Finnish Summer Vegetable Soup

Soup in summer? I know. It's hot. I get it. I don't think I've made soup even once this summer. Maybe you want to deviate a little from the skillet or maybe you just really love soup and want a good summery one...well here you go:

Finnish Summer Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

2 small carrots, sliced
1 medium potato, cubed
3/4 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 cup fresh or frozen cut green beans
1/4 small cauliflower, separated into florets
2 cups fresh spinach, cut up
2 cups water
2 cups milk
1/4 cup whipping/heavy cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Dill weed

Directions:

1. Heat water, carrots, potato, peas, green beans, and cauliflower to boiling in 3 qt saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until vegetables are almost tender, 10-15 minutes.

2. Add spinach; cook uncovered about 1 minute. Mix 1/4 cup of the milk with the flour; stir gradually into vegetable mixture. Boil and stir 1 minute.

3. Stir in remaining milk, cream, salt and pepper. Heat until just hot. Garnish with dill weed.

The first time I made it, I took one look at the finished product and wasn't too sure about that. It was, however, surprisingly delicious. The potato really adds something, and the broth is flavorful, and the dill is just right. My husband and my son are always surprised how much they like it, too. We all sit around eating soup in summer with pleasantly surprised little looks on our faces. I invite you to do the same.

Vermicelli with Lemony Green Vegetables

It's summertime! You may be cooking with the harvest from your garden, enjoying someone else's harvest through Bountiful Baskets, or raking in garden goodies from a kindly neighbor. Or maybe you're just enjoying all the stuff that's in season from the grocery store.

And since we all like to cook on the skillet and avoid the oven as much as possible in the hot summer months, here's a satisfying skillet dinner by which you may put all those wonderful garden spoils to use:

Vermicelli with Lemony Green Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 package (7 ounces) uncooked vermicelli
4 cups mixed bite-size pieces green vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, Chinese pea pods, green beans, zucchini)
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/2 cup milk
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste




Directions:

Cook vermicelli as directed on package; drain.
Cook vegetables in margarine or butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes; toss with lemon peel.
Remove vegetables; keep warm.

Heat milk and cream cheese in skillet until smooth and creamy; stir in cheese, salt, and pepper. Toss with hot vermicelli. Serve vegetables over vermicelli and, if desired, with lemon wedges and coarsely ground pepper.

*My notes: I usually use whole wheat spaghetti, since it's what I have on hand. I don't always use the full amount of lemon peel - it can be kind of strong, especially if you are sensitive to lemon flavor, which I kind of am and my husband really is. I like to add just enough to flavor it a little, without feeling like I'm eating one of those LemonHead or Warhead candies. (Did your mouth instantly start watering when you read those candy names?)

Really, all the crisp, fresh veggies just make this dinner rock.

**Recipe found in my old Betty Crocker Vegetarian Cooking book.

Black Bean and Sweet Pepper Tacos

We all need to have a few quick, easy, healthy, tasty dinners in our repertoire. We deserve it! Life be crazy! This is one of mine - a go-to when I need dinner done in ten minutes, but I still want it to be healthy and yummy. We also deserve recipes we don't need to worry about following perfectly. I never actually follow the amounts for this one. And it's summer, and who wants to turn on the oven in the summer? Skillet all the way.

(I think we can all agree that vegetarian meals are prettier than meaty ones.)

Black Bean and Sweet Pepper Tacos

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil (I never measure the olive oil, and you could probably skip it and just sautee in water if you want to be extra healthy)

1 16 ounce package frozen stir-fry peppers (I use fresh peppers - I grab a couple from the store based on which ones are on sale - usually the green and red. Or if we have one of those bags of small sweet peppers for snacking and they're on their way out, I just use them up.)

2 cloves garlic, minced (Garlic is one of those ingedients you can almost always add more of, especially if you have the big jar of minced garlic in liquid)

1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (I just sprinkle a little on, or omit it altogether)

2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice (I just take that little squeeze bottle of lime juice and squirt it around the pan a few times)

6-inch corn tortillas, warmed (I heat them on the stove, with or without oil, or if I'm pressed for time, in the microwave)

Shredded cheese for topping

(I also add brown rice mixed up with a little olive oil and Creole seasoning when the tacos are done.)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until peppers are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in beans and salt; heat through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon or lime juice.

