creamy curry cauliflower soup

 

My friend Dee-Anna in Oregon told me she was making this soup.  I just so happen to love creamy cauliflower soup but hadn't made it with curry.  I had everything I needed to make it right away so I did.  I love this soup!  It's super creamy and flavorful.

creamy curry cauliflower soup (adapted from my friend Dee-Anna)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 cup onions, diced

1/2 cup carrots, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 head cauliflower, broken up into small pieces

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 cups vegetable broth

Prepare vegetables.  Add oil to a large pot and heat on medium heat.

Add onions, garlic and carrots and salt to the pot.  Saute for about 7 minutes.

Add cauliflower, spices and vegetable broth to the pot.  Stir and increase temperature to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Blend soup until desired consistency.  Sprinkle with black pepper.

best cranberry orange chocolate muffins

 

These muffins got great reviews from my family.  They started out as "best cranberry orange muffins" until I added chocolate chips and piped some chocolate icing on top.  I knew I couldn't go wrong there...and I was right.

best cranberry orange chocolate muffins (adapted from little sweet baker)

2 1/2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

zest of one orange, about 1 tablespoon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (I used frozen)

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup chocolate icing for piping on top of the muffins, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line muffin tins with paper liners (I needed 16).

In a large bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, milk, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest.  Slowly add to the dry ingredients.  Mix until just combined, then fold in the cranberries.  Divide the batter into the muffin cups.

Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for another 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

creamy zucchini spinach soup with basil (dairy free!)

 

This soup is DELICIOUS!  The author of the blog I found it on said it's "shockingly delicious" and it is.  You can go to Mel's Kitchen Cafe to read her description because it's better than mine.  I love veggies swimming through my veins!  

creamy zucchini soup with spinach and basil (Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 medium leeks, well chopped (I used 3 green onions)

2 medium zucchini, chopped (4 cups)

1 teaspoon salt (careful with the salt!)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups vegetable stock

2 tablespoons fresh basil (I used 1 teaspoon dry but fresh would be amazing!)

2-3 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

In a saucepan, heat olive oil and add garlic, leeks and zucchini.  Stir in salt and pepper.  Cook 3-4 minutes until leeks soften.  Add 1 cup broth, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes.  Transfer to a blender and add basil.  Process until smooth.  Pour back into the saucepan.  Stir in remaining 1 cup broth.  Stir in chopped spinach and cook 4-5 minutes.

lemon buttercream frosting

 

I wanted to make a cake for my dad's birthday so I went looking for a lemon frosting.  This lemon buttercream frosting went beyond my expectations.  I stuck to the recipe and the consistency was perfect.  It also made just the right amount for this small-ish 3-layer cake.  Delicious!

lemon buttercream icing (sally's baking addiction)

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature

4 1 /2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons milk (okay, the recipe called for heavy cream but I didn't have it)

2 teaspoons lemon zest

pinch of salt, to taste

With a handheld mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy- about 2 minutes.  Add confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, milk, and zest with the mixer funning on low.  Increase to high speed and beat for 3 full minutes.  Taste and add salt as needed.  Add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners' sugar if frosting is too thin or another tablespoon of milk if it is too thick (I did not need to make any adjustments).

healthy whole wheat pumpkin waffles

 

These waffles are top notch.  The aroma in the kitchen was incredible and these waffles were incredibly tasty with maple syrup.  We had them as part our dinner last night but I popped them in the toaster this morning to crisp the leftovers for breakfast.

healthy whole wheat pumpkin waffles (ambitious kitchen)

2 cups whole wheat flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk or regular milk or coconut milk

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons oil

Preheat waffle iron.  Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine.

In a separate large bowl add wet ingredients and mix until smooth.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Spray waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray and cook according to waffle iron directions.  Makes 4 large belgian waffles (6 regular waffles for us).

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.