Roasted Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Our kids lately have been on a soup kick. When we meal plan together on Sunday nights, they almost always ask for a soup. The all time #1 requested soup is always tomato soup with cheese toast. And yes, I have made my own tomato soup, but lately the preferred tomato soup is the boxed kind from Trader Joe's, even the husband prefers it (it is quite good). But this week, to my surprise, the boy very excitedly requested cauliflower soup!

Now, a few weeks ago I made a cauliflower soup for a woman in our church congregation that had just had knee replacement surgery. She and her sister live together and they are both on the keto diet. So I had to come up with something that was both keto friendly AND vegetarian friendly so I could also feed my family with the same meal. I found a recipe for a copycat recipe for Zupa's Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup and I thought I would give it a try. I made the soup per the recipe directions and though it was good, I felt there were some things that didn't quite work. So I changed some of the methods, took out some ingredients, and some in to get the recipe below. My whole family loved it, much more than the first go around!

You can serve this soup by itself or you can add toppings such as bacon (gasp!), more shredded cheese, croutons, chives, caramelized onions, roasted broccoli....or just do what we do and have it along a nice grilled cheese on sourdough. 

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Roasted Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 35-45 min

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1/2 large red onion, chopped

1 - 2 Tb olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2-3 cups vegetable broth 

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup half and half

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Place cut cauliflower and onion on a baking sheet and add olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix around the vegetables in order to evenly distribute seasoning and oil. 
• Roast in oven for 20-30 min or until cauliflower is nice and caramelized. 
• While vegetables are roasting, pour vegetable broth into large pot and bring to a boil. Turn temperature down to a simmer. 
• When vegetables are done, add them to the simmering broth and cover with a lid. Let them simmer in the broth for about 10 minutes.
• Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it's nice and smooth. (if you don't have an immersion blender, you can always use a normal blender. Just be careful of the hot liquid)
• Stir in the cheeses in 3-4 batches, making sure it's all melted before adding more.
• Stir in half and half. 

Falafel

I've made this recipe three times. I figure it's quickly becoming a regular in our dinner rotation and I should put it on the blog. So here it is!

I was a little intimidated at the thought of making my own falafel, but this was SO easy, especially with the help of a food processor. And a bonus? All that fresh parsley and cilantro! I just LOVE the way fresh herbs make my kitchen smell gorgeous, not to mention how they make my food taste. Yum yum yum. I haven't made the tahini sauce the original recipe says to serve it with, but I'm sure its delicious. For us, I just buy hummus and pita bread and we eat it like little wraps with sliced cucumber. So good!

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Falafel
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

Recipe from www.justataste.com 


 1 large white onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 14oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 - 3/4 cup flour
canola or vegetable oil for cooking

• In food processor finely mince the onion and garlic and transfer to a bowl
• Add chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, salt, chili powder and cumin and pulse until the mixture is combined. Do not puree
• Add onion mixture, baking powder and 1/4 cup of flour to the food processor. Pulse, adding more flour if necessary, until the mixture forms a ball. Mixture should not be sticky
• Transfer mixture to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for one hour. 
• When you're ready to cook, heat enough canola or vegetable oil on medium high heat in the bottom of a large heavy bottomed skillet. (Note: I love using cast iron for shallow frying!) 
• Using a cookie scoop, form falafel into balls and fry a few minutes on each side until golden brown. You can smoosh the falafel down while frying to make them thinner. 
• Continue in batches until all the mixture has been used.
• Serve with your favorite hummus and pita bread and enjoy!

Vegetable Lo Mein

I've had a vegetable lo mein recipe ready to post for ages now. I figured it was time to post it, but before I did I wanted to make some again. I came across a different recipe than what I made last time and I decided to give it a try. Oh man am I glad I did. This recipe from Damn Delicious is so good and then best part? It's SO EASY and quick. I'm pretty sure it took me a total of 30 minutes from start to finish.

And in true Rare Knife fashion I made a few changes. First, I used fresh Buitoni linguine. I couldn't find any lo mein egg noodles and this is the closest I could find. Next time I might try to find some at the Asian market up the street, but these actually worked great. When I threw the sauce together it didn't seem like enough, so I doubled it, only adding half and keeping the rest at the ready if I felt like it needed it. It did. In fact, I actually added about a TB of cornstarch to the remaining sauce before adding it to the noodles to help the sauce stick to the food and so it's not so runny. The last change I made was using cabbage instead of the snow peas. I'm not a huge fan of snow peas (except that one time when I was pregnant and craved them one day...it was the weirdest craving I've ever had). The cabbage nicely bulks up the dish and adds a great texture, IMHO. (See that right there? It means, "in my honest opinion." It's what the cool kids say.) Oh and I added some onion!

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Vegetable Lo Mein
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from: damndelicious.net  

8 oz Fresh linguine or fresh lo mein noodles
1 Tb olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large yellow onion
2 cups of sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup carrot, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded cabbage
3 cups baby spinach
Salt and pepper

Sauce:
4 Tb soy sauce
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 Tb cornstarch

• Start by whisking together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ground ginger, and cornstarch and set it aside
• Boil noodles according to package directions and then rinse and drain well and set aside
• In a large saute pan or wok heat oil over medium high and saute onion, mushrooms, pepper and carrots for about 5 minutes or until tender, adding the garlic in halfway through. 
• Add cabbage and spinach to pan and stir until wilted.
• Add sauce to pan, and gently stir for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thickened and then add noodles and stir until well combined. 
• Add salt and pepper to taste and serve 

Creamy Tomato Soup

I asked my son what he wanted for dinner yesterday and he told me, rather quickly and emphatically, that he wanted tomato soup. So I obliged and whipped this up and served it with the classic grilled cheese. Then today my son (and husband) took the leftovers for lunch. Needless to say, it's a favorite around here.

