Homemade French Onion Soup

A few weeks ago I made a meal using organic french onion soup, and I was advised to make sure I knew exactly what was in the soup because sometimes there were some little hidden ingredients that we don't need or want. So this time, I made my own! I'm going to be using it for the classic french onion soup dish some night this week for dinner, and I'm also going to use it for my grandma's french onion roast tomorrow night (I "splurged" on a grass fed chuck roast) - two birds, one stone =) I thought you might enjoy this recipe, its so easy! You pretty much spend about 20 minutes on it in the beginning and then let it do its thing the rest of the time.

French Onion Soup
4 Large Sweet/Vidalia Onions
6 cups organic beef broth
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup red wine
1 tsp organic cane sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
fresh ground pepper

Heat a pan on medium low and add butter
Slice onions very thin and add to the pan
Season with salt and pepper
Let the onions cook until translucent - about 15 minutes on the lower heat setting
Add 1 cup of beef broth and worcestershire sauce
Let the broth cook down with the onions until the onions appear brown in color
Add the rest of the broth and wine and bring to a boil for 5 minutes
Turn the heat down to low and cover
Let simmer as long as possible - the longer you can do this, the richer the flavor will be
Enjoy!

A wholesome feast

Tonight I made one of my favorite meals - My traditional Roasted chicken meal! I was inspired to make it when I read Dana's recipe for stuffing. And I was so proud of myself, it's all natural, whole, and organic. Every meal I complete in this fashion gives me the courage to continue doing so. Anyway here's the recipe! =)

Roasted Chicken
1 whole organic chicken
2 - 3 tablespoons organic butter (Note: I know what people say, but I am not convinced you get nearly the same taste without buttering the skin. Still, you can use grape seed or coconut oil if you wish)
Thyme
Poultry seasoning
Black pepper
Kosher salt

Pat the chicken dry and rub with butter
Sprinkle poultry seasoning on the chicken
Sprinkle thyme
Season with salt and pepper
Roast at 350 for about an hour or until it reaches an internal temperature of 160/165 - keep an eye on it
Remove chicken from oven and cover with aluminum foil - let rest until temperature reaches 170
Carve and serve!

Note: I make mine in a cast iron skillet and once I remove the chicken I use the skillet to make my chicken gravy: Add whole wheat flour to the drippings, a little salt and pepper if necessary, and then whisk in chicken broth until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.



Whole Wheat Stuffing
8 - 10 pieces of whole wheat bread
1 - 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
Poultry seasoning
Thyme
Kosher salt
Black pepper 
1 onion
2 - 3 celery stalks
3 garlic cloves
Chicken broth

 

Cut up wheat bread into cubes and spread out evenly on a cookie sheet
lightly drizzle with grape seed oil
Sprinkle with seasonings and salt and pepper
Stick in the oven (350) until bread is "crusty" and baked through
In a skillet saute onion, celery, and garlic
Add enough chicken broth to cover and let simmer
Add the bread cubes to the skillet and add about 1 cup of chicken broth
Once mixed in, pour stuffing into an oven safe pan
Stick in oven for about 10 - 15 minutes or until tops are crunchy (if you prefer soft stuffing, omit this step)

Loaded Turkey Tacos

Everyone loves a good taco - but the traditional ones are full of empty calories, sugars, and all the wrong kinds of fats - so I changed it! Mine is healthy, filling, and delicious! Try it, Youre gonna love it!

Whole wheat tortilla wraps
1 tbspn grapeseed oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 small organic sweet onion
4 organic garlic cloves
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tsp organic red pepper
1organic tbspn cumin
1 organic tbspn italian seasonings
1 organic pack of sazon
1 tsp adobo
Salt and pepper to taste

Our Toppings:
Organic Avacado
Chopped organic romaine lettuce
Grated all natural white cheddar cheese
Black beans
Salsa
Rice

Heat oil in a large skillet and add onion, garlic, and ground turkey
Season with salt and pepper
Add all the spices and mix well

Heat up the wheat wraps in the microwave to soften
Fill shell with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Hearty Winter Beef Stew

Yesterday was cold and blustery, it was a perfect day for beef stew! And it's super easy (and affordable) to make! I literally threw this all together in the crock pot in 10 minutes before I ran out the door to go to work. Let me know if you make it and how it turns out!

Hearty Winter Beef Stew

1 - 2 lbs grass fed beef stew chunks (I only used 1 lb, but if you like yours with a lot of meat, double it)
1 qt organic french onion soup ( I use Pacific Foods brand)
1 cup organic beef broth
*1/2 cup of red wine (optional, I like the flavor it provides)
5 - 6 medium sized organic potatoes
1 large bunch of organic celery
1 large organic sweet onion
4 - 5 organic garlic cloves
1 - 2 large organic carrots
1 cup organic corn
1 cup organic peas
2 bayleaves
1 - 2 tsp organic celery salt (I use the simply organic brand)
1 Tbpsn organic italian seasoning
1 tbspn kosher salt (add half a tbspn at a time to taste, I tend to like things a little saltier than most!)
Ground black pepper to taste
Tiny pinch of red pepper flakes
Whole wheat flour

Season the beef with salt and pepper and dump in a crock pot
Add whole wheat flour - enough to create a thick coat on the beef
Chop up potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, and carrots and add to the beef
Add the onion soup, beef broth, and red wine, mix the pot
Add bay leaves, celery salt, italian seasoning, ground pepper, red pepper flakes, and half the kosher salt
Turn the crock pot on high and cover for 6 - 8 hours, stirring occasionally
Taste the stew near doneness and add salt as needed
About 30 - 45 minutes before serving, add the corn and peas and cover
Serve with yummy whole wheat bread

Savory Chicken Saltiambocca and Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Green Beans

A few nights ago I thought it would be fun to make a new, special dinner for Marcus. I searched online for some recipes I thought would be fun to try and I found this delicious (and easy) chicken dish. Thought I would share the joy with all of you - Enjoy!


