apples, rehydrate for 5 minutes in 4 cups boiling water - drain excess

1 T sugar
1 T cinnamon
3/4 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped nuts
small splash of vanilla

Fill pie plate 2/3 full of apples.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  In a medium bowl, stir the rest of the ingredients until combined.  Pour over apples.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

Food Storage:  I *always* make this with my dehydrated apples so everything in the recipe comes from items I have on hand.  Remember you can substitute shortening for butter or margarine, and use your powdered eggs and then all the ingredients are shelf stable.   A fresh tasting dessert without much effort and no runs to the store for ingredients!

Lion House Oatmeal Cookies

From the Lion House Recipes cookbook:

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups flour
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup nuts
(for my family we just add about a cup and a half our our desired mix-ins:  cinnamon or chocolate chips, craisins, nuts, etc.)

Cream together sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and milk and mix well.  Then add rolled oats.  Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth.  Stir in desired mix-ins.  Drop on cookie sheet and back at 375 degrees F for 10 or until lightly browned.  Makes 5-6 dozen cookies. 

Notes:  We have successfully substituted margarine and butter for shortening when we've run out.

Food Storage:  Shortening is a great item for your food storage since it's shelf stable.  I always bake with my powdered eggs and powdered milk and the rest of the ingredients are all dry and store well in your pantry.

Chicken Breasts with Peppers

I made this a few months ago and loved it!  I took the picture and then promptly lost the recipe so I couldn't post it - so frustrating!!!  But we've been doing some organizing and I finally found the recipe.  It's amazing what you find when you clean.  ; )

Chicken Breasts with Peppers

2 Tb olive or vegetable oil
2 medium red, green or yellow peppers, cut into thing strips
1 tsp garlic powder
1 envelope (or 1/4 cup of your homemade mix) onion soup mix
2 boneless chicken breasts, halved (meaning if you bought them butterflied, or the halves of the breast were connected - cut them into separate halves. You should end up with 4 halves like the one pictured above)
1 c water
1/2 tsp basil leaves

In large skillet, heat oil and brown chicken over medium-high heat.  Remove chicken.  Add peppers and cook, stirring frequently, two minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender.  Stir in onion soup mix blended with water and basil; bring to a boil.  Return chicken to skillet and simmer uncovered eight minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once.  Makes 4 servings.

Adaptations:
For a Food Storage meal- use canned chicken and peppers or another veggie.
For the Crockpot - dump all the ingredients in the pot!  Cook for the typical 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low.  You could absolutely use frozen peppers and chicken without thawing first - just toss them in as is!  You may brown the chicken first if you prefer.

Taco Rice/Spanish Rice

TACO RICE MIX
In a quart-sized ziplock bag combine the following ingredients:

1 cup long grain brown rice or white rice
2 teaspoons chili powder (wimpy white girl halves this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each oregano & cumin & garlic powder
2 tablespoons dry onion
Dash red pepper flakes (and you know I omit this)


Seal & Label the bag. Store on the pantry shelf.

To Prepare:
1 package of Taco Rice Mix
1 or 2 tablespoons oil
8 oz can reduced sodium tomato sauce or 1 cup chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
2 cups water

Get out a 2-quart saucepan. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the contents of the Taco Rice Mix. Sauté the rice and seasonings in the hot oil until the rice is toasty and slightly opaque. Add the tomato sauce and water. Stir it up and bring it to a boil. When it starts to boil, cover the pan with a good lid and reduce the heat to very low. Brown rice will cook in 45 minutes. White rice will cook in 20 minutes. Serve topped with cheese for a main dish, or just like it is as a side dish. This recipe doubles easily. Cook it in a 3-quart saucepan if you double it.

Makes 4 servings.

Variations

To make Taco Style Beans & Rice add a 15 oz can of kidney or pinto or black beans (1-1/2 cups cooked beans) well drained and rinsed, along with the tomato sauce and water. Cook as directed.

To make Taco TVP & Rice Mix add 1 cup of plain TVP and 2 bouillon cubes to the rice mixture. Use the flavor of bouillon that you prefer. When you prepare the dish, increase the water to 2-3/4 cups. Otherwise, proceed as directed. This is a great main dish mix to keep on hand for busy days.

Note: I keep the bag of Taco Rice Mix in a small brown paper bag along with the canned tomato sauce, and sometimes a can of kidney beans too. This keeps the items together in one spot so I don't have to hunt all over the kitchen for that "can of tomato sauce that I know is around here somewhere". You may be more organized than me and always know where that extra can of tomato sauce is, but in case you're not this tip will save some work. Be sure to label and date the paper bag so you know what it is when you see it sitting there on the shelf.

