DIY Cream of Chicken Soup

I don't eat chicken so, when a recipe calls for canned cream of chicken soup, I make my own vegetarian version.  It's so easy and I just feel better knowing I made it myself.  This recipe makes the equivalent of one can:

3 TBSP butter  (or use Earth Balance to make it vegan)

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1/2c unsweetened almond milk

1/2c chicken broth (I like Better Than Bouillon's No-Chicken Base)

salt and pepper, to taste (4-5 turns of the grinder works for me)

1.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add flour and whisk until smooth.

2.  Whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper.

3.  Bring to a boil and whisk occasionally until it thickens (about 2 minutes).

White Chili

It's a snowy Spring day here and I am planning to serve leftovers fantastic chili/soup for dinner.  I say, "chili/soup" because you can control the consistency.  We like it more soupy, so I simmer it with a lid.  If you prefer something thicker, leave the lid off.  It's good either way. 

1 TBSP olive oil

3/4c yellow onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

4oz. can Fire Roasted green chiles, diced and drained

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 pkg. mushrooms, sliced and chopped

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can light pinto beans, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, chopped

3/4c Italian parsley, rough chopped

1c white wine

3 1/2c vegetarian chicken broth

2 tsp. vegetarian chicken bouillon

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 TBSP dried oregano

1 1/2 TBSP ground cumin

2 bay leaves

 

1.  Heat olive oil in a large pot, over Medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, chiles, and pepper.  Cook and stir until onions soften, about 2-3 minutes.

 

2.  Add the bell peppers, mushrooms, beans, green onions, and parsley.  Cook and stir another 1-2 minutes.

 

3.  Add the wine, broth, bouillon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, cumin, and bay leaves.

 

4.  Cover, reduce heat to Low, and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 90 minutes.  Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.

Serving this with cornbread tonight!

Make-Ahead Muffins for Baby

I've been talking about making and freezing meals for our littlest one for quite some time and, since we're having a Snow Day here, I decided today would be the day I finally started on that project and I'm so glad I did it. 

These muffins are perfect for little hands, packed with flavor, and fill the house with a wonderful aroma while they're baking!  For the baby food puree called for, I used a pouch of bananas, peaches, and mangoes.  I think I'll try blueberries and quinoa next time, or maybe pumpkin...or squash...this recipe is so easy to adjust to what's on hand:

1/2c butter, softened

1/2c brown sugar

2 large bananas, mashed

4oz. baby food puree

1/4c carrots, shredded

2 eggs, beaten

1c all-purpose flour

1/2c rolled oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. salt

 

1.  Preheat oven to 375*

 

2.  In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.

 

3.  Add the mashed bananas, baby food puree, carrots, and eggs. Continue mixing to blend.

 

4.  Stir in the flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until just combined.

 

5.  Spoon the batter equally into 36 prepared mini muffin cups.

 

6.  Bake approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack and serve. 

 

Freeze the leftovers!

Corn Chowder

I had actually planned on making something completely different for dinner but the weather that afternoon changed my mind.  There is just something about freezing rain that makes me want a good, hearty bowl of goodness and this definitely hit the spot:

1/4c butter

1/2c yellow onion, chopped

2 TBSP all-purpose flour

salt and pepper, to taste

1 TBSP dry sherry

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1c milk (I use almond and it works great)

1 16oz. bag frozen corn

1 small-medium Russett potato, diced

1 4oz. can green chiles, diced

1/4c red pepper, chopped

1/2c Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4c green onions, sliced

1.  In a medium size pot, melt butter over medium heat.

2.  Add onion and saute until slightly soft and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

3.  Add flour, salt, pepper, sherry, cayenne, and parsley.  Whisk to form a roux.

4.  Add milk and continue whisking until thickened.

5.  Add corn, potato, green chiles, red pepper, and cheese.  Cover and simmer over Low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

6.  To serve, ladle into bowls and top with Cheddar cheese and green onions.

The leftovers were really good the next day!

Sloppy Joes

When I think, "Man Food", sloppy joes are definitely on the list.  Every time I make them, they are practically inhaled by my guys and they always go back for more!  I've been making these sandwiches like this for years and finally remembered to snap a photo before they were devoured at dinner recently:

1lb. ground beef substitute

1/4c onion, chopped

1/4c green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. yellow mustard

3/4c ketchup

1 TBSP brown sugar

salt and pepper, to taste

 

1.  In a large skillet over Medium heat, brown the meat, adding the onions and peppers toward the end so they don't get too soft.

 

2.  Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

 

3.  Reduce heat to Low and allow to simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Served with the easiest green beans ever.  I threw some cooked beans in a skillet with a little butter, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper - done.



