Slow Cooker Honey Mustard & Turkey Stew

Slow Cooker Honey Mustard & Turkey Stew

When I made this soup, it was early February, I had frozen some turkey last Thanksgiving with the intention of making a slow cooker turkey soup.  I ran across this exact recipe on the website skinnyms.com and realized, hey, I'm feeling lazy today.

This dish was super easy to prepare and it's delicious.  It was submitted to skinnyms.com by BusyButHealthy.com.  So, thank you very much.

---Enjoy

Slow Cooker Honey Mustard & Turkey Stew

Toss cut up turkey breast in flour to coat. Place everything in slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Ingredients 1 cup carrots, chopped 1.5 cups celery, chopped 1.5 cups onions, chopped 1 cup chicken broth (no salt added) 2 Tbsp honey 1 tsp dried rosemary 2 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard 1 large turkey breast, cut into chunks (I used left over white and dark meat) 2 Tbsp spelt flour (or whole wheat flour for gluten free use oat or brown rice flour) Read more at http://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-honey-mustard-turkey-stew/#QeU7VDoOwAtZfyXf.99

Difference Between Soup and Stew

The terms soup and stew can get confusing and some dishes are referred to as either, depending on the cook. There are some dishes that can be made as a soup or a stew, such as wonton soup, gumbo stew, miso soup, and Brunswick stew. While the two types of foods may seem similar, there are some ways to differentiate between them. First, most soups are thin compared to thick stews; second, stews are almost always served warm while some soups can be served hot or cold; and third, stews are typically slow-cooked as opposed to soups that can be prepared and heated fairly quickly, depending on the recipe.

Thick or Thin

One of the most important differences between soup and stew is the thickness — when compared to one another, soups are considered thin while stews are thought to be thick. A soup is basically any combination of pasta, meat, or vegetables cooked in liquid. Most soups are "thin," as the ingredients typically include several cups of water or some type of broth; it is also possible to make soups using milk or even fruit juices. Soup is best served in a bowl or deep plate, since most of it is basically liquid.

Stews can be simply described as "hearty soups," often with meats and vegetables, including potatoes. When comparing soup and stew, the latter is usually considered a main dish and soup a side dish, because stew is typically more filling than soup. The liquid in a stew is minimal, and any liquid is usually thickened to the point of being more of a gravy than a broth, making stew thicker than soup. Some thickening methods include blending some of the vegetables and adding the puree to the stew, adding an equal mixture of flour and water to act as a thickening agent, or gently boiling the stew to reduce the liquid.

Temperature

Another difference between soup and stew is the temperature at which it is served. Most soups can be eaten as either hot or cold dishes, can be cooked or uncooked, and some are even considered a dessert such as fruit soup. Stews, on the other hand, are almost always consumed hot. This is partly due to preference and partly due to the slow-cooking method of stew that usually leaves the stew warm after it is cooked and served.

Cooking Time

The time it takes to prepare and cook soup and stew is another way the two dishes are different; soup is generally quicker to make, while stew requires a longer cooking time. Part of the characteristic flavor of a stew stems from the slow cooking process, which allows the natural flavorings of the foods being simmered stay in the stew; while this process does take longer, it is thought to make the stew more flavorful. Sometimes a thickening agent is added to make the stew more gravy-like, which can take several minutes to actually thicken, adding to the length of the cooking time. Soup, on the other hand, usually relies on added flavorings, such as condiments and garnishes that do not require slow-cooking, and can be put together quickly to be heated and consumed later.

Turkey Soup

I have been making this soup every Black Friday for over 20 years, and I have never used a recipe.  One thing for sure, it is consistently good, and no matter how much I make, there is never enough to fill all of the requests from family and friends for this soup. Although I don't have a recipe, I will do my best to tell you how I made it on Black Friday 2014.

Turkey Soup

1. Put the carcass, left over skin, wing parts and anything left from the turkey that you were thinking of throwing away into the strainer of a large pasta steamer/stock pot and cover about 3/4 with water (too much and it will boil over).  Bring to a slow boil.  
2. For the next couple of hours, use a wooden spoon and tongs to pick out the large bones as they become clean of the meat.  As time goes by, pick out the skin as it cooks down and any large pieces of solid fat or grisel that you probably wouldn't want in your soup.
3. You may want to add water through the day to keep the pot about 3/4 full.
4. After about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, take stock pot off of the burner, pull out the strainer full of meet, let it drain into the stock pot and set the strainer full of turkey into a large pot and let it cool.
5. Cover the stock pot and put it n the fridge (or outside in the cold) to cool.
6. Once the strainer full of turkey cools, pick through it by hand, reserve the meat and throw out the bones, skin and grisly fat.



