light creamy mushroom soup

I think by now you know how much I love soup. 

I love mushrooms almost as much. 

I don't love really thick, overbearing soups though...

this one is perfect. 

Even the "carbs-loving" husband of mine asked me to make this again. 

Spring is almost here. 

Try this before it's too warm. 

Texas friends..it may already be too late for you. (turn on your AC and make it anyway)

I'll post a fish taco recipe soon to commemorate the beginning of spring. 

:) 

Ingredients: 

2 c mushrooms, roughly chopped 

(use a variety. i used half cremini, half baby bella)

1 T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T butter

1 T fresh thyme (or 1 t dried)

2 bay leaves

1 t worcestershire 

1 c broth

1 T flour

sea salt

1 c fat free half & half

dash nutmeg

ground pepper

fresh parsley or thyme, for garnish

Directions: 

Heat oil in saucepan. Add butter and lightly sauté garlic on medium hear.

Add mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves, and worcestershire. 

Cook about 5 minutes.

Gradually add in broth, stir occasionally until boiling.

Reduce and simmer 10 minutes.

Add flour and stir until it thickens. 

Season with salt and nutmeg. 

Taste and adjust seasoning. Add "cream" and bring to simmer.

Turn off heat. Add pepper and stir. 

Garnish and enjoy :) 

Baked Oatmeal

My Mama's Baked Oatmeal. 
Mostly guilt-free comfort food in the morning. 
Yes please! 

Ingredients:

3 apples, peeled and cubed (about 1/2")

brown sugar

cinnamon

3-4 bananas, sliced in about 1/2" chunks

2 c blueberries

1/4 c honey or agave

2 c uncooked oats

1 c toasted walnuts, optional

3/4 t baking powder

1 t cinnamon

1/4 c brown sugar

pinch salt

1.5 c milk

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

Directions: 

Heat oven to 375. Lightly spray 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray.

Toss apples in dish with sprinkle of cinnamon and a bit of brown sugar. Bake for about 8 minutes.

Layer blueberries and bananas with apples.

Mix oats, walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt together. Pour over fruit.

Mix milk, eggs, honey, and vanilla together. Pour over oats and fruit. 

Sprinkle a few additional walnuts and blueberries over top and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until set, bubbly, and slightly browned on top. 

Serve warm. 

Could be prepared the night before then baked in the morning. 

enjoy :) 

Crockpot Coconut Ginger Curry Chicken

This crockpot recipe originally

 called for a lot of prep work, pre cooking, etc. 

I'm not into that when I'm using a crockpot....

so I added (almost) all ingredients at once and it turned out great. 

It serves a lot of people! 

I made this for our "small group" of 12. If making it for fewer people, 

consider halving the recipe.

Ingredients: 

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 inch piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped

1 onion, quartered and roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks 

2 handfuls sugar snap peas, ends trimmed

1 can baby corn, drained

3 T olive oil

2.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts 

2 cans lite coconut milk

1/2 t pepper

1 t cumin

1 t ground coriander

1.5 t ground turmeric

1 t salt

Directions: 

Set baby corn, snap peas, and red bell pepper aside.

Add all other ingredient to crockpot and stir thoroughly. 

Cook on low 4-6 hours. 

Add bell pepper and corn with 1 hour cooking time left. 

Add snap peas for last 15 minutes of cooking time. 

Serve over brown rice or quinoa.
Garnish with green onion, cilantro, or crushed peanuts. 

enjoy :) 

Simple Chicken Tortilla Soup

Quick, easy, weeknight meal. 

Leftovers are great for lunch the next day. 

Ingredients: 

2 c cooked, shredded chicken

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 zucchinis, chopped

1 small can rotel tomatoes, drained

1 11 oz. can shoe peg corn, drained

6 c chicken broth

2 t chili powder

2 t cumin

juice from 2 limes

s&p to taste

handful fresh cilantro

Directions: 

Drizzle bottom of soup pot with olive oil. 

Heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and zucchini and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes.

Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir until fragrant. 

Pour in broth, rotel, and corn. Bring to a boil.

Add shredded chicken, reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is heated through.

Add lime juice and fresh cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

garnish ideas: crushed tortilla chips, avocado, cilantro, shredded cheese 

enjoy :) 

Vegetarian Taco Soup

This is a tiny bit adapted from my friend Melissa's taco soup recipe. 

She is by far the best vegetarian cook that I know.

 I love love love picking her brain for recipes. Thanks, friend!

p.s. I'm making it for small group this week...miss you guys so much! 

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. morning star ground beef substitute

1 onion, chopped

1/4 jalapeño, finely chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed (15 oz)

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (16 oz)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (15 oz)

1 can shoe peg corn, drained and rinsed (11 oz)

1 can rotel diced tomatoes (10 oz)

1 small packet hidden valley ranch style dressing

1 low sodium/organic package taco seasoning

4 cans water

Directions: 

Brown together first 3 ingredients. 

Add all other ingredients.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, simmer about 1 hour.

garnish options: cilantro, chips, cheese, tomatoes, avocado

enjoy :) 

Roasted Tomatoes, Shrimp, and Feta

Thank you, Real Simple! 

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/roasted-tomatoes-shrimp-feta-10000000780294/index.html

This was seriously delicious.

The combination of juicy roasted tomatoes, herbs, feta, lemon, and shrimp was just divine. 

I think it's a perfect dish to make for company. 

Seems really nice, but it only takes about 20 minutes

 of prep time and the oven does the rest. 

You can take a look at the link or keep reading...

Ingredients: 

5 tomatoes, cut into eighths

3 T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

s&p

1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled

1/2 c chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro. i did a combination of both)

2 T fresh lemon juice

1 c reduced fat feta

Directions:

Heat oven to 450. Place tomatoes in a large baking dish. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil, top with garlic  and 3/4 t each salt and pepper. Toss and roast for 20 minutes.

Remove baking dish from oven. Stir in shrimp, herbs, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the feta. 

Return to oven for 10-15 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through. 

I served over quinoa with roasted green beans.

 Next time, I'll definitely have crusty bread with it. 

enjoy :) 

Crockpot Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Growing up, my mom never cooked in a crockpot. Ever. 

Mom, do you own a crockpot??

I've been told many times that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" 

when it comes to being like my mama. 

 Because of a busier work schedule this year, I've veered from "the tree" 

and started resorting to my crockpot. a lot! 

Life saver!
(thank you, Tom & Camille for my wonderful crockpot!)

In the original directions, this soup has a lot of fuss and hoop-la and 

stuff you're supposed to do before adding it to the crockpot. 

To me, that defeats the purpose of using a crockpot.
It's already hard enough to crawl

 into the back of my cabinet to lug the thing out....

So I decided to just dump all the ingredients in at once and voila.
Delicious. 

Ingredients: 
3 cans diced tomatoes, with juice (low sodium if possible)
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion

1 T dried oregano
1 T chili powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper
4 c broth
1 bay leaf
1 c shredded parmesan cheese
2 T butter, optional
2 c skim milk (or fat free half and half)
1/2 cup fresh basil
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Directions: 
Add all ingredients to the crockpot
EXCEPT the fresh basil and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

Cook on low for 5-7 hours.

Add basil and reserved parmesan for last 30 minutes of cooking time.


enjoy :)