Tomato Florentine Soup

I had some really good Tomato Florentine soup at the cafeteria at work, and it got my wheels turning...I knew I had most of the ingredients at home so I did a little experimenting and this is what I came up with! Not only is the soup packed with nutrients, but with the added rice or pasta it's hearty enough for a main dish. It's great topped with some parmesan cheese!

(if you want to turn this into Italian Wedding soup, just add small sausage meatballs!)

Tomato Florentine Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small can sliced mushrooms (4 oz)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4-5oz package frozen spinach, thawed (about half a package)
1 1/2 cup cooked small pasta or rice

Heat the oil in a large pot. Cook mushrooms, onion and garlic in oil until just tender. Stir in tomatoes, broth, basil, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, cook for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach and pasta/rice and cook an additional 7-10 minutes. (if the soup is too thick for your tastes, add a little extra broth or water with the spinach)

Total Cost
Oil - $0.05
Mushrooms - $0.60
Onion - $0.15
Diced tomatoes - $0.80
Broth - FREE! (homemade)
Spinach - $0.50
Rice - Free! (use leftovers!)
Seasonings - $0.25

Grand Total: $2.35 for 4-6 servings

Japanese-style Beef Curry Rice

This recipe comes from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook - the original recipe calls for cubed beef but I did it with ground beef instead - either way it is a great beef stew/hamburger soup alternative!

Japanese-Style Beef Curry Rice

Ingredients:
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
3-4 medium carrots, sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
3 tsp curry powder
1 cup frozen peas (optional)

Directions:
-Put potatoes in the slow cooker. Layer sliced carrots on top.
-In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, drain well and place in the cooker. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove most of the leftover grease.
-Heat the oil in the same skillet, add the onion and garlic, and cook until softened. Add the curry, salt and pepper and cook 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to the cooker.
-Pour the broth in the skillet, bring to a boil and scrape up any bits stuck to the pan. Pour into the cooker and add water.
-Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hrs. Serve over rice.

***optional: if you like the stew thicker (best when using stew meat instead of ground beef), skip adding the curry to the onions. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a small skillet. Add 3 Tbsp flour and cook, stirring, until it becomes brown (about 5 minutes). Add 1 Tbsp curry and stir for another minute. Remove from heat. Turn your slow cooker on HIGH. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of the liquid, and add to the flour mixture, stirring until there are no lumps. Slowly add this mixture back into the slow cooker (stir carefully, don't break up the potatoes). Stir in frozen peas. Cover and cook on high about 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

Total Cost:
Potatoes: $0.50
Carrots: $0.40
Vegetable oil: $0.03
Beef: $2.00
Onion: $0.30
Broth: $0.60 (free if you made your own!)
seasonings and garlic: $0.20


Grand Total: $4.03 for 6-8 servings!

Crockpot Hot & Spicy Sloppy Joes

I have fond memories of sloppy joes as a kid - they're the perfect kid food, messy and full of ketchup! This recipe came from Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens Cooking) and is a slightly more mature take on the traditional Joe :) So that it's not too spicy for the kids, I used cayenne pepper instead of the Scotch Belle chile pepper - cooking in the crockpot tends to mellow powdered spices and this kept it edible for the younger palates.

Hot & Spicy Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef (or turkey)
4 medium onions, cut into strips
3 large-ish green peppers, cut into strips
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into strips
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or 1 Scotch bonnet chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:
-In a large skillet, cook ground meat and onions until the meat is browned and onions are tender. Drain off fat.
-In a 5-6 quart crockpot, combine ground meat and onions and all other ingredients. Stir to blend.
-Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours, or on high heat for 4-5 hours. Serve in rolls or on buns.

Total cost
Ground beef - $3.60
Onions - $1.20
Green peppers - $1.35
Red peppers - $1.86
Ketchup - $0.40
Cider vinegar - $0.05
Seasonings - $0.20

Grand Total: $8.66 for 12-14 sandwiches!