Hot Cocoa

I found this recipe at the Hillbilly Housewife. Here it is adjusted to use my non-instant powdered milk. We love having this convenient mix at home! Everyone has loved the taste and we love the convenience of mixing up huge batches with little trouble or cost. Yummy!

2 cups non-instant dry milk

1 1/2 cups sugar (if you like a sweeter drink, more kid-friendly, use 2 cups)

1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Mix all the ingredients in a clean, dry bowl. Use a whisk to mix everything together, squishing out any clumps. Store in a sealed canister. Add 1/4 cup cocoa mix to 8oz hot water and stir. You can add more mix if you like.

I triple this recipe and use a gallon size Rubbermaid square food storage container from Wal-Mart.

The original recipe has some other optional add-ins: small box of instant chocolate or vanilla pudding, 1/4 cup of instant coffee for a mocha flavor.

Creamy Chicken Soup

This is a recipe from one of my favorite sources - an Australian Women's Weekly cookbook.

This cookbook give fresh ideas for every stage of a young baby's developing palate. From prenatal nutrition to rice cereal at four months to foods for 6 month-olds, one year-olds, toddlers and busy families you will find so many delicious and healthy recipes along with advice and hints. I love it! Whenever I feel stuck in a rut with my kids (and it is SO easy to do!) this is where I turn for inspiration. Everything is from scratch and gives directions for freezing and adapting meals to be suitable for babies and toddlers. And as a bonus there are some CUTE birthday cakes.

Picking a cake out of the Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake cookbook was something I looked forward to each year. And I'm happy to do with my kids as well. Here are some of the cakes I've made with their easy-to-follow directions. (Really - anyone can make these!)

Here's the book I have at home -

And here is a great recipe from AWW Babies and Toddlers! It is a favorite at our house and I like to bring it to new moms or sick families because it's comforting, mild for nursing moms, and the whole family likes it!

1 Tb olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, crushed

4 chicken thigh fillets, sliced thinly

2 medium carrots, chopped coarsely

2 trimmed celery stalks, chopped coarsely

1 can of creamed corn

4 cups chicken stock (I use water and bouillon)

1 cup short pasta (shells, elbow macaroni, etc)

1/2 cup cream

1 Tb finely chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in large pan; cook onion and garlic, stirring, until onion is soft. Add chicken, carrot, celery, corn and stock, bring to a boil; simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Add pasta; simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in cream; reheat without boiling, sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Store up to 2 days in fridge (it is generally advised not to freeze cream soups or pasta because of undesirable changes in texture - but if you freeze it before you add the pasta or cream you should be fine!)

For babies: puree

For toddlers: chop to suit development

FOOD STORAGE: use canned/dehydrated veggies and canned chicken. Substitute whatever you have on hand for the cream. I would use evaporated milk (made from powdered milk or from a can) or thicken regular milk with a cornstarch slurry near the end of cooking time.

Damper

In colonial Australia, stockmen developed the technique of making damper out of necessity. Often away from home for weeks, with just a camp fire to cook on and only sacks of flour as provisions, a basic staple bread evolved. It was originally made with flour and water and a good pinch of salt, kneaded, shaped into a round, and baked in the ashes of the campfire or open fireplace. It was eaten with pieces of fried dried meat, sometimes spread with golden syrup, but always with billy tea or maybe a swig of rum.

description from aussie-info.com

Damper is a traditional Australian bread - popular at BBQs and super easy to make! Because of the limited supplies available out on the range it is not at all difficult to make. There is no yeast and little kneading so there is not much you can mess up here! This is the first real recipe that I ever made entirely on my own. In fact I made this for my 6th grade class (demonstrated in the classroom!) and it came out beautifully. (And - so they said - deliciously!) I love to make this hearty bread with soup.

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tb baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
3 oz butter

½ cup milk
½ cup water
extra flour

1. Sift dry ingredients into bowl, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, fairly even in size.
2. Make a well in center of dry ingredients, add combined water and milk all at once; mix lightly with sharp knife in cutting motion. Turn out on to lightly floured surface; knead lightly.
3. Knead dough into round, place on greased oven tray. Pat dough out to a 6 inch circle. With sharp knife, cut two slits across dough like a cross, approximately half an inch deep. Brush top of dough with milk, sift a little extra flour over dough. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes or until golden brown, reduce heat to 350°F, cook a further 15 minutes.

