Best Soup EVER!

Spicy Red Bell Pepper Soup

An easy soup to prepare and make, it’s even better when made in advance and stored in the fridge overnight to let the flavors meld.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, non-dairy butter, or water, for sautéing
4 red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups raw cashews
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Heat the olive oil, non-dairy butter, or water in a large soup pot over medium heat.
Stir in the bell peppers, carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook, and stir the vegetables until they’re soft, about 10 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add the cashews to a blender (high-powered is best), and blend on high power. Add about 1/4 to 3/4 cup of the broth from the soup, and continue to blend until you have a thick cashew cream. When you do, add the rest of the soup contents to the blender, and blend until smooth.
Test for seasoning, and add more salt, if needed, as well as the ground pepper. Blend again, and then return to the soup pot to heat up.
Serve hot. Serves 6 to 8.


This soup was super yummy and easy!! I got the recipe here http://www.womensmovement.com/good-eats-vegan-spicy-red-bell-pepper-soup/

I changed it a little by putting the peppers, carrots and garlic mixed with the olive oil into the oven for a bit then followed her directions. Gives it a little better flavor! Enjoy!!

Chicken Pot Pie - with a new flavor twist

I made a chicken pot pie with butternut squash and kale with sage to season it up.....it was yummy!!!  a new twist on the regular potato, corn and peas......Steve even liked it....that says a lot in my book!!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

One of the website I go to when looking for good recipes is Two Peas and Their Pod.  Every recipe I have tried is wonderful!  So, when I was looking for a good pumpkin pancake recipe, I made this one.  And it is delicious!  Light, fluffy and pumpkiny pancakes are perfect this time of year.  Go there and look at the wonderful photos they post with their food.  And then try this recipe.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Streusel Pancakes

Yield: Serves 4

ingredients:

For the cinnamon streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

To make the pancakes: 
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:

1. First, make the cinnamon streusel. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix together with your hands or a fork, until you have a crumbly mixture. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, pumpkin, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until combined.

4. Heat a griddle or pan to medium low. Coat with cooking spray. Drop 1/3 cup of batter onto heated skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon streusel. Cook on the first side until bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip pancake over and cover very generously with cinnamon streusel. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Continue this process to make the rest of the pancakes.

5. Serve pancakes warm with maple syrup and butter.

Easy Lemon Curd

This recipe for lemon curd does not require a double boiler and always turns out perfectly.  Love this stuff!  It makes a great cake filling, mix it with yogurt or whipped cream for a little tart, spread it on an English Muffin or toast (the British way of eating it), or just put it on graham crackers for a quick treat!  I found this recipe here.

Classic Lemon Curd

3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 
1 cup sugar 
2 large eggs 
2 large egg yolks 
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice 
1 tsp. grated lemon zest  

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil.

Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

variations

For lime curd, substitute fresh lime juice and zest for lemon.

Lemony Kale Quinoa Salad

Kale is one vegetable that I have not really used much, and I know that it is extremely good for you.  The only way I have fixed it is making balsamic kale chips (which, by the way, are super easy and yummy!).  So when I saw a video from Adina Niemerow making this salad, I just had to try it.  Kale, quinoa, avocado!  What's not to like.  For more information on her and what super healthy things she does, go here.  She has a different Lemony Kale salad recipe on her blog, but this is the one I made.

1 bunch kale, deveined and chopped
1/8 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
lemon wedges
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs cilantro, chopped (I used more)
1/2 cup radishes, chopped
2 Tbs. kalamata olives, chopped
2 cups cooked quinoa
dash cayenne pepper

Put the kale, salt, squeezes of lemon and the avocados in a bowl.  Use your hand to squish this all together.  It coats the kale with a wonderful avocado taste!  Add the remaining ingredients and enjoy.

Cucumber Melon Colada

I know, this sounds really strange.  But this is seriously good!  I added some frozen mango chunk - just because I love mango.  Try it - you'll like it!

Photo and recipe from mygreendiet.com

Cucumber Melon Colada
• 2 heaping cups of watermelon
• 12 oz frozen strawberries
• 1 small cucumber sliced (should make about ½ cup)
• 4 large, fresh basil leaves

Blend all ingredients well. Serve immediately. Makes about 3 cups.

Gratineed Tomatoes

Gratinéed Tomatoes with Asiago and Fresh Herbs

This recipe is found here.  I have made it twice and I can't wait for the fresh summer tomatoes to be in season!  Seriously a great way to eat tomatoes.

Extra-virgin olive oil 
3 medium beefsteak tomatoes, (about 6 oz. each), sliced 1/4-inch thick 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1/4 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs (it's not as good with boughten bread crumbs)
1/4 cup finely grated Asiago cheese 
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 
1 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh thyme 

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Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler on high. Lightly oil a 10x12-inch (or similar size) broiler-safe baking dish. Arrange the tomato slices in the baking dish in a single, slightly overlapping layer. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt.
In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, Asiago, parsley, thyme, 2 tsp. olive oil, a pinch of salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the tomatoes.
Broil until the breadcrumbs are a deep golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drizzle with more olive oil and serve immediately.