2. Lay tortillas flat and divide pepper mixture among tortillas. Top each with cheese and serve.

*You won't find that your life is changed or your taste buds have never experienced a love like this before. It's a fairly simple-tasting dinner, which is why I add extra garlic and cook up some minute brown rice while the peppers are cooking and then add in a drop of olive oil and sprinkle in some Creole seasoning - I find adding the rice w/Creole helps give some flavor to the tacos and adds a little more oomph so I don't have to eat a billion tacos to feel full. So like I said, this isn't the most exciting dinner you ever had in your life, but it's easy and good and we all need easy and good sometimes.

Crispy Quinoa Sliders, Homemade Fries, and Fry Sauce

This is one of my favorite dinners. And it just seems perfect for summertime.

Thanks to my friend Laura for sharing it with me.

I think the original source's writer describes it humorously and perfectly, so I will just link you there:

How Sweet Eats: Crispy Quinoa Sliders

I quite enjoy her post. And for reference, recipe below:

Crispy Quinoa Sliders

YIELD: MAKES 12 SLIDERS (BUT ALSO DEPENDS ON THE SIZE OF YOUR BUNS)

PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES

ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup freshly grated provolone cheese
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg + 1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 multigrain slider buns or dinner rolls
2 avocados, sliced for topping
1/2 cup chipotle mayo, for topping

directions:

Add quinoa and stock to a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 15 minutes or until can be fluffed with a fork. You can do this ahead of time or even the night before (and store quinoa in the fridge) so the quinoa can cool.

While quinoa is cooking, slice the green onions, chop the carrots, mince the garlic and grate the cheese. Place it all in a bowl, then add panko and mix. Coarsely chop the chickpeas and add to the bowl. One quinoa is finished cooking, add it to the bowl and mix well until incorporated. If needed, let cool or place in the fridge for a few minutes to cool. Add in beaten egg + egg white, salt, pepper and mix well. Form into patties (I really squeezed a handful of quinoa together and smoothed it into a round, it may take some squeezing and form to get the patties to stick) that fit the size of the buns you have. <- this will differ!

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Once hot, add 5-6 quinoa patties and cook until deeply golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Gently flip and cook 5 minutes more. Remove and continue with remaining olive oil and patties. Serve with sliced avocado chipotle mayo!

My notes:

-I've said before that for most recipes, cheese is interchangeable, and it's true that I usually use cheddar for this recipe because it's what I have on hand, but the couple of times I've use provolone, I do think it tastes better.

-If you forget or don't have the green onions, it'll still be good.

-I don't use slider buns (or even make them slider size). Just whatever buns I have. We like those thin ones you can get at Costco, multi-grain.

-I have never used the chipotle mayo. And just those two words together make me shudder a little.

-For condiments and toppings I just do ketchup or even just the avocado is enough. We like to top these the way you top any burger - lettuce, spinach, pickles, etc.

-Sometimes they don't form patties very well, but as the original blogger explained, they're so good and versatile, I don't think it matters. I can eat this stuff plain with a fork or spoon.

-This freezes excellently. I freeze the leftovers and when it comes time, I just thaw it and cook it on the stove in one giant pile of mush (instead of trying to form patties) and then scoop some out to put in a sandwich.

-Depending on how you cook them, they may or may not be crispy. I cook them slowly on a medium heat and that helps them keep a patty shape. My hubby cooks them at higher heat to get it done faster, which leads to an awesomely crispy outside, but then they kind of crumble and don't stay in a patty form very well. Just play around with it. No matter its shape, it'll taste good.

Homemade Fries

Our Best Bites (what? I never reference them) has recipes for regular fries and sweet potato fries. I usually do some sort of combination of both. If you want the actual recipes, here they are:

French Fries

Sweet Potato Fries

What I do: 
Slice up some potatoes and sweet potatoes and toss them with some olive oil, cumin, oregano, coriander, parsley, salt, and pepper; then bake them on a cookie sheet at 425 for however long it takes.

My favorite part is that they are delicious and taste like french fries, but they are healthy. And my toddler loves them.