Chicken Curry Casserole

adapted from Kim's recipe

For a meatless meal - this is delicious w/o the chicken!

For a food storage meal - use canned chicken and veggies

2 cups brown rice (uncooked)

16oz broccoli florets (or use one pkg of frozen broccoli)

2/3 cup SOS mix (or use 2 cans of cream of chicken soup and omit water)

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup mayo

2 Tbs curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp seasoned salt

2 cups cooked chicken (or 1/2 of a quart jar of canned chicken)

1/2 cup to 1 cup shredded cheddar or cheddar mix

Cook rice and steam broccoli. In a small saucepan, add SOS mix and whisk in water water a little at a time to prevent lumps. Heat mixture to boiling, cook 2 minutes and then take off heat. Mix together cooked rice, cooked broccoli, soup/SOS sauce, mayo, seasonings and chicken. Pour into 9x13" dish, sprinkle cheese on top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This is easily doubled (then you can use the full quart jar of chicken) and frozen in either a gallon freezer bag or in a 9x13" pan covered with 2 layers of foil. Make sure you label it!

Take out the night before to thaw, pour into pan and cook as usual. You can even thaw in the microwave for a last minute dinner.

Chocolate Pudding

3 cups milk (see note)

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa or carob powder

2/3 cup sugar

Good dash salt

3 tablespoons margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

In a two quart sauce pan combine the cornstarch, cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix it very well. Gradually add the milk, whisking it in until the mixture is smooth. Heat the pan over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring the pudding to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir for one minute. Remove from heat. Stir in the margarine and vanilla. The pudding will thicken as it cools. You can pour the pudding into a pretty serving dish, or small individual cups. I pour it into small individual cups with lids and send it in the children’s lunch boxes. Store it in the fridge either way. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Feel free to use powdered milk! I mix my dry milk in with the other dry ingredients and then add the appropriate amount of water. For 3 cups of milk I use 9 Tbs (1/2 cup plus 1 Tb) of non-instant powdered milk (this is the kind you buy at the LDS Cannery and the kind I use). If you are buying your dry milk from the grocery store follow the directions on the box.

I frequently forget to add the margarine and it still is delicious!

For another variation - I sometimes use Magic Mix to make pudding. If you follow the link you will find the recipe I use. I recently found another Magic Mix recipe from Washington State University that doesn't involve any fat that I'm going to try. It uses corn starch to thicken the sauce and since I use that trick myself to cut fat I'm eager to see how it goes!

Whole Wheat Bread

adapted from myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot.com

Makes 2 loaves (for the original recipe which makes 4 loaves and calls for instant yeast go here).

I love this recipe because I don't need a Bosch to make whole wheat bread. I tried about half a dozen other recipes (one of which resulted in the untimely demise of my Kitchenaid - which they replaced, whew!) and all of them didn't work out for me. This dough is soft enough to not strain my 4.5 qt Kitchenaid Mixer (I have the Artisian) when I knead it for 10 minutes and the dough is so easily handled I never need any flour when I roll out my dough. I have started baking my own bread exclusively and I bake a couple of loaves about every 5-6 days. They have kept beautifully! If you don't go through bread quickly or you want to make extra and freeze them, use the sugar instead of the honey - it tastes better after the loaf is thawed I think. I also measure out extra sets of the dry ingredients when I make this and place those extra mixes in labeled ziploc bags so they are ready the next time I need to bake.

Ok, so here you go!

2 1/2 cups warm water

1 1/2 Tb yeast

Proof in your mixing bowl until bubbly.

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

Add, mix 1 min on "stir" or 2 at the fastest. Cover and let rest 10 min.

1 Tb salt

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup honey (use the cup the oil was in and it slides right out!) or 1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 Tb lemon juice

Add and beat together 1 min.

2 1/2 cups wheat flour

Add one cup at a time, beating after each addition. Beat for 6-10 minutes. The longer you let it knead the more gluten you'll develop in your loaf and the better it will be! Feel free to substitute some white flour if you prefer. I do when I use the hard read wheat to make my flour - it has a stronger taste than my family prefers. I think hard white wheat makes a better tasting flour and doesn't need to be mixed with all-purpose flour - just my opinion!

Turn oven on for 1 minute and then turn off. Cover dough and let rise until doubles - this usually takes me 45 minutes, sometimes less.

