Cooking Lessons for Dad

Cooking Lessons for Beginners

Tomato Basil Soup

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Try this easy, delicious Tomato Basil Soup recipe. It is made from fresh, healthy ingredients and is very flavorful! In this cooking video Karen Breyer will show you step-by-step how to make this Tomato Basil Soup recipe. Serve this delicious Tomato Basil Soup with fresh bread, and a sandwich or salad for a satisfying healthy meal. Watch this cooking video and make this warm, fresh Tomato Basil Soup recipe today!

Yield: 4 servings

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 - 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped small
  • 1 cup carrots, chopped small
  • 1 cup celery, chopped small
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 cups tomatoes, diced (about 2 pounds)
  • 1 tablespoon basil, dried
  • 1/2 cup parsley, Italian (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground (or to taste)

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat.
  2. Stir in the garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Stir occasionally. Add some of the water if the vegetables start to get dry.
  3. Add the cooked mixture and water to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
  4. Return the mixture to the pan.
  5. Stir in half (3 cups) of the tomatoes, basil and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  6. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  7. Reduce heat to the lowest heat.
  8. Stir in the rest of the tomatoes, parsley and balsamic vinegar. Take the pan off the heat as soon as the soup is heated through. Add more salt and pepper if desired.

Notes

I like using Roma tomatoes because they are firm and have less juice. This will result in a thicker soup.

You may substitute 1/2 cup fresh, chopped basil for the dried basil. Add 1/4 cup fresh basil with the first 3 cups of tomatoes. Add 1/4 cup fresh basil with the last 3 cups of tomatoes.

You can double this recipe if you want to.

© Karen Breyer

 

Crockpot Red Bean Soup

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Looking for more easy, healthy dinner recipes? Try this tasty Crockpot Red Bean Soup. Just few ingredients and simple steps and you can enjoy this delicious soup for dinner! In this cooking video Karen Breyer and her Dad will show you step-by-step how to make Crockpot Red Bean Soup. Watch this cooking video and make this delicious Crockpot Red Bean Soup today!

Yield: 6 - 8

Crockpot Red Bean Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 pound red kidney beans, dry
  • 1 cup celery, chopped (1/4 inch pieces)
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 - 3 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon (or to taste) salt, Kosher
  • Water (as needed)

Instructions

  1. Sort beans, remove stones and debris.
  2. Soak beans in 8 - 10 cups of water overnight.
  3. Rinse and drain beans.
  4. Add beans, celery, onion powder, garlic powder and bay leaves to the crockpot.
  5. Add water to cover the ingredients by 2 inches. Stir.
  6. Cook on high about 8 - 9 hours or until the beans are as tender as you like them.
  7. Near the end of cooking stir in the salt to your taste. When the beans are tender the Red Bean Soup is ready to serve!

Notes

Soak beans overnight for at least 8 hours. Rinse them well before putting them in the Crockpot.

Large kidney beans will take longer to cook than small kidney beans.

Delicious with a scoop of rice added to the bowl of soup.

Serve with bread, crackers, sandwich, salad or alone.

See a cooking demonstration of this Crockpot Red Bean Soup recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

 

Lentil, Corn and Sweet Pepper Chili

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Are you looking for a new healthy, satisfying One Pot Meal recipe? In this cooking video Karen Breyer will show you step-by-step how to make Lentil, Corn and Sweet Pepper Chili. This chili recipe taste amazing! I think this Lentil, Corn and Sweet Pepper Chili recipe will be your new favorite recipe!

Chili is a such a satisfying meal that makes everyone happy and satisfied! What a bonus is that it is vegan and very healthy too! You many want to make extra chili because the leftovers taste even better the next day! Watch this cooking video and make this delicious Lentil, Corn and Sweet Pepper Chili recipe for dinner tonight!

Lentil, Corn and Sweet Pepper Chili

Ingredients

  • 1 - 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 - 2 1/2 cups onion, chopped
  • 28 ounce can tomatoes, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable broth/seasoning, instant
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups lentils, dried (picked over, rinsed and drained)
  • 2 cups corn, frozen
  • 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 ounce can chopped green chilies, drained
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
  • 1 teaspoon coriander, ground
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (or as desired)

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
  2. Add the onions and sauté until they are soft and start to brown, about 7 minutes.
  3. Stir in the tomatoes, vegetable seasoning, water and lentils. Bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
  5. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
  6. Stir in the corn, bell pepper, green chilies, cumin, coriander and salt. Bring mixture to a boil.
  7. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook until the lentils and vegetables are tender (about 15 minutes). Add more water if the chili runs dry before it is done.
  8. Serve. Top each bowl with cilantro as desired.

Notes

You can use 2 cups of vegetable broth in place of the vegetable seasoning and water.

You may use 2 servings of vegetable bouillon in place of the vegetable broth/seasoning.

Try 2 cups of fresh corn in place of the frozen. Use canned corn if that is all you have.

See a cooking demonstration of this Lentil, Corn and Sweet Pepper Chili recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel.

© Karen Breyer

 

Vegan Instant Chicken Broth/Seasoning

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Make this convenient Vegan Instant Chicken Broth Seasoning to use in your recipes or simply enjoy it as a hot cup of vegan chicken broth. In this cooking video Karen Breyer will show you step-by-step how to make this delicious, homemade Vegan Instant Chicken Broth Seasoning.

I often use a store bought Vegetarian Chicken Broth Seasoning (like McKay’s Chicken Style Instant Broth & Seasoning) in my recipes instead of real liquid chicken broth. I like it because it is healthy and I can easily adjust the amount of chicken seasoning in my recipes without diluting it with more liquid.

If you can’t find a healthy, store bought Instant Chicken Broth Seasoning like the one I use in my cooking videos, try this easy recipe. Keep it on hand for all your recipes that call for liquid or instant Chicken Broth Seasoning. Watch this cooking video and try this easy, homemade Vegan Instant Chicken Broth Seasoning today!

Yield: 90 servings

Vegan Instant Chicken Broth/Seasoning

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups nutritional yeast flakes
  • 3 tablespoons Kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons onion powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons basil
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons celery salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

Instructions

  1. Add all the ingredients to a blender container.
  2. Blend until the ingredients turn into a smooth powder.
  3. Wait until the seasoning dust settles before taking the lid off the blender. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

To replace 1 cup of liquid chicken broth in a recipe, stir 1 teaspoon of this instant broth into 1 cup of water. You may need to adjust the salt in a recipe when using this substitution.

If you don’t have Kosher salt you can use another type.

Use this in place of any vegan, vegetarian or real instant chicken broth or seasoning.

You can find nutritional yeast flakes at a health food store.

See a cooking demonstration of this Vegan Chicken Broth/Seasoning recipe on the Cooking Lessons for Dad YouTube channel

© Karen Breyer

 

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