Roasted Vegetable Soup

Well...apparently my readers are fans of soup! So here's a second recipe for the week! Made this one for supper last night...and all four of us were huge fans of it! I often grab a bunch of veggies from our fridge, steam them, puree them, add some broth with a little seasoning and attempt to make soup. Sometimes it's amazing, sometimes....it's just soup. Last night I decided to try roasting the veggies first...and let me tell you, it was worth the extra effort! This soup is so simple for the amount of flavour you get...you must try it! It tastes gourmet...seriously...a great and simple way to wow some company:) You'd pay top dollar in a grocery store or restaurant for this soup! Fancy grilled cheese would be a great add-on to this meal! Garnished mine with fresh ground pepper and a swirl of homemade spinach humus:)

Roasted Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS

6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 2-inch chunks
4 carrots, cut into large chunks
4 parsnips, cut into large chunks
1 bundle of celery, cut into chunks
2 sweet red peppers, seeded
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
1 bulb garlic, peeled
2 boxes of chicken or vegetable stock

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare all vegetables and garlic.

Toss lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Place veggies and garlic cloves in baking dish...it may take more than one...lightly cover with tin foil so the veggies don't dry out.

Roast in oven for 40-45 minutes. Veggies and garlic should looks nice and caramelized...and be soft enough to puree.

Let cool slightly. Puree using food processor, in batches, gradually adding stock.

Pour pureed soup/stock mixture into a large pot and heat. ENJOY!

*This soup tastes even better the next day...and freezes amazing!

Lasagna Soup

Wanna know something funny? I actually use my own blog when making my meal plan each week and writing up my grocery list! So YES...this is really how we eat all the time!! I hadn't even really noticed I do this until Jay caught me the other day...we both had a good laugh over it.

On that note...remember the challenge I put out there back in January to eat better...plan better...and save a few bucks each month? How are you doing at that? I know in our house it's made a huge difference! I now shop intentionally for groceries by planning all meals, and only buying at the store what is on my list. I've found we can sometimes even go 8 or 9 days with out stopping in at the store again. And by making the list, I don't forget anything! Those quick stops to pick up the one thing I was missing...like eggs or cilantro, two or three times a week...would quickly add up to an additional $10 or $20 a stop because I would be swayed by things on sale, or easy snacks that looked tasty! I've for sure saved about $20-$30 a WEEK this year by planning our meals.

I still often feel that it's pricey to feed our family of four. We were talking about it on the weekend though and decided to break it down per person, per day. We buy everything organic or all-natural, we value that. For our family, it came to about $6-$7 per person, per DAY. That's NOT bad if you saw how amazing we eat!! Not bad when you consider that's the price of a daily venti fancy Starbucks, which we don't buy...the price of a husband grabbing a quick sandwich to-go for lunch, which Jay doesn't do...the price of a magazine at the til in the grocery store (for the record I would LOVE to always buy a food/cooking magazine at the til, but am too cheap to pay the price)! So, we've cut out some luxuries so our kids will grow healthy and strong...worth every penny:)

Alright...on to the soup! This one is SOOO yummy...our boys love it too! Ripped this recipe out of a magazine once...I believe it was Rachael Ray?...and pulled it out of my recipe stash one day to try...I've made it many times since. Pretty quick to whip together...about 30 minutes. This batch makes enough for two meals for us...and actually tastes better the second time around:) ENJOY!




Lasagna Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef - we use grass-fed
Salt and pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
4 carrots, finely chopped or grated
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 or 5 handfuls of fresh spinach, finely chopped
4 cups chicken broth
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 lb lasagna noodles, broken into jagged pieces - I use brown rice lasagna
1 cup basil leaves, torn
1 cup ricotta

Directions

In a soup pot, heat the olive over medium heat. Add the beef, season with pepper and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in the onion, carrots and garlic and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the spinach and let cook-down for a minute or two with the lid on.

Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth and tomatoes...cover and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup in bowls with a spoonful of ricotta on top.

*We love to sprinkle ours with fresh parmesan too!

Green Enchiladas

One of my favourite things to do on my iphone is search food blogs!! Most people hop on Facebook or Twitter with their spare moments throughout the day...but I read food blogs! You should see the lists of recipes that I've bookmarked...all with hopes of one day trying them!! I stumbled upon this blog a month or so ago and these enchiladas immediately caught my eye. We are HUGE Mexican food fans in this house...all four of us...so these were a must:) They are incredibly FRESH tasting, and super simple & quick to make...especially if your chicken is left over from dinner the night before. These are possibly one of the best things we've ever tasted...no lie.