Once again this recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe with only a few changes. The first time I made this soup, I got all the way to the end when I needed to add the cream and realized I forgot to pick some up at the grocery store. Feeling panicked I searched in my fridge for a replacement and spotted some leftover cream cheese from another recipe. I figured it couldn't hurt, so I threw in 4 oz. The results were so good that I now use cream cheese instead of cream for this recipe. I love the tangy richness it adds. Plus, I'm pretty sure anything with cream cheese has to be good. Right?

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Creamy Tomato Soup
Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 25 minutes Servings: 6

Recipe adapted from www.melskitchencafe.com

2 28oz cans diced tomatoes
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3 Tb butter
1 onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tb Tomato paste
2 Tb AP flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
salt & pepper
4 oz reduced fat or regular cream cheese

• Drain the tomatoes, saving the drained juice
• Add the vegetable broth to the drained juice to make a total of 3 1/2 cups of liquid
• In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter and saute onions for 3-4 minutes.
• Add 2/3 of the drained tomatoes, bay leaf and brown sugar to the onions and cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes fragrant and thick
• Add the tomato paste and flour and stir until mixture darkens. 
• Stir in the remaining tomatoes, tomato juice, baking soda and a 1/2 tsp salt.
• Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer on low heat until thick, 5 - 7 minutes. 
• Then add in cream cheese chopped into smaller sections. Stir around until the cream cheese melts and is mostly incorporated into the soup. 
• Remove bay leaf from soup and puree the soup with an emersion blender or in a regular blender. 
• Add soup back to pot and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. 

Lentil and Brown Rice Taco Salad

I don't know if you've noticed....but I seem to have a large amount of mexican inspired recipes up on this here blog. I can't decide if it's because they lend themselves so well to vegetarian dishes or because we just love them around here. I'm thinking both.

So I don't start a habit of posting very similar recipes...anyone have any recipes they'd like to see? Thanksgiving/holiday favorites? Desserts? Pastas? I aim to please!

This lentil and brown rice taco filling is so versatile. We've used it in tacos, salads (as shown above), burritos and even as a chip dip. And it's a slow cooker recipe which makes it so very easy and one of my go to recipes for a busy day. The recipe is from melaniemakes.com and she's got some great recipes. You should check it out! My only addition to this recipe is some fresh cilantro at the end.

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Lentil and Brown Rice Taco Filling
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 4 hours Servings: 8
Recipe from melaniemakes.com

1 cup lentils (I use brown), rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice, rinsed
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups water
2 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on heat preferences)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

• Put all ingredients, except cilantro, in crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours. 
• Check the mixture at 3 hours. Stir and return the lid to finish cooking. 
• When mixture is done cooking, add cilantro, mix 
• Serve with your favorite taco/burrito/salad fixings! 

Vegetable Stew

Slowly, but surely, it's starting to cool down around here. This means more soup!!! I do have to confess though, that sometimes I really do miss my meaty soup. I mean a good beef stew with carrots and potatoes is so good and satisfying on a cold day. So I was SO excited to find this recipe taking a traditional stew and reinventing it into a vegetarian friendly option full of veggies. This did not disappoint and will definitely be returning to our table!

I know I've said before that I never use fresh parsley...but I decided to give it a try for this recipe. I really wanted that authentic stew flavor, and was hoping by following this recipe closely I would get that flavor. I'm not sure if the parsley actually added much to it. I think most of the flavor is coming from the aromatic vegetables and the rosemary. So I think in the future I will stick with the dried parsley....I'll let you know how it turns out the next time I do it, but for now the recipe below calls for fresh.

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Vegetable Stew
Prep time: 30 min Cook time: 35 min Servings: 6

Recipe from www.straightupfood.com

Note: The original recipe calls for 5 cups of water. I decided to use 4 cups of vegetable broth and 1 cup water to add a deeper flavor. Feel free to stick to the water, but I would suggest using at least part vegetable broth. Also, the original recipe has you saute the vegetables in water...I opted to saute them in olive oil to brown them to add more flavor. 

1 Tb oilive oil
1 1/2 large onions, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped (I used baby portabellas, quartered)
1/2 salt
1 Tb dried italian herb blend
1 Tb paprika
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 lb potatoes, chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
pepper to taste

• Heat olive oil in large pot over high heat, saute onions, celery, and carrots until onions are cooked through and starting to brown. 
• Add the mushrooms to vegetables and saute for another 4 minutes, then add garlic, salt, italian herb blend, paprika, and fresh rosemary for another 1-2 minutes or until garlic is cooked and herbs are fragrant. 
• Add vegetable broth, water, potatoes and tomato paste to pot, stirring to incorporate tomato paste. Bring stew to a boil, then reduce heat to a rolling simmer and cook covered for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes and cooked and tender. 
• Add frozen peas, fresh parsley and pepper and simmer for another 2 minutes to warm peas through.
• Blend 2 cups of the stew until smooth and add back into the pot to thicken the stew. 
• Serve with a garnish of rosemary and warm bread. Enjoy! 

