Monday Meals: Ham Bean Soup

Ingredients:

*ham bone (optional; not necessary)

*2 cups ham, cubed (still have leftovers from Easter?)

*3-4 cups pre-soaked beans

*4 cups chicken broth

*1/2 cup diced onion

*1/2 cup diced carrot

*1/2 cup diced celery

*salt, pepper, & herbs to taste (I usually use parsley or thyme)

Directions:

Place ham bone in crock pot (if using one). Add broth, beans, vegetables, and seasonings to crock pot. Set on low for 6 hours. Add cubed ham. Turn heat to high for additional 2 hours or until beans and vegetables are tender. Serve.

*I use a blend of six different dry beans (my blend varies each time, but black, great northern, kidney, navy, pink, and pinto beans are a great place to start. Don't forget dried peas, too). I soak 2/3 cup of each bean type at once. 2/3 cups for six different dry bean types equates to 4 cups of dry beans. 4 cups dry beans will yield 10-12 cups soaked beans (depending on type of bean used). I use 3-4 cups for my soup and store the remainder in gallon sized ziploc bags. 4 cups soaked beans (rinsed and drained) per 1 bag. Add a teaspoon of oil, shake until well coated, remove excess air, and store in freezer until ready to use.
**Storage space saver = when removing air from ziploc bag, lay bag on flat surface. Store on bottom of freezer shelf, so beans are flat and take up less space.

Monday Meals: Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients:
*8 oz polish sausage, thinly sliced
*1/2 small onion, diced
*2 cans 15 oz kidney beans (light, dark, or both)
*1 can 15 oz tomato sauce
*salt, pepper, garlic salt, and cajun spice (to taste)
*dash of white wine vinegar (or similar vinegar)
*2-3 cups white rice, cooked

Directions:
Saute onion and sausage until unions are transparent. Add tomato sauce, seasonings, and vinegar. Bring sauce to boil and add beans. Cook for ten minutes, until sauce thickens. Serve over rice. Garnish with finely chopped scallions or parsley.

*This meal is great served with GF corn bread. Perfect for a cold day.

Pictured with cubed meat in addition to sausage.