Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
By Todd Wilbur, Recipe #77585
Recipezaar

Serves 8
3 T. olive oil
1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup frozen cut italian green beans
1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth (do not use chicken broth)
2 (15 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drainged ( I don't use this)
2 (15 oz.) cans samll white beans or great northern beans, drained (I only use one can)
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup carrot, julienned or shredded
2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup small shell pasta

Heat 3 T. olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 min. or until onions begin to turn translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients except the spinach and pasta, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the spinach and pasta and continue to simmer for 20 minutes longer.

Vegan Brownies

Some of you may be thinking "EWWWWWWW...Vegan...." right now. My daughter made these today because she has a friend who is a vegan, and I was pleasantly surprised. They are really fudgey and good. They are everything a regular brownie is, minus the eggs. Yum. This would also be a great recipe to keep in your food storage files.

Vegan Brownies
from Allrecipes.com

2 C. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 C. white sugar
3/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 C. water
1 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in water, vegetable oil and vanilla, mix until well blended. Spread evenly in a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Menus for what's on sale for the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 5

I love the hymn "Ring Out, Wild Bells" or the text written by Alfred Tennyson that read or sing, "the year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. The year is going; let him go. Ring out the false; ring in the true."

I am happy to see 2009 go. I usually have some mixed feelings when old years are dying and new ones are being born. I am pretty nostalgic about most things. And while 2009 had it's good moments there were excruciatingly painful ones for me and my family this year. And that's all part of some years and part of life and I realize that. I love that we have a fresh slate starting in 13 and a half hours. Although with my challenge to myself to clean out a drawer or cupboard a day in 2010, I finally realized this morning as I stood counting my cupboards and drawers in my kitchen, that it will take me 30 days alone just to get through my kitchen. That's not even counting a pantry. So grab hold of 2010. Tell those you love, that you love them. Apologize to those you need to apologize to. Forgive whom you need to forgive, even if it's yourself. Clean out a drawer that you need to. Hug your child. Hug your mother, if you still can. Make a new friend. Help someone. Take a bubble bath and listen to some really good music. Learn how to do something new. Read an inspiried book or short story. Watch a kid eat an ice cream cone to appreciate how one can savor the small joys in life.

Here it is:

$77.53
+$2.00 for the veg stock/broth I forgot to add in

$79.53

Breakfast
1-Oatmeal, fruit drink
2-Cold cereal, milk, fruit drink
3-Oatmeal
4-Cold cereal, milk
5-Toast, pear and apple slices with peanut butter
6-Oatmeal
7-Cold cereal, milk

Lunch
1-PB&J sandwich, tangelo
2-PB&J sandwich, strawberries
3-PB&J sandwich, snack crackers, apple
4-Bolgna sandwich, apple
5-PB&J sandwich, crackers
6-Bologna sandwich, snack crackers, whatever fruit you still have
7-Ramen noodles

Dinner
1-Hamburger Stroganoff, noodles, canned vegetable

2-Frozen Pizza, green salad (iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, green bell pepper, green onion)

3-Potato soup, baguette. Shredded cheddar, sliced green onion, bacon crumbles, sour cream dollop for toppers. Forgot to add two cans of vegetable stock into the total so add $2 to the total for that. I will post how I make Potato soup after this post.

4-Baked chicken breast, roasted red garlic potatotoes and roasted carrots.

5-Cobb salad, baguette. Use leftover chicken on top of iceberg, use green bell pepper, green onion, cucumber, hard boiled eggs, shredded cheese, bacon crumbles and whatever leftover veg you may have in your fridge.

6-Hamburgers, buns. Raw carrots and ranch dip. Add .75 to your budget and buy a bottle of 7 Up or A&W root beer if you want at Bashas.

7-Zucchini and Eggplant Parmesan, green salad. Make leftover hamburger buns into garlic toast or cheese toast if you want to. See http://formerchef.com/2009/08/24/grilled-eggplant-and-zucchini-parmesan/ for a recipe for Eggplant and Zucchini Parmesan.


Grocery List:
Bashas':
Boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.49 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $4.47
Bahsas milk, $1.58, buy 2
Red Baron pizza, $2.88
Tyson bacon, $1.99
Osare Mayer meat bologna, $1.99
Food Club cheese, 2/$3, buy 2, one cheddar, one mozzarella for the Eggplant thing
Food Club snack crackers, 2/$3, buy one
Sweet onions, .79 lb.
Crusty baguette, .99, buy 2
green onions, allowed for $1 for 1 bunch
eggs, allowed for $1.39

Fresh & Easy
Russet potatoes, .99 for 3 lbs.

Fry's
Minute Maid fruit drink, $1.88
Post cereals, $1.88, buy 2
Kroger sour cream, $1
Kroger cottage cheese, $1 (Use this instead of ricotta in the Eggplant thing to save $)
Kroger mini carrots, $1
American Beauty pasta, $1.25
Fry's hamburger buns, $1.25
Fry's instant oatmeal, $1.50, buy 2
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4
Kroger Value peanut butter, $1.49
Canned vegetable, allowed for .99
Jelly, allowed for $2.00
Kroger Value spaghetti sauce, $1.15
Parmesan, allowed for $3
Ramen noodles, allowed for .50 for two pkgs.

Sprouts
Iceberg lettuce, .69 each, buy 2
Large vine ripe tomatoes, .69 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Italian squash, zucchini, .69 lb.
Red or yukon gold potatoes, .69 lb, buy 2 lbs.
Large green bell peppers, 3/$1, buy one at .33
Large tangelos, .69 lb, buy 6 lbs. if you want
cucumbers, 2/$1, buy one at .50
Extra lean ground beef, $1.88 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $7.52
D'angou (organic) pears, .69 lbs, buy 4 lbs. if you want, at $2.76
Fresh eggplant, .69 each, buy 2
Washington Braeburn apples, .69 lb, buy 6 lbs. at $4.14

Items not on grocery list:
Mayonnaise
mustard
oil
sugar
flour

Other great buys this week:
gourmet 6 oz. stuffed salmon, $3.49-Sprouts, great for a grown up dinner to celebrate the New Year
Fresh pork butt, $1.99 lb.-Fry's
Boneless roasts, buy one, get one free-Bashas
Cantaloupes, 3 lbs./$1-Bashas (we can't elope, we're already married, LOL)
Martinellis sparkling cider, $1.99-Bashas
Large cheese deli pizza, $4.99-Bashas
Rancher's Reserve roast, $1.88 lb.-Safeway
Large cantaloupes, .99 ea.-Safeway
Orange juice, $1.99-Fresh & Easy
Del Monte bananas-Fresh& Easy
boneless skinless chicken breasts, $1.57 lb.-albertson's
Roma tomatoes, 2 lbs./$1-Albertson's
Coupons in ad for Albertsons:
mini carrots, .99 for 1#
Albertson's apples juice, .99 limit 2
Albertson's sandwich bread, .88, limit 4
Albertson's cr. cheese, .77, limit 2
Albertson's large eggs, $1.88, for 18 ct., limit 2