And More Soup!

A simple vegan soup.  A favorite of Hub's and mine.



Black Bean Soup

2 cans black beans
1-1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup salsa
1 tsp cumin (or more to taste)
sour cream (or Greek yogurt)

Drain and rinse the beans.  In a food processor, combine the beans, broth, salsa and cumin until smooth.  (Or you can do this with an immersion blender right in your pot)  Transfer to a pot and heat through.  Ladle into bowls and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt on top.

I have experimented with blending about 3/4 of the beans and leaving the rest whole.  This gives you a slightly chunkier soup.  We like it this way.

(from allrecipes.com)

More Soup

OK, I have to admit I was very skeptical when I tried this one.  As I was making this soup, it just was not turning out the way I had expected.  I was leery even reading the ingredients.  And I tried it anyway.

WOW! 

Am I glad I did!  It was very good.  I really should have known it would be because I got the recipe from one of my favorite foodies, Sweet Pea.  I don't think I've used one of her recipes that I haven't liked.  After thinking it over, I was hesitant about this soup because what I pictured in my head was a chicken enchilada soup whereas this is a chicken tortilla soup.  There's a difference! ..duh..  Anyhoo, onward!!


Tortilla Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (10.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 cup whole corn kernels
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded
tortilla chips
shredded cheese

Heat oil in stock pot.  Saute onion and garlic; cook til tender, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, tomatoes and broth.  Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Stir in corn, chiles, beans, cilantro and chicken. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top with tortilla chips and cheese.  Sliced avocado, green onions and a lime wedge were also suggested as toppers.  Wouldn't that be delicious?!  I had none.  Boo.

(adapted from sweetpeaskitchen.com)

Stone Soup

Do you remember the story?  I remember reading it in first or second grade.  I loved it simply because it was a story and had a well-written plot.  Yes, even in second grade I recognized a good plot.  But I questioned the simple-mindedness of the villagers.  I mean, how obtuse could a person be?!  I had it figured out with the addition of the first vegetable.  Still, a fun story and probably a delicious soup.  So!  In honor of the cooler weather we are supposed to be having...AND in memory of Stone Soup and my first literary critique...I'm sharing some favorite soup recipes for the next several days.


Sausage Soup - simple name, but so delicious and full of health and goodness

1 pound Italian sausage
2 onions, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, chopped/diced/whatever, undrained
6 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups chopped cabbage
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 cups bow tie pasta

In your soup pot, cook the sausage until no pink remains.  Add onions and carrots.  Cook til tender, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, broth, cabbage, basil and garlic salt.  Bring to a boil, stir in pasta, cover and simmer about 10 minutes.  Serve in big soup bowls.  Yum!

A few personal notes:  I use Sweet Italian Sausage from Trader Joe's.  This sausage is so good and flavorful, and has no nitrates.  I use purple cabbage because I like the color and the boys eat it because it's purple.  I worried it would get soggy, but it doesn't cook long enough for that to happen. It's soft, but still has a crunch.  You can substitute any small pasta for the bow tie, of course.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Oatmeal recipe

A month...a month!  It's been a month since I've last  written anything.  I wish I could say there is  a lot to tell, but alas.  I have had writers block and nothing else.  Onward!

I love pumpkin!  Last fall I started collecting pumpkin recipes...scones, pies, muffins, cakes....yum.   This morning I tried one of them.  I had about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of pumpkin sitting in the fridge left from another pumpkin recipe and it needed to be used.  Perfect amount for pumpkin oatmeal.  It's so warm and spicey and perfect for the cool, fall morning after Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

2 cups milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup oatmeal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp dried cranberries
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts (or pecans)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter

In a saucepan, bring milk and salt to a boil.  While milk is warming, mix the oatmeal and the spices in a bowl.  When the milk is ready, stir in the oat and spice mixture, reduce heat to low and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the pumpkin and cook for 2-3 minutes more or til desired consistency.

Divide oatmeal into bowls and top with cranberries, walnuts, brown sugar and butter.  Adding a little cream around the edges is another delicious addition.

Simple and delicious!