Lentil Curry

My husband and I are big fans of Indian food so I knew he would be happy to find this curry in the works when he came home yesterday.  I served it over a blend of wild rices and all the flavors together, with just the right amount of heat, were really quite fantastic.  This recipe (when served over rice) yields three hearty bowls:

1/2c red lentils, rinsed well

1 TBSP red curry paste

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. white sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ginger root, minced

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1/2c yellow onion, diced

2 large roma tomatoes, diced

1/4c cilantro, chopped

1.  In a medium saucepan, add lentils to approximately 3 cups of water and simmer on Low until tender (but don't let them get mushy or the texture will be all wrong!).  Mine cooked in about 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

2.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

3.  In a medium size skillet over Medium High, heat the oil and cook onions until tender and slightly caramelized.

4.  Stir in the curry mixture and tomatoes.  Reduce heat to Low and allow to simmer 5-10 minutes.

5.  Add the lentils and continue cooking another 5 minutes or so until heated through.  Top with cilantro and serve immediately.

 Served with naan and tzatziki sauce.

Fresh Tomato Soup

I love this tomato soup because it's not thin and watery like so make others I've eaten in the past.  Also, there is no dairy in this soup!  Sure, you could use the animal-based stuff in here, but it would be completely unnecessary.

I used my food processor to get the vegetables really finely chopped but you could easily accomplish the same thing with an immersion blender.

15 roma tomatoes, seeded and lightly pureed

1c carrots, finely chopped

3/4c onion, finely chopped

3 TBSP vegan butter

3 TBSP all-purpose flour

1c almond milk

1 3/4c vegetable broth

1 TBSP white sugar

2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. dried basil (or 2 TBSP fresh, chopped)

1/2 tsp. celery salt

3/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1.  In a large pot, combine the tomatoes, carrots, amd onions.  Bring to a boil then reduce to Low and simmer about 30 minutes.

2.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour.  Whisk until thick and well blended.  Add milk and continue whisking until consistencey is smooth.  Add this to the soup pot.

3.  To the soup mixture, add the vegetable broth, sugar, sea salt, basil, celery salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

4.  Allow everything to continue simmering about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.



This paired really well with sourdough and Havarti paninis.
 

Black-Eyed Pea and Cabbage Stew

It is well known and understood in this house that everyone is required to eat the black-eyed peas and cabbage served on New Year's Day.  In previous years, I have served the peas and cabbage as two separate side dishes and watched as both boys put just the very teensiest amount they thought would be acceptable on their plates. 

So, this year I tried a new approach by putting everything in one big pot and the resulting stew was delicious!

1 TBSP olive oil

3/4c onion, chopped

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped

3 stalks celery, sliced

2c chicken broth (I used a vegan no-chicken broth)

3/4c brown rice

2 cans black-eyed peas with liquid

1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles with liquid

2 cloves garlic, minced

1c cooked cabbage

 

 

1.  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

 

2.  Add the onion, green pepper, red pepper, and celery; cook and stir until tender.

 

3.  Add the broth, rice, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, and garlic.

 

4.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer approximately 1 hour.

 

Served with cornbread.  Happy New Year!

Shepherd's Pie

Whenever I make mashed potatoes, I always make way more than we can actually eat in one meal.  I don't know why.  Seems like I would learn to scale back a bit but I haven't done that.  Instead, I've just accepted the fact that there will be leftovers, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Last night, I decided to use the mashed potatoes leftover from the Thanksgiving feast for this super yummy, surprisingly easy shepherd's pie.  You'll need your potatoes already prepared as this recipe is just for the meaty filling part of the pie:

 

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1/2c onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 ground beef

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1 tsp. tomato paste

1/2c chicken broth

1/2 Worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/3 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/4c frozen corn

1/4c frozen peas

 

1.  Preheat oven to 400*

 

2.  In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high.  Add the onions and carrot slices; saute 3-4 minutes.

 

3.  Add the garlic and continue cooking another minute or so.

 

4.  Add the meat, salt, and pepper.  Cook and stir until nicely browned and cooked through.

 

5.  Sprinkle flour over the top.  Toss to evenly coat the mixture.

 

6.  Add the tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, rosemary, and thyme.  Cover, reduce heat, and allow to simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

7.  Add the corn and peas, stirring to combine.

 

8.  Spoon everything into a prepared 8x8 baking dish.

 

9.  Top with your mashed potatoes and spread to completely cover the meat filling.

 

10.  Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

 

*I made my shepherd's pie vegetarian by using good quality substitutes for the meat, broth, and Worchestershire sauce.  This could be made even healthier by using vegan mashed potatoes.

I totally forgot to snap a photo of the shepherd's pie so you'll just have to take my word that it looked amazing.  I'll remember next time.  For now here's a photo of the mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving:

Served with rosemary biscuits on the side.

Spicy Rosemary Roasted Cashews

Our pre-Thanksgiving feast snacks consisted of a tray of Mediterranean-style marinated olives, an assortment of cheeses, and these yummy cashews. 

