Hot Soup for a Cold Day {cabbage and white bean soup}

I know.  It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything on here.  I really don’t have any excuse.  Nothing good at least.  But I’m back!

We woke up today to sleet and rain and all schools cancelled.  So it’s been a crazy day with 2 boys running around like madmen!  But amidst all of that, I found time to make a delicious hot soup for lunch.  I chose to try Mema’s Cabbage and White Bean soup, not because it sounded like the most delicious soup recipe in her collection, but because it’s the only soup I didn’t have to go to the grocery store to make.  I was able to make a couple of substitutes to use what I already had in my house and it turned out great!

A couple of notes:  I stopped buying canned food recently and until summer comes I’m buying tomatoes in a carton.  The only ones I can find in town are unsalted.  Same with the beans.  I cooked some great northern beans a couple of weeks ago with just a little bit of salt and froze them.  Because of this, I added more salt than the recipe calls for.

cabbage and white bean soup

Cabbage and White Bean Soup

1 T. oil

3 c. thinly sliced cabbage

1 large carrot, sliced

1 T. chopped garlic or 1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 cans chicken broth (I used vegetable broth and it worked out great)

1 can whole tomatoes, chopped with juice (I used diced tomatoes)

1 c. water

2 cans or 4 c. white beans (I used great northern beans I cooked and froze a couple of weeks ago)

Heat oil in large saucepan.  Add cabbage, carrot, garlic, salt, & pepper.  Cover and cook 2 minutes.  Increase heat to high and add broth, tomatoes with juice, water, & beans (except 1 1/4 c.).  Cover and bring to boil.  Cook 7 to 9 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Meanwhile, puree the remaining 1 1/4 c. of the beans and add to pot.  Cook until hot.

Enjoy!

A Week of Salads – A-B-C Salad {apple, broccoli, cabbage…}

a-b-c salad

This is one of those salads I wasn’t so sure about.  I love the mix of veggies in there yet I wasn’t so sure about the apple.  But that did not deter me from trying out the recipe last night for dinner and I’m really very glad I did!  It is very light and refreshing, especially with the apple in there – a perfect summer salad – but what pulls everything together is the salad dressing! Oh my, it’s scrumptious!  It is definitely going to be my go-to dressing from now on!

salad:

1 large apple, cut into chunks

1/2 lb. broccoli florets

1/2 small cabbage, shredded (I thinly sliced mine)

1 small onion, chopped (I used a red onion)

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 small red pepper, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve with the following dressing.

dressing:

1/4 c. oil

1/3 c. honey

1/4 c. cider vinegar

4 T. lemon juice

2 tsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. each salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.  Shake well to blend (I had to shake pretty hard to make sure the honey mixed in well).  Refrigerate.

A Week of Salads – Cabbage Slaw aka Barbecue Slaw {no mayonnaise}

cabbage slaw

I love coleslaw!  Especially if it doesn’t have mayo.  I like mayo but only on certain things and slaw is not one of them so I got giddy with excitement when I saw this recipe {and I was not disappointed}!  This is a very simple recipe but the flavor is wonderful.  I thought it would be a bit sweeter than it is with the amount of sugar added but the sugar and vinegar balance each other out very nicely.  I think it would be great on a barbecue sandwich and I may just have to make some soon so I can try it out.  Maybe dinner tonight!?

1 medium cabbage, grated (I thinly sliced mine)

1 large onion, sliced

3/4 c. sugar

1 c. vinegar (I actually used apple cider vinegar)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. celery salt

1 T. mustard

1 T. sugar

1 c. oil

Put cabbage and onion in a large bowl and sprinkle the 3/4 c. sugar over it and set aside. Bring vinegar, salt, celery salt, mustard, and 1 T. sugar to a boil.  Then add the oil and bring to a boil again.  Pour mixture over cabbage & onions and stir.  Cover and refrigerate.

notes from Mema’s recipe: will keep for several days; better if it has set for several hours