Savory Chicken Saltiambocca

2 Organic chicken breast's pounded thin (you can double this recipe easily)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
3 - 4 tbspns coconut oil
2 tsp chopped organic fresh sage (or 1 tsp dried sage)
2 slices all natural/organic prosciutto
1/4 lb fresh all natural mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
3/4 cup white wine - ie. Sauvignon Blanc
Fresh ground pepper
Kosher salt

Heat the coconut oil in a medium sized pan
While pan is heating, season chicken breasts with salt and pepper
Dredge chicken breasts in whole wheat flour and shake off excess
Once pan (and oil) are hot, add the chicken breast and cook until browned, about 5 - 7 minutes depending on the thickness
Flip the chicken breast and brown another 4 - 5 minutes, or until done (firm when pressed)
Turn down the heat all the way to low
Add the chopped sage evenly on top the chicken breasts
Place the mozzarella on top so the chicken is evenly covered
Place a lid tightly over the pan until the cheese melts
Remove chicken breasts from pan and place on a platter, cover with tin foil and set to the side
Turn the heat back up high until the pan starts to crackle
Add the wine, scrapping up the bits on the bottom of the pan, until wine is reduced to about half
Remove from heat and let thicken about 5 minutes
Plate chicken breast, pour some of the wine reduction on top, garnish with a whole sage leaf



Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Green Beans

1 tbspn coconut oil
1/4 lb organic, fresh, trimmed green beans
1 cup water
4 - 5 organic garlic cloves, minced
2 tbspn freshly grated all natural Parmesan cheese
2 tsp kosher salt
Black pepper

Heat oil and garlic in a pan until lightly browned, about 3 - 5 minutes
Add green beans to the pan and cook another 3 - 5 minutes
Add the water, cover with a lid, turn the heat to medium and let cook until softened
Once water is gone, add salt and pepper to taste
Plate beans and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese - serve and enjoy!

Shepherds pie

One of Marcus's favorite meals is Shepherds pie, and it was actually super easy to make organically. Here's the recipe, let me know if you like it! I had to play around with the amounts of broth,wine, and Worcestershire sauce, to get the flavor that I like, so I suggest you do the same to get a taste you like!

1 tbspn grapeseed oil
2 lbs organic ground turkey
1 large organic onion
5 - 6 cloves of organic garlic
1 - 2 large organic carrots
1 - 2organic zucchini
1 cup of red wine
1 - 2 cups all natural  beef broth
MSG free Worcestershire sauce
2 cans Organic tomato paste
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
A pinch or two of crushed red pepper
1 tsp of organic cumin
About 1.5 cups of organic corn
About 1.5 cups of organic green beans
About 1.5 cups organic peas
1 - 1.5 lbs organic potatoes
Organic Heavy milk/cream
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 organic egg yolk

Heat oil in a large pan
Dice onion and garlic, add to oil
Add the ground turkey to the pot and season with salt and pepper
While its browning grate the carrot and zucchini (using a cheese grater) and add to the pan
add the tomato paste to the pan and mix until fully incorporated
add the red wine, worcestershire sauce (to taste.. I used about 2 tbspns), and beef broth
Add red pepper flakes and cumin
Let the mix sit on medium low heat until the liquid boils down and it becomes reduced
Add the vegetables that youre using at this time

Meanwhile, boil potatoes until soft enough to mash
Mash with cream, salt and pepper, parm cheese, and egg yolk

Pour the meat mix into a glass pan
Top with the mashed potato mix
Top with more parm cheese

Baked at 400 for about 20 - 30 minutes

Let it sit for a few minutes to settle and enjoy!

Well it's spaghetti and meatballs, Naturally.

So today is a chilly, cloudy, late fall day - a great day for sauce! I just perfected my sauce recipe a few weeks ago - and I'm sharing it with you :) Here you go!

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb organic turkey sausage (if you can find it... if not, just stick to the turkey!)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
Italian seasonings - I use a dried herb mix, you can use whatever you like. I prefer something with basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, onion, black pepper, thyme, and rosemary.
1 tbsp MSG free Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup natural grated Parmesan cheese

Mix together, form into balls, and bake at 350 for about 15 - 20 minutes

For the sauce:
1 cup minced onion
5 - 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
28 oz. organic crushed tomatoes
12 oz. organic tomato paste
13 oz. organic tomato sauce
2 - 3 tbsp pure cane sugar
Fresh basil - chopped
Fresh oregano - chopped
Fresh thyme - chopped
Fresh rosemary - chopped
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp italian seasonings
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 - 2 cups water

In a heavy pot, saute onions and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Add the meatballs, cover, and simmer for as long as possible, but for the best results at least 4 hours. Serve over whole wheat pasta and top with a little more Parmesan cheese, and enjoy! =)