Soothing Red Lentil Soup

I love red lentils as much as green, and this soup just hits the spot on a cold day.

Soothing Red Lentil Soup

2 - 3 Tbsp coconut oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp mild curry powder
2 cups red lentils, rinsed well
8 cups water or GF vegetable stock (or a mixture of both)
4-6 large carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cups thinly sliced spinach or chard
2 - 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp sea salt

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot; sauté onion for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and curry powder and sauté for a minute or so.

Add red lentils and water or stock. Add carrots; cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Turn off heat; add greens, lemon, and sea salt. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes to let the greens to soften.

Chickpea Soup

I don't think that this soup sounds particularly appealing but it's one of my favorites. Somehow, the ingredients just work together to create something delicious!

Chickpea Soup

1 small onion, chopped
4 ½ cups GF vegetable stock
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 lge tomato, diced
2 cups cabbage, shredded
1 potato, diced
¼ cup parsley, fresh, finely minced
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt

In a large pot, cook onion in 1/2 cup stock until it is soft. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until potato and cabbage are tender, about 15 minutes.

Ladle 3 cups of soup into the Vitamix and blend until smooth. Return to pot, stir to mix, and serve.

Split Pea Dal

I don't know how many of us out there love split peas and curry, but for those who do, this recipe is warming and delicious.

It's a grain-free recipe if served plain, without the brown rice.

Split Pea Dal

1 cup split peas
2 cups water or stock
1 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp garlic cloves, peeled & minced
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp olive oil

Brown rice, cooked (opt.)

Sort and wash split peas. Place in a pot with water or stock, onion, and garlic; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for one hour.

Add salt, and stir until the peas are pureed.

In a small skillet, heat the oil; remove from heat; add curry and stir until it foams. Stir into the split pea puree and mix well. Add more sea salt, if necessary.

Serve over brown rice, if desired.

Carrot Soup

Nick and I both love this soup. The kids, not so much. We don't complain about that. That just means that we get to go back for seconds!

Carrot Soup

2 qts GF vegetable stock

6 med carrots, sliced

2 lge onion, chopped

2 med red potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp curry powder

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp sea salt

In a large soup pot, combine all of the ingredients except the lemon juice and sea salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat.

Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30-45 minutes. Add the lemon juice and sea salt to taste. Puree the soup in the Vitamix until completely smooth.

Enjoy!

Pasta Florentine

Pasta Florentine


1 med onion, chopped

1 med carrot, grated

1/2 cup water or red wine

3 garlic cloves, peeled & minced

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

15 oz chopped tomatoes, with juice

28 oz chunky tomato sauce

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 lb firm organic tofu (opt)

2 Tbsp tamari

2 cups baby spinach, chopped

12 oz gluten-free shells

1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced



In a large pot, cook the onion and carrot in the water or wine until soft, then add
the garlic and mushrooms; continue cooking until mushrooms are brown.

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tamari, and dried seasonings and simmer
20-30 minutes.

Drain and mash the tofu, and add to cooked tomato sauce (opt).

Cook pasta shells until done, rinse and drain. Add to tomato sauce.

Stir in spinach; heat through. Stir in fresh parsley.

Strawberry Applesauce Muffins

1 c GF Rice Flour Blend
¾ c sorghum flour
¾ tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
½ c coconut sap sugar
1 ½ tsp Darifree powder
1/2c warm water
1/3 c expeller-pressed coconut oil
½ c strawberry applesauce
2 Tbsp warm water
1 Tbsp expeller-pressed coconut oil
1 tsp baking soda
Powdered sugar, opt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp warm water, and 1 Tbsp coconut oil.  Stir until coconut oil melts, then stir in baking soda.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix flour blend, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and sucanat together.

Mix Darifree powder with warm water.  Set aside.

Gently melt coconut oil over low heat.  Remove from head and add mixed Darifree, applesauce, and baking soda mixture.  Mix well.

Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Using a cookie scoop, fill mini-muffin cups.  Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, until done. 

Roll in powdered sugar, if desired, for a taste similar to donut holes.

Corn Bean Dip

2 cups cooked black beans
2 cups cooked corn
1 16-oz jar salsa
1 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp cumin
Juice of 1 Lime
1 tsp garlic, chopped


Mix together beans and corn. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Ratatouille

I'm not usually an eggplant fan (it's a texture thing) but I do enjoy this ratatouille.

