Broccoli Soup

I enjoy soup! It can be made heavy and creamy and used as a meal, or light and liquidy as a side or snack. Broccoli soup is a soup that I find is either hit or miss. Generally there aren't that many recipes for it. In the past when I have had in restaurants it is either so heavy and greasy that there is an oily glaze on the top, or it is so water it is basically broccoli floating in broth. . . neither a big hit with me or the family.

 I have tried making several recipes in the past and have never been 100% pleased with the outcome. I have adapted, merged and omitted various recipes and ingredients to make this quick, tasty and nutritious soup. If you want a thicker, richer soup use cream in place of milk. For a slightly smoky taste use 1 cup of smoked Gouda ( start by trying 1/2 smoked Gouda and 1/2 cup regular cheese to ensure you don't find it too 'smoky'), this is the ultimate but I didn't have any on hand.

Broccoli Soup

• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 1 1/2 bunches broccoli (about 4 cups), cut up into florets and stem cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 tsp dried ginger (optional)
• s & p to taste
• 1 box (900ml) of chicken or veggie broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cup cheese, shredded (I used marble)

* In a large pot add evoo and onions sautee until soft and limp, add garlic and sautee 1 minute more

* Add broccoli to pot and let slightly cook with onions for about 3 minutes, stir frequently to avoid burning

* Add seasonings, broth and water

* Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium until broccoli is soft and cooked but not mushy

* Puree soup, until smooth but still slightly lumpy. I use my hand held immersion blender and stick it directly into the pot. This saves getting extra dishes dirty. Alternately you could put it in a regular blender or food processor

* Add in milk and 1 cup of cheese, cook until cheese has melted

* Serve using the left over 1/4 cup of cheese to garnish

Taco Thursday

I am a little bashful to post this recipe. For some reason the thought of tacos conjour up images of collage aged kids, post drinking fast food binges (not that I know anything about that ha ha), or something unhealthy. I decided to share it though because realistically pretty much everyone loves tacos (some secretly). Tacos are not that bad for you, it is the soda and the fries supreme that is the really unhealthy part. This recipe is pretty much as easy as it gets, if you can wash an apple you can make this.

This recipe can be made with ground turkey or chicken instead of beef, it could even be made with soya meat. The end result is a meat so tender, and flavorful it will make you think a little more highly of tacos. Children like it because they can assemble their own dinner.

For the taco toppings you can use salsa, guacamole, olives, lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese. (choose light sour cream and cheese if you are trying to cut back on calories). You will also need hard and/or soft shells. Serve with a spinach salad filled with lots of veggies then you have a rounded meal.

Crock Pot Tacos

• 1 lbs ground beef (turkey or chicken)
• 1 pkg of seasoning
• 1 cup of water

* Put meat in crock pot add water and seasoning, stir

Yes my friends that is it. The exact length depends on your Crockpot, but as a guide either cook it for 10 hours (low) or 4 hours (high).  I would recommend stirring it occasionally (if you are home when it is cooking if not it isn't the end of the world), it will not look the prettiest as it is cooking as it will clump together and look rather liquidy, it will still taste good though. If there is any extra liquid at the end just scoop out the meat with a slotted spoon.

Let me know how they turn out!

Tuesday Treat - Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

If you are looking for a great cookie that is easy to make, has some healthy stuff snuck in and is yummy this recipe is for you! The texture is chewy yet still firm, perfect for oatmeal cookies!

My son and I whipped these up yesterday and although they are made with whole wheat flour and oatmeal they got tons of complements. If you don't have any of the extra goodies (chocolate chips, coconut, toffee) you can either add a little extra of the items you have on hand or swap in raisins, craisins, nuts, etc. This recipe makes a fairly generous size batch so it is perfect for sharing!

Our Finished Product

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup margarine or butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup toffee bits (commonly called Skor bits)

* Preheat oven to 350

* Blend flour and baking soda 

* Cream until fluffy the 2 sugars and butter, then add the egg and vanilla

* Incorporate the sugar and egg mixture into the flour add the oatmeal and stir

* Add the goodies (chocolate chips, toffee, etc.)

