Three Bean Slow Cooker Chili

We've been experiencing a very wet and cold winter here in SoCal. So, I've been breaking out all my favorite winter recipes lately. One thing I love to make on a cold miserable day is chili. I don't know why those two things go together but they do. It's kind of like being sick and having soup. However, chili takes a lot of time to make, and depending on the style of chili you make, it can also be time consuming to prep. If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a lazy cook. I don't like to spend a ton of time in the kitchen slaving away. Which is why this slow cooker chili is my favorite. It's bursting with flavor, takes minimal time to prep, and the slow cooker does all the cooking for you.

I usually always make my chili in the slow cooker just because chili needs to simmer low and slow for some hours in order to really develop flavor. I don't know about you, but I don't hours to spend stirring a pot of chili making sure it doesn't burn or bubble over. I can put it all in the slow cooker and go to work, run errands, clean the house, read a book, binge watch my favorite shows and not have to worry about dinner. I love it! I used to soak and cook my beans before putting them in the slow cooker but I've recently discovered that you don't have to do that. You just have to rinse the beans to clean them, and then you just pour them in the slow cooker with your ingredients and extra broth to cook them. Making chili has never been easier than this. Now, I don't eat meat so this is for a vegetarian three bean chili. However, if you would like meat, I would brown a pound of ground beef and add it to the rest of the ingredients already listed.

• 1 large carrot (about 2 cups), peeled and grated
• 1 large zucchini (about 1 cup), grated
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2 c. dried kidney beans
• 1 c. dried black beans
• 1/2 c. dried garbanzo beans
• 1.5 c. frozen corn
• 2 Tbsp. hot sauce
• 1 packet low-sodium chili seasoning mix
• 7 c. vegetable broth

1. Rinse beans and make sure there are no rocks or debris mixed in.
2. Add all the ingredients into your slow cooker and cook on high for at least 8 hours or until the beans are tender and the flavor has come together. 
3. Top chili with toppings of choice (shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, chopped onion, or corn chips)

Minestrone Verde

The weather is still a bit unpredictable here. I find myself always being over or under-dressed for it. It doesn't help that we live literally by the ocean and it's a lot cooler here than it is out in town. So, I've found myself on more than one occasion bundling up in a coat only to sweat my butt off while out running errands. Then I come home and it's cold again. Needless to say, our dinners this past week have ranged from soups to BBQ. I'm not complaining though. I could be in NY under a foot of snow. So, I mean, there's always that.

One of my favorite food blogs is Joanne's Eat Well With Others. I've made a few of her recipes and have loved them. So when I saw that she made this soup with a pesto twist, I was all on board. I LOVE pesto. Heck, I love the color green. No, I'm serious. I own a lime green car. So, she totally got me with this minestrone verde recipe. Like everything I've tried from her site, this recipe did not disappoint. The best part of this whole recipe is that it's all made in ONE POT! Gah. I love easy recipes with an even more easier clean-up.

recipe adapted from Eats Well With Others

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 leeks, clean and thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 medium zucchini, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and cut horizontally into wedges
• 6-7 cups vegetable broth, divided
• 1 lb small pasta
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 5 oz baby kale or spinach
• ½ cup pecorino romano (look for vegetarian cheese w/o rennet in it)
• ½ cup basil pesto

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and salt to the pan and saute, stirring frequently, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir the zucchini into the pot and season again with salt and black pepper. Saute until soft but not yet falling apart, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.
3. Pour the broth into the pot and bring to a boil.
4. Stir in the pasta and return to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and let cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the peas and kale. Continue to simmer until pasta is al dente. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecorino romano. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
5. Divide among serving bowls topped with dollops of the pesto.

Thai-inspired Butternut Squash Soup

Even though it's still a little warm here, I've decided I've waited long enough to start enjoying some fall dishes. I've had this recipe sitting on stand-by just waiting for it to get cool enough to make. While, that moment hasn't come yet which means I made it anyways. The perfect thing about this recipe is that it can be made in your crock-pot. Meaning, I don't have to heat up my whole house to make it!

