Southwestern-style Bean Soup

To make the beans...
Rinse and drain 1 lb. dried beans.
Put the rinsed beans in a pot with 12 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes.
Turn off heat, cover, and let soak for 1-2 hours.
Rinse the soaked beans, being sure to remove excess skins and other small particles that float to the surface. Drain.

Once the beans are rinsed and drained, place them in a pressure cooker with just enough water to cover the beans. Add 1 T vegetable oil.
Make sure the beans and water combined do not fill the pressure cooker more than halfway. Secure the lid and place the pressure regulator on top.
Heat on high, turning to low when pressure regulator begins rocking gently. Cook on low -
for 5 minutes (for pinto and great northern beans)
4 minutes (for black beans or mixed beans)
3 minutes (for navy beans)
Allow pressure to drop of its own accord before removing regulator and lid.

Add a can of tomatoes with diced green chilis, 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 T chili powder.
Heat until warm, stirring gently.

Makes 11 servings
45g carbohydrates
9g fiber
14g protein

Bean with Ham Soup

Okay, so we are having a AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion Championship Game Party...
(AKA February "Celebrate") ... at church tonight. On the menu... SOUP! (in bowls) on Sunday...
Anyway... I made triple the beans and used half for this recipe and half for another one.


To make the beans...
Rinse and drain 1 lb. dried beans.
Put the rinsed beans in a pot with 12 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, and let boil for 2 minutes.
Turn off heat, cover, and let soak for 1-2 hours.
Rinse the soaked beans, being sure to remove the excess skins and other small particles that float to the surface. Drain.

Once the beans are rinsed and drained, put them in a crock pot with 8 cups of water.
Add:
one ham bone (I had a couple in the freezer from Christmas)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder (I did not put in onion because of Aunt Rachel's allergy)
1/4 tsp pepper
Turn the crock pot on high for 8-9 hours.
Remove ham bone, let it sit until it is cool enough to handle, cut off as much meat as possible and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the ham to soup.
Also add 1-1/2 cups cooked mashed potatoes (I just added potato flakes that had been mixed with hot water to the right consistency.)
Stir ingredients together and cook on high for an additional 15 minutes.

Makes 11 servings.
45g carbohydrates
9g fiber
14g protein

Spicy Cheesy Rice Casserole

There is this recipe that I got from my grandma that she has been using for over 25 years. The family loves it, so I thought I would make it yesterday. Oops, didn't have all the right ingredients. What I ended up making was a HIT! So I thought I would share...

Spicy Cheesy Rice Casserole

I made 5 cups of brown rice in our rice cooker

In a skillet, brown 2 lbs Bob Evans sausage.

Once it is browned, add:
1 lb. frozen broccoli
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese
15 oz can Evaporated Milk
8 oz fresh salsa

Simmer on low until cheese is melted and broccoli is cooked.
Add rice and mix thoroughly.

My little brother likes this best not mixed together.
His choice: Pack 3/4 c. measuring cup tightly with rice and carefully turn out (like a sand castle), then pour the cheesy broccoli over the rice.
He calls it "Cheesy Rice Castle-roll"!

Rosalie the Chef Stocking