Here's the recipe...altered a bit from the original blog. I only used half the amount of recommended cream cheese...and we loved it...but I will advise that the cream cheese is what tames down the heat in this sauce...so if you aren't fans of spice then include the full 8oz. The flavour in these will knock your socks off...even before the heat does!! I didn't feel the need to sprinkle cheese on the top...but go ahead if you think it needs it. The cream cheese on it's own already does a good job of creating that bubbly crusty edging. For a baked meal you will not believe how 'fresh' these guys taste...SO good!!

I gave myself a good 45 minutes to prep these, but was THRILLED that they took me less than 10 minutes to throw together (with my chicken already pre-cooked).

I'm curious to try these with some grass-fed beef...but to be honest...I think the chicken compliments them best.

Green Enchiladas

1 bunch Cilantro
2 cups salsa verde (jarred green salsa...available in most stores)
1 onion
1 jalapeno (with seeds if you like the heat)
2 cloves garlic
1 8 oz cream cheese (I only used 4 oz)
8 whole wheat tortillas
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups monteray jack cheese, shredded (I skipped this step)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Place the first five ingredients into your food processor or blender. Pulse until all mixed and chopped!

Stir in cream cheese. Reserve about half of the sauce...add the shredded chicken to the other half.

Dribble some green sauce into the bottom of your favourite casserole dish. This prevents the rolled tortillas from sticking or burning. Place about 1/2 cup of the green chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll them and place close together in your dish.

Pour remaining green sauce over the rolled tortillas.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the green enchiladas are heated throughout and a little bubbly around the edges. If using the cheese...sprinkle on top and bake an additional 5 minutes.

ENJOY!!...we DID!!!

We ate these as a meal on their own...but they would be great served with some rice and re-fried beans if you're entertaining!

This is the only recipe of Maria's I've tried...but I look forward to testing more!!

Sweet Potato & Ground Turkey Shepard's Pie - No Crust

Turkey Dinner Anytime!!! That's what I call this meal! Started making this dish about 2 years ago...and it's always a crowd-pleaser! Saw an episode of Rachael Ray way back when and she made something similar...relatively simple to whip up...and a meal in itself...gotta love that! No photos of this dish...YET...as I always forget to take one!! I plan on making this for dinner tonight though...so hold on for a photo to be added asap!



First things first...can you believe our little turkey...Levi...is going to be TWO tomorrow!! This was taken by the lovely and talented Daniela Sitar when Levi was just 5 days old...at 10lbs 4 oz he was already pouring over the edges of the turkey platter! I thought it might be cute to re-create this photo this Thanksgiving...but decided that our 'little' 36lb turkey (a.k.a. Levi) might now require additional supports under the dining room table! Oh what a cute little turkey he would be though:)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

Sweet Potato & Ground Turkey Shepard's Pie - No Crust

INGREDIENTS

5 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1-2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, finely chopped
5 stalks of celery, chopped
2 tsp poultry seasoning
salt & pepper
4 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour
2 cups turkey, chicken or vegetable broth
Few dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 cups frozen peas

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Boil or steam sweet potatoes in a large pot until soft, about 15 minutes.

In a deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the turkey and cook, breaking up with a spoon. Stir in the onion, carrots, celery and poultry seasoning. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 7 minutes...until the veggies are all softened.

In a small pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the broth and the Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened, then stir into the turkey mixture. Stir in the peas and remove from the heat.

Drain the sweet potatoes and mash until nice and creamy...add butter if desired!

Take out your favourite casserole dish and pour the turkey mixture into it. Top it off with the mashed sweet potatoes.

Place in preheated oven for about 15 minutes...just so the flavours all have time to set and mix together.

ENJOY

ps...pumpkin pie is ALWAYS a great follow-up to this dinner!

pss...freezes great...or make ahead earlier in the day and set in fridge...then reheat in oven until hot throughout!