* Place on cookie sheet(s) and bake for 8-10 minutes, until lightly brown and cooked through

Homemade Candied Orange Peels

Chocolate is something that I never really enjoyed until after the birth of my first son. I still don't enjoy chocolate ice cream, pudding, cake, or brownies, etc.. I do however like actual both milk and dark, really dark chocolate, as well as odd flavors. Sea salt dark chocolate and chili dark chocolate are my favs!

This recipe  is the perfect melodious  flavor of natural orange and dark chocolate. You could easily use milk or semi sweet chocolate instead of the dark chocolate. Don't let the few steps deceive you, this recipe is super easy! I choose to just dip the one side into the chocolate.

This is what the finished product looks like.
 This picture is courtesy of the Cashmere and Cupcakes website, as my camera was low on batteries. 

Shepard's Pie

If you are looking for a simple dish that can be made a day ahead, can be made vegetarian, easily altered or even frozen this dish has it all. I make my Shepard's Pie pretty basic and always make 2 medium pans instead of 1 large one. I freeze one and serve one on the day I make it. This dish freezes extremely well. Freezing it gives me a break later-on, on a day when I am just not up to cooking or know I will be out and about with the kids late .

I don't add veggies to my 'Pie'. I find when being reheated it makes it too liquidy or mushy for our liking. Feel free to toss in some diced carrots, corn, peas or any other veggies you have handy (add them to the meat cooking stage). If you are a vegetarian you can sub in soy meat for the meat or if you don't eat red meat you could use ground turkey. I use a couple Bay leaves in my potatoes, whether or not it makes a huge difference I don't know, but I feel it adds a little extra mild flavor to it. Next time I think I will try this dish using Roasted Garlic mashed potatoes. 

Shepard's Pie 

• 10-12 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
• s&p
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 1/2-3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, margarine or cream cheese

* Place potatoes in pot and cover with water, add salt and bay leaves bring to boil

* Allow potatoes to simmer until well cooked, make the below meat portion while boiling

* Drain potatoes and remove bay leaves, add milk, butter, s&p and blend/mash until smooth

• 1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• s&p

* Sautee onions and garlic until tender

* Add ground beef and seasonings, cooking until just brown (keep in mind it will be going in the oven so you don't want to over cook it)

I will describe how to make 1 large dish of this but two make two you would do the same just divide it in half to start.

* Grease glass dish

* Spread 1/4 of potatoes on bottom of dish

* Spread meat on top 

* Spread remaining potatoes on top. I find using a slightly moist spatula to smooth the potatoes allows for easy spreading without the potatoes lifting the meat 

* Spread a tiny bit of butter over top 

Cook in oven until top is slightly brown approx an hour at 350, or 20-30 mins  at 400. 

Just Like Sugar

Like many people out there trying to stay on the healthy track, sugar is one of the things that I am trying to cut down on. If only I didn't have such a sweet tooth it would be much easier! There are many different sugar substitutes out there.  The problem is they all seem to have rumors swirling about them. One study discovers a health risk, the next find that to be incorrect and so on. Headaches, migraines, laxative effect, even some cancers have been linked back to sweeteners. Whether or not these side effects are true or not remains to be seen.

I have been reading about a sweetener called Just Like Sugar. It has been featured in various magazines and I have read some very positive reviews about it. It is made from only 4 ingredients; Orange peel, Chicory root, Calcium and Vitamin C. It can be used anywhere that sugar can and in the exact same measurements (1 to 1).

I finally located some today and purchased it to try. First I tasted it directly on my tongue. It did taste 'just like sugar', always a good sign. I was impressed that it didn't have an aftertaste. I notice after trying Stevia that I had a slight bitter taste in my mouth. Next I put it on oatmeal. It blended in perfectly and made my oatmeal extra yummy. It can be used for baking but with one downside, the price. The bottle has 165g (just under a cup) in it and I paid $6.99. I don't mind spending extra for something healthy but for some cookie recipes, which generally aren't healthy anyways, you would need 2 of these bottles. That would be $14.00 before adding any of the other ingredients. I guess you would be farther ahead buying pre-made baked goods from a grocer like Whole Foods, who now carries some products made with J.L.S.. They would purchase it in volumes and I am assuming would get it for a wholesale price, making baking with it more affordable for them.

All in all I will continue to buy this product for things that require sugar in smaller amounts! For more of the benefits and  information on this product check out the Just Like Sugar website.

