January 2010
A Winter's Day Meal
by Mary Gerlach, R.D.
Registered Dietician
It’s cold outside! One way to warm up after coming in from the cold is to eat a hearty bowl of hot soup, stew or chile. If your time is limited around dinnertime, and whose isn’t these days, put it together in the morning in a crockpot, turn it on low and when it’s time for supper, it will be ready.
Various types of beans are often used in soups, stews and chilies. Cooking beans at the high altitudes in New Mexico calls for an investment in a pressure cooker, or you’ll be cooking them on the stovetop all day until they are tender. To cook dried beans, be sure to sort through them and remove any shriveled or discolored beans, and bits of stone that made their way through the bean packing machinery, then rinse the sorted beans to wash the dirt.
Cover the beans with three times the amount of water as the quantity of beans being cooked, be sure the gasket is in place and seal the pressure cooker lid, remembering to place the weighted regulator on the peg of the lid.
When the regulator begins to rock, and the pressure gauge has popped up, you have 15 pounds of pressure. It takes one hour at 15 pounds pressure in a pressure cooker to cook pinto beans, and 50 minutes for Anazazi beans.
Meat bones are another common ingredient in soups and stews. Smoked meats, such as ham, add a delicious smoky flavor to homemade soups. Choose a meaty bone so there is meat to add to the soup, or add additional diced cooked meat if the soup bone isn’t very meaty. Overheating soup containing dairy products can cause curdling. To save the soup, drain the liquid from the rest of the ingredients, and process it in a blender until smooth before returning it to the strained soup ingredients.
One nice thing about preparing a large batch of soup, stew or chilies is it freezes well, so it can be preserved for a later meal. Serve your hearty soups, stews or chilies with warm corn muffins or crusty bread, and a tossed green salad, and your dinner will be complete.
Spicy Smoky Barbecued Chicken Chile
2 Tb. olive oil
1 cup chopped bell pepper
½ cup chopped yellow onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
1¾ cups (1 15-ounce can) red kidney beans
1¾ cups pinto beans
1 cup low salt chicken broth
½ cup hickory smoked barbecue sauce
¼ cup red chile powder
2 cups diced cooked chicken
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In large cooking pot, sauté bell pepper, onion and garlic in olive oil until tender, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add all remaining ingredients except chicken; mix well. Cover and simmer 30-45 minutes until flavors are blended, stirring occasionally. Add cooked chicken the last 5 minutes.
For vegetarian chile, omit the chicken. Optional: Top each serving with 1 ounce of grated cheese. Serve with warmed flour tortillas. Makes six 1½-cup servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 480; Carbohydrates 43 gm; Protein 25 gm; Fat 29 gm; Cholesterol 85 mg; Sodium 1,010 mg.
Shrimp and Vegetable Rice Soup
1 Tb. olive oil
½ cup sliced green onions
1 small clove garlic, minced
½ cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
¾ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
¼ tsp. garlic salt
¼ tsp. dried dill weed
¼ tsp. white pepper
3 cups low salt chicken broth
1 Tb. lemon juice
1 (1-pound) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower
¾ pound cooked medium shrimp, rinsed Red pepper flakes (optional)
In large pot, sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms in oil until tender. Add rice, salt, dill weed, pepper, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in vegetables and simmer an additional 5 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in shrimp; cook 2-3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Top each serving with red pepper flakes. Serve with crusty bread. Makes five 1½-cup servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 230; Carbohydrates 30 gm; Protein 17 gm; Fat 5 gm; Cholesterol 65 mg; Sodium 1,070 mg.
Turkey Green Chile Barley Soup
1 Tb. olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced green bell pepper
1 pound lean ground turkey
¾ cup fresh baby carrots, each cut in four pieces lengthwise
1 (1¼-ounce) package low sodium taco seasoning
½ cup diced green chiles
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) Italian Style peeled tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano (or ½ tsp. dried oregano)
¾ cup uncooked quick-cooking barley
In large pot, sauté onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add ground turkey and cook until turkey is no longer pink, stirring frequently.
Add remaining ingredients except barley; cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add barley and simmer an additional 15 minutes or until barley is tender. Serve with warm biscuits. Makes six 1½-cup servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 250; Carbohydrates 25 gm; Protein 19 gm; Fat 8 gm; Cholesterol 55 mg; Sodium 660 mg.
Baked Burgundy Beef Stew
2 pounds beef top round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
¼ cup flour
1 Tb. olive oil
½ cup sliced celery
1 cup pearl onions
2 cups fresh baby carrots
1 cup beef broth
1 (14½-ounce) can pasta-style chunky tomatoes, undrained
1 cup dry red wine
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dry mustard
2 Tb. water
1 Tb. flour
Heat oven to 325° F. In large bowl, combine beef and ¼ cup flour; toss to coat. In large pot with lid, brown dredged beef in oil about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add remaining ingredients except 2 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon flour. Cover and bake at 325° for 1½ hours or until beef is fork-tender.
In small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon flour until smooth. Add to stew; stir. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until thickened. Serve with warm biscuits. Makes five 1½-cup servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 370; Carbohydrates 20 gm; Protein 39 gm; Fat 12 gm; Cholesterol 95 mg; Sodium 800 mg.