Leftover links:
Use as an add-in for Stovetop Mac & Cheese

Sweet Potato Apple Muffins

Another great recipe that grew out of my need to get rid of some mashed sweet potato leftovers from Thanksgiving - these muffins bake up nice and soft, and anytime I can get both a fruit AND a veggie into my kiddo is a good time :)

Sweet potato Apple Muffins

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 small apples, peeled and diced
1 cup leftover mashed sweet potato
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla

-Preheat oven to 400 Degrees
-In a medium bowl, whisk oatmeal, flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
-In another small bowl, combine sweet potato, brown sugar, oil, egg, milk and vanilla, whisking to blend well. Pour over dry ingredients and stir to combine.
-Add apple dices, stir to combine.
-Scoop into muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Total Cost:
Oats: $0.12
Flour: $0.09
Apples: $0.40
Sweet potato: Free! (leftovers)
Brown Sugar: $0.15
Oil: $0.20
Milk: $0.04
Egg: $0.12
Vanilla: $0.04
Other ingredients: appx $0.15

Grand Total: $1.31 for 12 small muffins or 6 large muffins!

Curried Veggie Flatbread Pizza

I found the suggestion for this at Project Foodie while looking for creative ways to use up the large amount of leftover Crockpot Vegetable Curry we were contending with! The end result was a funky, fast dish that everyone loved!

Curried Veggie Flatbread Pizza

Ingredients:
4 Naan flatbreads
2 cups leftover Crockpot Vegetable Curry
8 oz feta cheese

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees
-Line two baking sheets with foil. Place the 4 flatbreads on the baking sheets, top each with 1/2 cup of the vegetable curry and 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled.
-Bake for 7-10 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the cheese is browned and the edges of the bread are crisped.

Total Cost:
Naan (2 packages) - $3.00
Vegetable Curry - free!
Feta Cheese - $3.99

Grand Total: $6.99 for 4 servings

Honey Ginger Pork Chops

I found this on Recipezaar.com, while searching for simple recipes that wouldn't require anything that wasn't already in my pantry. This recipe will serve well as either an overnight marinade, or as an OAMC dish!

Honey Ginger Pork Chops

Ingredients:
4 pork chops
1 tsp ginger
2 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
-Prick pork chops with a fork and rub the ginger and garlic on both sides of each chop.
-Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the soy sauce and honey and cook for 1-2 minutes on low or until blended.
-Pour over chops and marinate in the fridge overnight.

(**if making for OAMC, allow the marinade to cool, then place chops in a gallon freezer bag and pour marinade over them. Seal and keep frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw completely and cook as directed below)

-When ready to cook, remove chops and discard marinade. Grill 8-10 minutes per side, turning several times.

(These can also be baked in a shallow baking dish at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chops)

Total Cost
Pork Chops: $4.00
Honey - $0.55
Butter - $0.14
Seasonings - $0.15

Grand Total: $4.84 for 4 servings

Butternut Mac

This recipe showed up in my November '09 issue of Parents Magazine, and I just happened to have some mini-pasta and squash on hand to give it a try! The result - creamy, cheesy mac with a little fall flair! The original recipe was for 6 small servings baked in ramekins - I doubled everything and made a 9X13 pan. The recipe below reflects my adjustments.

The recipe calls for white cheddar cheese, but you can use any hard or semi-soft cheese - try a fontina, farmer cheese, or cheddar jack to mix up the flavor!

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (about 2-3 pounds), peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 lb box elbow pasta (or other small pasta)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
3 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Toss squash with oil and salt on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender, set aside.
-Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than recommended time. While pasta is cooking, melt butter on low heat in a medium saucepan. Whisk in flour, cook for about 2 minutes.
-Slowly whisk in milk. (add about a half cup at a time to avoid scalding the milk) Increase to medium heat and bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally.
-Add 3 cups of cheese, whisk until melted.
-Combine drained pasta and baked squash in a 9X13 baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and squash, fold to combine and spread evenly (I used a slotted spoon)
-Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top of the pasta. Bake 10 minutes.

Total Cost:
Squash - $1.80
Pasta - $0.75
Olive Oil - $0.12
Butter - $0.20
Flour - $0.02
Milk - $0.42
Cheese - $1.75

Grand Total: $5.06 for 8 servings!