 

1lb. whole cashews

2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. sea salt

1 TBSP butter, melted

 

 

1.  Preheat oven to 375*

 

2.  In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, and salt.  Set aside.

 

3.  Spread cashews out on a baking sheet and bake about 10 min.

 

4.  Place cashews in a medium-size bowl, pour melted butter over the top, and stir to coat.

 

5.  Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the cashews and mix together.  Serve immediately.

 

 

You could make them ahead of time (they do keep really well) but I think they're particularly fabulous served warm.

Easy Bean and Cheese Taquitos

I like to serve these as an appetizer or side to a Mexican dinner, but really, I would be totally happy just eating them all by themselves!  Dip them in some salsa or guacamole....good stuff!

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can refried beans

2 tsp. cumin

1 TBSP chili powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

salsa

 shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

small flour tortillas

1.  In a medium saucepan, heat black beans,refried beans, cumin, chili powder, and garlic.

3.  Mash the bean mixture - potato masher or fork both work - until you like the texture. (I like to keep some of the chunkiness in there.)

4.  Grab a tortilla and spoon about 2 TBSP of the bean mixture onto it, along with about 1 tsp. salsa, and 1 TBSP cheese; roll it up and set aside on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Repeat until you're out of beans.  I got 16 taquitos with this recipe.

5.  Bake at 375* for about 20 minutes, or until warmed through and slightly crispy.

Bonus:  You can freeze the leftovers!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

I think of lettuce wraps as little Asian tacos.  And rather than serve them as an appetizer like they do in restaurants, I like to serve them up as the main course.  We have had these several times over the years and they are always so very good! 

1lb. ground beef

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2c onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBSP soy sauce

1/4c hoisin sauce

2tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 TBSP rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. Asian chili sauce

1/4c green onions, chopped

1-2 tsp. dark sesame oil

whole lettuce leaves

 

1.  In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef in olive oil.  Remove from skillet, drain if necessary, and set aside.

 

2.  To the skillet, add the onion and cook for a about a minute or so, stirring frequently.

 

3.  Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chili sauce and stir to combine.

 

4.  Add the  green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef and heat through.

 

5.  Serve with the lettuce leaves.

I like to just put it out on the table like this so

 everyone can make their own.

(Also, once again, I used Match ground beef.)

Italian Chili

This is fabulous comfort food on a cold, wintery night and the leftovers hold up really well.  If you feel like you just have to add cheese over the top, I recommend Parmesan.  But really, it's not necessary.

1lb. ground beef (I used Match Meats substitute)

1/4c olive oil

1 1/2c onion, chopped

1c celery, chopped

1/4c garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

4c vegetable broth

14oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings

3oz. tomato paste

1 1/4 tsp.dried thyme

1 1/4 tsp. dried basil

1 1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1TBSP dried parsley

1c ditalini pasta

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
 

1.  In a large pot over medium heat, cook beef thoroughly, drain if necessary, and set aside.

2.  In the same pot, heat the olive oil.  Cook onion, celery, garlic, and black pepper until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.  Season with thyme, basil, oregano, and parsley.

4.  Cover, reduce heat to Low and simmer 1 hour.

5.  Meanwhile, in a small-medium pot, cook the pasta; drain and set aside.

6.  Add the beef and pasta to the main pot and allow to to simmer another 10-15 minutes to heat through.

Served with homemade herb and cheese bread - yum!

Mini Meatloaves

Last night's dinner was vegan meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and peas.  I was in the mood for some good old fashioned comfort food and this was perfect!  Obviously, you could substitute ground beef for the vegan meat, but, really, why would you want to?

While I'm on the subject of vegan meat, let me just say that, like alot of foods, there are good brands and there are not-so-good brands.  For substituting ground beef in recipes, I like Match Meats much better than anything else I've tried so far.  Gardein is winning in the chicken department though.  Anyway, on to the recipe:

1lb. ground "beef"

1/4c ketchup

1 1/8c Italian breadcrumbs

1 TBSP vegetable base (I like Better Than Bouillon)

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. dried parsley

1/8 tsp. celery salt

1/8 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBSP olive oil

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

2.  In a large bowl, add all ingredients (except the olive oil) and mix well.  I just use my hands to really get in there and blend it all together.

3.  Divide into four loaves.

4.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high.  Place loaves in skillet and cook until nicely browned, about 2 minutes or so on each side.

5.  Remove from skillet and place in a prepared 8 1/2 x 11 baking dish.

6.  Bake 20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160*.

7.  Top with a little extra ketchup and put back in the oven for another five minutes.

8.  Remove from oven and serve immediately.

 

This is also very good reheated.

 I just devoured the leftovers for lunch today!

Vegan Ranch Dressing

I'm cooking vegan at home now and needed ranch dressing for tonight's dinner of Gardein chicken wraps.  So, one quick search online and I found the perfect dairy-free ranch dressing:

1/2c vegan mayonnaise (Vegenaise is great!)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. chopped parsley

1/4c unsweetened soy milk

1.  Combine everything in a small bowl.  Chill until ready to serve.

They'll never know it's vegan! ;)