Mexican Stew

Posted on March 5, 2013 by thehomeheart

Here’s another awesome crock pot meal for you. This one is full of great flavors and gluten-free ingredients. You can easily adjust the heat to your liking and even swap out the meat with black beans for a vegetarian meal.

Mexican Stew

1 lb. ground turkey (or 15 oz. can black beans)

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced

2 large white or gold potatoes, peeled and diced

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup roasted green chiles, chopped*

1 quart (4 cups) chicken or vegan broth

sea salt & pepper, to taste

1 lime, juiced

2-3 T fresh cilantro, chopped

1 -2 tsp organic sugar, as needed to balance the spice

1. Brown the meat in a skillet. Put the cooked meat (or beans) into the crock pot and combine with the onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, squash, potato, carrots (I used bagged matchsticks), green chiles (*I used 1 large jalapeno), salt & pepper, and the broth. Set on low and cook for 7 or 8 hours. Stir occasionally.

2. About 20 or 30 minutes before serving, add the lime juice, cilantro, and sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. You may also need to add a bit more of broth. Heat through.

Black Bean Soup

Posted on December 24, 2012 by thehomeheart

Back on the island there is a favorite restaurant where Hubby and I enjoyed going to for lunch often. They had a great black bean soup which they served with crispy, salty tortilla chips and a homemade salsa. This recipe is pretty darn close, but what I love about it is being able to play with the flavors and add different toppings according to my mood.

Black Bean Soup

3 cups dried black beans

4 bullion cubes (or 4 tsp bullion base)

16 cups water

1 carton (32 oz) chicken or vegetable broth

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 T cumin

2 T oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 T sugar

1 -2 T salt, divided

Put the dry beans in a large pot, add water and bullion. Bring to a boil then turn down to medium heat. Let simmer for 2 hours. Add pinches of salt periodically.

Take the chopped veggies and blend together in food processor or blender for just a minute; just until combined and slightly puree’d. Stir in cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and about 1 tsp of the salt.

Drain the beans from its mucky water and replace into the pot. Add in the broth and the vegetable mixture. Add the sugar and more salt to taste.

Simmer until heated through.

Serve with suggested toppings:

chopped red onion

shredded cheddar cheese

diced avocado

diced tomato

cilantro

sour cream

tortilla chips

April Menu

Posted on April 3, 2012 by thehomeheart

I’ve been trying to make things slightly easier on myself by planning my menu bi-weekly as much as possible. Sometimes when I can only do about a week at a time, it definitely helps to at least have a few extra days/meals in mind. So, combining that with searching out more and newer recipes that are healthier, I made myself sit down, go through my recipe files and emails, and whatnot, and found a ton of great new things to try.

Here is a basic list of recipes that I have scheduled into my meal calendar for the month of April. Many of these I have never tried so the posts will come later. There will be a few links as I will repeat a few recipes. But you can be sure that most of these will be posted at some point