In the past year during the pandemic I tried not to go grocery shopping any more than absolutely necessary. Because of that action, or lack thereof, I experimented with food combinations—basically what was on hand and how to use it. Actually, some of the invented recipes are tasty. When that happened, I recorded the ingredients. If I had not, never again would I remember the ingredients! Pork Pineapple Roll 1/2 onion sautéed until clear Add 1/2 C shredded pork and 1/2 C crushed pineapple. Heat thoroughly. Sprinkle 1/2 C shredded cheese over mixture and let melt Put mixture in heated soft taco, roll and enjoy! You can double or triple the recipe but I was just making one for myself—a large one! I understand that pineapple helps digest cheese. I love Hawaiian pizza which is not found in SW Indiana. It is made with ham and crushed pineapple on top of the tomato sauce and cheese. That may be why I enjoyed the pork-pineapple taco. Ginger Lime Bok Choy Sauté in iron skillet: 1 clove garlic and 2 T chopped fresh ginger in olive oil Add: clean, chopped bok choy (3-4 stalks), 1 C+ sliced carrots and one small onion, sliced. Cook gently until fork pierces carrots and onions are clear. Stirring, add: juice from one lime sweetened with 1 teaspoon Stevia. Serve in bowls and garnish with feta cheese and walnuts. This was really delicious. It is a good recipe for diabetics. If you feel innovative, you can add some pre-cooked chopped chicken breast. I could also see mushrooms being a nice addition. And now the soups! Wikipedia says that the earliest archaeological evidence for the consumption of soup dates back to 6000 BC. It was hippopotamus soup. Having no hippopotamus on hand, one has to “make-do” with what is in the refrigerator! Sweet Potato Spinach Soup Pour into soup pot: 1 box vegetable broth Add: 1 C chopped cooked chicken, (or turkey) 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 large sweet potato, chopped, 1 can pinto beans (not drained) Simmer over low heat until sweet potatoes are soft. Add: 2 C fresh spinach and cook just until spinach is wilted. Serve with your favorite gouda or havarti cheese and crusty bread. You may have noticed that in no recipe do I add salt or sugar. Most everything I eat is seasoned with freshly ground pepper but if I am cooking for others, I let them season with salt and pepper as they wish. Being of the age that doctors tell you “not to use salt because you need to keep your blood pressure under check”, you won’t see it in the recipes—except a small amount is in the above soup. Can you guess where? The next recipe is a soup with plenty of herbs! Mediterranean Vegetable Soup Saute chopped: 1 stalk celery, 1 medium sized sweet potato, 1 large sweet onion. Put in large soup pot and combine with: 4 C broth (or water) 1 large can crushed tomatoes 1 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp thyme 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp red pepper (or less!) Bring to a simmer and cook for 5-8 minutes. Add: 1 can of garbanzo beans (and if you have it) 1 chopped zucchini Cook another ten minutes with a lid on the soup pot. I named it Mediterranean because of the garbanzos and thyme. A friend once gave me a similar soup. Trying to replicate the soup without a recipe was solving a mystery. If you feel inclined, add a small handful of pasta shells. The seasonings can be adjusted. Which means you will have to taste test the soup as you are cooking it. I added some parsley at the end. You probably realize that I tend to stock sweet potatoes. The reason being, they do not turn to glucose as readily in the body as white potatoes.
Soup was a basic for me during the pandemic. It usually lasted for quite a few meals. Often my taste buds tired of the same ol’ soup and wished for a change. I found that with certain soups, adding a thickener changed not only the texture but also the taste. Refried beans is a good thickener as well as plain hummus. Both are better than commercially condensed soups which tend to be loaded with chemicals. Be sure and think about how it will change the soup. Not everything works well together! The soup endeavors may have been an off-shoot of the time in my young past when I worked at a cross-country ski center in Maine. Not only did I sell tickets for the trails but cooked the soups for the luncheon area. Chili, cream of carrot soup, lentil-spinach soup, and barley-beef soup were a few offered. My friends called me the “Soup Queen.” All that soup making gave me the curtesy of free x-c skiing! Be adventuresome and experiment with your untouched culinary skills. No matter the outcome, it will be edible. Or as my Mother would say, “If you make it, you eat it!” [email protected] ©Ann Rains May, 2021
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