This is one of the easiest soups to make and if you love vegetarian soups then you are going to love this one.  There is hardly any preparation and you get a great soup every time.  Cooking this soup in the crock pot helps you from overcooking the carrots and in my opinion you get a better result.

Here is the recipe:

Vegetarian Carrot Soup

Combine the first 5 ingredients in your crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours.  Check to see the carrots are cooked and if not, then cook another 1/2 to 1 hour.  Some crock pots cook faster than others so this is why I suggest this.

Strain the liquid into a large jug and puree the carrot mixture.  Add back the liquid a little at a time until you get a texture you like.  Add the lemon juice and stir through.  Serve with a tablespoon of cream or yogurt (I like the yogurt taste) with some extra tarragon for garnish and serve with toast, crusty bread or crackers.

If you use the skim milk yogurt this is a no fat recipe perfect for my diet right now.  This makes a great crock pot meal for lunches during the week.

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This is a great crock pot meal to prepare and eat  on a cold rainy night to keep you warm inside.   It's easy to make this Beef Casserole with Paprika and you should have all the ingredients in your pantry although I have only become a fan of smoked paprika for about a year so I wouldn't have had that myself before then.

Casseroles are perfect for winter or when you know you haven't got much time to cook as you just set and forget in the crock pot.  I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you want to adjust it slightly then go ahead and let me know how it turns out.  Cooking is all about experimenting with the recipe to suit your tastes and this crock pot meal is no exception.

Beef Casserole with Paprika

1 kg steak cut into large cubes*
1 tab butter
2 onions, chopped
1 tab butter extra
1 tab plain flour
2 teas mustard
2 tabs tomato paste
1/2 teas regular paprika
1/2 teas smoked paprika
1/2 cup each of red wine and beef stock **
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat in the first lot of butter and remove to the crock pot.  Add the extra butter then add the onions and cook until clear then add the  flour.  Cook for a minute then add the rest of the ingredients to the pan.  Bring to the boil stirring constantly then pour over the meat in the crock pot.  Cook on high for 4 hours on high or 6 - 7 hours on low.  If  the casserole needs any more thickening do that now just before serving.  You may find you  need this as the meat does give off more juices during cooking.  Serves 4 - 5.

Serve  Beef Casserole with Paprika with rice, mashed potatoes or small whole potatoes.  As there are only two of us this crock pot meal makes two meals for us.  I serve it one night with the small potatoes topped with sour cream and steamed vegetables, and the next night with rice as a quick meal.

*  Cheaper cuts do well cooked on the low setting
** You can replace the red wine with the same amount of beef stock if you want.

The base of every great soup is a good meat or vegetable stock.  Also use the best ingredients you can for your soups, and if you can make your own stock with fresh ingredients.

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