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Another request from a friend and it is indeed another soup recipe:)

Chick Pea Salsa Soup

• 1 big onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsps coconut oil
• hot sauce to taste
• 2-28oz cans diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 4 tsps coconut sugar
• 2-19oz cans chick peas
• 4 cups fresh spinach (be generous)
• 2 cups zucchini
• salt and pepper to taste
• Greek yogurt

1. Cook chopped up onion and garlic in coconut oil till soft.
2. Add hot sauce and stir.
3. Add the tomatoes, broth, tomato paste and coconut sugar then mix well. Bring to a boil.
4. Drain and rinse the canned chick peas then add to the soup with the spinach and diced zucchini and heat through till zucchini is soft (doesn’t take long).
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Top with Greek yogurt, add more black pepper to enhance the soups flavor and serve with the Parmesan biscuits.

Parmesan and Spelt Drop Biscuits

• 2 cups white unbleached flour
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 4 tsps baking powder
• 4 tsps oregano
• 1/4 cup Parmesan (be generous)
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• Paprika for sprinkling
• Parmesan for sprinkling

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, oregano and cheese together.
2. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry knife till crumbly.
3. Add milk to batter and stir till just moist (dough will be sticky).
4. Drop by spoon full (be generous) onto greased cookie sheet or un-greased seasoned stone sheet.
5. Sprinkle with paprika and cheese.
6. Bake in the middle of the oven at 425 for about ten minutes give or take… till golden and toothpick tested. Makes about 24 biscuits.

TTFN

My stew usually has different veggies depending on what is in the fridge but it always has dill dumplings on top, the same broth and venison (although it is fine with any red meat). I have tried to share it with friends a few times but was always at a lose for how it all was put together. Yesterday was a perfectly gray day so I prepared a big pot of it and now I am enjoying left overs with our first snow fall of the year. I remembered to take some time and write it down this time so enjoy.

RED MEAT AND DUMPLING STEW

• 1 1/2 lbs red meat cut into stew pieces
• (MARINATE OPTION: about 1 cup of olive oil and 1/4 a cup of apple cider vinegar then salt and pepper to taste)
• 1 cup flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large onion
• 5 cloves fresh garlic
• 6 cups water
• 1 Tbsp dill
• 1/2 Tbsp paprika
• 1/2 Tbsp celery salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup pureed yam
• 2 Tbsps mushroom flavored soy sauce
• 2 Tbsps worcestershire sauce
• hot sauce to taste
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 4-5 large chopped carrots
• 4-5 large chopped celery
• 3 large chopped red potatoes or 1 big yam
• 1-2 chopped young zucchini

NOTE: Stew is often about reducing and thickening so don’t be surprised if it takes a while for it to get nice and thick.

1. I marinate my red meat over night as venison can be dryer and tougher then fattier red meats.
2. Put marinade meat in zip lock back with the flour and salt and pepper and shake to coat.
3. Fry up the onion and garlic in some grape seed oil and once they are soft add the meat. Stir till cooked through.
4. Warm up the water and the next 9 items, stirring well to help the pureed yam mix in well. Heat to boil.
5. Add all the vegetables but the zucchini and cook till they are soft but not done.
6. Add the corn starch to some broth you have scooped out and mix till it is smooth, then add to the soup and stir as it thickens.
7. Finally add the zucchini and the meat and onion/garlic mix to soup, stir while it thickens more.
8. Top with dill dumplings and cook according to recipe below.
9. Serve this complete meal hot.

DILL DUMPLINGS

• 3/4 cup white unbleached flour
• 1/4 cup barley flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp dill

1. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
2. Cut in butter till crumbly.
3. Stir in milk to make soft, kneed it so it sticks together nice.
4. Drop by spoonful onto boiling stew.
5. Cover stew and simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid.

Ah yes, a stew goes so beautifully with a rainy or snowy day! Let me know if you try it!

TTFN

So I cheated! Everything I read about risotto says ‘lots of time, hard, specific rice’ and so on. Well I didn’t follow any recipe and the first two times I had failures that although edible weren’t special.

I am sure if I had the real thing at a great restaurant or at some brilliant cook’s home I might be ashamed of this dish but I don’t know any better. Enlighten me! Anyone know of a great place to get risotto?

Third time round I impressed myself by not only succeeding but using up three left over dishes! Started with some short brown left over rice. Took a big container full of left over cheese and cauliflower soup and stirred them both together. Cut up some left over thanksgiving ham and threw it in last. Stirred till it was plenty hot and creamy and then served it with some steamed broccoli. Home run this time! Oh it was pretty and yummy and until I know better I am sure I will make this amalgamation of left over meals again and again.

TTFN