12 Qt Pasta Steamer/Stock Pot

7. Once the stock pot of turkey broth is cool, remove any fat that has solidified on the top.  Pot the broth back on medium-high heat.
8. Add the reserved turkey meat, onion, celery, carrots and rice to the soup, bring to a boil, reduce to a medium heat.
9. ---Enjoy

The ingredients are fairly consistent every year, but it is usually what I have left after making Thanksgiving Dinner.  This is what I had laying around this year.

Ingredients 1/2 med onion 4 celery stalks, coarsely diced 4 carrots, sliced 1cup instant brown rice salt & pepper to taste

Chicken Chowder with Fire Roasted Corn

Leftover Alert
Next week is Thanksgiving and my recipes for the next two weeks will require some leftovers.  Next Saturday I will be making Turkey soup which will require the carcass from your Thanksgiving turkey.  The following week will by my Slow Cooker Turkey Stew recipe and you will need about a pound of a mix of leftover turkey, both white meat and dark meat.  I'm sure that you will enjoy both of these recipes.

Now, as for this week,

---Enjoy

Chicken Chowder with Fire Roasted Corn

1. Heat the extra virgin olive oil over med-high heat in a soup pot.
2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and green pepper, reduce to med-low and sweat the vegetables partially covered until tender (about 15 minutes).
3. Increase heat to med-high.  Add 1/4 cup of the mashed Navy Beans stirring to combine mixture.
4. Gradually mix in the boiling water, about 1/4 at a time, stirring until smooth. 
5. Using an immersion blender, pulsate to partially blend the mixture.  No need to make it completely smooth.  (If you do not have an immersion blender, transfer to a standard blender.)
6. Stir in the diced tomatoes.  Reduce heat to med-low and add the apple, parsley, Mrs Dash Salt-Free Chicken Grilling Blend, Thyme and Cumin.  Simmer for 30 minutes.
7. Add the Almond Milk, chicken and remaining Navy Beans and cook until heated through stirring occasionally.  About 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Salt and pepper to taste

*Mrs Dash Salt-Free Chicken Grilling Blend  This blend contains the following ingrediants: Garlic, Onion, Spices (Black Pepper, Sweet Chili Pepper, Oragano, Rosemary, Basil, Sage, Thyme, Cayenne Pepper, Bay, Marjoram, Savory, Corriander, Cumin, Mustard), Carrots, Paprika, Orange Peel, Lemon Juice Solids, Citric Acid and Natural Lemon Flavor.

Ingredients 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (no butter here) 1/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion (1 small onion) 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (1 med carrot) 1/3 cup finely chopped celery (1 stalk) 1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper (1/2 small pepper) 1 can Navy Beans, drained and mashed with a fork (Really, a flour substitute???) 28 oz can diced tomatoes 1 apple, chopped (I like to leave the apple unpeeled) 3 cups Almond Milk (Yes, Almond Milk) 1 cup diced cooked chicken 1 cup boiling water 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (1 tablespoon parsley flakes) 1/2 tablespoon Mrs Dash Salt-Free Chicken Grilling Blend* 1 teaspoon Thyme 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Salt and Pepper to taste

15 Bean Soup

15 Bean Soup

This is another soup that goes back to my early years of making soup.  The first time that I make a new dish, I always follow the recipe exactly, and that was the case with this 15 Bean Soup.  It was good, but I was not particularly fond of the seasoning packet.  It tasted extremely salty.   The soup was also a little too watery for my taste.  So, I knew the flavor packet had to go, and a prepared broth had to replace the water.  In October of 2015, I made some subtle changes to this recipe.  I now use both water and broth, and I added a half of a teaspoon of smoked paprika.  This soup is very low in fat and high in fiber, and it warms your innards.

---Enjoy

15 Bean Soup

1. In a pot, cover the beans water and soak over night (at least 8 hours).  
2. Drain the beans, return to the pot,  add 1 quart of broth, 1 quart of water and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
4. Add onions, Rotel (optional), chili powder, garlic, thyme, paprika and lemon juice.  Simmer for another 30 minutes.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. If the soup thickens too much, add broth to thin.  Yields approximately 3 quarts.

15 or so, these are the variety of  beans that are in this soup  Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Blackeye, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split, Kidney, Cranberry, Small White, Pink, Small Red, Yellow Split, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney, Black Bean.

Ingredients 1 package (20 oz) dry 15 bean soup (discard flavor packet from the package) 1 lb low fat turkey Kielbasa sliced into 1/8" - 1/4" pieces 2 quarts low fat reduced sodium chicken broth. 1 cup onion, finely chopped 1 can 10 oz Rotel (optional) 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon chili powder               1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon thyme Juice of 1 lemon