Three Cheese Cannelloni

In the past two weeks I have made cheese cannelloni on two separate occasions. One time for friends and the second for my in laws. Both times it went fast and was a hit.

The beauty of this dish is you can serve it with bread and salad and have it as the entrée, as we did with our vegetarian company. You can also serve it as a side dish for a meal that needs something extra. For my in laws cannelloni was the side for chicken breasts with roasted vegetables, green beans and salad. We needed something a little starchy and this was perfect. Not heavy like a pasta dish, not thick like a lasagna. Cannelloni has just the right amount of substance, plus it is super easy. I make homemade sauce but if you were in a super rush or prefer the pre-made sauce you could top the cannelloni with that instead of making the sauce recipe shown below.


Three Cheese Cannelloni 


Cannelloni

• 1 package of oven ready cannelloni pasta
• 1 standard size tub of cottage cheese
• 1 standard size tub of ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozerella cheese, grated, divided in half
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained (if you use the individual square pieces use about 4, from the square brick about half)
• s&p

* combine cheeses, using only 1/2 cup of mozerella with spinach and salt and pepper

* stuff pasta tubes with cheese mixture, use a small spoon or sandwich bag with the corner cut off to squirt the filling in (like a pastry bag) for quick filling
* place in an greased 9x13 baking dish, you may need 2. Put cannelloni about 1/4" apart.  

* cover with sauce and top with other 1/2 of mozerella cheese

Tomato Sauce

• 1 15oz can diced tomatoes
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp each oregano, basil, parsley
• 1 Tsp cayenne pepper or 1Tbsp spicy pepper medley 
• s&p to taste

* saute garlic in evoo until brown, add tomatoes, spices and seasonings

* allow to bubble then let simmer on low while preparing cannelloni

Cook for 1 hour or until cannelloni soft at 350, on convection if you have 2 baking dishes

Annnnnd We're Up

Like clockwork every morning a little hand reaches up and rests on my neck. This hand is accompanied by a little voice saying "Mommy can we go downstairs now?" This scenario plays out every day at 6 a.m. Yes 6!

What do you feed a toddler for breakfast that is healthy and tasty? Oatmeal! I know you are thinking "Tasty? Really?" But for a toddler who has never had surgery cereal he loves it, I actually do too. It is hearty, warm and an easy way to get a complete breakfast with a little doctoring, Adding a few cold ingredients after it is cooked cools it faster too!

Oatmeal

• 1/2 cup dry oatmeal
• 1/2 banana, mashed
• 3/4 -1 cup milk (depending on how liquidy you like your oatmeal)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 1/4 cup carrot or squash or sweet potato puree**

For Children 

* Combine all ingredients but honey and vegetable puree in microwave safe bowl, and stir

* Cook for 2 - 2 1/2 minutes in microwave

* Remove add puree and honey (you may need to add some more milk depending on how thick the vegetables have made it)

For Adults

* Exact same way but add all the ingredients while cooking 

* To get protein in this meal you could also put in protein powder, just double the water or milk

** We cook a whole batch of a vegetable puree by boiling or steaming one of the following; carrot, squash, sweet potato, beets. Next we drain it reserving the liquid, followed by blending it using the reserved liquid and then we place it in ice cube trays and freeze. Then we pop out a frozen 'carrot cubes' to cool the oatmeal and sneak some veggies in. 

See you at 6!

Brown Rice

Brown rice is good, healthy and pretty simple to make. Not being the quickest cooking I make a large batch, enough to last a few days. Last night I made a batch and used it for this one dish meal.

Brown Rice Stir Fry

• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Piri Piri Sauce (or any other hot sauce)
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 1 cup corn (I used frozen and threw them right in without defrosting for  both the peas and corn)
• 1/2 peas
• 1 cup asparagus, cut in 1.5 inches
• s & p

* Cook chicken in Evoo until just cooked and slightly brown add hot sauce

* Toss in everything else but rice and stir, simmer 4-5 minutes

* Add rice and let simmer just until rice is cooked

Coconut Macaroons

An all time favorite of mine, Coconut Macaroons are a perfect treat. Since they are bite sized they are a perfect portable dessert, you don't need to worry about cutting them or even a plate if you were picnicking. We have been eating batch after batch the past few weeks (so much for getting ready for bathing suit season). I made them the other evening with a batch of homemade ice cream for company and they went like hot cakes.

