Pasta e Fagioli

Makes 8 servings
360 calories; 14g fat; 36g carb; 25g protein
1.5 lbs. lean ground beef
4 oz. salad macaroni pasta, cooked
1 cup onion, diced
2 tsp. minced garlic
4 stalks celery, sliced
4 medium carrots, skinned & sliced
4 cups diced tomatoes, canned
1 cup red kidney beans
1 cup great northern beans
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbs. white vinegar
1 tsp. basil leaves
1 tsp. oregano leaves
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. black peppercorn, ground
Topping per serving:
1 tsp. grated parmesan cheese
1. Brown ground beef in a large pot over medium heat. Drain fat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sauté for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Cook the pasta al dente according to the directions on package. Drain. Add pasta to the pot of soup. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve warm topped with parmesan cheese.

Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup

Makes 8 servings
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 stalks celery
4 small carrots, peeled
2 cups yellow onions, diced
A pinch of fresh basil
28 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 tsp. Stevia in the raw
3 bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk 1/2 cup nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
• Heat a large pot to medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, celery, carrots, garlic and basil. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper. Sauté until veggies are soft. Add tomatoes {with the juice} and the stevia. Stir. Add chicken stock, bay leaves and butter. Return to a simmer until the veggies are really tender, about 15-20 minutes.
• Add the milk and stir. Remove the bay leaves.
• Transfer soup to high powdered blender {or use and immersion blender in pot} to puree the soup. Make sure lid is on tight and the blender is not too full {blend in a couple different batches if necessary}. Carefully blend until soup is smooth.
• Top each serving with 1 Tbsp. Greek yogurt.
Enjoy!!

Alan's Stew

This is one of the first recipes my dad had ever made (back in 1993). Since then he's become quite the chef at our house. This stew is so yummy, especially on cold wintery days. It's easy too!

Ingredients:

6 potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

6-7 carrots, sliced

1 tsp. salt

1 lb. hamburger

1/2 onion, diced

1 pkg. dry onion soup

1 can water

2 cans Cream of Celery soup

1 can Golden Mushroom soup

Directions:

Cook the carrots in salted water for 15-20 minutes, then add potatoes and cook another 15-20 minutes. Drain water and put vegetables in crock pot. Brown hamburger with onion, salt and pepper to taste. Drain and add to crock pot. Mix the soups and can of water together and add to crock pot. Mi all together and cook on low.