This will definitely be a recipe that I will make again. It was amazing. It was creamy, spicy (when I added the Sriracha), hearty, and it just screamed fall. Which was exactly what I was looking for. I loved it so much that instead of freezing the leftovers for later (like I'd originally planned) I ate the leftovers that week. It was an easy recipe to make and you can make it even more so by using pre-cut squash. I, however, bought a fresh squash and peeled and cubed it. While it wasn't hard, I could see the appeal of buying pre-cut squash if you just don't feel like messing with it. Unfortunately for me, my grocery store didn't have any pre-cut squash at the time.

The one downside to making this dish is that you can't just toss it in your slow cooker before heading to work. There is a step where you need to cook the squash in the slow cooker and blend it to make the base for the soup before adding all the other ingredients. So, I suppose if you wanted to, you could cook the squash and vegetables the night before, store it in the refrigerator, and then the morning of just dump it into the slow cooker and let it do it's thing on low until you get back.

recipe adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

• 2 lbs. peeled and cubed butternut squash 
• 1 cup vegetable stock (vegetable broth in a can is fine) 
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 
• 2 tsp. olive oil 
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 2 tsp. minced garlic (minced garlic from a jar is fine) 
• 1 tsp. minced ginger root (pureed ginger from a jar is fine) 
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped 
• 1 can (14 oz.) light Thai Coconut Milk 
• 4 Tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste 
• 1/4cup natural peanut butter (without added sugar) 
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar (optional)
• 1 fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro 
• Sriracha Rooster Sauce for serving 

1. Peel the butternut squash and cut into cubes. Put the squash and vegetable stock into the slow cooker, season squash generously with fresh-ground black pepper, and cook on high for 2 hours, or until the squash is soft enough to mash easily.  When it's soft, use a food processor, blender, or immersion blender to puree the squash, being careful with the hot food.
2. Add the coconut milk, Thai Red Curry Paste, brown sugar (if using) and peanut butter to the slow cooker and blend until incorporated. 
3. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the minced garlic, minced ginger, and diced red bell pepper and saute about a minute more.  
4. Stir the vegetable mixture into the pureed squash, turn slow cooker to low and cook for 1 hour more (I left mine on low for a few hours while I ran errands)
5. Stir in the chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice and cook about 15 minutes more.
6. Serve hot, garnished with more chopped cilantro if desired.  For a little spice, drizzle Sriracha Sauce on top.

Hamberg Soup

We all have at least one recipe that reminds us of our childhood. That one recipe that we remember eating ever since we were itty bitty kids. Well, today I'm sharing one of my childhood favorites with you. My Grandpa DeCoursey would always make this hamberg soup and it was probably one of the only soups I actually liked. I don't know why but I've never been a huge soup eater. However, this is always a soup that I'd gladly eat as is without any delay. 

 If you thought chicken noodle soup is easy, than you've not made this soup before. Now of course, I've changed the recipe some to suit my tastes since I'm not a fan of canned veggies (which is what my grandpa used), but by all means sub out the frozen veggies and potatoes for a big ol can of Veg-All. Either way, you just plop everything into a large pot and walk away. Even if you're sick, this is just as easy as cooking up a pot of ramen, granted it takes a bit longer that boiling water, but this is not only tastier (in my opinion) but heartier as well.

• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 c. frozen mixed veggies
• 3 c. chopped potatoes, bite size
• 48 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 48 oz of water
• pinch of pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large stock pot over med heat add all ingredients except beef. 
2. Crumble ground beef into the soup mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Soba Noodles & Seared Salmon in Ginger-Green Onion Broth

Okay I know that I've been on a soup kick lately but I have been cruising through Soup of the Day (Williams-Sonoma): 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year by Kate McMillan and so far I've loved every recipe. Plus it's finally feeling like winter here in the desert. It's been in the 50's and it's pretty gloomy out, so I've been in a soup mood. This recipe was a surprise for both the Mr. and myself. I don't know why but I've always been on the fence with fish. Some days I like, and other days I can't stomach it. So I was nervous for that reason plus the fact that the Mr. does not like ginger. However, the Mr. commented how great the flavors were and I practically licked the bowl. So, I think it's safe to say that we both really enjoyed it. :)

 I love super easy recipes. Everything gets thrown in the pot and at the end you fry your fish and BAM you're done. There is no crazy prep work or cleanup needed for this. I suppose you could always slice the onions and mince the ginger ahead of time if you wanted to but as I was bring the liquids up to a boil I was chopping and dropping the ginger and onion in the pot. There isn't anything that I would change from this recipe because the soup was delicious.