Many of the versions that I have tried use flour, which result in a chewier sightly cookie-like macaroon. These ones are sweet and much more decedent while not being overly sweet. I only need 4 ingredients to make these delicious morsels; egg whites, coconut, vanilla, sweetened condensed milk. I recommend doubling the following recipe.

Coconut Macaroons

• 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

• 2 egg whites beaten until white and frothy

*Preheat oven to 350
*Blend coconut with vanilla and sweetened condensed milk
*Add the beaten egg whites to the coconut mixture and stir
*Place on well greased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. I use a cookie scoop for this but you could always make donut whole size balls with your hands, about 1.5-2 Tbsp in size
*Bake for 12- 15 minutes or until browned on sides and bottoms slightly 'tanned' on the top

Enjoy!

Roasted Veggie Pizza Update

So in my last post I mentioned I was going to try out a Rachel Ray recipe for a Roasted Vegetable Pizza. I made it this evening as my main dish, along with cheese cannelloni. Although the pizza turned out okay, (the roasted veggies were delicious) I would defiantly say in order to make it again I would do some doctoring to it.

First, I used a store bought pre made crust. This crust was too thick for my liking. Of course this isn't the recipes fault but still did effect the overall outcome. You tasted too much bread instead of the delicious richness of the roasted veggies. Even when we order traditional pizza we order thin crust.

Second, I used about 3/4 of the recommended bean spread, even at that it was still too thick. The recipe said cook for 8 minutes once the spread and toppings were on. We cooked it for about 20 and the bean spread was still really moist almost a hummus consistency. I think the pizza would have tasted way better if it I had put on about half of the suggested bean spread. This would have allowed it to kind of dry to a more paste like texture. Again when we order traditional pizza we request them to go easy on the sauce, in order to enjoy everything not just get a taste of gooey sauce.

Other than that I would say it was good. I was hoping that I had found my go-to Friday night meal-in-a-pinch and that this would receive ooohs and awwws. . . it didn't. I think my above suggestions would make all the difference in the world. I do however think I will make the roasted veggies again on their own and put them beside chicken or on pasta later this week.

Roasted Vegetable Pizza

Tomorrow night we are having company over who happen to be Vegetarians. Ourselves we are not huge meat eaters, 2 nights a week we don't have any type of meat, the other 4 we have chicken or fish. (The 7th night we eat at my in-laws) I have been scouring some various recipes as I want to make something delicious for my bestie and her family.

I have come up with a menu that would appeal to anyone, not just a Vegetarian. For apps. edamame, hummus & baquette, cheese & crackers. For starters tossed salad and garlic bread. For main roasted veggie pizza and stuffed pasta shells. For dessert homemade vanilla ice cream and homemade coconut macaroons. I have made everything before except for the pizza. I am trying this one from Rachel Ray's March 2011 Every Day magazine. It sounds delicious and the ground beans instead of tomato sauce is unexpected yet sounds filling and appetizing. I think I will use a store prepared crust to save a bit of time.

I will post a picture of my pizza when I make it tomorrow. I am hoping for a new favorite!

Banana Cookies

Today being a snow day and no ingredients to make anything truly decadent we decided to make Banana cookies. We always have tons of bananas in the freezer since no one around here will eat them the second that the have even a tiny brown spot on them.

This following recipe produces something not as dense as banana bread but more hearty then a banana cake. I am sure that you are supposed to mix the dry ingredients separate from the wet, but I just dumped everything in the bowl and blended it! It turned out great.


Banana Cookies 

1 1/2 cups sifted whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup margarine or butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

3-5 mashed bananas ( I used 5)

1 3/4 cups quick cooking oatmeal

*Blend together until all ingredients are combined.
*Make cookies about the size of 2 Tbsp and place 2 inches apart.

*Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees, until edges are sides are golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Snowday, Cooking and the Kids

Today we are expecting a snowstorm! Over night we 'delivered' about half a foot, and it is continuing to snow. As a child I remember waiting and hoping for snow days. We never had one! This winter the schools have been closed 4 or 5 days already. A day like this with it's gross road conditions and no particular place to go anyways is the perfect day to stay in. Pajama day for the kids, yoga pants for mom! Staying in all day leads to another challenge though.

