Fat Flush Soup

This came unattributed though my Facebook feed. Sounds like a good recipe to keep on hand, ready for the random "I'm hungry!!" cries from my Lambies! 

"Fat Flush Soup" 

2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalk celery, diced
2 small yellow onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt, more or less to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoon paprika
2 bay leaves
4 (15 ounce) cans kidney or navy beans, drained and rinsed (optional, leave out for Primal option)
8 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes 
8 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, optional, for serving (1 1/2 teaspoon per serving)

Add all ingredients, except spinach and olive oil, to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. Add spinach, stir and continue cooking just until wilted, approximately 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Tip: If you prefer a thicker soup, after 5 hours of cooking, simply remove 2 cups of soup, along with ingredients, mash ingredients with a fork, return to the slow cooker, stir and continue cooking 1 to 3 hours. When serving, drizzle a little (optional) olive oil over each bowl of soup.

Note: Olive oil helps the body absorb nutrients more efficiently and supports a healthy digestive system.

Crisp Cucumber Salsa

My friend Angela posted this on her Facebook wall. It sounds SO good!

Crisp Cucumber Salsa

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c sour cream or yogurt
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt

Tortilla chips, carrot stick, celery sticks, zucchini slices etc. to dip.

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with dippers.

Black Eyed Pea Dip

I saw this recipe in the comment section of a post on a favorite blog, Rural Revolution.  It sounds good but I haven't yet tried it. Thanks, PollyS! 

Black Eyed Pea Dip
From Neiman Marcus’ Pure and Simple

About ½ pound dried black eyed peas (frozen are good too, canned tastes very flat)
8 slices bacon*
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
¼ cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ t black pepper
2 T Tabasco sauce, or to taste
½ C Ketchup
3 cubes chicken bouillon, crushed
¼ t nutmeg
¼ t cinnamon
1 can (14.5 oz) Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, chopped – if not available, add 1 small canned chopped chilies to can of tomatoes
2 T oil
3 T flour

Soak peas overnight or 4 hours. Put soaked peas in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook or 30 minutes, or until just tender.
To avoid having lots of dirty pots, I do this step in a pot rather than a skillet -- Cook bacon until crisp. Set bacon aside, drain 1-2 teaspoons of the grease and reserve. Add celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to bacon drippings and sauté until soft. 
Make a paste of ketchup, bouillon, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and Tabasco. Add to sautéed vegetables. Add cooked peas and tomatoes with chilies. Cook 30 minutes on very low heat. It is ok if some of the beans break up, you want this to happen. Just don’t let it cook too high or you’ll end up with a “mush”, it tastes the same, just doesn’t look as nice! 
Mix reserved bacon grease and flour together. Cook on stove or microwave until it starts to bubble, this is your roux. Add roux to pea mixture and cook an additional 10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and transfer to serving dish. 
Crumble bacon over top and serve with tortilla chips.
Can be served cold or reheats well. Freezes well too. Serves 2-16, depending on how hungry you are.

*Omit bacon for vegetarians, add bacos or liquid smoke if you wish. Sauté vegetables in olive oil.

Sweet Potato Chowder

This great soup idea is from Growing Up Paleo. I'll be making this as written to see the yield, then adjusting measurements to make it the size I need.

Sweet Potato Chowder

2-3 large sweet potatoes

2 cups of cut up chicken

2 cans of chicken stock or broth

1/2 cup of coconut milk or heavy cream

1 small onion chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

2 jalapenos chopped

2 TBS butter or olive oil

Bake sweet potatoes at 350 till soft. Remove the skin and place sweet potato in a food processor or blender and puree. Add chicken broth during the puree process to help smooth it out. Saute onion and celery in the butter or olive oil until tender. Add pureed sweet potatoes, remaining chicken broth and bring to a slow boil. Add the 1/2 cup of coconut milk, jalapenos, chicken, and a little salt. Reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slow Carb Tomato Soup

I found this recipe on Slow Carb Foodie and adapted it to my tastes and needs. It's excellent!

Slow Carb Tomato Soup

1. 2 Tbs red palm or olive oil

1. 1 onion, peeled and chopped OR 1 tsp dried minced onion

1. 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1. 1-3 cloves garlic, chopped

1. 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1. 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes OR 1 quart home canned tomatoes

1. 3 cups homemade chicken or veggie stock

1. 1 bay leaf

1. 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. 1 tsp salt

1. 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Put oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf and red pepper flakes.
3. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
4. Remove the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Alternatively, you can puree the soup in a blender in batches, but be careful – it will be hot and messy!
5. Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Add a splash or two or heavy cream if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or this will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Tuna and Veggie Salad

I found this recipe at One Heart; One Mission, and, as usual, changed it a bit to fit our needs. It's an easy and tasty lunch.

Tuna and Veggie Salad

2 cans chunk light or chunk white tuna
1 zucchini
1 summer squash
2 tomatoes
2 carrots, grated
1/2 a yellow, red, or orange pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice
dried or fresh basil (mince if using fresh)
coconut oil or bacon drippings for sauteing

Dice veggies, heat fat in pan. Toss veggies in, except for the tomatoes, and saute until tender. Drain tuna and mix in with the veggies. Add tomato, cook just until heated through, then add lemon juice, stir to coat. Mix in basil. Salt and pepper if desired. Serve over salad or in a lettuce wrap.

You could substitute diced chicken or beef for the tuna, if you prefer.