Beer Cheese Soup

I made this soup for dinner tonight. It could probably be pretty simple: potatoes, stock, beer, cheese, but you know me. Thats too boring. Here is what I used:

3 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 large white onion, diced
I head cauliflower, chopped finely (I call this a "fake potato")
1 quart stock (I just made vegetable stock the other day so I used that, but chicken stock would be good too)
3 russet potatoes, diced (but not peeled... who has time for that? Just wash them.)

I sauteed all the veggies in a little Jalapeno Grapeseed Oil from Wildtree (but you could use any oil or fat). When they were tender I added the stock. I let everything boil for about 15 minutes then simmered it for another 20 minutes or so.

I pureed it with my immersion blender. I pureed it until it was completely smooth (you could leave it more chunky if you choose) but I was trying to make it look like plain potato soup.

I added half a bottle of beer- any kind will do. I used Blue Moon something or other. It was pretty good.

I added about 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar and about 1/2 cup heavy cream. I mixed it together with salt and pepper and added a few spices (a little parsley and paprika).

As it cooled it thickened. I served it with chives for the top, but next time i might make some real bacon bits to top it with. We had it with some jalapeno artisan bread that I popped in the oven at the same time.

Artisan Garlic Bread

I stumbled upon a recipe that looked easy enough for bread (I HATE baking).  It was so simple sounding that I was almost embarrassed to try it, haha.  So, I had to spice it up a little, literally.  This is the recipe I came up with over a year ago, and we have it at least once a week at my house.  It is now a favorite at our family dinners and get-togethers, and I get requests for it often.

Ingredients:
1 packet of active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups of very warm water
2 tbs of Kosher salt
3 cups + 4 tbs all purpose flour flour
3 cloves of pressed garlic.
1 tbs Wildtree Lemon Rosemary Blend (You can also use 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp fresh ground pepper, and 1 tsp dried Greek oregano instead).

In a large mixing bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid with a dough hook attachment), add the yeast, warm water and salt and mix together.  The mixture should be murky brown and slightly foamy.  Add the garlic and spices of your choosing and mix well.  Add the flour and mix.  A few times you will need to pull the dough off of the hook and re-mix.  Be careful not to over-knead.

Split the dough in half and knead each piece with your hands.  On a greased surface (a large baking sheet will do), roll each piece into a ball and cover with saran wrap.  I always pierce the wrap in one spot so the gasses can escape, then I cover it with a hand towel.  Make sure to set the dough in a warm place so it can rise.  Let it rise for 1 hour, then punch the dough down, re shape, and sprinkle flour on it.  This will create a "gluten crust".  Using a sharp razor blade or knife, cut two slices across the top of each loaf (you can also do an "x" or cross hatch). Let the dough rise for another hour.  By this time it should have almost doubled in size.

If you think you don't have a warm enough place in your house, it's okay to turn your oven onto warm (170 degrees) and put the dough in the oven to rise.  Follow the directions above, but don't cover the bread, and cut the rise time in half.  When it's done rising you will have to remove the dough from the oven while it is preheating to bake.  I have to do this in the winter time because my house is too cold.

***Preheat oven to 400***

In a small container, add one cup of water and put it in the oven  This will create steam which will make the outside of the bread very crunchy while the inside stays soft.  Bake the bread for 30 minutes.

Let your bread cool before serving.  Warm bread is amazing, but the texture gets fluffier as it cools.  We ate one entire loaf in one night.  We had it with salad and herbed garlic butter.  Holy crap it was good.

Variations I have tried and loved:

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread: Omit the spices and add 2 tbs chopped jalapeno.  When the bread is baking, sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

Sun Dried Tomato and Olive Bread: Omit the spices.  Add 2 tbs of Kalamata olive tapenade and 1 tbs chopped sun dried tomatoes.

Greek Bread:  Omit the spices.  Add 1 tsp dried dill, 1 tsp dried oregano, 3 tbs grated cucumber (seeded and most of the moisture squeezed out), 1 tbs Greek yogurt, 3 tbs crumbled feta cheese.

Pesto Ranch

This dressing is so good I could drink it.  But I won't.  But I want to:

In a food processor, combine: 
1 bunch sweet basil, leaves only
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped
3 green onions
3 cloves garlic
1 large egg or two small eggs
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tbs honey
salt and pepper

Blend until smooth then slowly add 1/4 cup oil (grapeseed or a mild oil works best).  I love Wildtree Basil Pesto Oil in this one! Yummy. 

This recipe is really good in a vinaigrette too.  Just omit the egg and up the vinegar to 1/2 cup. 

Creamy Cilantro Salad Dressing

Busy Mama Recipes



I just made this for salad.  Goes great on wraps too!  SO yummy:-)

In a blender or food processor, combine:
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped (It's good with parsley too- makes a "Green Goddess" dressing)
4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 large egg (or two smaller eggs)
1 tbs honey
1 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper

Blend everything until smooth, then slowly pour in 1/4 cup oil.  Grapeseed or a mild oil works best- olive oil is a little strong for this one.

Twice Baked "Potatoes" with Feta

I have been seeing this idea floating around on Pinterest: the Cauliflower Potatoes.  Ever since I saw it, I have wanted to try it... glad I did.  It's pretty great.

I made this recipe (my own recipe) and served it for dinner with pork chops and brussel sprouts.  Kevin ate his "potatoes" and I asked him if he liked them.  He said yes, that they tasted like they always do.  I asked if he noticed anything different about them.  He looked at me weird, thought for a minute, and then said this time they're different because they're smoother and don't have skins in it still.  HA!  I WIN!!!