Brown Rice Noodle Salad with "Best Ever" Cilantro Peanut Dressing

Well...truth be told we plan vacations around the nearest Chipotle and Cheesecake Factory. We go to the Cheesecake Factory to SHARE this amazing huge salad that has an amazing dressing on it...it's our favourite thing. We even order an extra dish of it to dip our bread into!! Obsessed? Maybe a tad:) We just know when something tastes good:)

I finally decided that it was time to replicate this dressing! This was my first shot at it...for company Friday night (always a risky thing to try something new for company!!)...but it was a success if I do say so myself! The salad complimented it well too, although I forgot to take a picture of the massive platter that I created the salad on!!...so I recreated a smaller version the next day and took a photo. This salad was our complete meal, with chicken skewers on the side. An amazing and affordable meal to entertain with...just be sure your guests like cilantro!!

As a side note...the salad we order this dressing with at Cheesecake Factory is nothing like this one, it's more of a Mexican tostada type salad...but it went REALLY well with this style of salad too!

The brown rice noodles I used are a healthier alternative to the white rice noodles often found in Thai food. They can be tricky to find, so white would totally work as well. In Kelowna, they are available at Choices, Superstore and Bulk Food Store (listed most $ to least $). I usually stock up when I find them:) They are great to keep on hand for a quick stir-fry dinner or whatever (soak dried noodles in hot water for 5 minutes...done!).

Brown Rice Noodle Salad

Layer any amount of the following things...options are endless...this is what I used:
Brown Rice Noodles (soaked and left to dry so wetness is gone)
Spinach/Lettuce
Chopped Carrots
Garden Fresh Peas
Sprouts of any kind...I used Alfalfa and Sunflower
Shredded Red Cabbage
Sliced Cucumbers
Chopped Cilantro..we are fans:)
Chopped Mango
Chopped Cashew Pieces

"Best Ever" Cilantro Peanut Dressing
(substitutions in bold italics make this dressing Whole30 friendly!)

3 whole big cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
2 bunches cilantro, (rinsed well, most of stalk ends trimmed off)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp wine/rice/apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp honey (brown rice syrup to make it a vegan dish) 1 softened date
1/2 cup olive/avocado oil
3-4 Tbsp peanut butter almond butter
1-2 Tbsp tamari (soy sauce) coconut aminos
Dashes of hot sauce...whatever your liking:)

Throw all ingredients into food processor, except olive oil. Once everything is pureed and blended, slowly stream olive oil in so that the dressing becomes emulsified:)

I now wish I would have tripled the amount of cilantro I grew this year...I will be making this dressing weekly!! If you're not fans of cilantro, you could try making it with parsley. Results would be similar, but likely not as good:)

Enjoy...invite company over for this one:) A great summer meal to enjoy on the patio with some Sangria...that's what we did!!

ps...notice a 'slight' improvement in the photo quality??!! I'm trying...and enjoying...

One-Pot Macaroni with Garden Fresh Vegetables

It's been so overcast and cool here today that it kinda got me thinking that I should do something with the ground beef in my freezer. Normally in Summer we tend to BBQ out with some meat and veggies...but it just didn't feel right for today:)

This meal is great...and sure to please all the males in your house!! Levi normally consumes anything resembling food, but he was done his first portion before Noah even started!! That's gotta stand for something?! It was a hit, nonetheless. The best part was I prepared and cooked the entire thing in under 30 minutes. The second best thing was that I had everything in my pantry or garden to make this dish:)

Feel free to omit or sub any of the veggies...or even chop them tiny so your kids won't notice them;)...a great way to use up surplus from your garden! I can see myself making double and triple batches of this one day for our growing boys and all their friends! One that note...this dish would also freeze well!

ps...I couldn't help but mention that this dish totally resembles Hamburger Helper...talk about a blast from the past...only it's about 150% better for you!!

One-Pot Macaroni with Garden Fresh Vegetables

1 lb lean ground beef (I used bison)
1 chopped onion
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 chopped red pepper
3 chopped carrots
1 tsp each oregano & basil...dried or fresh from the garden!
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 cups brown rice macaroni (roughly half the bag)

In large pot or pan saute ground meat over medium heat...cook until no longer pink.

Add everything except the tomatoes and macaroni...cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and 3 cups of water...bring to a boil...add macaroni.

Reduce heat and cover...simmer...stir occasionally...until pasta is al dente (a slight crunch).