Fry Sauce:

This is probably the hardest part of this whole thing. Mix up ketchup and mayo together and then get dipping. 

I know, I know...I ask too much.

Mexican Lasagna

I'm short on time today, so it's fitting to post this quick and easy recipe that you can make when you're short on time, too.

Back when we were meat-eaters, this was one of our favorite dinners. There wasn't a single time we made it for company (and we made it for company a lot) that they didn't ask for the recipe (and sometimes they'd call me to get the recipe again every time they made it...yes I'm looking at you, Rory).  It was one of the few meals we really missed when we stopped buying and cooking meat. And then, one day it hit me: I can just make it without the meat. And so it goes. And now our tummies are abundantly happy. 

Ingredients:

Corn tortillas (you need 9-12)

Taco seasoning

Two cans refried beans

1 can black beans

1/2 can corn (or do I like do and eyeball with a few handfuls of frozen corn)

Salsa dobs (any salsa works, but when I want it to be REALLY tasty, I get a mango salsa or a peach pineapple - something like that)

Sour cream dobs

Grated colby jack cheese (I usually use cheddar because that's what I have on hand)

Directions:

In a 9x13 pan, layer tortillas (you can cut them in half and go 3 by 3, or if you are really short on time just lay them down whole - 2 rows of 3), refried beans, taco seasoning, black beans, corn, salsa dobs, sour cream dobs, cheese. REPEAT. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees to warm through. Let stand 5 minutes.

*I've never tried freezing this, but I assume it would freeze well.

*This is a great option for taking dinner to a neighbor who just had a baby or something. You can prepare it ahead of time and just leave a note for them to pop it in the oven for 20 minutes whenever they are ready to eat it. That is exactly what I did today.

***(If you really want to try it with the meat, cook a pound of ground turkey or ground beef on the stove and add the taco seasoning then. You would layer it right after the refried beans. Now that I omit the meat, I just sprinkle the taco seasoning between the refried bean and black bean layers.)

Spinach Enchiladas

Once upon a time, in 2011, it was Mother's Day, and I was pregnant with my first (and thus far, only) child.

Yes, go right ahead. "You glowed!" "So radiant!" I'll take it. I have not glowed or radiated since, and I suspect I won't glow or radiate through any subsequent pregnancy, because I will have a little person (or persons) I have get to take care of, whilst pregnant. 

That first pregnancy is where it's at.

So what I'm trying to say is, my sweet husband, Ryan, cooked for me that Mother's Day, and it was delicious, so without further ado:

Spinach Enchiladas

(This is the first thing that pops up when you google "spinach enchiladas." They'd go to the ends of the earth for you, they say...and then they only get as far as the top of the search results list.)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-enchiladas/

Ingredients:

1 tbs butter

1/2 cup sliced green onions 

(If you don't have enough green onions, it doesn't matter.)

2 cloves garlic, minced 

(Does anyone ever really stick to the recommended garlic amount? Can you really have too much garlic?)

Spinach 

(Recipe calls for 10oz frozen, thawed, drained and squeezed dry, but we have only ever used fresh spinach, and it's delicious. As I've said before, you weren't going to get through that Costco bag in time anyway. And we always add more than we think we'll need. Just chop up a bunch of fresh spinach, and then you don't have to squeeze it dry or anything.)

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

 (Or whatever you have. I think we used cheddar last time. A friend once told me: cheese is cheese. I have found that in most recipes, you can just use whatever cheese you have on hand.)

10 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 19oz can enchilada sauce 

(If your can is smaller, like the classic 15oz variety, that's fine, you don't need a whole 19oz.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).

2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook for a few minutes until fragrant, but not brown. Stir in spinach, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat, and mix in ricotta cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you use). 

3. In a skillet over medium heat, warm tortillas one at a time until flexible, about 15 seconds. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Roll up, and place seam side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with remaining cup of Monterey Jack.

4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned at the edges.

If you want a yummy side dish to go with it, we always have Near East Mediterranean Curry Couscous when we have this dish.

