Yummy Taco Soup

I love that Chef Meg uses smashed beans to thicken soups instead of flour! Its a great gluten-free option. This soup was tasty, I would have added black beans instead of kidney, but I had neither. I figured it had enough protein with the meat and the garbanzos. Enjoy!

Taco Soup (Chef Meg's Makeover)

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=681632

Nutrition Info

• Calories: 342.1
• Fat: 16.8g
• Carbohydrates: 29.5g
• Protein: 20.4g

Ingredients

16 oz lean ground beef
1/2 C yellow onion, chopped
1 recipe taco seasoning
14 oz tomato sauce
14 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies
14 oz kidney beans, dark, drained
1 C water
1 C corn, frozen
4 oz green chilies, chopped
1/2 C garbanzo beans, smashed

Directions

Brown ground beef and chopped onion over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Drain mixture and blot away excess grease. Add spices cook for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and cook additional minute while stirring. Add diced tomatoes, kidney beans, and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add corn, green chilies, and mashed garbanzo beans, simmer an additional 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped cilantro, chips, cheese, or sour cream. (Calories not included.)


Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CHEF_MEG.

Buttermilk cornbread with gluten free option

Instead of using a skillet to melt the butter, I just microwaved it for simplicity's sake. This was the most moist cornbread I have ever tasted! To make it gluten free, I substituted Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour mix and a spoonful of Xanthan gum for the flour. Add the baking soda. It was a quick recipe to throw together and I had it ready ahead of time to go with my Jambalaya. Next time I want to double the recipe! Delicious!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grandmothers-buttermilk-cornbread/detail.aspx Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread

Rated: Submitted By: BETHANYWEATHERSBY Photo By: Jessica Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Ready In: 55 Minutes Servings: 9

"Grandma's recipe for a sweet, moist cornbread likely to become your favorite!"

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter 2/3 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2.	Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This soup is one of my favorite that I've ever made! I omitted the ham because I thought it would take away from the flavor of the sausage and shrimp. For 4 people with some leftovers I used 2 bags of frozen shrimp and 2 packages of andouille sausage (the kind with 4-5 brat sized links in it). I used red chili powder instead of cayenne pepper and my homemade green chili hot sauce instead of Tabasco. I also cooked the rice separately because I don't have good experience with getting it cooked all the way in soup dishes. Then each person can add as little or as much rice as they want. The zing of lemon juice at the end is my favorite part. It is a little bit prep-work heavy with all the veggies you add to it, so I like this recipe for the weekend. Enjoy this taste of Louisiana!!!


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/shrimp-and-sausage-jambalaya-recipe2/index.html

Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Copyright 2010, Amelia Durand, All Rights Reserved

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Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound sausage, such as kielbasa or andouille, sliced
• 1 pound smoked ham, cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
• 1 cup seeded and diced tomato
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons diced fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon diced fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 3 cups long-grain rice, rinsed
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 to 8 dashes hot sauce, optional (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, divided
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pound medium shrimp, deveined (20 to 24 count)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or black iron pot over medium heat, add the kielbasa and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside. Add the butter, onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the scallions, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the lemon juice and the shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.

Garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup scallions and 1/2 cup parsley, and a dash of hot sauce, if desired.