Vegetable Fried Rice

I've never made an Asian dish that tastes anything like it does from a restaurant, not to say my creations aren't delish, just not the same. This fried rice right here is the closest I have ever got to making it taste like takeout. In our house we eat it as a main dish for dinner and sometimes, on a special occasion, I'll throw in some egg rolls. This is another frequently requested meal from my husband and makes great leftovers!

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Vegetable Fried Rice
Prep time: 30 min (to cook rice) Cook time: 20 minutes Servings: 4
Recipe from: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/fried-rice-recipe/ 

Note: First, this recipe calls for Oyster sauce, which is not technically vegetarian friendly, but for those, like my husband, who can handle a little seafood, it is a great addition into fried rice! Second, I cheat a little and use a frozen pea and carrot mix for my veggies. Decreases prep time, which I love! And third, the recipe I follow calls for chilled rice, but I've tried it both ways and I haven't noticed much of a difference. 

3 Tb butter, divided
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups dried rice - I use brown jasmine
3 green onions, sliced
4 Tb low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. oyster sauce
1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
salt and pepper

• cook rice according to package directions
• chop the onion and garlic and whisk the eggs
• Whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and green onion in small bowl and set aside
• Melt 1/2 Tb butter in large skillet over medium-high heat and cook egg until scrambled
• Remove egg from pan and set aside
• Melt 1 Tb butter in pan and cook onion until soft, then add garlic and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, making sure not to overcook or burn the garlic
• Then add the frozen peas and carrots to onions and garlic and cook until warmed through
• Add the rest of the butter to the vegetables to melt, then add the rice and fry the rice for about 3 minutes stirring frequently
• When rice is done frying, pour in the soy sauce mixture  and eggs and stir until combined
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat

Vegan Cuban Bowls

It's been awhile...once again. It's been so long since I've posted a recipe that I logged on to post a recipe and now I can't remember what I put in it...

But today I've got a FANTASTIC recipe shared with me by my friend Tiffany. Tiffany has a blog where she shares her great recipes. She makes great food, so I was really excited to try this recipe, especially since it uses plantains. I love them, but I've never made at home before. 

The key to the plantains (which Tiffany shared with me) is to let them get nice and dark. You pretty much want them almost black. This makes them sweeter and oh so yummy. My grocery store almost always only has green plantains. This time I bought two and one of them ripened in about five days and the other is still going. Be patient, it's worth it. 

And as you can see we did not eat ours in a bowl, any dish will do. My husband opted to eat his with some sour cream (non vegan), but I ate it without and it was still amazing. I also warmed my canned, rinsed beans with a little vegetable broth, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder just to add another layer of flavor. Oh and the coconut oil is also key. It brings such a wonderful hint of flavor to the dish. I don't like heat in my food, so I left the jalapeno out of the pico de gallo, but if you do, then leave it in!

My husband LOVED LOVED LOVED this recipe. He came home and saw the plantains and he was like a little kid in a candy store. He kept exclaiming how good it was and extolling my cooking talents. So, Tiff, thank you! My husband is now convinced I'm a wonder in the kitchen. 

 I hope you enjoy this as much as we did! 

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Vegan Cuban Bowls

Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Servings: 3

Recipe from www.tiffanystriedandtrue.blogspot.com

For the Pico de Gallo:

1 cup diced tomato

3 Tb chopped cilantro leaves

3 Tb minced red onion

1/8 tsp salt

1 Tb minced jalapeno (optional)

For the Cuban Bowls

2 Tb coconut oil, divided

2 cups cubed red sweet potato (yam)

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large, ripe plantain

1 14.5oz can black beans, rinsed

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 avocado, sliced

lime wedges

• Combine the tomatoes, cilantro, onion, jalapeno, and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Toss well and set aside to let the flavors come together.

• Peel the plantain by drawing a sharp knife along the long ridges down the sides (there should be three or four), then peeling off each side of the peel in sections. Slice the plantain crosswise on an angle into coins.

• Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the cubed sweet potato as well as the cumin and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss well, then turn the heat down to medium. Saute until golden brown and fork-tender; 5-7 minutes. Transfer the cooked sweet potato to a bowl; tent with foil to keep warm.

• Add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan and allow it to melt. Fry the plantain pieces until golden, about 1 or 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

• Warm the black beans in a small saucepan set over medium-low heat (or by microwave in a covered bowl).

• Assemble the bowls by dividing all of the ingredients equally between the two bowls in the following order: brown rice, black beans, sweet potatoes, plantains, avocado, and pico de gallo. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

Vegetable Egg Rolls

I've wanted to make egg rolls from scratch for a long time but never had the courage to try them until I saw this recipe.  It looked rather straightforward and it was! I can't believe how easy it was. The only thing that took some concentration was rolling them tight and keeping an eye on them while frying so they wouldn't burn.

These deliciously crispy egg rolls are filled with cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and garlic. But I also think green onions, snow peas, bean sprouts and glass noodles would be good in these. They're given a bit of flavor using soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. The recipe I followed called for chinese rice wine and since I do not plan on ever having that ingredient on-hand, I decided to add a splash of rice wine vinegar for the acidity and a bit more sugar for the sweetness. I hoped that would cover the flavor profile of the wine and I think it turned out really nice.

We ate these with fried rice and my 20 month old LOVED them! She looked so cute while eating them that I couldn't resist taking a picture. She wanted them so badly that she had a tough time while I snapped a few pics on my iphone pre dinner (yes I had to do that on the floor by my window because the pics in the kitchen had no light and made them look like brown blobs). Luckily she was rewarded for her patience (see below)!