Yes, you might think that "Mediterranean curry" and "enchilada" don't belong on the same table spread. Totally different ethnic flavors. But it works. Or maybe I just think it does, because that's what hubby made for me that Mother's Day, and sometimes food becomes sentimental. Regardless of the why, we only ever eat these enchiladas with a side of this particular couscous. And it works. And we love it. And I've never actually cooked these enchiladas. It's sort of a tradition now that when we have them, Ryan makes them. Which makes them taste that much more delicious. 

I posted this recipe because we just had it this week. It literally just struck me this very moment that Mother's Day is this weekend. So maybe pass this recipe along to your hubby with a wink and a nudge.

Homemade Pizza! (That doesn't taste "homemade.")

I figured you were getting tired of beans. I mean, not that beans aren't fun...they are the musical fruit, after all. And yes, for my sixth grade science fair, my partners and I titled our project, "Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit" and actually measured which bean produces the most gas. We put balloons on top of test tubes filled with beans and hydrochloric acid (stomach), then baked them in the oven at the temperature of the stomach, and measured how much the balloons blew up. As an intervening variable, we added Beano to some of the test tubes. Mock all you want, but science was painful for me and this, at least, is a good science-related memory, as well as a good story to tell, and now I know useful things, like that black beans give you the most gas and lima beans the least. But I have a feeling that this news does not shock you in the least. Life experience has probably given you what test tubes and balloons gave me. Which leads me to my real point here, which is...pizza.

I thought we'd fun it up, since the fun times are beginning to roll now that the weather is getting warm and wondrous. And homemade pizza is undeniably fun. Allow my sister and my son to demonstrate:

But have you ever noticed that when you make pizza, it's good and all, but to really enjoy it you have to keep it in a whole separate category from the pizza you would order from a pizza place? "Oh, this pizza is really good...for homemade pizza."

Well, for a couple years, I gave out a homemade pizza recipe that was all right, and I take it back. If I gave it to you, throw it away, because Our Best Bites has the best one, hands down. It might take a couple times making it to get it just how you want with the crust and all, but it's worth it!

Here are all the links you need:

Dough

(The best thing about this dough is it's versatile and, like they say in the book, it has magical powers.) My son begs for these breadsticks on a regular basis. You can use the dough for pizza, breadsticks, stromboli, stuffed pizza rolls, etc.)

Garlic Bread Seasoning

(You will need this for your sauce. But I have a tip: always, always have a batch of this is in your fridge, to sprinkle over your breadsticks, or to sprinkle over fish, grilled veggies, some people like it over chicken, etc. I go through a batch of this quickly, and you will, too.)

Pizza Sauce

(This sauce takes seconds to make, and tastes super fancy. Don't bother with all those work-intensive pizza sauces. You've got this recipe now.)

Make the Pizza

(I don't have a pizza stone or a french rolling pin, but mine still turn out great, so don't fret if you don't have all the stuff they mention. And listen to them when they tell you to brush the crust with olive oil and then sprinkle garlic salt. It truly does crisp it and keep it from getting soggy. And it tastes like delivery. This is the best pizza-making tip I've seen yet.)

(So I have created some weird traditions, it's cool. Also, it may not look that pretty, but I don't care about how pretty it looks - just how pretty it tastes.)

In my experience, if you don't want your dough too fluffy, you need to roll it out as thin as possible, thinner even than you think. I don't like thick, fluffy crust, except on the edges, so this took me a couple times to get down. Also, make sure and pinch up the edges so you have a nice thick crust on the edges there - like you ordered from Dominos or something.

If tomato sauce isn't your thing, their Guiltless Alfredo Sauce is excellent.

And if you're feeling extra fun, you can make Stuffed Pizza Rolls, a fun way to incorporate all of these individual recipes into one fun whole. Good for little hands, too. :-)

(I promise I'm not endorsed by Our Best Bites. I just think they're the best.)

Quinoa Chili & Vegetarian Chili (both slow cooker)

I intended to post this Tuesday. Twofer Tuesday. Tuesday got busy. Sorry. (I know you don't care when I post, I'm mostly just apologizing to myself for my little play on words not working out.)

I wanted to get my two favorite chili recipes up pronto because the weather is turning and I tend to think of chili as a cold-weather meal. (How could you not? It's pronounced the same as "chilly.")

I realize I've posted a lot of meals involving beans lately. But this is a meat-free blog, so you probably expected that. I'll work on it, though.