Feel free to garnish with a sharp grated cheese (I would have if we had some in the fridge!!)...and fresh chopped basil:)

Enjoy!!

Rustic Pasta

Hands down the favourite supper in our house for the past six months..it's amazing! As Jay would say, it's the "most manly vegan meal he's every had"! I've entertained with it...and they've loved it....I've cooked it for my entire family while visiting in Ontario...and they all loved it! It's flavours are so unique, that you just have to try it yourself! Weekends begin in our house on Thursday night....so we find ourselves having this almost every Thursday evening, once the kids are in bed (although Noah gobbles it right up too!), with a nice glass of red wine.

I got this recipe from Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet....GREAT book if you haven't taken a peak at it yet...have made almost every recipe in the book...love it:)

I should also add that we usually eat this dish with fresh parmesan on top...cheating a little I know...so it's not entirely vegan when consumed that way:) (But is just tastes SO good!!)

Also...side note...I know the quality of the photo is brutal...sorry:)

Rustic Pasta

1 pkg of long pasta....we use Brown Rice Pasta..always:)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced on diagonal
1/4 cup shoyu or tamari (good quality soya sauce)
1 head of cabbage, thinly sliced (red or green...both taste amazing)
5-6 Tbsp marinara sauce (good quality organic pasta sauce)

Cook package of pasta until just al dente, drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat the oil, add the onions and cook on medium heat until softened, try not to let them 'fry brown'...about 7 minutes. Then add the garlic and celery, suate for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the shoyu, then add the cabbage, saute covered for about 10 minutes or until all the onions and cabbage appear well cooked.

Add the pasta to the skillet with the marinara sauce and toss together. Cook for another minute or two and serve!

The Great Chili Cook-Off

Okay....so the cooler weather on Friday left Jay and myself in the mood for some chili! You see...Jay's great cooking skills peaked while we were dating, and then disappeared when we got married...I kinda am guilty for taking over the kitchen anyhow! But...he has always held onto the title of making apparently the best chili! I've made it many many times for us...always making lots for the freezer...and he always loves it...but he always reminds me that he makes the best chili! So...we went head to head yesterday....me with my lovely cream cast iron pot filled with yummy Fresh Vegetarian chili...and he with his large stainless steel pot filled with Bison 'Man' chili! Both pots smelled wonderful...in my head his looked disgusting...and in his head, mine looked like it was missing something....the RED MEAT!

Now for the recipes...hmmm...that's kinda a tricky one because we seriously just winged it and added whatever we felt like...but here's a list of what each pot contained....both worth making again! The best part...we have enough in our fridge for the rest of the weekend...and about 8 meals worth in our freezer!! I LOVE that!! (Clearly labeled "Jay's" and "Steph's"...of course!)

Either recipe could have ground turkey or ground beef added or substituted!


Steph's Vegetarian Chili



2 large onions, chopped
1 head of garlic, minced
4 carrots, chopped
3 red peppers, chopped
2 jalapenos, minced
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 bag of frozen corn
1 bunch of kale or spinach, finely chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 or 4 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons crushed chili peppers (more or less, depending on how you like it!)
2 tablespoons cumin

2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
half a bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice and flesh of 1 lime
1 bottle of Corona (optional....but SO worth it!!)

Alright...I think that is everything that made it into the pot! Throw everything in the first section into your large hot, that's already heated with a few dashes of olive oil. Let 'sweat' for a while until all veggies look semi cooked. Add the lime and Corona. Simmer out for a few minutes...add everything else! I think that's it!!




Jack Daniel's Jalapeno & Lime Chili (aka. Jay's Chili)



2 lbs ground xlean bison
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 head of garlic, cut into very large chunks
1/4 cup Jack Daniels (optional...but Jay would say it's essential!)


2 red peppers, coarsely chopped
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1 apple, chopped
4 jalapenos
4 tablespoons crushed chili peppers
3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons cumin
lots of lime juice


2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Simmer first section until the meat is cooked throughout. Add second section and let all vegetables cook. Add third section and let simmer until ready to eat! Enjoy with shredded cheese on top and your favourite tortilla chips for scooping! Jay enjoyed some of his leftovers today with cooked brown rice macaroni stirred in....nothing like a little Chili-Mac to warm you up!


Both of us likely would have added some chunks of fresh pineapple to ours, had we had some on hand!

ENJOY....we still are!!