Ratatouille

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lge onion, diced
1 bay leaf
4 Tbsp water or red wine
1 cup tomato juice
5 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 Tbsp dried marjoram
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 med zucchini, sliced
1 med yellow squash, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 small eggplant, cubed
28 oz chopped tomatoes
4 oz tomato paste

Brown rice, cooked



Heat the olive oil and a little water in a large saucepan over medium
heat. Sauté the onion until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the bay leaf, water, and tomato juice and stir well. Add the
garlic, herbs, sea salt and pepper, and mix well. Cover and simmer for 10
minutes on low.

Add zucchini, yellow squash, and yellow, green, and red peppers. Mix
well, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant, tomatoes, and
tomato paste; mix well. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender,
about 15 minutes.

Serve over brown rice.

Allergy Progress!

E passed his egg challenge!

This means that he can now eat baked goods with eggs in them, as long as they have been baked for at least a half-hour at a temperature of at least 325 degrees.

I was thinking (mistakenly) that he would now be allowed to have pancakes and waffles, but that's not the case. But at least he can have birthday cakes and bar cookies...as long as there aren't any nuts in them!

*************************************

Rice and Bean Salad

3 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked black beans
2 cups cooked cannellini
1 red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 oz green chilies, chopped (opt)
1 cup frozen corn,
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup water
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Hot sauce to taste



Mix vinegar, tamari, water, Dijon mustard, and several dashes of hot
sauce in a jar; shake well to mix.

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Shake
dressing and add to salad, mixing gently. Cover and refrigerate for
at least two hours, preferably overnight.

Full

They say that humans use only 10% or less of our brains' capacity, but apparently I am the exception. I'm convinced that I have used 100%. My brain is full. I simply cannot remember or deal with one more thing!

Last night, Nick went to the store for an Angel Food cake mix. I had to make a cake for E to take to the allergist's office today for an Egg Challenge. The store didn't sell a mix! I didn't want to make it from scratch because we bake gluten-free and I don't even keep wheat flour or white sugar in the house. I didn't have a choice, so I asked Nick to get a small box of cake flour and a small box of white sugar.

As is typical, I didn't have the energy to bake last night, so I procrastinated. I ended up beating a dozen egg whites at 1:00AM and trying to sift the flour and sugar five times! I don't even own a sifter so Nick pulled one out of the kids' play kitchen stuff. :)

So...I got the cake in the oven and let it bake for an hour.

Since I had a bunch of egg yolks staring at me, I decided to make a banana cream pie. I rarely bake anymore and J had commented awhile ago that he'd never really had pie except pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving and he doesn't even like pumpkin pie! My mom used to bake all the time and I baked when I was growing up, and I felt sad that my kids hadn't even tried some of these homemade baked goods!

Nick had gotten a premade pie crust, so I stirred away and made the filling. I was hurting and was getting cranky, so I asked him to come back downstairs and help. We baked and worked on the computer together...and I think it was going on 4:00 AM when we got to bed.

This morning, shortly before E's appointment, Nick looked at me and said, "E had to be off of antihistamines before this challenge, right?"

My jaw dropped. I'd completely forgotten about that!

I begged him to call the doctor for me, but he refused. So I called the office and left a ranting message about how I'd stayed up half the night making the cake but that my brain just doesn't work anymore and I'd forgotten to stop E's allergy meds! Thankfully, the nurse was so nice and said that I was actually the second person that had called today saying that they'd forgotten to stop the meds.

I used to be efficient and organized. Those days are long gone. Thankfully, we'll be finished with school tomorrow which takes away so much pressure. Maybe my brain start functioning again over the summer. I have to hope so...

***************************************

Weekend Sleep and Test Results

Nick and I have had a much-needed relaxing weekend. I knew I needed a break when I went to call my in-laws and couldn't remember their last name! Thankfully, my son reminded me that I share a last name with them, so I was able to call them. :) They picked up the children on Friday and took them to their house for a long weekend. I'd forgotten what it was like to sleep all night long, without being woken up by screams in the night or being kicked in the side or hit in the face while sleeping. Amazing how much better I feel after a good night's sleep...

We did some crazy things like order Vietnamese takeout, which meant that we ate PEANUTS in the house!!! Honestly, I felt like we were doing something illegal! We also worked on the business, visited my mom in the hospital, and cleaned up/organized the house. Nothing exciting, but I'm happy!