Quinoa Chili

First: 

1. This is adapted from Six Sisters Stuff (link here) by my friend Liz. Her M.O. is to add lots of spices to meatless meals to make things more interesting. I love her adaptations and only make it her way.

2. If you don't like quinoa, but still want to incorporate this superfood into your diet, this recipe is for you. All the flavors drown out the nutty taste. The nutty taste doesn't do it for me, either, but I love the texture of the quinoa in this chili.

3. This will make you dinner for three days. Perfect for company, or for a week you don't want to cook much. The leftovers are awesome as vegetarian taco fillers in a whole wheat tortilla with sour cream and cheese.

(The first time my toddler climbed into his chair and buckled it himself was when we were going to eat this. Coincidence? Doubtful.)

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with Italian spices (undrained)
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (undrained)
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can corn, drained (or use the empty bean can to measure out frozen corn, that's what I do)
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups of chicken stock or broth (I will use chicken or vegetable broth - whatever I have on hand - but the only veggie broth I love is the Pacific stuff. It's the best).

A little red bell pepper, chopped
Some baby carrots, chopped
A half or one minced onion
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp chili powder
Throw in a handful of spinach. Why not? Adds more color and you can never get through that Costco bag in time, anyway.

Directions:

Place everything in a 6-quart slow cooker and cook 5-7 hours on low. Keep warm until ready to serve. Garnish with cheese and/or sour cream.

*The nice thing about the quinoa chili is if you use veggie broth, you get to pretend you're vegan for a few minutes...until you load in the sour cream and cheese.


Vegetarian Chili 

(Adapted from this recipe, but really, do it my way. And that photo doesn't even look like it.)

Ingredients:

1 can (about 15 oz) Amy's Organic Black Bean and Vegetable Soup
1 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can vegetarian baked beans (do NOT drain...and I vote you get Busch's. I really like their vegetarian beans.)
1 14.5 oz can chopped or diced tomatoes in puree
Frozen corn, eyeball it
Half an onion, chopped
Some green bell pepper, chopped (eyeball it)
2 stalks celery, chopped (optional, just as good without)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
Dried parsley
Dried oregano
Dried basil (it calls for a tablespoon of each spice, but that's waaaay too much. Eyeball it. Maybe half a tbs? Really. Eyeball it. I trust you.)

Directions:

Combine all in crockpot, and cook 3 or 4 hours on high. The original recipe says 2 hours, but your vegetables will still be crunchy if you only do 2. So don't listen to those allrecipes powers that be. Listen to me. It's delicious with cornbread, too. Tastes even better as leftovers.

Taco Soup (easiest recipe ever)

This is one of my go-to recipes. It's easy, quick, healthier, freezes beautifully, I always have the ingredients on hand, and everyone likes it. It's one of my safe bets when I am taking someone dinner or have guests. Toddler-approved, as well. And it's versatile. Throw in whatever you want. I have a friend who throws in a packet of ranch seasoning, another who adds green chilies. It's pretty foolproof.

Taco Soup

-Tomato juice (I either do a 59 oz can from Winco's store brand or the 64 oz plastic container in the juice aisle of any store)
-3 cans any beans (I invariably do 1 black and 1 kidney, and then I do 1 light bean such as pinto or great northern)
-Corn (eyeball it)
-Taco seasoning (about a packet's worth, if you have a container it's about 3 heaping tablespoons)

Throw it all in the crockpot for 5 hours.

(Or heat it on the stove, which takes about a half hour. I prefer crockpot, because who doesn't?)

Top with cheese, or whatever you choose! Some people like it with chips or sour cream.

I make some meals that call for, say, 6 oz tomato juice, leaving me with a lot of tomato juice left over. When that happens, I just grab a freezer bag and dump the remaining tomato juice into it along with the other ingredients for taco soup. Then I freeze it and when the time comes to eat it, I throw it in the crockpot for about 8 hours. It freezes exceptionally well. I always have a bag or two of it in the freezer as a backup meal for a crazy day, or if I'm asked to bring dinner to a neighbor who is sick or just had a baby. Sometimes I divvy it up into small containers or freezer bags so I can pull one out for my toddler's lunch.