Just a note about the wrappers. I could only find "spring roll wrappers" in my local grocery store. But I don't think there's much difference between spring roll and egg roll wrappers. At least as I can tell. I found these and they worked great.

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Vegetable Egg Rolls
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Servings: 15 rolls
source: Detours in Life

Note: once you get the wrappers out of the package, they can dry out very quickly, so place them under a damp towel to stay moist. 

3 cloves garlic, minced
12oz bag of coleslaw mix (about 3/4 of a 16oz bag)
3 large carrots, shredded
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
8oz of shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 Tb olive oil
1 Tb soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

To seal egg rolls:
1 Tb cornstarch
1/4 cup water

• In large frying pan or wok over medium high heat, heat oil and saute cabbage, carrots, garlic, ginger and mushrooms 
• Add soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper and continue to saute until vegetables and cooked through and cabbage has wilted
• Remove vegetables from heat and lay them out on a baking sheet to cool to room temperature
• Once vegetables are cooled, you need to squeeze out all the  moisture. I did this by literally squeezing with my clean hands. You could also do this in a large tea towel and ring out the water. 
• Heat 1-2" of oil in high-sided pan to 350 - 375 F. 
• Put a large heaping Tb of the vegetable mixture in one corner of a wrapper. Roll that corner up until the middle, folding the sides in, and finish rolling to the other corner. Seal the wrapper with the cornstarch and water mixture on the tip of your finger. 
• Fry rolls in oil for about a minute or so each side, or until they're a nice golden brown. Keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly! 

Sweet Potato Curry Soup

Not everyone is a fan of curry, but if you are, then I would definitely give this soup a try. And if you're not, try it anyway. It may surprise you! It is so delicious and perfect on a cold winter night.

I based the recipe off of this one from KatieAtTheKitchenDoor.com. I left out the lentils and the orange juice and increased the coconut milk. We had lentils for dinner the night before, so I wanted a break from them. Plus, with brown rice I didn't feel like it needed the lentils. The orange juice just sounded funny to me to add to curry. It totally could be delicious, but I didn't want to risk it...(maybe I should be more risky with my cuisine? hmm....I'll have to ruminate on that one..)

I followed the recipe and roasted the sweet potatoes first to give it more depth of flavor. But you could totally skip that step if you're crunched for time and just simmer is on low heat for longer until the sweet potatoes are cooked through.

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Sweet Potato Curry Soup
Prep time: 1 hr Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 6
Recipe adapted from: www.katieatthekitchendoor.com

3 large sweet potatoes, diced
2 Tb olive oil
salt and pepper
2 Tb butter
1 large onion, diced
2 shallots, minced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 Tb curry powder
2 Tbs freshly grated ginger
4 C vegetable stock
1 can coconut milk
3 cups cooked brown rice
cilantro for serving

• Mix sweet potato with olive oil, salt, and pepper and put on a large sheet pan and roast at 400 F for 35-45 minutes or until they start to get some good roasted color on them and then set aside. 
• In large, heavy bottomed pot, over medium high heat, saute onions and shallots in butter for 3-4 minutes.
• Add turmeric, curry and ginger to onions and shallots and cook an additional minute until the spices become fragrant. 
• Add vegetable broth and sweet potatoes to the pot and bring to a boil.
• Then turn the heat down and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes. 
• Add coconut milk after soup has simmered, then using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. If too thick, then add a bit more stock. 
• Serve in a bowl with a large scoop of brown rice and cilantro

Buttermilk Pancakes

Before delving into pancakes I feel like I need to take a moment to talk about the photos on this here blog. Man do they stink. I know they stink. I don't want you, my dear readers, to think I'm naive enough not to know they stink. I know. I'd love to be one of those awesome blogs that has beautiful photography, step-by-step photos of the cooking process and very artistically designed finished product photos, but I am not.

If it's the middle of the winter and dark outside at 5:30pm, then you're going to get a grainy shot from my poorly lit kitchen or possibly one on our very scratched up coffee table trying to utilize just a shred of natural light. Or if I forgot to take a picture before we start eating dinner, then you're going to get a pic of my half-eaten soup.

So I guess I'm apologizing...or not apologizing. I don't know. You get the picture, right? (pun intended) I hope you guys stay as readers because of the food and not because of my photos (or lack thereof) or my horrible writing (yeesh...that's a whole 'nother issue...).

Now, onto the cakes!

We have a tradition to make breakfast for dinner on Sundays. This started as a way to make Sunday dinner less stressful and a bit easier to plan and make. Most Sundays we do pancakes because they are a crowd favorite around here. Don't get me started about the time I decided to do hash browns and omelets. There was a VERY disappointed four year old.

It has taken me a very long time to come up with my all-time favorite pancake recipe. But I finally have it! I think the key is to use buttermilk and to not overmix the batter. This is also a great base to make blueberry, chocolate chip or banana pancakes. And always use pure maple syrup...the best!

