Chicken Bean Soup

I came up with this soup today by looking at two different recipes and it was a hit.

1 quart chicken broth (homemade)
(1 cup cooked chicken (such as taken from the broth chicken parts), optional)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans navy beans
Basil to taste (fresh or dried)
Salt to taste (takes 1 tsp. for homemade unsalted chicken stock)
Onion, chopped
Butter

Saute onion in butter til tender. Add broth and other ingredients. Simmer and serve.

Creamed Spinach

I made my own creamed spinach for the first time tonight. I used frozen chopped spinach and on a whim just decided to dress it up. The recipe will need to be refined some, but this is a good start. I only made a small batch this time and didn't measure everything.

Here is what I did:

Cook 1 package frozen, chopped spinach in some water just till warm. Strain well.

Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp. flour and whisk together right away under medium to low heat. Add 1/2 cup whole milk slowly to incorporate while whisking. Add onion powder, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Add 2-4 Tbsp of parmesan cheese or to taste.

Stir strained spinach into cream sauce.
Yummy!! It could have used more of the spices so I will need to experiment with amounts.

I grew up with creamed spinach out of a box in Germany and loved it. I will finally be able to get back to that taste.

Grassfed Meatballs

2 eggs
1 cup oats, processed into coarse meal
1/3 cup organic ketchup (it doesn't have HFCS)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce, naturally fermented preferred
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 lbs grassfed ground beef

Add first 7 ingredient. Add beef and mix well. I like to use my kitchenaid mixer to make it a breeze. Shape into 1 inch balls or use a ice cream scoop or a Tablespoon measuring spoon and place on cookie sheet. Bake @ 450 for 8-10 minutes or til no longer pink.

I like to eat them cold and with mustard! That's how I grew up eating them in Germany. Great for taking on a picnic.