I told him it was cauliflower and he didn't believe me at first.  After convincing him, he laughed and said they were pretty good.  I can't wait to try it out on my step son: he hated potatoes forever but has recently started "loving" them.  I want to see if he can tell the difference.  If any followers try this out, let me know what your family thinks.  I want to see how many potato lovers are shocked to hear how they were tricked:-)

I used one whole head of cauliflower.  I chopped it into small pieces and boiled it in salted water- just like I would do with potatoes (I also threw in three or four cloves of garlic into the water).  After the cauliflower was soft, I drained it and put it in my food processor and blended it until it was completely smooth.  They first time I tested it, I thought it was still too "grainy", so I processed for longer to get it to feel more like potatoes.

I transferred the "potatoes" to my mixer, because I wanted the recipe to be fluffy- a consistency that is hard to get with a food processor blade.  I added 3 tbs of butter, 2 tbs milk (I had purchased a gallon of raw cow's milk from a farm that morning... SO worth it!), three chopped green onions, some chopped fresh parsley, and salt and pepper.  I added some dried dill for good measure.

I folded in about 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, then transferred the mixture to a small casserole dish.  I broiled it on low for about 10 minutes, just until the top was browned.

When I tried it, it practically melted in my mouth.  The texture was perfect!  This recipe is my own, but I owe some credit to whoever thought of this trick!  Whoever you are, you are a genius!

Healthy Burgers- Jalapeno Lime, Greek, and Bleu Burgers

It's bbq season!  Well, almost.  We are grilling though, because I can't wait for the actual season to be here.  The kids' favorite are turkey burgers; so why not?  It took a long time experimenting with recipes before I found one that was worth repeating.  Here is the basic, plus a few variations below.

Turkey Burger Patties:

1 pound ground turkey

1 egg (I used a farm fresh egg from my gpa's chickens- it's worth it!)

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 tbs seedless jelly 

1 small yellow onion, chopped finely (I use my food processor)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 bunch fresh parsley leaves, chopped finely

3 tbs bbq sauce (I used homemade, so it was a balsamic/ honey flavor, but store bought would work)

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and form into patties.  Make sure to cook completely.  You can use any type of meat you would like.  Sometimes we have elk or deer instead.  A few times this week I used 1/2 turkey and 1/2 beef (very low fat beef, if the percent is too high, the patties fall apart), which is cheaper and still healthy.  

Now for some of the variations I have tried this week...

Jalapeno Lime Burgers:

Substitute 1/2 the parsley for cilantro.  Add two chopped green onions.  Add the zest and juice of one lime.  Add 2 fresh jalapeno peppers (chopped finely in the food processor), and sub salsa for the bbq sauce.  Serve with pickled jalapeno peppers and avocado.

Photo Credit: Kalyn's Kitchen

Greek Burgers:

Sub lemon for the lime.  Add 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, and a few chopped sun dried tomatoes to the meat before forming into patties. 

Bleu Burgers:

Thinly slice a purple onion (only about 1/4 of the onion) and sautee it in a little olive oil and add it to the meat.  Also add about 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (or, substitute bleu cheese dressing for the bbq sauce).  Serve with pickled onions and bleu cheese dressing.  

Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Thai Peanut Sauce

I haven't posted in a long time- apologies. I was busy having a baby♡ We were surprised to have another boy! That makes #3... which means Dad and the boys share a bathroom and Queen Mama gets her own:-) Score!

On to more good news... since I have so much time off of work, I have been trying some new recipes and I've been having a blast! Tonight I decided to make stuffed cabbage leaves. I was craving Dolmas: a traditional Greek dish (grape leaves stuffed with a dirty rice and a lemon sauce), but grape leaves are hard to come by here in this small town. I had some coconut milk and cabbage, so I decided to do a Thai meal instead.   I served this with salmon, but next time I'm going to make this the main course- they're very filling.

Luckily, the cabbage dish was super yummy. Easy too, and healthy. It was pretty inexpensive- and even more so since I used what I had in my kitchen;-) It would be easy to add or substitute ingredients.

This is what I used:

1 head of green cabbage (I didn't use the whole thing, just the big leaves- two leaves per roll)
3 cups cooked rice (I like Jasmine rice)
2 carrots, peeled and sliced julienne
1 bell pepper, sliced finely (I used red)
1 onion, sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped
3 sticks celery, chopped
1 can coconut milk
4 tbs peanut butter (I used natural smooth, but chunky would work)
1 tbs soy sauce
Juice of one large orange
1 tbs dried ginger (you can sub fresh ginger... I would have but I didn't have any on hand)
2 tbs curry paste (you can sub curry powder instead, but I like the flavor of the peppers and lemongrass)

(I would have LOVED bean sprouts, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and snap peas, but I didn't have any at my house and grocery shopping was out of the question;-) Something spicy, like jalapeno, would have paired well, but kids were eating this too so I left it out.)

Cook the rice according to the directions and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all of the veggies. Add the rice and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine coconut milk,  peanut butter, soy sauce, orange juice, curry powder, and ginger and whisk together well.

Add 1 cup of the peanut sauce to the rice mixture and stir well.

Peel apart the cabbage until you have about 16 large leaves. Rinse them well in water. Spoon the mixture into the leaves and roll up tightly, the roll in another leaf (each roll will have two leaves). Arrange them in a casserole dish, like you would enchiladas.

Close up after baking.  The leaves should start to brown, but not burn.

Pour the remaining peanut sauce over the rolls. Bake at 400 for about 25-35 minutes.

If you aren't into vegan, you could add cooked chicken to the stuffing. Shrimp or tofu would also be yummy.  The vegan version is the perfect "meatless Monday" dish.