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Well, Well! I was thinking when April came we would be done with snow. According to the calendar spring started a couple weeks ago. My thinking was the meals we prepare could go from oven to table, as often happens in the colder days of winter. But then we have oven meals whether it’s 20 degrees or 70 degrees.  I’m not counting on 70 degrees in the very near future. Anyway since I’m a lover of soup for a meal, crackers and a cookie or two is a full meal.  One of our sons tells his wife that soup is not a dinner but should be a lunch. Sorry Paul, if you add some type of bread and a salad it becomes a full meal….so there you go.

Obviously it’s recipes for soup today. Most often a veggie soup has beef, chicken or sausage in the ingredients. Looking at the price per pound of beef, generally speaking, is perhaps the most expensive addition to a veggie soup. You also can make veggie soup using lots of nutritious veggies and skip adding any variety of meat to the ingredients.

Let’s make hamburger soup in a slow cooker adding a couple ingredients you don’t normally use. This is a good soup to make if you are busy, whether at your work place or at home.

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HAMBURGER 
VEGETABLE SOUP
1 lb. hamburger
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)                                                                                                                                                      
2  garlic cloves, minced
4 c. tomatoe juice
1-15 oz. can stewed tomatoes (or 2 c. home canned)
2 c. coleslaw mix
2 c. frozen green beans
2 c. frozen corn
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. dried basil
1/2 t. salt, optional
1/4 t. pepper

In a sauce pan, cook hamburger onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. In a slow cooker, combine remaining ingredients. Stir in hamburger mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until veggies are tender.  Makes 10 servings.  Note: This recipe makes a lot so refrigerate leftovers and you will have another meal…quick as a whistle!   If you don’t have a slow cooker you can cook it on the stove in about 45 minutes. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to medium or you can heat in the micro for a couple minutes.

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BEEF & SAUSAGE SOUP
1 T. canola or vegetable oil
1 lb. beef stew meat, cut into 3/4 –inch pieces
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage, formed into balls the size of a walnut
1 – 28 oz. or 2 – 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice
3-1/2 c. water
1 c. diced onion
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 c. peeled cubed potatoes, cut in 3/4 –inch pieces
1 long rib celery cut in 1/2 –inch pieces

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown stew meat on all sides; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Brown sausage balls on all sides over medium heat; drain off fat. Return beef and sausage balls to saucepan; add remaining ingredients except potatoes and celery. Bring just to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Add potatoes and celery; simmer 25 minutes or until veggies are tender. Serve with  crusty bread.  Makes 8 servings. Note: You can brown sausage, breaking into large pieces rather  than making balls after stew meat is browned. Add remaining ingredients. Makes 8 servings.

MEATLESS TACO TWIST SOUP
1 medium onion, diced (1 c.)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. olive or canola oil
3 c. beef or vegetable broth
1 -15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-15 oz. can  chili beans, undrained
1 – 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1-1/2 c. picante sauce
1 c. uncooked spiral pasta (rotini)1 small green pepper diced (3/4 c.)
2 t. chili powder
1 t.  cumin
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3 T. sour cream

In a large saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add next 9 ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.  Serve with cheese and sour cream.  Makes 6-8 servings.  Note: I made this soup a couple of weeks ago and it is delicious, without any type of meat added. If you would  like some kind of meat in this veggie soup, you can add cooked sausage, beef, chicken,  kielbasa (Polish Sausage).

Thought for the Day: I saw this “tip” in a magazine and I thought it would be a good suggestion for cooks of the kitchen. “I can’t stir up anything without making a mess, so I set my mixing bowl in the sink.  Besides easy clean up I get better leverage with the bowl lower than counter level.” Works great for shorties like me!

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