Divide dough into two even halves. Knead 5-10 times by hand to smooth out dough and then shape into an oval. I use a pastry mat instead of my counter - but if your counter is clean go for it! Roll each into a rectangle - about the same size as a 9x13" pan. Roll up dough tightly jelly-roll style starting on a short side. Pinch and smooth seam. Pinch ends of loaf and tuck underneath to smooth the look of your ends. Place each loaf into a greased bread pan and let rise in warm oven till doubled. Then bake for 20 minutes at 350F. When done, bread should be browned and sound hollow when you tap the top. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then cool on wire racks.

Pie Crust

This is an easy crust that I've used when I need a quick crust for quiche or pie.

2 c all-purpose flour

1 t salt

1 c shortening (I use margarine as well)

1/2 cold water

Combine flour and salt. (Easy on the dough setting of my Cuisinart - just pulse till mixed). Cut in shortening - or just pulse again after adding your shortening or margarine. It will mix best if you cut it into smaller pieces as you add it to the mixing bowl. Add the water and mix just until combined. Keeping the fat pieces intact in your dough (not completely pulverized) will hold up your pastry layers and make a flaky crust. If you overmix you will lose that. The crust won't be bad, just not as flaky. Divide dough into half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Four hours is ideal but I've often just put it in for the 1/2 hour or so that it took to mix up my filling.

Gingerbread Whole Wheat Pancakes and Syrup!

Oh my these are so fantastic! A fresh twist to the blender pancake and another way to use your wheat!

from everydayfoodstorage.net

1 cup milk (I, of course, use powdered)

1 cup wheat kernels, whole and uncooked

2 eggs (2T powdered eggs and 1/4 cup water)

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 Tb oil

2 Tb honey or sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ginger
Put milk and wheat in blender. If using food storage ingredients then add the wheat and 1 1/4 cup water (the water for the dry milk and dry eggs). Then blend on highest speed until smooth (this could take 5 minutes). Add the rest of your ingredients and blend on low until well mixed. Cook and serve.

Hot Homemade Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 Cup buttermilk or 1/2 Cup milk with 1/2 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice

2 Cups Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter

2 Tbs. Corn Syrup (not essential but it will help your syrup keep longer without going grainy)

2 t. baking soda

1 tsp. Vanilla (do not add until after removing from heat)

Mix ingredients in a pot and boil for 3 minutes, the sauce will turn to the caramel color towards the end of boiling. (Essential Tip: mix in a pot one size larger than you think you will need. The syrup will be frothy in the beginning and it is awful cleaning up a burnt sugary mess on your stove…trust me!)

Stir in vanilla when syrup is finished cooking.

Makes enough sauce for 2 recipes of pancakes.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

2 lb meat

20 or so corn tortillas, quartered (I use a pizza cutter)

1 pkg taco seasoning (1/4 c)

3/4 c water

1 can beans of choice (black, kidney, etc)

1 12oz jar salsa (Herdez, baby!)

1 can cream of whatever soup, reserve 1/2 cup

2 c shredded cheese

Toppings: olives, green onions, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce

Cook meat taco seasoning, water and all but 1/2 cup of soup all day in the crockpot - your basic 6 hours on low. Remove meat mixture to large bowl. Shred meat if necessary - mix together and add beans, salsa and cheese.

In the crock pot (don't bother to rinse it out) place a double layer of tortillas to cover the base. Layer meat mix and tortillas in alternating layers.

On the top layer (meat or tortilla - it doesn't matter what you end with, just use up your ingredients) add rest of soup, green onions, cheese, black olives, whatever you'd like.

Cook on high 2 hours.

Serve over lettuce and tomatoes.

Chicken Taco Filling

1 pkg (4T) taco seasoning

1 c chicken broth

1 lb chicken breast

Place all in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Use two forks and shred.

To freeze, place meat and juice in freezer bag, press out air and seal.

Danish Puff Pastry

From Lynette

For dough:

1 c. flour

1 cube margarine

2 T cold water

In mixing bowl, blend four and margarine together as for pie crust.  Add 2 Tb cold water, mix until blended.  Divide dough in 1/2 and pat out 2 strips, 10" by 4.5-5", on ungreased cookie sheet.

Filling:

1 c. water

1 cube margarine

1 tsp almond extract

1 c. flour

3 eggs

Cook water on stovetop until boiling - add margarine.  Remove from heat and add almond extract.  Pour in flour, stirring until smooth and blended.  Add eggs one at a time and blend in thoroughly by hand.  Spread on top of dough strips.  Bake for 1 hour in 350F oven.  Frost with butter cream icing and top with chopped nuts or sliced almonds.