 Serves 4

• 4 green onions 
• 4 c. chicken broth 
• 2 in. piece of ginger, peeled and minced 
• 1 star anise 
• 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce 
• 1 tsp. mirin 
• a few drops of sesame oil 
• 6 oz soba noodles, broken in half 
• 3/4 lb center cut salmon, cut into 4 equal pieces, skin and bones removed 
• 2 Tbsp. oil salt and pepper 

1. Thinly slice the green onions, reserving the white and pale green parts in one bowl and the dark green parts in a separate bowl. 
2. In a large, heavy pot, combine the broth, ginger, the white and pale green slices of onion, star anise, soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil over med-high heat. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover the pan, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the soup, discard the solids and return the broth to the pot. Bring the broth to a boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring once or twice, for 4 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place a small frying pat over high heat until it is very hot. Brush the salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon to med-rare, 4-5 minutes per side. 
4. To serve, use tongs to divide the soba noodles among 4 shallow bowls. Ladle the hot broth into each bowl and top with a piece of salmon. Garnish with the sliced dark green onions and serve

Printable Recipe

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Real Food Wednesday

Spinach & Vermicelli Soup with Fried Egg

Another great recipe from Soup of the Day (Williams-Sonoma): 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year by Kate McMillan. This recipe peaked my interest with just the name alone. I've never had a fried egg in my soup. It sounded so strange to me that I just had to give it a try. Both the Mr. and I were pleasantly surprised when we took a bite and found that it was actually a good combination of flavors. With the basic flavors of the soup, the flavors of the Sriracha and the creaminess from the egg yolk,the end result is a delicious soup.

This is an extremely easy recipe. You cook the soup all in one pot and then as it's sitting, you fry your egg, serve and you're done. I didn't find any problems making this soup and found it to be quick enough to make on a weeknight. I highly recommend adding a bit of the Sriracha, even if you are not a hot sauce eater, because it adds a lot of flavor to the soup. For those of you who don't eat meat, just substitute out the chicken broth with vegetable broth.

• 1 Tbps. olive oil 
• 1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 5 c. chicken or vegetable broth  (vegetarian version)
• 1/2 lb vermicelli, broken into 2 inch pieces 
• 1 bunch spinach, stemmed 
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter/margarine 
• 4 eggs 
• hot sauce, such as Sriracha (optional) 

1. In a large saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add vermicelli, return to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add the spinach and stir through just until it is wilted about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low to keep soup warm while you prepare the eggs. 
2.  In a nonstick frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Fry each egg until it is set but the yolk is still runny, 5-6 minutes. Ladle the soup into 4 bowls and top each with a fried egg. Add in desired amount of hot sauce (optional) and serve.

Printable Recipe

Sweet Onion Soup w/ Blue Cheese Toasts

With the temperatures starting to go down here I decided to try out a bunch of soup/stew recipes from a book called Soup of the Day (Williams-Sonoma): 365 Recipes for Every Day of the Year by Kate McMillan. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the book for review and this was the first recipe I tried from the book. I made soup just about every day for a week straight and all the recipes were delicious. The sweetness from onions, balsamic vinegar and then the wine balanced out perfectly with the pungent blue cheese. This is in a class of it's own. Not the kind of onion soup my dad used to make with beef, croutons and mozzarella cheese. If you want to impress someone without breaking the bank, this is definitely a good recipe to use. It can easily be doubled or tripled.

This recipe was really easy to make. Just put ingredients in in layers and let it do it's thing. You could always slice all your onions in advance to save some time and then have them ready to go the day you plan to make the soup. I ate the onions 30 minutes in and could have taken a fork to them they were so sweet and buttery... fast forward another 30 minutes and they were insanely good. I must admit that I probably ate half of the soup while it was cooking.

