Kick Ass Beef and Multi-Bean Soup and Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

If I am going to consider a soup "dinner" it needs to stick to my ribs and be filled with protein.  This one does the trick!

Kick Ass Beef and Multi-Bean Soup

(Soup is naturally Gluten-free)

Serves: 4

Directions:

Soak your beans overnight in cold water.  I use a multi-bean mix.  Dump 16 oz or one bag of dry beans into a large pot.  Rinse the beans and then fill with cold water a couple of inches above the beans.  Soak beans overnight.  You can use beans from a can but it is a lot more expensive and not quite as tasty.

The next morning dump the beans in a strainer and rinse again with cold water.  Return to pot.  Cover beans with fresh cold water about two inches above the beans.  (It is important to cook your beans with fresh water--not the water you soaked them in.  This will prevent you from getting gassy!) Bring beans to a boil over high heat.  Add 2 tsp sea salt.  Reduce heat to a low boil (medium) put a lid on and cook for about 70 minutes, occasionally stirring, so they don't stick.  Watch the water level. When the water gets low add one cup of chicken broth and more as needed.  Allot for two hours of cooking time for the beans.  At around 70 minutes try the largest beans and see if they are soft enough.  Once beans are cooked to your desired consistency remove from heat.  This can take anywhere from 70 minutes to two hours.

If you use canned beans you will need 4-5 cans.  

While the beans are cooking:  Add 2 TBS Olive oil to a large frying pan.  Heat over medium/high heat.  Chop 1/2 a large onion into small diced pieces and saute in frying pan.  Cook for a few minutes then add 1 lb ground beef.  Cook until beef is browned and cooked almost all the way through.  Strain meat/onion mixture in a strainer getting rid of excess fat.

In large sauce pan start preparing your soup base.  Add all ingredients at once and heat over a medium heat:  tomato sauce, vinegar, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, cumin, hot sauce, crushed tomatoes and chicken broth.

Once your sauce is at a low boil add the beef/onion mixture and your cooked beans (strain excess water first).  Simmer at a very low boil for 20 minutes until the beef is cooked through.  Taste and add a little more: salt, pepper or hot sauce as needed.  It is best to let your soup sit in the fridge for a few hours and is even better if you can let it sit overnight!  I like to make this soup in the morning.  Let it sit all day.  And then come home to a dinner that just needs to be heated and the biscuit mix pre-made (minus the milk) so I can just cut them out and throw them in the oven!

To re-heat soup do it over a low/medium heat, stirring often, so the bottom doesn't burn.  And Enjoy!!

The ratio of Beef to Beans in this soup allows for beef in every bite! Just the way I like it!!

Ingredients:

16 oz dry beans or 4-5 cans cooked beans

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1/2 large onion 

2 TBS olive oil (for cooking meat and onion)

2 tsp salt (for beans while the beans are cooking)

Sauce:

8oz tomato sauce

12 oz crushed tomatoes

1/3 cup + 2 TBS Apple cider vinegar

3 TBS Worcestershire sauce 

1 to 2 TBS Siracha hot sauce (Start with 1 TBS, taste once your soup is completely done, add more if desired)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 TBS ground Cumin powder

1 TBS brown sugar--less if you don't want the sweet kick

2 cups chicken broth (1 cup for cooking the beans and 1 cup for soup base)

Optional:

Add one can of corn

or add 1 TBS minced garlic to meat/onion saute

And more salt, pepper and hot sauce as needed

EASY--Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits 

Yield: 6 biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cup flour

1 TBS baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 TBS sugar

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup butter milk*

**I make my own buttermilk.  It is super easy!  Take 1 TBS lemon juice and put in the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup.  Fill cup with whole milk.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  It will curdle and waa-la you have cheap, tasty and homemade butter milk.

Like I mentioned before you can make your biscuit mix ahead of time (minus the milk) and just add milk when you are ready to bake.  If you are making the mixture ahead of time cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave on the counter.

Pre-heat over to 425 F.  Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add shortening.  Use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut shortening into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles cornmeal.  Add 1 cup buttermilk.  Stir until mixture starts pulling from the sides of the bowl.  Put a little bit of flour on a clean flat surface.  Put your dough on the flour and sprinkle the top of your dough pile with more flour.  Kneed about 15-20 times adding a little more flour as needed.  You want it soft but not sticky.  Do not OVER-KNEED!  Gently roll your mix into a 1 inch thick rectangle shape.  Take a smaller mouth glass cup and dip the mouth of the cup into flour for each biscuit.  Cut your biscuits out with the floured cup or biscuit cutter.  Gently arrange biscuits on an un-greased cookie sheet.  Bake 13 to 15 minutes until golden brown.  To make sure biscuits are done.  Stick a fork into one of the biscuits and pull it out.  If it comes out clean they are done.  If there is dough on it cook a little longer.  Remove biscuits from their pan and let them sit a few minutes before serving.  Serve with butter and honey if desired!  

FYI: I like to double this recipe and serve killer biscuits and gravy the next morning for breakfast!!  This is an awesome and simple recipe to make killer delicious biscuits and gravy!!

Optional: To get the shiny finished look as shown in the picture above brush your biscuits with an egg wash before baking.  To make an egg wash: whisk one egg with 2 TBS whole milk.  Use a pastry brush to brush egg wash onto the top of your biscuits.