*If you're a meat-eater, you can throw in half a pound to a pound of ground turkey or ground beef, but cook it on the stove first. The first time I served it to someone without meat, though, they said it was good enough that they didn't even notice the lack of meat. *Fist pump.*

Vegetarian Skillet Nachos (Easy, easy, easy)

This quick and easy dinner is perfect when you're craving The Junk but still want a healthy twist.

Make it once and you'll never forget how. It's simple.

And it takes mere minutes to make.

This is a recipe of eyeballing. No exact amounts. Just eyeball it. And don't roll your eyeballs at me. It'll turn out yummy, I promise.

*Chop up some zucchini and green pepper, saute in a tbs olive oil. Add one can chili beans (don't drain) and half cup any salsa. Let it simmer a little, then pour it all into a bowl, wipe out the pan, put tortilla chips in the pan, pour mixture back in over the chips, add sliced or diced olives and cheese, cover just until cheese melts. Serve with extra chips on the side.

Done!

You can even save time by skipping the part where you dump out the mixture and wipe out the pan. I call it the fancy way (chips in) and the un-fancy way (chips out). Those tiny veggies are hidden well from picky toddler eyes, too.

(If eyeballing is nacho thing: I usually do one zucchini, maybe half a green pepper. You can throw in some yellow squash, too, if you want.)

*If you have a chopper, this will be a cinch. If you don't have a chopper, it'll still be easy, but I feel bad for you. You need a chopper, in general. It's a must. I used to have a little human whining at me and tugging at my pant legs while I slaved away chopping vegetables for dinner and now it takes seconds...sometimes only one second since I now have an electric chopper (after my hand chopper was taken apart by a well-meaning husband who was trying to get it properly cleaned, a husband who is handsome enough and wonderful enough that we don't complain at him for such things). 

Creamy Potato & Leek Soup + Pear Pomegranate Salad with Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette

This is one of our favorite dinners. The recipes come from Our Best Bites: Savoring the Seasons. We LOVE Our Best Bites. Their original cookbook is my favorite, but Savoring the Seasons is fun because it...goes by the seasons (spoiler alert). Winter is just about over, so I thought I'd throw in my favorites from the winter section of the book. The soup calls for ham but I omit and it works out wonderfully because the ham made it too salty anyway.

Potato & Leek Soup

4-5 medium leeks -It says you need about 2 cups chopped and my four leeks were WAY too much. I only used two. It depends on the size of the leek, but you can get an idea by knowing you'll only use the white part. Also, I LOVE LEEKS. They have a mild onion flavor, but I like them better than onions.

3 tbs butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (about 2-3 medium), diced into 1/2 inch cubes. -You want to go with gold potatoes (if not Yukon, some other gold potato) because they add a really nice creamy texture to the soup and pair beautifully with the leeks.
4 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 tsp dried thyme

3/4 cup cream 

1-2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I suppose you could substitute the dried stuff, but using the fresh stuff actually makes a difference in this particular recipe)

1. Slice ends off leeks just above the root and discard. Cut leeks in half lengthwise. Starting at the white end, slice the leeks crosswise (as you would slice a green onion) in 1/4 inch slices. Stop slicing when the leaves turn from pale green to dark green and discard the remaining part of the leek. Place sliced leeks (about 2 cups) in a bowl of cold water and stir with fingers to loosen layers and remove any dirt. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring often, until leeks are wilted and fragrant. Add potatoes, broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cover pot. Simmer on medium-low heat about 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Mash slightly with the back of a spoon to break them up. Add ham and simmer 5 more minutes. Add cream, parsley, and additional salt and pepper, to taste. Heat until warmed through. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Pear Pomegranate Salad

1/2 cup chopped pecans (we didn't do these)

1/4 cup sugar (also didn't do this)

1 head romaine lettuce

1 14 oz bag baby spinach

seeds from 1 pomegranate (about 1 cup)

2 ripe pears that are still a little firm

Juice of one lime (we just squirted some lime juice)

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

1. Spray sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. (didn't do this part.)

2. Combine pecans and sugar in a small nonstick skillet. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and coats the nuts (about 15 minutes). Place on the prepared foil and set aside. (didn't do this.)

