Lentil & Rice Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
4-6 medium sized harvest veggies chopped into 1" sized pieces
(This week I used; turnip, carrot, potato, celery, cherry tomatoes)
8 cups broth
2 cups water
3 bay leaflets
1/4 cup lentils
1/4 cup brown rice
2 tbsps olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot on medium high heat sautee vegetables with olive oil for 2 minutes and add bay leaflets, rice and lentils. Sautee for another 3 minutes. Stirring frequently.

Add broth and water. Bring to a rolling boil then turn heat down to low. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the rice and lentils doneness. The rice should have blossomed and appear fluffy. Lentils should be soft and the texture of cooked chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with garlic toast.

Slow Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Stew

An easy and healthy meal for the family.

Ingredients:
6 pieces bone in chicken thighs
4 cups your choice of chopped veggies
[In this recipe I used celery, carrot, cherry tomatoes, onion, cauliflower, garlic]
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups water
2 tbsp Montreal steak spice
1 cup cooked pasta [macaroni, bows, shells or use fancy character pastas to make it fun for the kids]

Place all the ingredients except for the pasta in your slow cooker. Turn the temperature to high. If it doesn't all fit. You can either cook the chicken or the vegetables till they're soften first. Then everything should shrink and it will fit in a 6 quart slow cooker.

Once the chicken is cooked and the liquid is simmering. Turn the heat down to low and let it cook for 2-3 hours. The vegetables and liquid should thicken into a chunky sauce. Chicken should fall apart now. Remove the bones and add the precooked pasta. Mix well and warm up the pasta for about 30 minutes in the stew.

Serve hot with garlic toast or on its own.

Bon appetit!

5 Fabulous Leftover Meals

Shhhh don't tell them, they won't even know it's leftovers.

L/O BBQ Chicken on the bone:
Skin it and shred it.
Use the meat in a lettuce wrap with hoisin sauce and crisp veggies or a taco shell with greens and honey mustard sauce.

L/O Steak:
Cube it and marinate in 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp of dried oregano, some diced onion. Serve with organic mixed greens for a steak salad.

L/O Veggie Kebabs:
De-skewer it and blend it up with 1/2 cup of sour cream for a roasted veggie dip. Great for chips, bread or veggie dip.

L/O Salmon:
Mash it and mix with 1/2 cup of plain yogurt, a pinch of dried dill, couple shavings of lemon zest, 1/4 cup finely chopped celery. Makes a great salmon spread for sandwiches or crackers.

L/O Corn on the Cob:
Shave it off with a knife and mix it into some freshly cooked rice with some butter. Voila you got yourself a new side.