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Buttermilk Pancakes
Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes  Yield: 15 pancakes

2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tb sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 TB melted butter
2 cups buttermilk (plus 1/4 cup if batter is too thick)
2 eggs

• Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda in large bowl.
• In another bowl mix melted butter with buttermilk, then add both eggs and whisk together.
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until combined, do not overmix. It is ok to have a few lumps. If batter is too thick, thin it out with more buttermilk until it reaches a good consistency. 
• Using a 1/4 cup measuring spoon, pour batter onto hot griddle (medium high heat) 
• Cook on the first side until bubbles start to pop through and the sides start to look dry. 
• Then flip and cook the other side until golden brown. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash is so good. I love it as a sauce, in lasagna, roasted, and in soup. But have you ever experienced the tormenting chore of peeling a butternut squash? It's really difficult (or maybe it's just me?), especially with the dull knives I've had for 10+ years (I really should do something about that). To make things easier for me, I prefer to get my butternut squash from Costco in the refrigerated section. It comes in a package already cubed. The recipe below assumes you have cubed squash. But when I can't get cubed squash, I use one of two methods to cook or peel my squash. 

Method 1: Whole Roasting

The name is pretty self-explanatory. You cut the squash in half, deseed it, and slather the cut sides with olive oil and salt and pepper. Then roast in the oven with the cut sides facing down. When they're done roasting, you let them cool until you can handle them and scoop out the butternut squash and add it to the soup. 

Method 2: Microwave

With this method we use our trusty microwave to soften the peel of the squash. Take your squash and liberally pierce it all the way around with a fork or knife. Cut the top and bottom off the squash. Place on a microwave safe plate and cook it on high for 3-4 minutes. Let the squash cool and then use your vegetable peeler or sharp knife to peel the skin. It comes off much easier this way. Then you're free to deseed and chop it up. 

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Servings: 8

3.5 lbs butternut squash, cubed (~2 medium squashes)

1 Tb olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 Tb butter

2 small onions, diced

2 small granny smith apples, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

5-6 cups vegetable stock

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature, cubed

salt and pepper to taste

• While prepping and chopping vegetables, preheat oven to 400F.
• In a large bowl, drizzle butternut squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix, making sure all the squash is covered. Place butternut squash on baking sheet and roast in oven for 30-40 minutes. When done, take out of the oven and set aside.
• In large soup pot, saute onions, apples, and celery in butter for 7-8 minutes or until onions and cooked through. 
• Add roasted butternut squash, 5 cups of vegetable stock, cinnamon, nutmeg, onion powder, and garlic powder to pot. 
• Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes 
• Stir in cream cheese to soup.
• Then using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.
• If soup is a little thick, add more vegetable stock, until it reaches a consistency you enjoy. 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Serve with warm bread and enjoy! 

Fall Vegetable Risotto

Risotto is one of those dishes that I always heard was difficult to make, so I never attempted it. Then my sister made it for me once and I KNEW I needed to learn how to make it. And guess what? It's SO easy. I think the one hang up people have with it is that it's one of those dishes that requires you to always keep an eye on it. But seriously, unless your kitchen is GINORMOUS this seriously shouldn't be an obstacle in putting this into your regular rotation.

Risotto is made with a special variety of rice that's rounder in shape and has a high starch content. The most common is Arborio and that is what I typically use. Arborio rice is a more expensive but I feel it is well worth it when it makes such a beautifully delicious dish like this.

To get the most flavor into the risotto I recommend using a stock as your cooking liquid rather than water. (But water can most definitely be used in a pinch) I obviously use vegetable stock here, but chicken or beef would work well too. For the first addition of cooking liquid to deglaze the pan, I like to add something sweet like apple juice or apple cider. I think it just adds a nice flavor to the dish. And the beauty of risotto is that the possibilities are endless as far as what you add to it. In this recipe I have opted to add shiitake mushrooms, sweet potato, onion and kale. But in the past I've also done peas, asparagus, spinach...the possibilities are endless.

This really is one of our favorites and I hope you enjoy it too!

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Fall Vegetable Risotto 
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 4-6

Note: For best result and for quicker cooking time, it is recommended that you have your cooking liquid heated up. But in my experience room temperature works just fine as well. Just make sure your liquid is not cold. This will slow down the cooking process and cool down the dish every time liquid is added. 

2 TB olive oil
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 TB butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 cup arborio rice, uncooked
1 cup apple juice or apple cider
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cups chopped kale
salt and pepper to taste

• In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add olive oil and sweet potato, cooking until sweet potato is browned and cooked through. This may take 8-10 minutes depending on the size of your sweet potato. 
• Remove sweet potato from pan and set aside. 
• Melt butter over medium heat and add onion and mushrooms to pan. Saute for 3-4 minutes or until onion is translucent.
• Add dried arborio rice to the pan and saute or "toast" the grains for 1minute. 
• Deglaze pan with 1 cup of apple juice or cider, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Stir frequently and cook until almost all the liquid is cooked off. 
• Add 1 cup of broth to the pan, or enough to cover the rice, stirring frequently until almost all the liquid is absorbed.
• Repeat the above process until the rice is cooked through. I find this takes 3-4 times or roughly 4 cups of broth. 
• When rice is cooked through, add parmesan cheese, kale and salt and pepper, stirring until kale is cooked and wilted down. 
• Serve warm with extra parmesan on top 

Sweet Ginger Asian Noodle Salad

Yes I know I already did another "Asian Noodle Salad" but this salad is so different than the last one. This is a great recipe. So great in fact that we had it twice in one week. Which is RARE for me to do. I like a varied meal plan. Again, I took this recipe from another recipe, only switching it up a little bit. If you click on the link in the previous sentence you will notice this recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman (PW), who has some excellent recipes. Last Christmas Eve, the only day of the year I roast meat in my kitchen, I used her pork with apples and onions recipe...so good.

