creamy chicken vegetable soup

 

My friend Dee-Anna shared this recipe but I altered it to fit my taste (I lightened it up quite a bit) so I renamed it to reflect what it turned out to be.  It's a really versatile recipe, a good recipe and next time I may even add some more veggies like diced zucchini or sliced mushrooms.  My kids love eating veggies when they're in soup.

creamy chicken vegetable soup

1 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons butter 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon vegetable or chicken bouillon

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon thyme

5 tablespoons flour

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk

1 bay leaf

1 small head cauliflower, diced

2 cups chopped spinach

2 cups diced rotisserie chicken (I used 3 cups)

In a soup pot, melt the butter.  Sautee the onion, carrots, celery and minced garlic.  As the vegetables start to soften add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and bouillon.  Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for one minute or so.  Slowly stir in the broth while whisking rapidly.  Add the milk, parsley, oregano, thyme and bay leaf.  Cook on medium heat until the soup thickens just a little bit.  Add the cauliflower, spinach and rotisserie chicken.

At this point I transferred it to a crock pot and let it cook on low all day but that's not necessary.  If you don't transfer it to a crock pot you just cook it until the veggies are soft, the spinach is wilted and the chicken is hot.

lavash bread pizza

 

This is my new go-to.  It's SO easy to throw together especially if you have some things already prepped in the fridge like I did. 

It was just my son and I home for dinner and I had some leftover lavash bread from when I made pinwheel sandwiches.  I thawed some homemade marinara sauce I had stored in the freezer and made some pizza for myself and some for him.  You can see we like different things. 

lavash bread pizza

It's one of those recipes you don't really need a recipe for.

Spray some nonstick spray onto a rimmed baking sheet.

Place a sheet of lavash bread on it.

Spread some marinara sauce or pizza sauce all over it.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Add the toppings you love.

My favorites tonight were chicken (that was already in the fridge), diced red onion (already in the fridge), jarred red peppers and capers.  Sometimes I add mushrooms and spinach too.

delicious shrimp tacos

 

These were SO delicious!  I used a combination of two recipes that I found.

delicious shrimp tacos (pinch of yum for the shrimp spice, natasha's kitchen for the sauce)

shrimp spice mix

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

sauce for tacos

1/3 cup light sour cream

1/3 cup light mayo

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon hot sauce

you'll also need

1 pound shrimp, pre-cooked, deveined and peeled and tail off

1 tablespoon oil

corn tortillas

toppings:  diced red onion, shredded cabbage, avocado, cilantro, lime

To prepare the shrimp for the tacos, mix the shrimp spice mix with the shrimp.  Heat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon oil.  Get the oil nice and hot.  Add the shrimp and stir-fry until heated through and a little crisp.

Assemble your tacos the way you like them with all the toppings.

roasted bell peppers

 

Great recipe!  Loved it.

roasted bell peppers (slightly adapted from healthyrecipesblogs.com)

4 bell peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Cut the bell peppers into quarters then remove the seeds and membranes.

Put the following into a gallon sized ziploc bag: oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and red pepper flakes.  Add the bell peppers.  Seal bag.  Coat the bell peppers with the oil and seasonings.

Place peppers on the lined baking sheet.  Roast until tender and charred in spots, about 20 minutes.  Serve immediately. 

easy vegan sheet pan pancakes

 

I love the sheet pancake recipe I typically use but I needed a vegan recipe since one of my daughters is vegan and would be over for Christmas breakfast.  I found this recipe and it's great!  I actually gave my daughter one of the cookbooks the author of this recipe wrote.  I think she'll have fun with it.

easy vegan sheet pan pancakes (it doesn't taste like chicken)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons white sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups plant-based milk

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons vegan butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

optional toppings:  Banana slices, berries, vegan chocolate chips, peanut butter drizzle, chopped nuts, vegan sprinkles, etc.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly grease an 11x17 baking sheet (10x15 will work too).

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk well.  Now add the plant-based milk, lemon juice, melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract and gently combine.  The batter will be lumpy and full of big bubbles.

Pour the batter on the prepared baking sheet and gently spread evenly over the baking sheet with a spatula.

Decorate the top of the pancake with any optional toppings as desired.

Bake for 15 minutes until the edges of the pancake are lightly browned.  The top of the pancake will be pals, but it will be cooked, you can test it by lightly poking it.  Slice and serve with maple syrup or any desired toppings.

pinwheel sandwiches

 

My daughter hosted a Nutcracker dinner for her ballet instructors and the older girls from her studio.  We made pinwheel sandwiches for the event and they turned out great!

pinwheel sandwiches

1 package lavash bread

1 package thinly sliced smoked ham

1 package thinly sliced swiss cheese

3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

lettuce leaves

salt and pepper

onion and chive cream cheese spread

Pinwheel sandwiches are easy to make!

Spread a thin layer of onion and chive cream cheese spread onto one sheet of lavash.

Place 6 slices of ham over the lavash bread so that the ham fills the entire lavash but doesn't overlap. 

Cover with 6 slices of swiss cheese.

Cover with tomato slices.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Top with lettuce leaves.

Roll up.

Slice with a serrated knife.

Secure with a long toothpick.

confetti egg strata

 

This breakfast casserole brings back good memories.  I had to text my friend Melissa to get it from her so I could make it for family when they were in town.  Melissa used to make it with ham but since I had just made a ham breakfast casserole I went with sausage this time.  Either way is delicious.

confetti egg strata (Melissa got it from Pampered Chef)

8 ounce (1/2 loaf) Italian bread, cut into 1" cubes

8 ounces ham, cut into 1/2" cubes (I used a pound of sausage this time)

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 cup red or green peppers, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

10 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cut, slice, chop and beat separate ingredients.  Grease 9x13 pan.  Layer half of bread, cheese, ham, mushrooms, peppers and onion in pan.  Repeat.  In bowl with eggs, whisk in milk and seasonings, blend well.  Slowly pour egg mixture evenly over layered ingredients.  Cover with aluminum foil, refrigerate several hours or overnight.  Remove foil.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake 55-60 minutes or until strata is set and the top is golden brown.  Serves 12.