Tomato Bean Greek Soup

I got this recipe from my sister ... I did alter it a bit but here is the original recipe.  

I made it with some black beans as well which according to Dr. Oz helps fight fat.

Ingredients

1.5 Navy Beans

1 Tlb. Baking soda

6 cups of water ( or part stock to taste)

1 can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 of each chopped -celery, carrot, yellow onion

one whole potato

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp red chilli pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

Topping

1/4 cup feta cheese

lemon juice 

parsley

Soak beans overnight and then drain.  Add new water and soda and boil for 5 minutes till tender.  Drain and add 6 cups of water and then the chopped vegetables, tomatoes, whole potato, oil and spices. Boil for one hour. Add the feta, lemon and parsley on individual bowls and serve.

This soup is amazing! the flavours blend so well together.  The kicker is the feta, parsley and lemon topping!  And the subtle flavour of chilli and ginger and the yummy navy beans.

Pumpernickel bread .......made in Bread Maker

I got this recipe from my brother.  Great dense rye bread!
You need a bread maker to knead.

Add ingredients in the order they are into the bread maker.

1 1/2 cup luke warm water
3 Tlb powder milk
2 Tlb shortening
2 Tlb honey
2 Tlb molasses
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/3 cup white flour
2/3 cup rye flour
2 Tlb cocoa
2 tsp instant coffee
1 1/4 tsp yeast

We like to use the dough cycle and then bake in the oven.

Grease pan, form bread and place on pan.  Cover with clean cloth and let it rise for 20 plus minutes.

You can brush with butter or egg for the glossy look or keep it matte.

Bake at 350 F for 20 - 30 minutes.

The way to tell if it is done, is to knock on the bottom and if it sounds hollow, it is done.  Yummy!

Sour Puss Cabbage Rolls

After discovering sour cabbage, making cabbage rolls became very quick and easy!

Ingredients

1 sour cabbage 

2 cups of cooked rice

2 lbs of ground beef (uncooked) 

1 lg cooking onion

4-6 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

1-2 cans of crushed or whole tomatoes

1 can of tomato sauce

Directions

Cook the rice and let it cool.  Add to ground beef, onion and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Take the cabbage and separate leaves.  We removed the harder core piece (the size of a triangle). Add the meat  mixture- palm size (depending on the size of leave) to the leaf.

Tightly roll tucking in the edges as you go.

 

After placing some crushed tomatoes on the bottom of the pan, add cabbage rolls. Top with remainder of the tomatoes and sauce. Season again!

Cook for an hour and an half at 350.

Enjoy! We served with perogies!