This recipe is so full of veggies and yummy, sweet, gingery dressing. PW adds fresh spinach and romaine to her salad. I omitted it here to make this dish more "dinner" and less "salad", if that makes sense. I couldn't find any bean sprouts in my local grocery store so I didn't use them, and to be honest, I really didn't miss them at all. There was plenty of crunch in the salad already. The last thing I didn't use was the jalapeno, which is just my personal preference.

I will also admit that I took a bit of a short cut with my cabbage by using bagged, shredded purple cabbage and a bag of coleslaw cabbage, which has shredded carrots in it as well. I'm all about saving a little time!

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Sweet Ginger Asian Noodle Salad
Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 10 min Servings: 6
(source: thepioneerwoman.com) 

1 lb. Linguine noodles, cooked, cooled and rinsed
1/2 bag of shredded purple cabbage
1/2 bag of coleslaw cabbage mix
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (more to taste)
3 scallions, sliced thinly
1/2 large english cucumber, chopped
1/2 lb roasted, salted cashews, lightly chopped
DRESSING:
Juice from one lime
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tb sesame oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tb fresh ginger, grated or minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• Mix salad ingredients together, making sure the cooked pasta is well drained
• Whisk together dressing ingredients
• Pour dressing over salad, and mix until combine

Dal Nirvana and Homemade Naan

Lentils have become a frequent guest at our dinner table lately. We got a big bag of them from Costco, so I feel like I HAVE to use them...which has turned out to be a good thing. Its an ingredient that I didn't know much about, but they pack a huge nutritional punch. One serving can give you half of your DRV of protein and fiber. Win win in our house!

So it was perfect when a few weeks ago a friend mentioned she had an Indian dish called "dal" at a mutual friend's house using lentils. I was intrigued. I've never heard of it, and when I got home I did a little google research on it. Dal (or Dhal) is a broader term to include all legumes in the pulse family (lentil, dried pinto beans, navy beans, dried peas, etc.) that are very common in South Asian cuisine. Dal also refers to the stew made with these pulses.

This particular recipe is from Steamy Kitchen (which, by the way is a wonderful food blog, check it out!) It's basically lentils, stewed with tomato, ginger and garlic with a touch of cream at the end. To me, it sounded so simple I couldn't imagine it would be good. But I was SO WRONG. This stuff was AMAZING. This is hands down the best Indian dish I have made at home. It's creamy and spicy and so good scooped up with fresh homemade naan.

I've made naan before, but this time I decided to use a different recipe. I did a quick search and based on the ingredients I had on hand, this recipe from Taste and Tell fit the bill. Homemade naan is a little time intensive because you do have to let the dough rise twice. I guess if you were pressed for time you could skip the second rise, but I'm a firm believer in the second rise for a really nice texture.

To cook up the naan I just used a cast-iron skillet. I think next time I will use my large griddle so I can cooked a few at a time. Doing them one by one resulted in me standing in the kitchen with oil and flour covered hands for an hour with my little one year old screaming at me the whole time to pick her up. Oh the joys of dinner time crazies. It's only from about 4-5:30 that I wish I had a nanny so I could cook dinner in peace. Oh well. I'll put it on the list for Santa Claus (I wish...).

On to the recipes!

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Dal Nirvana
Prep Time: 5 minutes  Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Servings: 4
(source: steamykitchen.com)

Notes: For this recipe I used a lentil trio mix. I think any dry lentil will do in this recipe. Just whatever you can find at your local grocery store. Also, canned coconut milk would be a really nice substitution for the cream in this recipe. I'm going to try it next time! 

1 cup dry lentils
8 oz crushed tomato
1 Tb grated fresh ginger
1 Tb minced garlic
1/8 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper (based on heat preference)
1 cup water
4 Tb butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
minced cilantro for garnish

• Cook lentils according to package directions, drain off excess water
• Place lentil back in pot and add tomato, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, water, butter, salt and pepper. 
• Bring mixture to a gentle boil, then turn down heat and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom.
• Add cream, stirring to combine and serve with cilantro

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Naan

Prep time: 1 hour 45 minutes  Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 12-15 medium sized pieces

(source: tasteandtellblog.com) 

Note:  It is ok for them to get some burned spots...that's what makes naan so tasty!

1 Tb active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 Tb milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp salt
3 - 4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup melted butter

• In a large bowl of a stand mixer, bloom yeast in warm water with a sprinkle of sugar
• Once yeast is bubbling, add remaining sugar, milk, egg and salt
• Add in flour gradually until the dough starts pulling away from the side of the bowl (for me this took just under 4 cups)
• Knead dough in mixer for 5 minutes
• Turn dough out onto floured surface and form into a ball and put into an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour, or until doubled.
• Once dough is doubled in size, punch it down and turn out onto floured surface.
• Form dough into balls, and place on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise 30 minutes. 
• Preheat griddle or cast-iron skillet to medium high heat
• Roll balls out into thinly, and put onto lightly greased griddle and cook for 1-2 minutes
• Before flipping, brush uncooked side with butter, then flip and cook until dark brown.
• Place cooked naan on a plate, covered with a tea towel to keep warm and prevent drying out

Pasta with Spinach and Butternut Squash Sauce

I discovered this recipe a few years ago when I was trying to look for healthy versions for a creamy pasta dish. At the time it was a foreign idea to use squash as a sauce, but I tried it and we really enjoyed it. Since then I've seen it all over the place. You can even buy butternut squash pasta sauces in a jar. I can promise you though, this is better than anything you could buy in a jar.