3. Toss together lettuce, spinach, pomegranate seeds, pears, lime juice, and cheese, adding the candied pecans (didn't do them) right before serving. Drizzle sweet red wine vinaigrette over the salad and serve immediately.

Sweet Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (I just use the minced stuff in liquid)

1 teaspoon kosher salt (I just use regular salt)

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (I just use regular pepper)

1/2 cup canola oil

Combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender and process on high. Lower speed, and while blender is running, add oil in a steady stream. Dressing may be stored in refrigerator about 2-3 weeks. Shake well before serving.

The soup is one of my favorites. It's not the same as Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden (that has kale and sausage) but I feel like they could be fraternal twins. Not the same, but the potato and leek soup will satisfy my Zuppa Toscana cravings when they're out of control.

The salad doesn't need to be high-maintenance. Generally we just throw together lettuce, spinach, pear, feta, lime juice, the vinaigrette, and if we have pomegranate we'll add that. If we don't have pear or pomegranate, chopped apple will do. Basically, the combination of the red wine vinaigrette with feta and some sort of fruit is so winning, you can't lose. When I have a batch of that dressing in my fridge, I will eat salad for every meal.

You can even make all of these separately. I just happen to like the soup and the salad together. If you have rolls or breadsticks to dip in the soup, even better. The first time I made this, we stuck to the recipes exactly (except for the sugared pecans) and we felt like we were eating at a restaurant. Enjoy!

(Sorry no photos this time.)

Ok fine. Since you pouted and all:

(One of those photos you keep around to bug people with because it's so obnoxious. And it's the only photo I can think of wherein I am cooking.)

(And sorry for the weird background stuff. I...don't really know how to blog prettily. But I can cook and spin a mean pun, so there's that.)

Mac and Cheese Style Cauliflower

You're going to have to trust me on this one.

You should watch as my toddler son and I demolish an entire pan of this within a few hours.

Cauliflower is in season right now, which makes it a great time to try cooking this deliciousness.

Here is the original recipe on Vegetarian Times (I've found some great recipes on this site):

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/mac-and-cheese-style-cauliflower/
                                               

                                                                                                              

My remarks in aqua:     

***The most important thing you must know about this recipe: As the reviews say, it is twice as good reheated. So much better, in fact, I make it in the morning so it can refrigerate all day and we can have it reheated for dinner. It makes a big difference. It is most divine in leftover form.

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower (1 1/2 lb), cut into medium florets (8 cups) If you're not sure the cauliflower you're purchasing is big enough, grab two. If it's too much, freeze the rest.

2 TBS butter or margarine I do butter.

3 TBS all-purpose flour

2 cups low-fat milk I do skim

1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp)

2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese I used to go off-brand, and my husband thought this meal was all right, but when I switched to Tillamook, he suddenly loved it. So go Tillamook from the start and thank me later.

1/2 cup nutritional yeast Don't balk when you see the price (around $8.42/lb in the bulk section at Winco). Just get the 1/2 cup and you won't regret it. (Don't balk in bulk. Har.)

1 pinch cayenne pepper

2 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs The original recipe says to make fresh breadcrumbs in your blender, but I skip that and just use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, also found in the Winco bulk section (and for cheap). I've done plain and I've done Italian and the latter is the way to go. And don't be stingy. Go all out sprinkling (okay dumping) them on. Let your toddler do it. The more the merrier. You can't have too many breadcrumbs in this recipe. They add a lot of yum to the experience.

***I add steamed peas at the very end, after baking, just to my individual portion. Just take 'em out of the freezer, heat 'em in a bowl in the microwave, and stir in with the stuff on your plate. But don't bake with the peas. Don't do it.

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets, and boil 5-7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and set aside. Don't forget to reserve that liquid! I usually see that instruction in a recipe too late. Also, I cook the cauliflower for longer: more like 10-12 minutes. If the cauliflower is too firm it ruins the fun. I know because there was a general grumbling that one time I only cooked the cauliflower for 5-7 minutes. You want it soft.

2.  Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, garlic, and reserved cooking liquid, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, and egg yolks until cheese is melted. Fold in cauliflower.

3.  Coat 13-x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread cauliflower mixture in baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly and breadcrumbs are crisp and brown.