We did get some test results last week. The allergist called and said that E's blood tests showed the same thing as the skin tests: he's extremely allergic to peanuts, all tree nuts (sadly, even almonds), and sesame seeds. Eggs were also high, but he wants to do a cooked egg challenge in his office. He said that I have to make angel food cake, making sure to bring in enough for the entire staff. (He's so funny!) He assured me that he would have any needed meds right there, and he'd start by touching the cake to E's lips and then waiting to see if there's a reaction. Then he'll touch it to his tongue and wait again. Next, E will actually eat a little bit of it. Not only will this determine if E can handle cooked eggs, it may also help him outgrow his egg allergy sooner. So, we'll see what happens. My gut tells me that he'll be able to handle cooked eggs, but that may just be wishful thinking, especially since our grocery store just stopped carrying Egg Replacer!

GracieGirl's Celiac test came back a few days later. Negative. I was really surprised. So was her allergist. She's going back to see him this week, so we'll find out what to do next. I, of course, started researching online and came across this info on NCGS (Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). The logical solution seems to be to take her off of all gluten again but I want to get as much medical information as I can before doing so.

I'm thankful that we continue to get answers, even when they're not always the answers we'd like to hear! :)

****************************************

Catching Up

Our business, Truly Pure & Natural is finally up and running. We've had a good time working on it, even though Nick has done the vast majority of the work. Some people have asked if it's a Multi-Level Marketing company, such as Shaklee or Arbonne, and it definitely is not! It's simply an eclectic collection of natural products that we use and that work for us. We're slowly adding new products that we want to share with others.

GracieGirl and E both had to have bloodwork at the beginning of the week. I dreaded it because last time, E's screams could be heard three counties away! So, I did the wise thing this time...and stayed in the car while Nick took him in. :) Amazingly, he didn't struggle or cry. Nick brought him out to the car and took GracieGirl in. Same result, not even a whimper. I want to get that tech's name and ask for her every time!

E was having blood tests to confirm the skin tests for his allergies. I was hoping and praying that he wouldn't be allergic to almonds because I'd love to be able to use almond flour as an alternative to wheat and other grains. No such luck. The doctor will call us on Monday but the nurse said that he is highly allergic to all tree nuts and eggs. Unfortunately, in E's head, the doctor said he won't die if he eats nuts! So, I've been working on convincing him that the doctor most definitely did not say that. He's been really good about asking before eating anything, and I want him to continue doing that!

GracieGirl's Celiac test didn't come back yet. I'm hoping to hear something on Monday. She's been complaining of a hurt tummy for the past few days, so I'm just praying that the test shows whether or not it's Celiac.

Jay got his sleep study results and he does not have sleep apnea and his adenoids do not need to come out. So...back to the drawing board. I'm still waiting to hear back from the sleep specialist, and he sees his autism doctor in a few days, so we continue trying to find some answers!

I don't even know what to say about E. His behavior continues to worsen. I asked Nick if it was me, thinking that maybe I'm just getting too old and burnt out for all of this. He said that it definitely was not me! (I knew that, but I just had to confirm it!) The good news is that I'm getting support, which means so much. People have suggested things like bi-polar, RAD, and ODD. Hard to hear at first, but now I just want answers. I filled out a 15-page request for evaluation and sent that off. It's just hard because he has such a wonderful side, so I keep thinking that I must have been exaggerating his other behavior, and it really wasn't that bad. But then he gets violent, often without warning, and I'm reminded that things really are bad. I'm just praying that we can find the right help for him because there's a side of him that really is so sweet.

Besides being busy, the other reason that I don't generally blog during the day is that I pay for it afterwards. This time, GracieGirl and E have gotten into the crafts box. Judging by the creative mess they've made so far, I really should be focused on them, rather than on this blog! Off to survey the rest of the damage... ;)

**********************************

Allergy Update

I've become accustomed to the boys' large medical files. Well, Nate's is large; Jay's and E's are downright huge! In-between, hidden in the file cabinet, is GracieGirl's file. I think it has two sheets of paper in it. She's been the healthy one.

Today, she and Jay had appointments with the allergist. We never took her before because, although she had problems as a baby, a friend suggested that we take her off of wheat. Problems solved! I told her doctor what we'd done, and he didn't see the need in having her tested.

Late last summer, we reintroduced wheat into her diet, and she seemed to tolerate it well, so we assumed she'd outgrown any allergy or sensitivity she may have had to it. Then, in the fall, her nose started running...all the time. She started having lots of problems with gas, and we wondered if she had reflux.