When I know we are going to be around the house all day or if we have an event coming in a couple days I prepare so we can use our time at home to make something, bake, do pretty much anything to save time later on. This weekend we have a birthday party and a dinner party. (By dinner party I mean my best friend, her hubby and two boys that are my sons age. I don't know when a party where milk is the main beverage being served started constituting as a dinner party, but it does now! They are great company anyways, and we are always glad to have some adult company.) I had planned to make Coconut Macaroons for both events. Kind of hard to make when you are missing the main ingredient. . . the coconut. I planned on getting it today, not happening. Then for dinner I am making homemade veggie pizza and stuffed pasta shells. I like to chop the ingredients up the day ahead, but again not happening, I don't have half the stuff! We don't even have chocolate chips to make cookies with!

So I am sitting here scouring the Internet to find something that we can make with the ingredients that we have on hand. I will post what we come up with!

Fajitas

Chicken Fajitas are my husband's favorite thing to order at Jack Astors. We don't go out to eat often and when we do it is not usually there, so I thought it would be nice to serve these up for dinner this evening.

I tried the packaged seasonings previously to mixed reviews. Instead I started blending a little Jerk Seasoning (available at most grocery stores) with salt, pepper and garlic powder. The result was delicious, moist and easy. If you like spicy food you could add a little cayanne pepper, my husband doesn't enjoy these spicy so I didn't add it.

Chicken Fajitas

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
•  chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• half onion, either diced or cut into super thin strips
• 1/2 each yellow, red, orange peppers, cut into thin strips
• 1.5 tsp Jerk Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)
• s & p
• 1/4 cup water

*Place oil in pan add onions, chicken and stir till coated, cook at medium high heat
*Add peppers and seasonings
*Stir frequently
*As food begins to stick to pan add little bits of water at a time, you may need more or less then a 1/4 cup
*When chicken cooked all the way through, and peppers tender remove from heat

Garnish with cheese, sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Put on tortilla wrap, or on white rice if you have gluten allergies like me. Serves 2

Garlic Green Beans

This evening we had roast beef, green beans, black rice and salad. I don't eat red meat but I do make a roast a few times a month for my meat eating boys. As a side dish I like to have something that isn't traditionally thought as a red meat side, as potatoes and carrots usually are, hence the green beans.

This recipe is super simple to make, healthy and everyone gobbles it up. In fact we have it weekly. In an unexpected twist I add ginger to the beans, which gives it a mild pick me up and compliments the bean and the garlic flavors.

Garlic Green Beans

• 2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed off
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you could use butter instead)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced (I buy the pre-minced ginger)
• salt and pepper, to taste

*Place trimmed beans in pot with enough water to cover beans, bring to boil
*I take the beans off after about 2 minutes of boiling, as we prefer the beans still to be firm. If you prefer a softer bean leave them to boil for slightly longer
*Strain beans
*In same pot that is still warm put in evoo, ginger and garlic, allow to cook for about 1 minute, add in beans and stir
*Top with s& p, stir again

Enjoy!

A Little Ghetto, But A Goodie!

So I try to make mostly homemade meals from scratch for pretty much every meal of the week. For the most part, the extent of processed foods we consume would be something like pasta, dairy, temph, and any sweets that we eat. I came across this recipe in the Food Network magazine and thought I would give it a whirl. This was the second time I made it and added chicken to make it a more complete meal. (Excuse the picture quality I shot this on my Blackberry.)



I chopped the chicken the size of dice and cooked them with the mushrooms, other than that I followed the recipe. The end result was a dinner that was quick (under 12 minutes), pretty tasty and one the whole family liked. I served it with a side of steamed brocoli. Next time I will add pieces of broccoli to the recipe to spruce it up a little. 

Dairy and Wheat Allergies!

Last year I was diagnosed with a Wheat and Dairy Allery! How can this be?!?! I love pizza with extra cheese, blue cheese on salad, pumpernickel bread with hot peanut butter and bananas! How does one survive without these things? Okay I am being a drama queen here but it is quite hard to cut dairy and wheat, ecspecially the eggs and wheat. Eggs are in everything and so is wheat. I have made a goal to start Monday on a fresh take on it. I have to build up the willpower! I can do it!