As sad as I was a week ago at the thought of the Summer ending, I am equally if not more excited that school starts this week for my boys. I could list all the reasons for my change of heart, but you all know what they are. I'll just leave it at this: It is time.
In my last post,I mentioned that one of my back-to-school-week meals would be Tuscan White Bean (Soup) with Rosemary, served with grilled cheese. Now, I know that this is more of a Fall/Winter dish, but back to school (even in August) makes me wish it to be Fall already. I made this soup a few days ago and it was yummy!! It is a crock pot meal, but I was working the day that I wanted to serve it, and with trying to get to work at close to 7:00 a.m., I didn't have time to prep the soup before needing to leave for work - even though the prep took only 15 minutes. So, the night before, I assembled the soup, put the crock pot in the fridge for the night, took it out the next morning, plugged it in and off I went to work while my dinner cooked all day.
This is all to say that we're all busy - whether we're working full time, part time; whether we're stay at home moms who spend a lot of time volunteering and running the household; whether we've got older kids or toddlers... with a little forethought, we can still do all that we need/want to do AND serve a healthy meal to our families. It IS possible! (most nights of the week, that is)
First, I cooked the pancetta. Pancetta is like a cross between ham and bacon, and when you cook it til it's crispy, boy is it delicious. It gives pep to any dish.
When it was done cooking, I put it into the crock pot. Next, I cooked an onion. The recipe calls for a red onion, but I only had a yellow onion, so that's what I used (cooking is all about improvisation).
I have learned that when you add a little dash of salt to your onion while it's cooking, it helps it to reach its desired state (translucent or brown) more quickly.
To the cooked onion, I added chopped garlic, rosemary, and parsley and sauteed for 1 additional minute. Then I stirred in the tomatoes and brought that to a boil.
Yummy. At this point, your house will smell like Souper Jenny. Delicious!
While the tomato mixture was cooking, I drained and rinsed 2 cans of navy beans and poured them into the crock pot. The recipe calls for white kidney beans or cannellini beans, but I prefer the smaller, softer texture of the navy beans. If you like a hearty bean, use kidney or cannellini beans.
After you add the tomato mixture to the crock pot, you pour just enough water to cover, turn it on low and go about your day. After 8-10 hours, you have a warm, flavorful and delicious soup awaiting you. With 12 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber, this soup is sure to satisfy even the hungriest in your bunch!
Tuscan White Beans with Rosemary
1 TBS olive oil
3 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup whole parsley leaves (I used a tsp dried)
1/2 tsp salt (I omitted this because the pancetta is salty and so are the tomatoes)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes (I used petite diced or fire roasted)
2 (19 ounce) cans white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (I used navy beans)
In a skillet over medium high heat, add oil. Add pancetta and cook until it just begins to brown. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add onion to skillet, reduce heat to medium and saute until softened. Add garlic, rosemary, parsley, salt (I omit), and pepper. Saute for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil, breaking up tomatoes (if necessary). Cook for 2 minutes, stirring until liquid thickens. Meanwhile, add beans to slow cooker. Pour tomato mixture over beans; stir well. Add just enough water to cover. Put cover on slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
Bon Appetit!
My friend, Chelsea, just gave me the most wonderful housewarming gift - Ree Drummond's latest cookbook. I'm no chef - I'll be the first to admit that, but I sure LOVE to cook and if I had to be on a desert island and had to choose between taking novels or cookbooks, I'd probably take cookbooks, and I'd be sure to pack all that the The Pioneer Woman has published. She's a mom, like me, who loves to cook! And look at her now! I even found a couple of of my favorite recipes in her cookbook!
Inspired by her latest cookbook, I spent all of Saturday cooking with the help of my 13 year old niece, Kendall. We cooked up some wonderful dishes that I plan on sharing with you this week!
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