Serves 4-6

• 2 TBSP unsalted butter/margarine
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 4 sweet onions, like Vidalia or Maui, thinly sliced
• 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 3 c. chicken broth or vegetable broth (for vegetarian version)
• salt and pepper

For the blue cheese toasts

• 1 baguette cut into 8-12 thin slices
• 3 oz. of blue cheese, crumbled

1. In a large heavy pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over high heat. Add the onions and saute until they begin to soften, 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and continue to stir occasionally for 30 minutes.
2. Add the vinegar, stir to combine, and cook, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. 
3. Stir in the garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. 
4. Add the broth raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
5. Puree half of the soup via blender or immersion blender. Return to the pot and season with salt and pepper.
6. Meanwhile to make the toasts: Preheat the broiler to high. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and cover each with blue cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese has melted and the toasts are toasted, about 1-2 minutes. 
7. Serve, topping each bowl of soup with 2 or 3 toasts.

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Just Another Meatless Monday

Printable Recipe

Tortellini and Bean Soup

You know how you should never go to the grocery store when you are hungry because you will end up buying everything... well sometimes that isn't such a bad thing. This time it worked out well in my favor. I never buy tortellini and when I came home one day with two packages of the stuff, I started to look for dinners to incorporate them in. I wound up finding this recipe over at Betty Crocker and thought it sounded delicious.

Cream of Spinach Soup

I had this soup a couple of years ago while out with a bunch of friends for lunch. The soup of the day was cream of spinach and even know I am not a fan of "cream of anything" soup I decided to give it a shot. I ended up devouring mine in record timing and probably would have gone up for seconds if it wouldn't have made me look like a total pig. Now that it is finally cooling down here in the desert, I have started to make soups. When at the commissary I was looking at the frozen vegetable section and saw a bag of chopped spinach and immediately thought about the soup I had back in VA. The Mr. looked at me like I was crazy when I bought 2 bags of spinach and even questioned what I was doing. I will admit that when I told him my plans for dinner he wasn't overly thrilled. You see the Mr. and I share the same view on creamed soups. I went home found a recipes on All Recipes and got to work.

Tangy Bean Stoup

If you are anything like me you have hundreds if not thousands of recipes tucked away that you cannot wait to try. I have cookbooks, magazines, newsletters from food websites and I bookmark recipes from other bloggers. So, when I received a Rachael Ray newsletter containing this recipe I quickly stored it away to try later. If you are unfamiliar with "stoup" it can only be described as being a cross between a soup and stew. It's too thick to be soup but too thin to be stew.

Italian Wedding Soup

I made this a few years ago for a new military couple who were just moving in to the neighborhood. They had driven across the country and since the Mr. knew the marine, he told them to come over for dinner when they got into town. I had no problem with it except that I had no clue what to make. What do you make someone who has been on the road for a week? Clearly not burgers or pizza but what is something that most people don't eat when on the road. Then it hit me... soup! I had Giada's Italian wedding soup recipe that I had been wanting to try and figured I would make that. It turned out to be a huge hit and the wife, who is now my very good friend, loved it. I will be honest, I don't think it was my personality that won her over, it was the soup. For some reason I have only made this soup twice, once for the couple and just recently. I love the soup but rarely think of making it or any other soup. I really should get into the habit of making this more often because it is delicious. I love the mini meatballs that are just bursting with flavor and the fact that this soup is just so easy to make, makes it a winner in my book. The only thing that takes time is forming the meatballs but it is well worth it in the end I think. We always add half of a pound of mini pasta like ditalini into the soup mainly because the Mr. likes them in there but I like it either way. I also used fresh spinach instead of endive because I could not find any in the stores out here.

Vegetarian Taco Soup

Now the the weather is finally cooling down here I have been making more and more fall time dishes. I love making dishes in the slow cooker because of how easy it is. I don't have to keep an eye on it, stir it or fuss over it the entire time that it is in there. So needless to say, when I can make a dish in the slow cooker I usually try to do it.

Flaedlesuppe (Pancake Soup)

This month for regional recipes was in honor of Oktoberfest. When I found out we were going to Germany I immediately asked my friend Simone, who is from Germany, for an authentic recipe. I asked her for a vegetarian recipe because I wanted something that she knew tasted good, you see because Simone is a vegetarian. She ended up sending me this recipe which I am in love with. It is a very simplistic recipe but it tastes so good. All it is is pancakes in a vegetable broth with chives. It is really easy but perfect on a weekday when you are pressed for time and just want something comforting but in record timing.

Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

This was the first time I have ever worked with lentils. I wanted to make something healthy but quick to make since I had my cake decorating classes that night. I was afraid of how the soup would turn out since I didn't use a recipe. I sort of just added ingredients and tasted the soup as it cooked. It could have turned out really bad since I have never cooked with lentils but I got lucky and it turned out great.


Lentils are quick cooking which is a plus for me. Now don't get me wrong, I am all for dried beans and soaking them overnight. However, I like that at a moments notice you can use lentils and they will be cooked within an hour. I found that sprinkling feta cheese over the soup was a lovely topping but then again I love feta on just about anything. I used fire roasted diced tomatoes but that is only because those are the tomatoes that my husband prefers. This soup would be perfect to make a huge batch and freeze portions in the freezer for later dinners.

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb lentils
• 4 c. water
• 1 (13 oz) can light coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp. yellow curry powder
• 2 tsp. red curry powder
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1. In a medium pot heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour, covered and stirring occasionally.

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Motivate Me Monday
Just Another Meatless Monday
My Meatless Mondays
Mad Skills Monday
Market Yourself Monday
A Southern Fairytale
Food Trip Friday

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Red Onion Jam and Tomato Soup

This past Sunday I turned on the TV and went straight to the food network to watch the new weekend shows. The episode that was on was "What Would Brian Boitano Make?" which is a show that I have not seen yet. He grabbed my attention real quick with his red onion jam though. So that night I made grilled cheese for dinner with tomato soup just so I could try the jam. It turned out to be a very tasty add to a plain grilled cheese. My husband thought they were pickled onions which I guess I could see but it had a sweetness from the brown sugar that balanced out the vinegar. I made mine a little different since I did not have the same cheese he used or any fancy bread but honestly I felt the red onion jam is what made the recipe not the cheese or the type of bread. Below is the cheese that I used but you can go to his site and see the types of cheese he put on his sandwich. I think as long as you don't use American cheese you will find that you cannot go wrong with your choice in cheese. You also must remember to keep the heat on med-low when cooking the grilled cheese. If you are anything like me you will be standing over the stove staring down the soon to be grilled cheese willing the cheese to melt faster so that you can eat but you must resist turning up the heat. Low and slow is key when you are using thick slices of cheese, otherwise you will end up with a burnt sandwich and solid cheese in the center.

The tomato soup is just my jazzed up version of canned soup. For some reason I don't like tomato soup straight from the can, I have to have the tomato chunks. Before I got my immersion blender I made the soup without blending it and it is fine that way also. Now I just like playing with my new kitchen gadget, so I tend to find ways to use it as much as possible.


Grilled Cheese

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water
  
• 4 slices of muenster
• 4 slices mild cheddar cheese
  
• 4 slices Irish Swiss cheese
  
• 4 tablespoons margarine/butter
• 8 slices of bread

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the sugar, red wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons water and cook until the liquid is reduced completely and the onions are caramelized, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. Butter the outside of each slice of bread and arrange, butter side down, on a sheet pan. Put a slice of muenster onto a slice of the buttered bread, then a piece of cheddar. Top with a heaping tablespoon of the onion jam, and a slice of Swiss. Cover it another slice of bread.
   
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Put the sandwiches into the skillet and cook until the bread is toasted and golden and cheese is melted, about 4 minutes per side. Slice each sandwich in half and serve.

Tomato Soup

• 1 (14 oz) can condensed tomato soup
• 1 can of water
  
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 med onion, chopped
• 1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. coriander
  
• salt
• pepper

1. In a large pot saute onion and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Add condensed tomato soup, water and herbs and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 15 minutes.
2. Pour soup into a blender or use a immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Add diced tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot.
   

White Bean Soup with Garlic Rosemary Bread

For cold rainy days like today there is nothing better than to curl up on the couch under a warm toasty blanket and eat a bowl of homemade soup. I made this soup last week on a cold and windy day for my husband who was up in D.C escorting a group of veterans on a tour of the monuments. So when he came home I had this duo waiting to be plated. I love making my own bread, I can add all sorts of ingredients and it ends up costing me a fraction of the price to make it than it would be for me to buy a specialty bread at a store. The soup has a lot of bean flavor so if you are not a fan of beans I would not recommend the soup. If you love beans then you will love this soup.