My son has loved this since infancy. He thinks this is what mac and cheese is, so he refuses the Kraft stuff. I don't want to tell you it tastes just like mac and cheese, because I'm not that krafty (har). Think of it as its own meal with its own identity, rather than a healthy imitation of mac and cheese. And tell me if you love it as much as I do.

It's fun to watch my two-year-old shovel cauliflower and peas in his mouth while saying, "Mmm" on repeat. And remember: Tillamook cheese, and don't skimp on the Italian breadcrumbs.

Most importantly: I know it's repeated, but it's better reheated.

That rhyme was just for you.

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

Some of my friends (mostly male) give me the queer-eye when I mention dinner without meat. Thus, for my first recipe on this new blog, I wanted to post something empirically agreeable. I chose it because my friend's husband, who doesn't like dinner without meat, really liked it. My toddler also liked it, and that's kind of a big deal.

It won't break my heart if you never refer back to this blog, but I didn't want to choose something too obscure and have you write me off completely. I have plenty of friends who have mentioned going without meat in their dinners a few times a week, and have asked for recipes. This is simply a place for me to post some of my favorites, so I can refer those friends here. I want to be of help because if there is one thing I'm good at, it's variety. We rarely have the same thing twice in six months - and we don't eat meat. :-)

So go ahead and give this Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake a try. Original recipe at Two Peas and Their Pod: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/black-bean-and-quinoa-enchilada-bake/

(You should probably go ahead and click that link just to let your eyes feast. That is one pretty dinner.)

Note: Quinoa has a nutty taste that bothers some people, and bothered me at first, too. Recently I have found several recipes with lots of flavor that drown out the taste so that I can just enjoy the delightful texture of quinoa. Quinoa's a superfood and an excellent source of protein, so if you can find a recipe you like it in, you're eating that much healthier. If you live near a Winco, they have it in their bulk section, so you can get the exact amount you need. It's much less expensive that way.

I copied and pasted the original recipe below, but first I add my notes:

1. Ignore the prep time. It always takes me longer.

2. Don't rinse your quinoa. Why do recipes always say to do that? If you try, you might end up like me, rinsing quinoa in a colander and facepalming it because all that precious quinoa went out the little holes.

3. Watch your quinoa so it doesn't burn. Mine didn't take nearly the full fifteen minutes to cook.

4. All those fresh ingredients were gorgeous while cooking, so I was expecting a fresher taste at the end of it all. Don't get me wrong - it was still delicious - but I just thought it would taste a bit fresher after staring at them while I prepared it. If you find yourself in this position (you may not; like I said, it was delicious), just add fresh cilantro as a topper to your individual serving, after it's all cooked and dished up. Totally did the trick for me.

(And I know you will have leftover cilantro to top it with, because they sell them in those giant bunches for about 48 cents and the recipe only calls for 1/3 cup. Now you have a way to use all that leftover cilantro you had all those good intentions to make salsa with but in all reality were never going to get around to before it went bad. I'm just keeping you honest here.)

5. We topped this with avocado slices and while it was good, avocados can be expensive (unless you get them on sale at a Mexican market) so don't feel you have to use them. They're a nice touch. The cilantro on top was the best part for me. We also had tortilla chips but they weren't necessary - it's good enough on its own.

Your home is going to smell AMAZING with onion, garlic, peppers, jalapeno, lime, and cilantro sizzling on the stove. My nose was happy, my eyes were happy, my taste buds were happy, my husband and son were happy. If you're cooking this right now, I'm happy for you.

There's a terrible photo for you. Go look at the original blogger's page.

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchilada Bake

Yield: Serves 8-10

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes-includes churning time

ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed,diced
1 red pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 orange pepper, seeds removed, diced
1 cup corn frozen kernels
Juice of 1 small lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
Toppings: Sliced green onions, avocado slices, sour cream, optional

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Add quinoa and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover quinoa and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the peppers and corn. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cilantro. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa and black beans. Add the sautéed vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Pour in the enchilada sauce and stir. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

5.Pour the black bean and quinoa mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and edges are bubbling. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Garnish with toppings, if desired. Serve warm.

Note-this recipe freezes well!