Oatmeal Pancakes with Apple Cinnamon Syrup

The Boyos love pancakes.  And, really, what's not to love?  Especially when there is such a variety of things to put on top.  Pear butter, apple butter, jellies and jams, sliced fruit, maple syrup, powdered sugar, whipped cream...oh my!  So when I saw Apple Cinnamon Syrup, I knew I had to try it.

I got the following recipes from a book I picked up at our school's book fair last spring called Potluck Heaven.  I've found lots of good recipes in this book.  Here are two of them.

Oatmeal Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 cup dry oats (rolled or quick-cook)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp oil
2 eggs, beaten

Stir together first five ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, blend buttermilk, oil and eggs until smooth.  Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients, just until moistened.  Drop onto hot griddle.

I used a 1/4 cup measure and got 18-20 pancakes.  So, you can cut this recipe in half OR freeze what your family doesn't eat.  Pancakes freeze so well.

After I stirred the wet and dry ingredients together, I wanted them to sit for a bit.  Let the oats soak and the batter rest a little.  So I plugged in the skillet so it would get nice and hot, and then I started the syrup.

Cinnamon Apple Syrup

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup water
3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine cornstarch and cinnamon in a saucepan.  Gradually stir in water and apple juice concentrate and whisk until smooth.  Over medium heat, bring to a gentle boil and continue to stir until thickened.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Serve warm over pancakes.

Easy After School Snack

I find I always have apples and peanut butter on hand.  And almost always I have flour tortillas (either homemade or store bought) and bananas.  Combine these and you have an easy treat that can't be beat!



"Mmm!  These are my favorite!"

Apple Banana Roll Ups

1. Chop up some apple.  I used my peeler/corer/slicer to make it easier.
2. Mash up a banana.
3. Mix banana with some peanut butter.
4. Spread mixture on a tortilla
5. Sprinkle with chopped apples.
6. Roll up and devour.

That's it!  Sorry if you are one who needs amounts.  I just eyeball it depending on how many I'm making and what ratios the kids like (more or less PB for example).  If it helps, I used 1 small apple to make 3 roll ups today.  It won't be enough for the Boyos I promise you that!  These are just as good without banana and a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the apple before rolling up.

Hope your kiddos enjoy them as much as mine do!

 

 

 

Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

I cannot believe what I just did!  In an attempt to add some badly taken pics to this post - which was already written and published earlier this morning, mind you - I deleted the entire thing!!

So here I go ... rewriting it ... and hoping I don't leave anything out.

Grilled Cheeseburger Wraps

1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1-2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp dried onion
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheddar cheese
about 5 flour tortillas

Brown the ground beef and drain.  Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, dried onion and salt and pepper.  Stir well and let it heat through.  Lay some shredded cheddar down the middle of a tortilla.  Put a few tablespoons of the meat mixture on top of it.  Now, add whatever other toppings you like.  More ketchup, mustard, pickles, sliced onion.  Fold it up burrito style and place it on a hot skillet or panini press.  Grill it for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melty. 

If you are using a skillet or griddle, flip it about half way through.  Take it off the heat, slice it diagonally, plate it and enjoy.  Yummy!

The ingredients travel well, so I've included them on our camping menu before.  Just pack the precooked beef in a ziploc bag and store it, flat, it in your cooler.

I was thinking, as I made them for supper tonight, that they would also be good filled with pizza fixings.  Think so?

Cornbread (and sausage muffins)

We went camping a few weekends ago and I tried out some new recipe ideas.  I got a delicious cornbread recipe from a friend who lives down south and turned it into some easy muffins.

Cornbread

2 cups yellow or white cornmeal, preferably stoneground
3/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar (or honey, syrup, molasses - adjust milk amount if using alternate sweetener)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
6-8 precooked breakfast sausage links, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Whisk the cornmeal, flour sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl to combine.  Make a well in the center.  Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, oil and baking soda in another bowl until the eggs are well combined.  Pour into the well and stir just until batter is moistened - do not over beat.

Fill 12 muffin cups about 1/3 full with the cornbread batter.  Drop several pieces of the sausage on top.  Then cover the sausages with more cornbread batter.  You will have some of the batter left over.  Pour it into a small baking dish and bake at the same time as the muffins.  Yummy treat for all of your hard work!  Bake for 18-20 minutes or til done.  Serve warm with maple syrup. 

