Miracle Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head of cabbage (green)
• 1 onion (white/yellow/sweet)
• 1 small bag of carrots (5-7 small carrots)
• 1 bunch of bok choy
• 1 green pepper
• 4-6 celery stocks 
• Vegetable or chicken stock (1 quart)
• 2 Lipton French Onion Soup Mix packets
• 28 oz. of canned diced tomatoes (flavored OK) 
• Garlic - 6-8 cloves
• Salt and pepper

*You will need a very large pot for this...I used an 8 quart. 

Steps: 

1. Prep all of the veggies by chopping, dicing and slicing. 
2. Saute onion, carrot, celery, and bok choy stalks until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic in the last 30 seconds. 
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot: both seasoning packets, canned tomatoes, vegetable/chicken stock, shredded cabbage and bok choy leaves. 
4. Stir and add water until all of the cabbage is covered.
5. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover. Cook until the cabbage is tender. 
6. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Notes: 

• Add crushed red pepper flakes for heat. 
• You're the boss, add whatever veggies you have on hand!
• I know it's doable, but I haven't tested this in the crock pot. If interested I would follow the above instructions through step 2. Then, add everything to the crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Check tenderness of the cabbage. If you need more time, turn the heat up and keep an eye on it. (If anyone tries this, please let me know!) 

Bigos

“Hunter’s Stew” aka “Poor man’s feast”, a Polish national dish!

Serves: 10-12, with leftovers
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 3-4 hours

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage, shredded
2 bags of sauerkraut
3-4 carrots (sliced)
3 packages of Polish kielbasa (sliced)
Bacon (cut into small pieces or cubed) - optional
2-3 pound piece of bone-in pork
Peppercorns (roughly 15, just eye ball it)
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cumin
2 small cans of tomato paste
1 large onion, diced
1 large pack of sliced mushrooms

 Steps

1. Drain the sauerkraut and reserve the juice.
2. Place sauerkraut into a LARGE pot, cover with enough water to come half way up the sauerkraut (not covering it!).
3. Bring to boil, and simmer for 30 minutes until the sauerkraut is on the softer side.
4. Place rinsed piece of pork into the pot.
4. Toss in carrots, shredded cabbage, bay leaves, peppercorns, tomato paste and add more water (4-5 cups), again, not covering the cabbage, just enough to see it underneath, just over half way. Make sure the pork is covered.
5. Bring to boil, then simmer covered for about an hour. Mix and flip the pork occasionally. 
6. Meanwhile, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil/butter and fry the bacon, kielbasa, and any until browned (and crispy). Add the onion and mushroom until onion is translucent.
7. After about an hour, remove the pork from the pot and clean the meat off of the bone.
8. Return the diced/shredded pork, along with the kielbasa, bacon, onion, mushroom mixture, back into the pot.
9. Cover and cook for an additional hour or 2 on medium low.
*Optional: you may add some of the reserved sauerkraut juice during the final steps if you like your dish tangy.

Better picture coming soon.

Corned Beef + Cabbage

Corned beef, cabbage, carrots, red potatos, and onions = MMMMmmmm

What you need:

crockpot

~10 pound corned beef brisket w/seasoning packet

4 carrots

1-2 onions

6-12 small red potatos

1 head of cabbage

12 oz. beer (we used Yuengling)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2/3 tablespoons yellow mustard

Steps:

1. Prep veggies (wash, peel, cut into chunks - quarter the cabbage after removing the core)

2. Place carrots, onions and potatos at the bottom of the crockpot

3. Rinse brisket with water, pat dry, and place into crockpot fat side up (rub seasoning over the top)

4. Empty beer into crockpot

5. Mix the brown sugar with some water (1/4 cup) and add into crockpot

6. Arrange quartered cabbage over the brisket.

7. Cook on low for 10 hours.

8. You are done - place everything into serving dishes (drained) and enjoy :)