Soups and Stews
I’ve been under the weather with a bug for the past few days, and haven’t been able to eat much.
Today, I’m starting to come around and wanted to make some soup. For some reason, I was craving split pea soup, and the results were tasty.
This is an easy recipe, and with the cold weather most of us are experiencing these days, it might just do the trick. Be sure to through in some croutons just before serving.
One of the staples in my pantry is good quality vegetable broth. Most of the time, I am too rushed to prepare my own, so I usually settle for Trader Joe’s Vegetable Broth, which comes in a low sodium variety.
Paying attention to the sodium content in any store bought broth or soup is very important, because almost all of them have way too much.
As we move into the New Year, I thought I would post a home-made broth that would be easy to prepare and freeze in smaller quantities. Give it a try sometime soon, and then compare the taste with what you normally use. I think you’ll find it was worth the effort to prepare it yourself.
With so much going on during these days leading up to Christmas, it’s easy to think that you’re too busy to prepare a healthy meal. Wrong! Think Crock Pot 🙂
This chili recipe, since it makes about nine hours to cook in the crock pot , might need to be made over the weekend, and then eaten during the week. However you do it, give this delicious recipe a try. I think you’ll be surprised by the depth of flavor, made especially so by the addition of cocoa powder. Enjoy!
Most of us are really busy these days. After a long day at work, we try and pick up a gift or two for under the Christmas tree, and then, exhausted, we think about dinner.
Believing that we’re too tired to make something, we stop and pick up some fast food, even though we know it’s not the best for us. Don’t do it! Instead, try this quick and simple recipe, which is not only easy, it’s also cheap and tastes great. Teamed up with a salad, some bread, and a glass of wine, you’ll forget all about the stresses of your day.
My mom loves soup (that’s her above), and I guess I picked up my year-round craving for all kinds of soup from her 🙂 It’s been quite awhile since I updated my Soup on Saturday page with links to all my soup recipes, but I took some time this morning to do just that.
I saw this recipe in a magazine while I was waiting for a doctor’s appointment. I’m really glad I found it, because the final result after making it was a really good soup for a cold day.
I altered the recipe a bit based on what I had on hand yesterday. I didn’t have a piece of parmesan cheese rind, but I did have a pretty good size piece of parm, so I threw that it. I didn’t have any small pasta, so I used Dreamfields elbow macaroni. My use of the Dreamfields pasta cut the carbs by about 70%. No matter what you use as substitutes, please try this soup. I think you’ll really enjoy it :). It will be a staple on my table this winter.
Yesterday was a beautiful day, and I’ll admit that I was pretty lazy. I did get some things to Goodwill, and I was certainly happy about that 🙂
Probably like you, I munched on leftovers for lunch, and then some friends invited me out to dinner. Their college-age sons where home, and it was good to spend time with them. A few friends of the boys joined us, and all of a sudden, it turned into a crowd. It was a lot of fun.
Here’s a quick and spicy Chili recipe for you to try out.
Vegetarian Chili
serves 8
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 jalapeno chili, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
3 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar (or sugar substitute)
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can black beans, undrained
1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, undrained
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, undrained
5 oz corn
parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Saute jalapeno, onion, and bell pepper until onions are translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with cornbread for a hearty cold-weather meal.
Thanksgiving is almost here. The calendar seems to be flying by, and some days I scratch my head and wonder what just happened.
This is a very easy soup to prepare, and more than likely, you already have most the ingredients around your kitchen, especially as you prepare for the big day on Thursday.
I enjoyed the simplicity of this soup, and I hope you will too. Adding smoked paprika adds an unexpected depth of flavor. Regular paprika will work too, but if you can find the smoked (which I prefer), use it 🙂
Well, the predictions were right. Snow, snow, snow. It’s been coming down since early morning, and the worst of it is due in this afternoon.
Luckily, I went to the store last night and stocked up. It’s been awhile since I’ve made a lentil stew, and I thought this recipe might be a good choice. Now that the mint growing wildly in my garden will be dead and covered with snow in a few hours, I figured I could use at least some up while it was still fresh. Enjoy!
Happy Saturday to you 🙂 Forgive me for my inconsistent postings as of late. To say that I’ve been busy would be an understatement, but I’m grateful for your patience. Hopefully, my recent postings have helped you in some way.
I’m trying to get back on track with my Soup On Saturday posts, and today’s offering is simple, easy and tasty. I hope you’ll enjoy it, especially as the weather cools and everyone is in the mood for a nice soup.