Beef Hot Pot

Beef and Bok Choy Hot Pot from Cooking Light

You'll need a fork and a spoon to enjoy this meal. You can use most any greens in place of the bok choy, including spinach or Napa cabbage.

2 1/4 cups water

3/4 cup low-salt beef broth

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 1/4 cups chopped green onions

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

2 cups thinly sliced bok choy

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrot

2 cups hot cooked wide rice noodles or fettuccine

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk; set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add beef, browning on all sides. Add broth mixture, green onions, garlic, and ginger; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Stir in bok choy and carrot, and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Serve beef mixture over noodles.

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Combine 2 can undrained diced tomatoes and 3 cups chicken broth. Boil, add 1 1/2 lb diced, cooked chicken (seasoned with 2 tsp. chili powder). Reduce heat, cook 7 minutes.

Add in prepared Mahatma brand red beans and rice; heat through. Spoon into bowls and top with tortilla strips and cheese.

*We used to make this a lot. It's so simple and tasty. You can also saute up some veggies, like onion and peppers, to add to it.

Buffalo Wing Soup

From http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/:

--2 cups cooked and cubed chicken

--1/2 yellow onion, chopped

--3 stalks celery, chopped

--1/4 cup unsalted butter

--1/4 cup flour (I used rice flour)

--2 cups fat free milk (no higher content than 2%, or it will curdle)

--3/4 cup chicken broth

--4 oz Velveeta

--1/2 cup hot wing sauce

--1/2 tsp celery salt

--1/2 tsp garlic salt

The Directions.

A 4 to 6 quart crockpot will work well for this soup.Make a roux with the flour and butter. I usually use the stove top, but tried the microwave yesterday---it worked great. In a bowl, melt the butter on high for 45 seconds, then whisk in the flour. Set aside.Chop up the onion and celery, and dump it into your crockpot. Add the cooked and cubed chicken. Pour in the chicken broth and milk. Add Velveeta. Add the salt (note: this is saltier than I am used to. If you are on a lower sodium diet, omit the salt all together. The cheese and the broth are pretty salty on their own. You can always season to taste after cooking.)Stir in the flour and butter mixture. Add hot sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. The soup is done when the celery and onion reach desired tenderness and the flavors have melded.

French Onion Beef Soup

This is a slightly altered version from Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil with a pat of butter

1 cup sliced yellow onion

1 cup sliced red onion

2 leeks (white part only) rinsed well (also soak in cold water to get the grime off) and chopped

1 lb beef (can use steak or stew meat)

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Baguette sliced in 1-inch slices

1 cup shredded swiss or mozzarella (or a combo of both)

Heat the oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 10 minutes. While onions are cooking, heat some oil in another pan and cook lightly seasoned (salt/pepper) beef until just browned. Add the broth, beef, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes (or more if you have time). Remove the bay leaves and add any additional salt/pepper you'd like.

When soup is almost done, take baguette pieces and top with cheese. Put under the broiler to melt. Top each bowl of soup with baguettes and enjoy!

*We love this one. I could so do without the meat, but Alex is insistent! It does make it more of a full meal.