Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potato Soup

CSA Produce: Potatoes, Herbs, Onion
Serves 6


Ingredients:
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix

3 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into about 3/4-1" cubes (about 8 medium potatoes)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth*
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, divided (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 oz. finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (or crumbled if you like it extra crispy)
3 green onions, chopped

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup milk and ranch seasoning mix. Cover bowl and refrigerate. 
Heat olive oil a large cast iron dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and saute about 4 minutes until golden, add garlic and saute 1 more minute. Add chicken broth and diced potatoes and bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover pot and cook 15 - 20 minutes until potatoes are very tender. 
In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups milk with 1/4 cup flour (whisk very well to break up flour) and pour mixture into soup. Increase temperature to medium high heat, and bring mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly (stirring constantly will help break down the potatoes a bit). Once mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to low, add ranch dressing mixture from refrigerator, 1 cup (4 oz) grated Cheddar cheese, grated Parmesan cheese and season with black pepper to taste. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently (note, if you want smaller potato chunks in the soup you can simply mash the soup with a potato masher to break them down a bit more). Serve warm, sprinkle each serving with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and chopped green onions. 

*you can use low sodium chicken broth if you prefer, for this recipe I just used regular and didn't add any salt to the soup. If you use low sodium you may want to add additional salt to the soup.

Pumpking Chili

CSA Produce: Tomatoes, Peppers, Herbs, Pumpkin
Healthy
Makes 4-6 servings



1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups tomato juice
2 (15.25-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
hot sauce to taste


Directions:
In a medium saute pan, brown the ground beef; drain. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
In a slow cooker, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato juice, beans, pumpkin, chili powder, cumin, pumpkin pie spice, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir to combine. Add in the cooked beef and stir.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite chili toppings, such as cheese, sour cream, or tortilla strips.

Heirloom Tomato Sauce

CSA Produce: Tomatoes, Basil
Healthy, Vegetarian, Quick



Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic
Fresh basil
A bunch of ripe (even a little overripe is okay) heirloom tomatoes
Salt and pepper
*** The more tomatoes you have, the more of the other ingredients you will need.  Be generous, eyeball it, and don't worry, it will come out great!


Directions
1.  Place olive oil, sliced garlic, and fresh basil in a large pan.  Heat over medium heat until fragrant.
2. Meanwhile core and coarsely chop your tomatoes.
3.  Stick the tomatoes, skin and all, in the food processor or blender.  And turn it on!
4.  Pour your pureed tomatoes into the pan with the olive oil and simmer until reduced and delicious. 5.  Add salt and pepper to taste.