Lentil Stew with Rice

A friend posted this recipe a few months ago and we have been LOVING it! We skip the achiote and serve it with rice and a fried egg on top. Yum!

Pork Minestrone Soup

We have lots of pig in our freezer in the form of bacon, chops, and ground pork :) Thank you Bob and Barb! I haven't cooked with pork all that much so we're exploring some new recipes these days. Surprisingly, I also have never made minestrone soup so away we went.

Pork Minestrone Soup

1 lb ground pork
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced and quartered
1/2 c frozen green beans
1 can (15 oz) Italian tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo or red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 c water
4 c vegetable broth
1 t parsley
1 t oregano
1/2 t basil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/4 t thyme
1 1/2 c shell pasta (farfalle is what I had on hand)

Brown meat in large pot. Once cooked through, transfer to small bowl.
Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic and zucchini to pot. Saute 5-8 min or until onions are translucent.
Add meat back to pot along with remaining ingredients except pasta. Bring to boil and then simmer for 45 min, adding pasta in for last 20 min.