The original recipe calls for sausage, which I can imagine would be VERY delicious, but I obviously omitted it. It also calls for fresh sage leaves. I never have fresh herbs on hand and I never can justify the money in buying them for just one dish (remember, starving student mode here...) but by all means add it. I'm sure it's delicious. (Aside: this is probably what separates me from the REAL food bloggers and makes me a mediocre cook. Someday when finances are easier, maybe I will be able to fulfill my food blogging potential and splurge on the good stuff!)

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Pasta with Spinach and Butternut Squash Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Servings: 5

Tip: Peeling a butternut squash is no fun. Here's how I've started to do it: poke the squash all over with a sharp knife and then stick it in the microwave for 7-9 minutes, let it cool and then it's soft enough to peel and seed easily. 

1lb butternut squash, peeled and diced (about the size of a medium squash)
2 TB butter
12 oz of pasta (rotini, bowtie, etc.)
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste

• In a large pot, bring salted water to boil
• Add butternut squash to water and boil until it is fork tender
• Remove squash from water with slotted spoon and place in blender and blend until smooth
• Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions 
• While pasta boils, melt butter in large, deep skillet and saute onions and garlic until soft
• Add squash to onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste
• Add baby spinach and parmesan cheese to sauce
• If sauce is a little thick, add some pasta water until it reaches your desired consistency
• Add cooked and drained pasta to sauce and mix until coated

Spinach Balls

(apology: I seriously tried to think of a different name for this recipe, but I couldn't do it. Spinach rounds was the closest I got, but didn't quite work. So I just stuck with spinach balls, which does not sound appetizing at all. But I promise, read on and you won't be disappointed. Also, I use the word "balls" a lot in this post...)

On a recent road trip our family stopped at Subway for lunch...probably for the fifth time this summer. Its really the only place that's vegetarian friendly and quick. Plus they're everywhere! Well, we go up to order and I place an order for a meatball sub. My husband gives me a weird side-look and moves on. He later told me he didn't know I liked meatball subs. I guess after 9 years of marriage, there's still LOTS we don't know about each other. But the truth is, yes, I do love me a good meatball sub. Maybe it's the bostonian inside of me? Not sure. But I just can't resist a perfectly seasoned meatball swimming in a lovely sauce topped with melted provolone on warm and chewy bread. Hmm so good.

Well that one meatball sub set off a craving for meatballs a few weeks ago. I wondered if I could make a delicious meatball myself at home. So I decided to make them for dinner one night and also make a vegetarian version for my husband. (I'm so nice, aren't I?) I found this recipe from My Kitchen is My Playground and thought I'd give it a try. I was skeptical, but they turned out awesome! I even liked them better than that actual meatballs I made. Turns out I can't make a decent meatball, but I sure can turn out some fantastic spinach balls.

The recipe makes a ton of balls, so I would suggest making the full recipe and then freezing the ones you don't eat for future meals or halving it. The picture above is from one of those freezer meals. I remembered I had some in the freezer and I stuck some in the oven to defrost and crisp up and we had them with some rotini. When my son (4) saw what we were having for dinner he was so excited and kept telling us how much he loves meatballs. He scarfed them down and asked for seconds. It wasn't until after we finished eating that we informed him that he had just eaten spinach balls. Surprisingly he was just fine with it and asked to have them again sometime. Mom for the win!

Ok, now on to the recipe. I didn't stray at all from Tracey's recipe. The only thing I changed was I made my balls just a bit bigger. I used my 1.5T cookie scoop to kind of evenly portion them out. To freeze them, let them cool off after baking and stick in a freezer bag in the freezer. Then you can pull out the amount you need for each meal.

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Spinach Balls
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Servings: 6-8

Notes: not all stuffing mixes are vegetarian, but Pepperidge Farm is. 

2 10oz. packages frozen spinach
2 small onions, finely minced
2 1/4 cup herbed stuffing mix
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper

• Defrost and drain the spinach, making sure all the water is drained off
• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until combined
• Form into desired sized balls and place on a greased cookie sheet 
• Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until balls are starting to brown and cooked through 
• Serve with your favorite pasta and sauce or as a lovely meatball sub alternative

Vegetarian Green Chili Enchiladas

Hmmm, just looking at this picture makes me want to gobble it up! This is another recipe I adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Her recipe calls for chicken, so I just replaced it with spinach, corn and black beans. Everything else stayed pretty much the same.

I'd like to report that my kids loved these, but they actually caused quite an emotional dinner that included whining, screaming, crying, food throwing, spitting, and almost vomiting. Seriously, I felt rather deflated sitting there at the dinner table. But on the bright side, (kid's weird food preferences and aversions aside) my husband and I LOVE these and we had plenty of leftovers.

