southwestern corn chowder

 

Yay for another soup that will please all of my kids.  Vegetarian and dairy-free!  I left out the yogurt/sour cream called for in the recipe and it's unnecessary. Sure, it'd be good but for my family it worked great.

southwestern corn chowder (slightly adapted from cookie + kate)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

6 cups frozen corn kernels (I used a 12 ounce bag so all the veggies were balanced)

1 pound red potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes (about 3 cups)

1 large red onion, chopped

1 poblano pepper, chopped (I used 1/4 cup roasted green chiles)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided, to taste

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced

4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used a plant based substitute)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

freshly ground black pepper to taste

suggested garnishes:  grated sharp Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced green onions, additional cilantro leaves, etc.

In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the corn, potatoes, onion, poblano, bell pepper, celery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon chili powder.  Stir to combine.  Cook until the onions are tender and translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute while stirring constantly.  Add the broth and water and stir to combine.  Drop in the bay leaf.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.  Simmer 20 minutes to 25 minutes.  It's not done until the potatoes are fully cooked through.

Remove the pot from the heat.  Using kitchen tongs remove the bay leaf.  Carefully transfer about 3 cups of the soup to a blender.  Blend until completely smooth.  Add the butter and continue to blend.

Pour the mixture back into the pot.  Add the cilantro, sour cream, and lime juice.  Stir to combine.  Season with the remaining salt and pepper, to taste.  Divide the chowder into bowls and top with garnishes of your choice.

northern-style thai coconut soup

 

This soup is GREAT!  It was a big hit with everyone in the family. 

Vegetarian and dairy-free which is perfect for us.

northern-style thai coconut soup (slightly adapted from choosingchia.com)

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1-2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (I used 1 tablespoon)

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk (I used light)

2-3 tablespoons soy sauce (I used 2)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

juice of 1/2 lime

8 ounces brown rice noodles

cilantro, for garnishing

Heat oil in a large pot on medium high heat.

Add the onion and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until translucent.  Next, add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.

Add the Thai red curry paste, curry powder and turmeric powder mixing everything together for 30 seconds and letting the curry paste cook slightly until aromatic.

Add the vegetable broth and coconut milk, soy sauce, sugar and lime juice and bring to a boil, stirring everything together, then lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, add the rice noodles to the soup and cook until done.

Serve with fresh cilantro.

classic minestrone soup

 

Now that I am trying to please 3 vegetarians and 1 dairy-free, I am exhausting my brain coming up with meals to please everyone.  This soup was great and the Parmesan was a must for the non-dairy free eaters.  I substituted northern beans for lentils because I had some in the fridge that needed to be used and it worked out great.

classic minestrone soup (Cookie + kate)

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 medium ribs celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables (I used yellow squash, zucchini and peas)

4 cloves garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 large can (28 ounces) pureed tomatoes with their liquid

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 bay leaves

pinch of red pepper flakes

freshly ground black pepper

1 cup whole grain small pasta (I had to use small bow ties)

1 can (15 ounces) Great Northern beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained or 1 1/2 cups cooked beans (I used lentils)

2 cups baby spinach, chopped

2 teaspoons lemon juice

freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnishing

Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat.  Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables have softened and the onions are turning translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Add the seasonal vegetables, garlic, oregano and thyme.  Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.

Pour in the diced tomatoes and their juices, broth and water.  Add the salt, bay leaves and red pepper flakes.  Season generously with freshly ground black pepper.

Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot with the lid, leaving about a 1" gap for steam to escape. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.

Cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and add the pasta, beans and greens.  Continue simmering, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente and the greens are tender.

Remove the pot from the heat, then remove the bay leaves.  Stir in the lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of olive oil.  Taste and season with more salt and pepper.  Garnish bowls of soup with grated Parmesan.

dairy-free banana blueberry muffins

 

This muffin recipe turned out to be a good one!  My son asked me if I used whole wheat flour (he asked in a skeptical tone).  I replied that no, I used plain white flour.  His confidence in these muffins improved.  I was already pretty confident because I stuffed them full of bananas and blueberries.  My second oldest ate three in a row and thought they were pretty darn good.

dairy-free banana blueberry muffins (adapted from allrecipes.com)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1 cup canola oil (I used 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup water)

1 cup coconut milk (I used light)

2 handfuls of fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper liners (I lined 15).

Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Stir bananas, oil and coconut milk together in a separate bowl; mix banana mixture into flour mixture until just combined.  Fill muffin cups with batter.

Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.

best vegetarian lasagna

 

This lasagna used so many pans and bowls and I was crossing my fingers that the effort would be worth it.  You see, we had dinner company coming from out out-of-state and one of our guests was a vegetarian so I wanted to find the very best vegetarian lasagna.  Well, despite a kitchen full of dirty dishes to be done, I managed to get them all clean and put away before our guests arrived AND the lasagna was SO GOOD!

Next time I will read the recipe through before I decide on one. :)  Three parts of this recipe had to be blended.  It was some work but worth it.

best vegetarian lasagna (cookie+kate)

veggies and spinach

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 large carrots,, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

5-6 ounces baby spinach

tomato sauce (or substitute 2 cups prepared marinara sauce- don't do it!)

1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I omitted)

2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

remaining ingredients

2 cups (16 ounces) low-fat cottage cheese, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

9 no-boil lasagna noodles

8 ounces (2 cups) freshly grated low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

To prepare the veggies:  In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil.  Add the carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, yellow onion, and salt.  Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the veggies are golden on the edges, about 8-12 minutes.

Add a few large handfuls of spinach.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted.  Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, to prepare the tomato sauce:

Pour the tomatoes into a colander and drain off the excess juice for a minute.  Then transfer the drained tomatoes into the bowl of a food processor.  Add the basil, oil, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes.

Pulse the mixture about 10 times until the tomatoes have broken down to an easily spreadable consistency.  Pour the mixture into a bowl for later.  Rinse out he food processor and return it to the machine.

Pour half of the cottage cheese (1 cup) into the processor and blend it until smooth, about 1 minute.  Transfer the mixture to large mixing bowl.  No need to rinse out the bowl of the food processor this time; just put it back onto the machine because you'll need it later.

Transfer the cooked veggies and spinach mixture to the bowl of the food processor.  Pulse until they are more finely chopped but not pureed, about 5 to 7 times, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of whipped cottage cheese.  Top with the remaining cottage cheese, then add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt to taste and lots of freshly ground black pepper.  Stir to combine.

Time to assemble:

Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9x9" baking dish.  Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top.  Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture evenly over the noodles.  Top with 3/4 cup tomato sauce, then sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheese on top.

Top with 3 more noodles, followed by the remaining cottage cheese mixture (we're skipping the tomato sauce in this layer).  Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheese on top.

Top with 3 more noodles, then spread 3/4 cup tomato sauce over the top to evenly cover the noodles.  Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup shredded cheese.

Wrap a sheet of parchment paper or foil around the top of the lasagna (don't let it touch the cheese).  Bake, covered, for 18 minutes, then remove the cover, rotate the pan by 180 degrees and continue cooking for about 10 to 12 more minutes, until the top is turning spotty brown.

Remove from oven and let the lasagna cool for 15 to 20 minutes, so it has time to set and cool down to a reasonable temperature.  Sprinkle additional basil over the top then slice and serve.

chewy chocolate ginger molasses cookies

 

This recipe is the perfect combination for my family, especially my husband.  He loves chocolate the most but really loves a good ginger molasses cookie.  This morning my kids were nibbling at the leftovers from last night.

chewy chocolate ginger molasses cookies (Costco Connection magazine, October 2021)

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling

1/3 cup molasses

1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Whisk melted butter, sugars and molasses in a large bowl.  Whisk in fresh ginger, egg and vanilla.  Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl and stir until combined (dough will be soft).  Stir in chocolate chips.  Chill dough for at least 2 ours of overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 2 baking trays or line with parchment paper.

Portion 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into a ball.  Roll each cookie in granulated sugar to coat and place on the baking trays, 2 inches apart.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until they crinkle and feel set at the edges when gently pressed.  Cool cookies on the trays for 10 minutes before removing.  Makes about 30 cookies.

baked sweet potato fries

 

I tore this out of my Costco Connection magazine.  Great recipe!

baked sweet potato fries (Costco Connection magazine, October 2021)

1 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed and dried (peeling is optional)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

coarse salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line a large baking pan with parchment paper or foil.  

Slice the potatoes lengthwise into 1/2-to 1/2-inch thick wedges.  Whisk the oil, chili, onion and garlic powders; add salt in a large mixing bowl.  Add the potato wedges.  Toss evenly to coat.

Spread the potato slices and any lingering oil onto the baking pan in a single layer.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning the fries over midway through cooking until the sweet potatoes are tender inside and slightly brown around the edges.  Sprinkle with extra salt if desired.  Serve warm.  Makes 4 servings.