SLOW COOKER TACO SOUP

I'm posting this using Bill's sign-in.  

The recipe below is from Anne Golia, my sister-in-law (John's wife) who shared it with me recently and gave me permission to enter it into the family cookbook.  

2 lbs browned hamburger meat

2 cans ranch style beans or pinto beans  (we like Great Northern or Navy beans) just a suggestion

2 cans whole kernel corn

2 cans diced stewed tomatoes

1 can tomatoes with green chiles

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 package taco seasoning

 

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW for six to eight hours (or more).

Serve, if desired, with chopped onion, grated sharp cheddar or other cheese AND taco chips.   WE DO ALL OF THIS.

Add a salad and you have a feast. 

This also makes a great offering for potluck suppers with friends and family.

Spicey Potato Parsnip Cabbage Soup with Veggie Sausage

Really I set out to make a spicey potato cabbage soup and learned we had only one white potato . . . oh, well.  Sometimes scarcity is the true parent of enjoyment!

Ingredients:
1 medium white potato, cubed
1 medium parsnip, cubed
4 inner stalks of celery with leaves, sliced across grain
4 medium-large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 head medium cabbage, sliced in strips and longest strips cut in half
2 Morning Star Italian Sausages (soy product)
1 cube low sodium vegetable bouillon
1/2 cup Bill's pasta sauce (from freezer)
1/3 cup Andrea's Thanksgiving mashed potatoes (with rutabaga)
plenty of fresh ground black pepper
few gentle shakes of cayenne
6 chili pequin peppers, crushed
good pinch of Kosher salt
few dried rosemary leaves (about an inch of dried leaves from our garden)
sufficient olive oil for looks and early saute of celery, potato, parsnip, garlic

Voila!   I heated the pan added smidgen of olive oil and piled in the celery potato, parsnip and garlic for a bit of a saute.  Once the sizzle was loud enough to suit me, I added a couple of cups of water followed by all of the other ingredients in turn and brought to a nice gentle boil and simmered for, oh, say 30 minutes or so.  While it continued to gently simmer, I added the sausages cut in half, allowed the water back to a full simmer then put on the lid, counted to 10 and shut the fire off and let it set for about 5-6 minutes before serving.  Andrea had gotten us a nice, dark and crusty artisan wheat bread.  A little butter on the bread, a little parmesan cheese on the bowl of soup and . . . ahhhhhhh . . . Andrea liked it!