Beef Pot Pie with Potato Biscuit Crust

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup beef, cubed
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 jar (12 oz) beef gravy
2/3 cup Potato Buds instant mashed potatoes (dry)
2/3 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups Bisquick mix
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon freeze-dried chives

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In 2-quart saucepan, heat beef, frozen vegetables, onion and gravy to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil and stir 1 minute. Keep warm.
2. In medium bowl, stir potatoes and hot water until well mixed; let stand until water is absorbed. Stir in Bisquick mix, milk and chives until dough forms. Place dough on surface dusted with Bisquick mix; gently roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into a ball; knead 10 times. Pat into 11x7-inch rectangle. Fold dough into thirds.
3. Pour beef mixture into ungreased 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Carefully unfold dough onto beef mixture.
4. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

Keyes Chili

Trooper Keyes Chili

( This is my husband's recipe. He never makes it the same way twice but this is the basic recipe that you can change to suite your tastes. I used hamburger meat. As I made it the day before we swapped, I ran out of time to add any extras but it goes well with shredded cheese and corn bread )

Ingredients
2 ½ cups kidney beans (about one or two cans-drained)
1-cup tomato juice
1 package of ground hamburger meat or ground turkey
2 cups chopped onions
6-8 garlic cloves
1 carrot
1 stalk celery (I left out the celery as I didn’t think it would freeze well)
1 medium green pepper chopped
1 14-½ oz. can of chopped tomatoes undrained
1 14-½ oz can of whole tomatoes drained
3 tbs. of tomato paste
Finely cut parsley
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. Dried basil
2 tsp. chili powder
1 ½ tsp salt
Black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
Hot sauce/Tabasco to taste



Cook hamburger/turkey in frying pan until cooked. Drain. Return to pan. Pour tomato juice over meat and heat to boil.
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Add carrots, celery and spices. Add pepper at end. Cook until tender.
Transfer meat and vegetables to a big pot. Add drained beans. Add chopped tomatoes, un-drained. Add whole tomatoes, drained. Reserve some liquid from the tomatoes to add to the chili to make it the desired consistency. Stir in the tomato paste.
Add additional spices. (play around to make it they way you like it)
Heat on low/medium heat, covered, until hot.


For Casserole club- I made this to be used in a slow cooker- so I skipped step #2. After cooking the meat, I combined the remaining ingredients and then stored the chili in bags. To reheat using slow cooker- defrost over night, place in crock up on high for about 2 or 3 hrs. Longer if the chili is still frozen a bit.

Gentle Lentil Soup

3 cups lentils (about 16 oz)
7 cups water or stock (I usually use both)
2 cups chopped onions (2 cups or so)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped or grated
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can of diced tomatoes

Sauté veggies until tender, add garlic and seasoning. Put in to the crock pot along with everything but the can of diced tomatoes. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, add diced tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with balsamic or red wine vinegar before serving if desired.

Serve with bread and fruit.

For the Gentle Lentil Soup kit:
Your kit includes 4 cups of stock, lentils, seasonings, sautéed veggies, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes. You will need to add three cups of water.

Defrosting is optional. If you choose not to defrost, put the crock pot on high for an hour or so to melt the stock blocks.

Put everything in to the crock pot except diced tomatoes. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add the diced tomatoes about 30 minutes before serving. There is salt in with the veggies, but you will need to add salt and pepper to taste.

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini
Ingredients
1 pound linguini
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large shallot, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
1 (12 oz.) can marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
1 medium sized tomato, diced
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
For the pasta, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. When it has come to the boil, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and the linguini. Stir to make sure the pasta separates; cover. When the water returns to a boil, cook for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the pasta is not quite done. Drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using), artichokes and tomato until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has melted, return the shrimp to the pan along with the parsley and cooked pasta. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a bit more olive oil and top with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Frozen directions: Thaw shrimp mixture overnight. Cook pasta (provided) as directed and drain. Heat shrimp mixture in large pot and add pasta. Toss to coat. Serve with Parmesan cheese (provided).
This recipe was based on a recipe taken from the Food Network....
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/shrimp-scampi-with-linguini-recipe2/index.html

Almost Vegetarian Tortilla Soup for the Crock Pot

INGREDIENTS
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
** Substitute water for broth, to taste
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
2/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed, drained
2/3 yellow corn
2/3 cup chopped zucchini
1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded green chilies

SOUP DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Cook on high for four hours.
Serve with strips of tortillas and sour cream.

TORTILLA DIRECTIONS
Cut corn tortillas into ½ inch strips. Lightly coat corn tortillas in olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Bake tortilla strips in a 400 degree oven for 7-10 minutes, tossing once, until lightly browned. Check frequently, to avoid burning.

transylvanian eggplant casserole

From Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant By The Moosewood Collective, with some changes by me.

This recipe serves at least 6 people, it makes a lasagna pan sized amount.

Measure	Ingredient
2 mediums	Eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
2 cups	Chopped onions
3 tablespoons	Veg. oil
4 cups	Sliced mushrooms
1 14 oz can	Diced tomatoes
1½ teaspoon	Dried marjoram (I used fresh)
¾ teaspoon	Dried thyme
1 teaspoon	Sweet Hungarian paprika
	Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4½ cup	Cooked brown rice
¼ cup	Fresh lemon juice
¼ cup	Chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons	Pine nuts
4	Eggs, well beaten
½ cup	Bread crumbs
Place the eggplant slices on an oiled baking sheet, salt them lightly, and cover them with aluminum foil. Bake at 400-F. until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Lower oven to 350. Meanwhile, saute the onions in the oil until translucent. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook,covered, on medium heat until the mushrooms have released their juices and become soft. Stir in the tomatoes, marjoram, thyme, paprika, salt and black pepper. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Set aside. Combine the rice, lemon juice, parsley, and pine nuts. To assemble the casserole, oil a 9x13x2 1/2-inch baking dish. Spread the rice mixture on the bottom and cover with the eggplant slices. Spoon the sauteed vegetables on top of the eggplant layer. Pour the eggs evenly over the top of the casserole so that they drizzle down into it. Top the casserole with the bread crumbs and bake it, covered, at 350, for about 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 10 minutes until the top is crisp and the casserole still moist.