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Vegetarian Green Chili Enchiladas
Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 20-30 min Servings: 6-8

Filling:
1 10oz. package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
1 15oz can corn, drained
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 4oz cans green chilies
8oz cream cheese, cubed and softened

Sauce:
2 TB butter
1/2 onion, diced
2 TB flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 10 oz can green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup sour cream

For assembly:
8 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
diced tomato and avocado for topping

• Start by combining spinach, corn, beans, green chilies and cream cheese in bowl. Set aside while you prepare sauce
• Preheat oven to 375 F
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook 3-4 minutes until onions are translucent. 
• Add flour to butter and onions (roux), stirring around and cooking for about 1 minutes. It will clump up, but you want to cook it enough to get the flour taste out. 
• Slowly add vegetable broth and milk to the roux, whisking constantly to avoid clumps. 
• Once sauce starts to bubble, lower heat and add enchilada sauce and sour cream. Whisk together. If sauce seems thick you can add more milk or broth until it reaches a good consistency. 
• To assemble enchiladas, start by spraying a 9x13 casserole dish with non-stick spray and spread 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the pan. 
• Fill each tortilla with 1/2 cup of the filling and top with a small handful of cheese. Roll up and place in the pan. Continue until you have 8 filled tortillas, rolled and in the pan. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese. (if there's leftover filling, you can put that on top of the enchiladas before putting the sauce and cheese on)
• Baked enchiladas for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is browning and bubbly. Let cool for 15 minutes.
• Top with cilantro, avocado and tomato. Enjoy! 

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

We love this recipe so much that we have it almost weekly. A few months ago VH (vegetarian husband) asked if we could have a break from these tacos....too much of a good thing I guess.

This recipe is by far my most requested recipe by friends. I've gotten, emails, texts and even facebook messages exclaiming people's love of these tacos. I think I've converted a few people from hating vegetarian food, to loving vegetarian food with this little gem. I made this recipe for a large family reunion last week and it worked great for 30+ people and went over well with the crowd. 

I got the idea when I saw a recipe for a sweet potato tostada or something like that. I remember thinking, "ooh ooh what a great replacement for meat." So I whipped this up one night and my husband and I LOVED it. Its super simple and only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

We love to eat this with sour cream, shredded cheese, mango peach salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and guacamole. And what kind of tortilla you use is up to you. Or you could even go the crunchy taco route. We prefer using fresh tortillas that you grill up yourself. We buy ours at costco, but I've also seen them at our local grocery store. My next adventure is to make homemade tortillas!

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Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
Prep: 10 min Cook time: 20 min Servings: 4-6 tacos (depending on tortilla size)

Notes: All spice measurements are approximate. I honestly have never actually measured them out. If you want more heat you can add more chili powder or even add a few dashes of cayenne pepper. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water when adding the spices; sometimes they can dry up the mixture. 

1 large sweet potato, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 TB olive oil
¼ tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
2 TB minced cilantro
4-6 tortillas (depending on size)
your choice of toppings (cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro…)

• Sauté sweet potato and onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until sweet potatoes are tender and cooked through. 
• Turn heat down to low add chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and the rinsed and drained beans. 
• Cook until beans are warmed through, mix in minced cilantro and serve in tortillas with your favorite toppings. 

Crunchy Asian Noodle Salad

I love asian flavors, but I've only made a few vegetarian dishes using those flavors that have really been repeat recipes that we would have again. This is one of those! I first made this recipe about five years ago and we've been eating it ever since. It's a great dish to take to a BBQ or potluck since it's a cold salad. Also great in the hot summers!

When I made this the other night for dinner my husband said "I could eat this every night for dinner"...so "vegetarian husband" (let's go with VH for short) approved! Both my kids (4 and almost 1) ate this. It's always a good dinner when I don't hear too much complaining or food being thrown on the floor. Actually, I won't kid myself, food ALWAYS ends up on the floor with kid #2. There's just something about those highchairs I guess that entice them to throw.

So this recipe comes from Ina Garten. You know, the "Barefoot Contessa" of Food Network fame. I used to watch her show religiously. I would say I was kind of obsessed with the Food Network back in the day. Now that I don't have cable, not so much. But that Ina can cook! I've tried a bunch of her recipes and they've been great. I only made a few changes to her original recipe for this one and they're simply just personal preferences. First, I cut the amount of oil in half to only 1/2 cup. Now I've done it both ways and they both taste equally yummy. Putting in all the oil does make the noodles, how should I say this without putting you off this recipe?....kind of more slippery? Less clumpy? So by only adding half, the dressing does tend to be thicker, but since it significantly cuts the fat and calories out, I'm totally fine with that. I also added fresh baby spinach and grated carrot this time around to increase my vegetable intake for the day. The beauty of the recipe is that you can pretty much add any vegetable you want. I've done it with blanched broccoli and would love to try it with shredded cabbage too. Oh and I didn't use fresh parsley. You know my feelings about fresh parsley...never have it, never use it.

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Crunchy Asian Noodle Salad
Prep time: 10 min Cooking time: 25 min Servings: 6

Tips: (1) Buy fresh ginger, peel it, then stick it in the freezer. When you need fresh ginger, just take it out of the freezer and grate what you need using a fine cheese grater. (2) Most sesame seeds you can buy in the store are not toasted. To toast, put sesame seeds in a dry frying pan and cook them, while stirring over a medium heat until they are light brown and fragrant. Watch them carefully so they won't burn. 

1 lb thin spaghetti
1 lb sugar snap peas
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 TB sesame oil
1 TB honey (or brown sugar)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 TB toasted white sesame seeds
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
4 scallions, chopped

• Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and rinse well with cold water and set aside. 
• Blanch the sugar snap peas by boiling them in salted water for a few minutes and then sticking them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. This will cook them but keep them nice and crisp. 
• Mix up the dressing by whisking together the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds. 
• Combine your vegetables with the spaghetti and dressing in a large bowl and toss. Salad can be stored covered in the refrigerator until time to serve.