Vegetarian Cowboy Beans in the Crockpot

*This was REALLY good. My kids said it was one of their favorites. (I served it as soup even though it didn't have a lot of broth). Also, I left out the green chilies, jalapeno, and chili powder because the tomatoes I used were a mexican flavored and had all that in it already. Oh, and I used my pressure cooker to quick-soak the beans. The times given here are definitely NOT long enough for dry beans from scratch. You need to soak overnight or use the pressure cooker before putting in the crockpot for the amount of time given.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, very finely mined
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery, peeled and chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 small minced jalapeno
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cups dried pinto beans
2 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
5 cups water
Pour oil into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker; stir, and cook on high for four to six hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve beans with shredded cheese and corn bread if desired.

Good Whole Wheat Bread

100% Whole Grain Wheat Bread

If you like fluffy brown bread this is it. No white flour here. This bread is not heavy like most 100% whole wheat breads. If it is you used too much flour and your dough was too stiff. If it flattens out and won't stand up you need more flour. The total amount of flour is usually about 6 1/2 to 7 cups.

Makes 2 Large Loaves

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups hot water
1/3 cup olive oil, any oil is fine
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon salt, Sea Salt is good
6 1/2 cups of 100% whole grain wheat flour
2 tablespoons dry active yeast

Directions
1. Place the first five ingredients in the bowl and mix.
2. Add: 2 Cups 100% Whole Grain Wheat Flour. (to cool the water and end up with warm dough) Mix then add 2 Tbs of Dry Active Yeast.
3. Add: 4 Cups of 100% Whole Grain Wheat Flour.
4. Mix until the consistency is some what even. Then continue to slowly add flour 1/2 Cup at a time until the dough quits sticking to the sides of the bowl. It should be tacky to the touch. The trick is to have enough consistency to stand up with the least amount of flour so the bread will be fluffy. It will most likely be 6 1/2 cups but in any case do not exceed 7 1/2 cups of wheat flour. You can trade one cup of wheat flour for one cup of all purpose white if you wish. Don't over mix or the bread will be tough.
5. When your dough is finished, leave it in the mixer, cover the bowl and let it rise for about 30-45 minutes. The dough will be larger but it doesn't need to double.
6. Grease two bread pans with Crisco. You can also flour the pans to reduce sticking.
7. Mix the dough again just enough to knock it down at least close to the original size.
8. Drop the dough on a floured surface so you can work the dough and shape it. Shape it with your hands to make a nice ball getting enough flour on it so it isn't sticky. Divide the ball in half and do it again. Shape the loaves by turning the dough under it's self over and over. When the dough is shaped the sides and ends will be sealed and all you will see is a nice oblong shaped loaf with smooth sides and top. Drop the loaves in your bread pans and let them rise until almost doubled. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for 36 minutes. If you forgot to preheat 41 minutes. (gas oven).
9. When done turn the bread out of the pan to a rack to cool. You can eat it right away (a great time for real butter) don't wrap it until completely cooled. (Condensation will make it soggy) Put in tinfoil to store on the counter. If you put it in the refrigerator it will turn into a brick. Enjoy.

I've made this bread several times now, and have always only used 6 1/2 cups flour. THe dough might seem a little sticky, but it will be fluffier that way. I also have added raw sunflower seeds which is a yummy addition.

Great Northern Beans with Leeks and Bacon

Long title, I know, but SOOO yummy. I substituted one diced onion for the leeks because that's what I had. And, I used my pressure cooker to cook the beans quickly.

Low in fat, and high in protein, dried beans are nearly a perfect food.

Ingredients
2 cups dried Great Northern beans
4 slices thick-sliced bacon, diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and tender green parts (2 bunches)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Place beans in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 hour. Drain beans and return to pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, but not mushy, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain beans, reserving some cooking water. Return beans to pan.

2. Place bacon in a large skillet; cook over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add olive oil to skillet. Add leeks and garlic; sauté 10 minutes. Add to beans. Crumble bacon and add to beans with salt and pepper. Add cooking water if beans seem dry. Serve hot. Serves 6.

Good for you Creamy Tomato Soup

This was SOOO good! I am not even much of a tomato soup fan, but this was delicious. The only problem was it didn't make enough for leftovers. It barely made enough to give each of my family members a small bowl full. So next time I will double or triple the recipe.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (14 ounce) cans Italian style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth or stock
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
3/4 cup evaporated skim milk, or 4 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese (I used the low-fat cream cheese)
chopped fresh basil or parsley for serving (oops, forgot this)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and carrots and saute for five minutes. Stir in garlic and saute an additional minute. Add tomatoes, broth, red pepper flakes, vinegar, and honey. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. For a creamy soup, transfer to blender and blend, or use an immersion blender directly in the pot. (Immersion blenders are a must have for soup lovers!) [I used my immersion blender, but I didn't blend until everything was perfectly smooth. There were little chunks of carrot still and I liked it like that). Soup can be made up to 2 days ahead of time to this point. Just before serving, add evaporated skim milk (or cream cheese of half and half) to pot. Warm through, but do not boil. Serve immediately with basil or parsley, and hopefully some warm focaccia.

Delicious Hamburgers

I got this recipe idea from a Rachael Ray recipe, but I have modified it and made it my own. This makes a really flavorful burger - I love it!!!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
2 cloves garlic, grated
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
A handful of fresh parsely, finely minced
Salt and pepper to taste.
4 slices muenster cheese
4 hamburger buns, lightly toasted

Directions:

Put ground beef in a bowl. Add the grated garlic, Worcestershire sauce, parsely, and salt and pepper. Use your hand to mix the ingredients together - don't over mix or you make the patties more tough. Form four patties that are thinner in the center and thicker at the edges for even cooking. Cook the patties in a frying pan for 8 minutes, turning once. In the last minute of cooking time, top the burgers with the slice of cheese.
Place the burgers on the buns and enjoy. Another delicious addition is to carmelize some sliced onions to place on top. SO GOOOOOOD!!!

Soft Pretzels

Try these yummy soft pretzels - so good!!! Hot out of the oven I also basted them with melted butter to make them extra soft and delicious. Also, when you are rolling the dough out into ropes before shaping, try to get it about as thin and your finger - they rise and get thick in the oven, so if you don't roll it thin enough it doesn't end up very pretzel-like.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups warm water
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
1/4 cup coarse salt, for topping

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeats and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the oild and yeast mixture. Mix and form dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat over to 450 degrees F, in a large bowl dissolve baking soad in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
5. Bake in preheated over for 8 minutes, until browned.