She was tested this morning, and the allergist said that she isn't just allergic to all trees, all grasses, and all weeds, she's severely allergic to every last one of them! Animals were okay, except for mice. Foods were okay; she didn't test positive to any of the top allergens. She's allergic to one mold and to dust. Ugh.

The allergist suspects Celiac Disease, so we have to get a blood test for that.

So much for my healthy little girl. I'm just thankful that we have some answers and can start working towards helping her!

*****************************************

Doctors and More Doctors!

We've been in full swing with doctor's appointments again. We'd switched allergists, thinking that it would be easier to have all of the children's doctors at Children's Hospital, but we decided to go back to our old allergist. Nate and E went this week and GracieGirl and J are going tomorrow. The allergist said that Nate's asthma is under control but his allergies are bothering him. E's report wasn't as good, and the poor little guy came home with a stack of prescriptions!

Jay saw the dermatologist again, too, and she thinks that some of his problems with nighttime scratching may be behavioral. I'm not sure why she would think that, since the majority of his body is covered with eczema, and I'd kind of think that that's why he's scratching! She wants us to make an appointment with a behavioral specialist through Jay's developmental pediatrician at the autism center. We'll try anything that might help; I just to get to it on my To Do list yet!

Jay had a sleep study a few nights ago. He had some trouble dealing with all of the wires, but he loved the room...the bed with a sleep number mattress, the big, comfy quilt, the large flat screen TV, and lots of snacks. Once he was settled in, he lay back and said, "Yep, I could definitely get used to this!" He paused for a second and added, "It's not because of the TV or even the snacks; it's because there's a bed in here for you, too!" He's so sweet...

He brought his sleeping bag with him because he practically lives in it at home, so that helped comfort him a bit.

Jay in his favorite sleeping bag. I don't know how he does it,
but he walks in it and goes up and down stairs in it!

So, I was selfishly thinking that I might get a decent night's sleep, being away from the nighttime drama here at home. I went to bed at around 11:00pm, got comfy, closed my eyes...and Jay's monitor started going off! The tech came in and turned it off, and once again, I settled in. Three minutes later, it went off again! This time, both techs came in, turned on the lights, started replacing parts on the machine, and finally left. I don't know what the problem was, but this went on most of the night! I was feeling far from refreshed when they woke us up at 6:00am! I'd begged asked for late checkout, just as I'd done during my sleep study, and once again, I was turned down! ;)

I was feeling sad this weekend because, for the first time ever, we missed Sesame Place with the Variety Club. E is really struggling with his asthma, so he couldn't go. He's had a few rough days (and nights!) between the asthma, allergies, hives all over his arm one night, and the little, itchy bumps that are covering his entire back! The allergist ordered blood work for him to check on some of his allergies. Nick thought that these symptoms were perhaps linked to the Cyclic Neutropenia, which makes his white count low every three weeks. If this is the low period, maybe his little body just can't handle everything. I don't know, but I sure would like to help him feel better!

Now we're just continuing to pray that E stays out of the hospital. The treatments aren't helping much, and tonight his breathing was really labored. I still don't feel confident about knowing exactly when he needs to go to the hospital, but Nick is confident that he knows. Prayers greatly appreciated for our little guy!

E decided that the only way to feed the birds is to dump the seed
all over the place, roll in it, pull up leaves and sticks,
and then sit and call the birds to come eat!


*************************************

Red Lentil Soup

2 cups onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
7 1/2 cups water
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups red lentils
Fresh parsley, opt.


Sauté the onion and garlic in 1/2 cup water in a large pot until the
onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, ginger, black
pepper, and cayenne; cook for 1 minute.

Add the lentils and the remaining 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover
and simmer for 1 hour.

Stir in sea salt to taste. Puree in the Vitamix until smooth.

Garnish with fresh parsley before serving, if desired.

Simple Coconut Granola

I made granola today. From start to finish, it took three days! Don't get me wrong; it's an easy recipe that would normally take no time at all, but this has been The Week of Incessant Interruptions!

I like the simplicity of this recipe. Since we can't do nuts, and the kiddos tend to pick out the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and organic dried fruit that I've added in the past, I decided to just omit those ingredients. If I chose to add the seeds, I would do so in the beginning, along with the rolled oats and oat bran. I'd add the fruit as soon as the granola came out of the oven.

I use two different types of coconut oil because not everyone in our house likes a strong coconut flavor. The virgin coconut oil smells and tastes like delicious fresh coconut. The expeller pressed oil does not have any coconut taste or smell at all. By combining the two, I get a light coconut flavor, but the recipe would work just as well with all virgin oil or all expeller pressed.