As for the bread, a trick I always use is I run my mixing bowl under hot water to warm it up. The key to yeast is the warm water. So warming up the bowl has proven to be my little trick. Also during the kneading process I turn my oven on to the lowest setting and let it warm up. That way when it is time to let the dough rise it has a nice warm spot to rest.




Garlic Rosemary Bread

• 3/4 c. warm water
• 1 packet of yeast, about 2 1/4 tsp
• 5 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 tsp. butter/margarine, melted
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 c. bread flour

1. Mix yeast, 1/4 c. warm water and sugar in large bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, the yeast will bubble up.
2. Add butter, 1/2 c. water, rosemary, garlic and salt to the yeast mixture and stir.
3. Add flour one cup at a time and mix until the dough pulls away from the bowl and forms a ball
4. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes.
5. Shape into a ball, lightly rub with olive oil so that the dough does not dry out. Place dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and put into the oven or a warm draft free spot to allow it to rise for one hour.
6. Bake dough for 30 minutes at 400° F.
7. Let dough cool down before slicing.

Soup

• 3/4 c. dried cannellini beans
• 6 c. vegetable stock
• 1/2 c. soup pasta
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• salt
• pepper

1. Soak beans according to package.
2. Drain soaked beans and place them in a large pot. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat and let simmer for 2 hours or until tender.
3. Transfer about half the beans and a little bit of the stock to a blender and process to a smooth puree. Return the puree to the pot and stir to mix well. Return the soup to a boil.
4. Add the pasta to the soup, return to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, or until tender.
5. Meanwhile, heat 4 Tbsp olive oil in a small pan. Add the garlic and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes until the garlic is golden brown. Stir the garlic into the soup and add parsley. Season with salt and pepper and ladle into warmed soup bowl. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve immediately.

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My Meatless Mondays

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Since I have dicovered the mystery behind the bagged dried beans at my grocery store I have been making beans non stop. I am telling you, if you are still buying canned beans, STOP! Next time you go to the store give those bagged beans a try. You get so much more food for your dollar. Not to mention that you can season the water with whatever you like and give your beans a whole new flavor every time you make them. I have not bought canned beans in months and I have been using the same bagged beans for a couple of months now. I cannot praise the bagged beans enough, they really have saved me a ton of money. With that being said I decided to make a dinner with the ingredients I had in the house instead of running to the store to buy something for dinner. I soaked my beans for about 5 hours and then went to work measuring and tossing in spices as I went. The end result was a spicy hearty soup that I am glad came out good. I am not one for just throwing together a meal without having a background idea of what I am doing but I am glad I did.

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 qt vegetable stock
• 2 c. dried black beans
• 2 c. water
• 1/2 - 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. coriander
• 1/4 tsp. celery seed
• 1/4 c. cor
• cheddar cheese, grated (optional for garnish)
• sour cream (optional for garnish)

1. Soak beans according to package. Rinse and set aside.
2. In a large pot over medium heat saute onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients including the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Allow to cook at least 2 hours to allow the beans time to cook.

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My Meatless Mondays
Tasty Tuesday

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

I was one of those people that decided that they didn't like something before they even tried it. Maybe it was the kid in me but split pea soup screamed VEGETABLES, HEALTHY and just plain gross. A few years ago a friend of mine ordered the soup at a diner and after much talk about how great split pea is I decided to try a spoonful, I ended up eating his soup making him order another bowl for himself. That was when I changed my mind and decided that I did like split pea soup. However convincing my husband was a whole other story. He wanted nothing to do with it but like a sport he sat down at the table and had a bowl. He did say that it was not his favorite but that it was not as bad as he expected. He kept saying that he found the color to be less that appetizing. However, I liked the soup and thought that every time I reheated it for a lunch it got better and better. This is a vegetarian version of the one I had at the diner, there is no ham in it. I cannot say that I got the recipe from anywhere because I literally just winged it and hoped for the best. However, I did get the curry and sour cream idea from Cafe Groenhout and she also gave me the pretty red bowls that the soup is in as a Christmas present. I thought it would be fitting to pair the two together since I snatched a few ideas from her soup. If you do not have ancho chili powder you can always substitute for regular chili powder. I just thought that this added a smokey flavor without being overly spicy. This soup made enough for four with some left overs.