Here are some southern tips for making the original cornbread:  Position a rack in the center of the oven.  Generously oil a 9- to  10-inch cast iron skillet and place it on the rack.  When batter is mixed, remove the hot skillet and pour the batter in.  Bake until the bread springs back when pressed in the center, 15 to 20 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes, then turn out onto a  plate or serve directly from the skillet.

So delicious!  The boyos gobble it up.  For our camping trip, I baked the muffins ahead of time and then just warmed them in my cast iron skillet.

You might have noticed the direction to whisk the baking soda with the wet ingredients instead of mixing it with the dry.  Another southern tip is that this improves the texture of the cornbread.  Give it a try.  Although it does turn out just fine when the soda is mixed with the dry. I speak from experience.

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Tenders

Came up with a yummy, and simple, recipe and thought I'd share it.  I had pinned a chicken tender recipe that I went to tonight originally, but I did not have everything it called for, nor did I like the original idea.  So I changed it.  Yes I did!   I liked the end result.  And so did the family. 

Baked Chicken Tenders
·         2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
·         1/4 cup grated Parmesan
·         1 teaspoon Italian herbs
·         1 teaspoon paprika
·         1/2 teaspoon salt
·         2 Tbsp yogurt
·         1 egg
·         1-2 Tbsp water
·         10-14 chicken tenders

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with foil and spray with olive-oil cooking spray. In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, Italian herbs, paprika, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg.  Add yogurt and mix well, adding water a bit at a time as needed just so it’s not too thick.

2. Dip each chicken tender in egg/yogurt mixture.  Dredge in Parmesan mixture, patting to coat thoroughly. Place on prepared pan.

3. Spray chicken tenders with olive-oil cooking spray, coating both sides. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until tenders are golden brown and cooked through.


You might need to mix up more of the breading.  I needed just a bit more to finish up the last 2 or 3 tenders.  Use your own good judgement.  And clean up is a snap because of the foil lined pan!  Genius!

Enjoy...

French Toast Sticks

What do you do with a loaf of bread you make on Sunday and forget to take out of the machine until Tuesday?   (Smacking myself on the forehead!)

You turn it into french toast sticks! 

First, use a good bread knife and saw...err, slice the bread into thick pieces, about an inch.  Then cut those dried out...err, sturdy pieces into thirds. 

Then you're ready to dip those sticks into your egg and milk mixture.  Just use what you normally would for french toast.  Add yummies like vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg.  Anything you like.  But let those dried out babies soak for a while! 

Then lay them out on a baking sheet and bake until they look done.  Don't you love my accuracy?  I just wing it a lot in the kitchen with things like this.  Oven temp?  350 is probably good. And watch them till they are brown and lookin' good. 

Then when they are cool, throw them in a freezer bag to surprise your kiddos at breakfast one morning.  Tomorrow maybe!

The English Muffin Bread recipe I shared is great for these sticks, too.

A Little Baking Prep

I don't use a baking mix too often.  But lately I've been considering buying that famous box just to have on hand.  But in my love of surfing cooking blogs and Pinterest, I knew there had to be a homemade recipe out there that was good.  And better for you than prepackaged.  So, I went and found one!  On Pinterest, of course, right here.  Just mixed up a batch to stick in the fridge. 

While I worked, I thought of the time I used to put together bread bags to store in the freezer.  I don't know why I don't do that anymore!  I started again today.  Just one bread bag, but it's a start.  My bread bags are simply the dry ingredients needed for a loaf of bread, stored in a freezer bag.  I write the name of the bread and the wet ingredients needed on the outside with a Sharpie.  Then when I want to make a loaf, I take it out, dump it in the bread machine, add the wet ingredients and yeast and I'm good to go.  Here's the one I did today.  LOVE this recipe.  So good toasted, then smothered with butter and jam.

English Muffin Bread

1-1/4 Cup water
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 Cups flour
3 Tbsp dry milk
1-1/2 tsp yeast

Add to bread machine in the order directed by the manufacturer.

