Ropa Vieja

Ropa Vieja

Ingredients:

2 lbs chuck
3 small or 1 large clove(s) garlic

1 onion, sliced
1 red pepper sliced into strips
15 oz tomato sauce
15 oz diced tomatoes
4 oz can diced chilis
1 cup beef broth
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3/4 tsp garlic powder


Directions:

Put a little oil in the pan, sprinkle both sides of the meat with salt and pepper and sear the meat on all sides.  Add some minced garlic to the pan and cook while searing the meat, careful not to burn it. 

Put the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, onion and pepper strips, chilis, beef broth and spices and vinegar into the crockpot.  Combine and top with the seared meat.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Serve with rice or shredded cheese and sour cream.  Both kids ate two bowls of this!

Creamy tomato soup

This recipe took a lot of tweaking to get right but now it is a favorite! I really didn't feel good feeding my kids the many ingredient processed canned tomato soup to which you have to add water.  I wanted a simple homemade soup that could freeze so we could have it for lunches anytime. This is it!

It is made from all natural real ingredients and is kid approved.  

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup diced onion
3 "shakes" garlic powder
4 1/2 cups chicken broth (you can use vegetable too).  I used homemade but you can use any kind.
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or arrowroot starch for gluten free)
15 ounce can good quality diced tomatoes, including juice
15 ounce can good quality tomato sauce
1 tsp honey
1 cup milk (I used whole cow's milk)
1 Tbsp brown sugar (this was essential to ensuring the soup wasn't bitter)

Directions:
Melt butter in a large stock pot.  Saute the onions over medium heat for about five minutes until soft.  Lower the heat to medium-low and add the garlic powder.  Then stir in the chicken broth and flour (or arrowroot starch).  Add tomatoes in juices, tomato sauce and honey.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the 30 minutes is up, puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth (or transfer to a blender in batches).  Add milk and stir until well blended.

The soup was a little bitter so I added 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar, stirrd and raised the heat and waited five minutes before adding a second 1/2 Tbsp and heating an additional five minutes.  This helped the bitterness and the soup was great.  A bit of honey and brown sugar in a large vat of soup that my kids will still eat is definitely preferable to what comes in a can of tomato soup.

Whole Grain Delicious Pancakes

This recipe makes a LOT of pancakes.  This picture was what was left AFTER four of us ate the rest for breakfast. If you don't want leftovers then a) you're crazy and b) just half the recipe.  I like a lot leftover for easy weekday breakfasts.  If you half the recipe use just the oil OR just the yogurt. (You could also use 10 Tbsp of just one or the other for the double batch). 

Ingredients:

Dry:

4 cups white wheat flour

2 Tbsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp sugar

Wet:

5 Tbsp oil

5 heaping Tbsp plain greek yogurt

3 cups milk (we used 2 %)

4 eggs, beaten

Directions:  In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk together. Add the milk and then use the measuring cup to crack and beat your eggs. Add those and the yogurt and/or oil and stir well to combine with a wooden spoon (without overstirring).  Prepare your griddle (heat and spray) and spoon a heaping spoonful on - our griddle makes six at a time.  Watch them for the right time to flip - for this recipe if you wait til they bubble they will overcook.  The ones in the center of the griddle by the heat also cook faster.  Don't stack the hot pancakes or they will get soggy. I stack after they cool a bit.  Making all these took a little while but we had a ton leftover. 

Enjoy!