• 1 lb bag split peas
• 2 (2 lb) boxes vegetable stock
• 4 c. water
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder
  
• 2 Tbsp. red curry paste
• 1/4 tsp. yellow curry powder
  
• 1/4 c. low fat sour cream

1. Soak split peas according to package.
   
2. In a large pot saute onion and garlic until tender. Add vegetable stock, water and split peas and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
   
3. Add the curry, thyme and chili powder. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Stir occasionally to ensure than nothing sticks to the bottom for about one hour.
4. Blend the soup by either using an emulsion bender or transferring the soup to a counter blender. Blend until creamy and smooth and continue to simmer for an additional 45 minutes.
   
5. Add sour cream and stir in. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   

Thai Coconut Soup with Chicken and Mushroom

I made this the other night with the left over coconut milk I had from the Valentine Cupcakes. If you love Thai food and the soup that you get before a meal than you have got to make this! As I ate it I kept saying that it felt like I was back in my favorite Thai restaurant. There was originally lemongrass in this recipe but I omitted it, if you like lemongrass then add a couple tsp. You could also make this a vegetarian dish by adding firm tofu instead of the chicken. However I thought the soup was perfect and this is definitely something that I will be making a lot more of.


1 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut milk
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. grated lime zest
1 bell pepper, sliced into matchstick-sized strips (garnish)
3 c. mild tasting vegetable stock
1/2 to 2 tsp. Thai red curry paste, depending on desired hotness
1 chicken breast, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 c. shitaki mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
Fresh lime juice to taste
2 c. rice

1. Cook chicken in a large saucepan over medium heat until half way cooked. Remove from pan, rinse pan and put back on the stove.
2. Combine lime zest, ginger, and coconut milk with stock in the same large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile cook rice according to package.
   
4. Add the curry paste a half-teaspoon at a time, stirring well to combine and tasting as you go to make sure you don't make it too spicy. Stir in the chicken, mushrooms, sugar and soy sauce. Simmer for about 10 more minutes. Add lime juice and serve over rice, garnished with bell pepper strips.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

The first time I had tortilla soup was when I went to pick up one of my friends from the airport. It was over a 3 hour drive back home and we wanted to refuel before we hit the road, so we went to a restaurant to grab a bite of food. The tortilla soup instantly grabbed my attention but I have never had tortilla soup before so I was not sure if I would like it or not. After one bite I fell in love. Now, this doesn't really taste like the soup from the restaurant but I don't care because it was delicious! There are no chilies or enchilada sauce nothing really mexican other than the tortilla crisps. I think the garnishes make the dish, they really add more flavor and depth. I will definitely be keeping this recipe for future thanksgiving left overs. Oh and it also freezes well, so make a full batch and freeze some for another quick meal. We ended up with enough leftovers for two more dinners.

• 1 Tbs. vegetable oil, plus 1-1/2 to 2 cups for frying the tortillas
• 1 small finely diced yellow onion
• 1-1/2 Tbs. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  
• 1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
  
• 2 qts (8 cups) chicken broth
• Kosher salt
• 3 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
• 3 c. shredded or medium-diced leftover turkey
• 1 c. cooked fresh corn kernels (or substitute thawed frozen corn)
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Garnish

• 1/2 medium ripe avocado, diced
• 1/4 c. crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
• 2 Tbs. sour cream, or to taste
  
• 1/2 lime, cut into wedges

1. Heat the 1 Tbs. oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until softened and just beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the onions to a crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients but not the garnishes. Put crock pot on low and cook for 6 hours.
   
3. When ready to eat make the tortilla strips. Line a plate or tray with two layers of paper towels. Pour 1 inch of vegetable oil into a small, high-sided saucepan (a 6-inch-diameter pan needs about 1-1/2 cups of oil). Heat the oil over medium heat until a tortilla strip sizzles immediately when dipped into the oil. Add 8 to 10 tortilla strips , fry until the bubbling subsides and the strips are crisp and very lightly browned, about 1 minute. Transfer to the paper towels to drain, and sprinkle with a little salt while they’re still hot. Repeat with the remaining strips.
4. Garnish soup with the avocado, cheese, dollop of sour cream, and big squeezes of lime juice. Serve immediately.

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