Blogging to make sure I tend the soup/stew/spice fest

This is a quick entry, to share, and to keep myself on the job of watching the pot on the stove.

Spicy Beef Soup
1 lb organic ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced finely - but still visible...
1 - 1/2 cups of frozen peas
secret ingredient, and super-improvised: half jar of Patak's Lime Indian Style Pickle
3/4 cups brown basmati rice
1 litre of unsweetened coconut milk
Few shakes each of ginger, garam masala, and cumin, completely dependent on how much you like each/any/all of these with beef.

Begin by browning the ground beef (I even started with a frozen brick, dragging the cooked bits off, and flipping it...).  Add in the onion and garlic to brown with the beef. Because I began with frozen, I added small amounts of the coconut milk to protect the pan, and make sure nothing burned.  Add the rest, and simmer for 40 minutes.  I was thinking that it might be smart to add the peas later, but chose to put them in at the start so I wouldn't mess with the cooking of the rice...

I'm hoping it tastes as delicious as it smells!

I used the Patak's premade pickle, because we're still supporting an elimination diet here - and I couldn't use the usual beef stock I like, because it has a bit of soy oil and corn syrup solid in it, and those are as of yet, untried.  I've also been switching over all of my spices to the organic ones (usually 365 Organic brand) because they're organic, and have no preservatives, just in case preservatives have been messing with me/us.  It's safe to safe the scientist in me springs forward to control all variables while we're on this elimination diet so that we're not falsely attributing any reactions to foods, when in fact, it could be a sensitivity to a preservative, etc...

I'm all in favour of a one-pot wonder today, as it was easy, easy, easy to prepare, hit all the food groups (I might even put in a chiffonade of kale, just to freshen it up once it's done), and let's me sit upon a chair and rest my head.  Also, soup seems like a smart idea when chewing is painful--and, I can pop a portion in the freezer to enjoy once tomorrow's root canal freezing leaves. I'm going to send a note to my dentist to thank him and his office manager for putting the emergency dentist's number on their outgoing message, otherwise I'd be sitting on antibiotics, having soup for a couple of weeks, waiting for the right treatment and snacking on Advils... This way-I'll be mending by the morrow --

Cheers and chao!