Soup for You!

Tomato & Meatballish Stew

You don't usually think of downing a bowl of soup in the summer, but you can always prep for the fall! Make batches of soup with fresh seasonal ingredients and freeze them in portions for later on. This one is one of my favs, because it is super easy to make and you can even replace the tomatoes with good quality canned ones to make it even easier!

Ingredients:

4 Cups Organic Tomatoes, diced (or you can use good quality canned crushed tomatoes, about a 24-30oz size can should do it)
1 Cup Coconut Milk - full fat!
1 Cup Chicken or Beef Broth (Chicken tastes better for some reason?!)
1 lb Ground Beef, good quality is best, and lean
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
Fresh Basil Leaves
Coconut Oil or Avocado Oil
Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

1. Take your tomatoes and coconut oil and blend until smooth in a blender or using a hand blender. If you are using canned crushed tomatoes, just go to the next step.
2. In a pot over medium heat, saute the onions in some coconut or avocado oil. Cook them out until they are soft, but not mush. Add in the ground beef - I like to make them into little tiny meatballs, but you can just break it up into chunks. Once beef is cooked through, drain off any excess fat, you shouldn't have too much if you use an extra lean ground beef.
3. Add in the garlic and season with salt and pepper, stir for about a minute, then add in your tomatoes, coconut milk and chicken broth.
4. Bring your soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Add in julienne cut basil leaves or if the leaves are small, you can add them whole!
5. Remove from stove and eat right away, or you can cool it off and portion them into freezer bags and save for later!

Beef Brisket...that is all...

BEEF BRISKET

Mmmm...Brisket! So this is a recipe that is a little longer than the previous posts, but you will reap the rewards when it is done. This is a two day process, and honestly you really don't have to put too much effort into it! You can use a large roasting pan for this, but I prefer to buy an aluminum foil disposable pan that you can get at the store - no dishes to scrub when you are done! 

Ingredients
7-9 lbs piece of Grass-fed Beef Brisket (this is the best option)
4 Cups Good Beef Broth (if you are buying this, get the low-sodium kind or no salt-added)
1 Cup Tamari
1/4 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (watch the seeds!)
5 Garlic Cloves, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp Hickory Liquid Smoke (this is optional)

Method

1. Combine the beef broth, Tamari, lemon juice, and garlic cloves in your large roasting pan. If you are using liquid smoke, mix it in here.
2. Place the brisket (fat side up) in the pan and spoon over the liquid to douse the brisket evenly. 
3. Cover pan and brisket tightly with aluminium foil and place in fridge to chill for 24 hours.
4. Remove brisket from the fridge and pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees. You want to pull it out about 20 minutes prior to putting it in the oven so the meat is not too cold before cooking it - this will allow it to cook through evenly. 
5. Place the covered pan of brisket in the oven and cook for approximately 4-4.5 hours. You can check on it at the 4 hour mark to see if the meat is fork-tender. When it is, remove from oven, uncover the pan and let stand for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the brisket from the pan and place on a cutting board. You can strain the drippings and use it as a sauce if you wish. 
7. Trim fat from the brisket if it is excessive and carve into thin slices for serving - you should always cut across the grain for best consumption. Brisket should also be soft enough to shred with two forks if desired.
8. Enjoy with...anything actually!