Simple Coconut Granola


8 cups gluten-free rolled oats (or 6 c rolled oats and 2 c steel cut oats)
1 cup gluten-free oat bran
1 cup organic unsweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup organic coconut milk (classic, NOT light)
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup expeller pressed coconut oil
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1 cup raw honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, oat bran, and flaked coconut.

In a saucepan, combine coconut oils, brown rice syrup, and honey. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for two minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and cinnamon.

Pour the syrup over the oats and coconut, and stir until the dry ingredients are fully coated.

Divide evenly between two large stoneware jellyroll pans, spreading out to cover the entire surface of the pans.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until toasted. Remove from oven and cool on jellyroll pans.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy!

Baking Half Birthday Cakes

Tomorrow is GracieGirl's birthday.

Not that there's constant competition going on here or anything, but E has been insisting that it's his birthday.

I realized that he's right; today is E's Half Birthday. He's 3 1/2, although if you ask him, he'll tell you, quite convincingly, that he's 5!

So, he needed to make a cake. He wanted a vanilla cake (in contrast to his sister, who wants all things chocolate!). I found Lisa Lundy's White Cake recipe, and E and I went to work.

He was such a big help!

Okay, that's a lie, but J lectured me a bit this morning about how I'm too hard on E and he doesn't really get in trouble, he's just curious! So, apparently he was just curious yesterday as to how much of my hair he could rip out of my head and how far his teeth could sink into my flesh. Yeah, that's it...

I digress.

E was busy mixing the flours, and he asked me if he could take a bite.

I said no, explaining that it wouldn't taste good.

I turned around and asked him if he'd taken a bite.

He said that he had not.

I'm just not sure I believe him...


We spooned the batter into some little cake molds and the
kids were thrilled at how the little cakes came out.

Not a great picture, but they really are cute! E was happy with them,
and that's all that matters. Happy Half Birthday, E!

P.S. I've mentioned Lisa Lundy's recipes and cookbook before, and I'm going to mention them again because they've been such a lifesaver for us, especially on birthdays and special occasions. I'll be making Lisa's chocolate cake for GracieGirl's birthday tomorrow. Lisa's cookbook, The Super Allergy Girl Cookbook is definitely worth checking out if you need recipes without gluten and the top allergens!

Spinach and Corn Mashed Potatoes

This isn't a combination that I ever would have dreamed of, but it's so good! In my book, it's comfort food at its finest.

Since I'm beyond sleep deprived, still sick, and now have four sick kiddos, none of whom have the same thing I have, I'm in definite need of comfort food. I'm going to do my best to make this tonight!


Spinach and Corn Mashed Potatoes


3 lbs red potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 c Earth Balance, soy-free
1 c milk substitute of choice, unsweetened*
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 c whole kernel corn
20-oz fresh baby spinach, stems removed
3 tsp garlic, minced

Fill a large pot with water, add 1/2 tsp sea salt, and bring to a boil.
Add potatoes and boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
Drain well and return potatoes to the pot.
Add Earth Balance and milk substitute, and mash potatoes until light and fluffy.
Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
Add olive oil and corn, and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes.
Stir in spinach and garlic and sauté just until spinach is wilted.
Fold mixture into mashed potatoes.
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve!

*This recipe can be grain-free, depending upon the milk substitute used.

Celestial Stew

Celestial Stew is one of my favorites. As a matter of fact, I have a cold right now and I'm craving it big time! Too bad I don't have the energy to make it!

I don't know if my kids would eat it, especially in light of the fact that they tend to go running in the opposite direction at the sight of a single pea. :) Maybe they'd eat it if I tried putting dumplings on top...



Celestial Stew

2 lbs potatoes, peeled & cubed
2 28-oz cans Muir Glen tomatoes, chopped, with liquid
2 med onions, diced
3 med carrots, sliced
1 10-oz bag Cascadian Farm frozen sweet corn
1 10-oz bag Cascadian Farm frozen sweet peas
1 qt vegetable broth
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp sea salt

Boil the potatoes until soft, about 25 minutes.

Drain, and add the tomatoes and juice.

Add the onion, carrots, corn, and peas.

Stir well and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, on low for about two hours.

Remove bay leaves before serving.


Update:

My nice hubby made Celestial Stew for me. It really hit the spot! On a whim, I stirred a little bit of Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar into my bowl. I don't know if it's just me but I loved it!