Butter Cream Icing:

1/3 c. soft margarine

3 c. confectioner's sugar

1 tsp almond extract

about 2 T milk

Blend margarine and sugar.  Stir in almond extract and milk and beat until smooth.

Whole wheat and flax pizza dough

This is from Eat, Shrink & Be Merry - a fantastic cookbook go check them out! The recipes are healthy and delicious and they share sample recipes on their website. I know this sounds a little too healthy for many tastes - but I promise it's good! Whenever we've shared this pizza with friends they always ask for the recipe! :) Maybe we just have healthy friends... but we really love this dough!

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2 T ground flax meal (I am more generous with this - usually I more than double it)

2 1/4 t quick-rising yeast (which we actually never have - we just use the reg. kind)

1/2 t salt

2/3 c very warm water

2 t olive oil

2 t liquid honey

Olive oil cooking spray

1 T cornmeal

In med. bowl, combine flours, flax meal, yeast and salt. Mix well.

Measure warm water in measuring cup, then stir in olive oil and honey. (Use the same teaspoon measure - olive oil first, and the honey slips right off!). Pour into dry ingredients and mix until dough forms a ball. Turn out dough onto floured surface and knead 2 minutes. Spray another bowl with cooking spray, place dough inside and cover with sprayed plastic wrap - let rise until double. ~20 min. Spray pizza pan with oil and dust with cornmeal.

Roll dough into 12" circle, place on pizza pan. Top and bake at 425F for 15 min. Or prick crust with fork and bake untopped for 6 min - top and bake an additional 8 to 10 min. (I always pre-bake mine).

With young kids I think one pizza would serve a family of 4-6. An adult should be satisfied with 2 pieces (I cut the pizza into 8) - it's heartier than the pizza you're used to. And if they're not satisfied... PORTION CONTROL. Go eat a salad and an apple. ;)

Notes: The pizza in the pictures has a few special additions that I sometimes like to include. First I made it a "Stuffed Crust" pizza. I take mozzarella sticks and cut them in half to make two shorter cylinders. Then I split each one down the center lengthwise (so the cross-sections are now half-circles). I lay these out on the edge of my rolled out pizza dough and then tuck the dough around the cheese - pressing firmly to seal so the cheese doesn't all leak out. Look at the first picture to see what the pizza looks like after this step.

I also took an idea from Dominos and brushed the outside with a mixture of olive oil and Costco's garlic bread seasoning. I was planning on using garlic salt and oil, but the I grabbed the other seasoning first and it was delicious. You could use oil or melted butter/margarine mixed with any seasoning you like (Italian, oregano, basil, parmesan, etc.)

FREEZER MEAL: Since you are taking the time to make this dough - make more! I make four at once (my KitchenAid handles this easily) and usually make one or two for one meal (depends on how many side dishes I've planned and how hungry we are) and freeze the rest. I cut the dough into four equal pieces (making sure they are equal by using my scale) and take what I'm not using and place it in a freezer bag for the next week. I've exploded plastic freezer bags doing this - so make sure to leave room for the dough to expand!

If you can get a hold of those cardboard circles that frozen pizzas are packaged on you can also use them to freeze pizza dough that has already been rolled into a circle saving you an extra step come meal time. Just roll the dough out, place it on the cardboard and wrap with plastic wrap and foil. And the cardboard rounds are re-usable.

Minestrone

from Allrecipes.com

3 T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 cups chopped celery

5 carrots, sliced

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

4 cups tomato sauce

1 cup canned kidney beans, drained

1 - 15oz can green beans

2 cups baby spinach

3 zucchini, quartered and sliced

1 T fresh oregano

2 T fresh basil

s&p

1/2 cup seashell pasta (optional)

2 T grated Parmesan

In large pot over med-lo heat oil and garlic 2-3 min.  Add onion and sautee 4-5 min.  Add celery and carrots and sautee 1-2 min.

Add broth, water and tomato sauce, boil and stir.  Reduce to low and add beans, spinach, zucchini, and spices. Simmer 30-40 min.

If adding noodles, boil and cook separately.

Put 2 T pasta in each person's bowl, top with soup, sprinkle with cheese.

Food Storage:  Just used dried herbs, and canned veggies in place of fresh.  I always have spinach and other veggies prepared and frozen.  Since this is simmered for so long it doesn't matter if you're using frozen zucchini, spinach, etc.