Now I'm going to make some granola bars.  New recipe.  Still looking for that perfect recipe that just amazes me, you know?  We are going camping today through Friday and I need to make some good, camp friendly snacks.  Go-bars and trail mix are always a hit.  And of course, S'mores!  ("S'more of what?"  haha!  name that movie...!)

Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chipsters

Oh my, yes, you read that right!  Chunky peanut butter, oatmeal and chocolate - num!  Made these cookies yesterday for the first time and I have to share the recipe.  They are so good and hearty and full of deliciousness.  Well, just read on and see for yourself if you don't have the urge to bake some very soon. 



from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures



3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, room temp
1 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats (or just use the baking sheets).  Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, spices and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, in a large bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition, then beat in the vanilla.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients, beating only until blended. Mix in the chips.  If you have the time, cover and chill the dough for about two hours, or for up to 1 day.  (Chilling the dough will give you more evenly shaped cookies.)

If the dough is not chilled, drop rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart onto the baking sheets.  If the dough is chilled, scoop up rounded tablespoons, roll the balls between your palms and place them 2" apart on the baking sheets.  Press the chilled balls gently with the heal of your hand until they are about 1/2" thick.

Bake for 13-15 minutes.  The cookies should be golden and just firm around the edges.  Lift the cookies onto cooling racks with a wide metal spatula - they'll firm as they cool.

Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

I used 1 cup of sucanat and only about 1/4 cup brown sugar because, well, that's all I had!  And they were still plenty sweet.  But my family is used to that, because I've been cutting sugar in half in pretty much everything I bake for quite a while now.  Do as you wish with your recipe.  I chilled my dough and used a cookie scoop, pressing them flat as directed.  I always have such a hard time with cookies - they bake too long, not long enough....  So I really liked the description given about how they should look when you pull them out of the oven.  And the tip about how they'll firm when they cool.  Very helpful for me!  Ah, but cooling the baking sheets.  Skipped that part.  Actually didn't even see it til I typed it out for my post.  Oh well!

Hope you enjoy them as much as we are.  I put most of them in a jar on the counter.  Some went into the freezer.  We'll see how long they last...

Golden Glow Pork Chops

This recipe is one I used to make quite a bit, but it got forgotten!  Sad, too, because it's a crock pot recipe and it's tastey.  Happy, though, because it has been found and now I can share it with you!  I can't give credit where credit is due because I don't remember where it came from.  Possibly an old, old cookbook I picked up in a thrift store because it said something like "101 slowcooker recipes to enjoy".  So, enjoy!

Golden Glow Pork Chops

5-6 chops, any cut will do
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
8 oz. tomato sauce
29 oz. peach slices or halves (a smaller can will do, too), juice reserved
1/4 Cup vinegar
salt and pepper

Lightly brown the chops after having salted and peppered them to your taste.  I added a bit of garlic powder too.  Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves, tomato sauce, 1/4 cup of the peach juice, and vinegar.  Arrange chops in crock pot.  Place drained peaches on top.  Pour tomato mixture over all.  Cook on low 4 to 6 hours.

I'm serving these tonight with rice, asparagus, and cold peaches (because not everyone likes warm fruit).  And probably carrot sticks because JoJo and Mouse don't eat asparagus.  Yet.

Gingerbread Coffee, oh my!

I can't believe I didn't share this earlier!  Of course, I have only, what, 3 posts so far?  Anyway...  This recipe I found on Allrecipes.com which I love.  I made this as Christmas gifts for several coffee lovin' friends and I must say, they were all very happy!  So, whip some up, stick it in the fridge and you'll have something warm and delicious to share with your coffee lovin' friends.

In a small bowl, mix together the following:
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp cinnamon
Cover and refrigerate it for at least 10 minutes.  Due to the baking soda, it will rise a bit so make sure you pick a bowl large enough to allow airspace.  A two-cup container should do.

When you are ready to serve it, fill your coffee mug about half way with hot coffee.  Add 1 Tbsp of the spice  mixture and stir until dissolved.  Add more coffee, half and half or cream to taste, then - for a special treat - top with whipped cream and sprinkle on some cloves.  Yum!  Store it in the fridge til you're ready to use it again.  Enjoy!