Potato Soup

Last month, my mom and sister both came down with the stomach bug.  It wasn't pretty.  Mom was sick for almost a week and Kenzie for a few days.  By the time they were both feeling up to eating again, I was ready with a new recipe: potato soup.  They wanted something slightly bland but still tasty, easy to digest but heart and filling too.  This recipe checked all those boxes.  Plus, it's Pioneer Woman, so it couldn't go wrong.  And she calls it Perfect Potato Soup.  How's that for a name?

Like all good potato soups, this one has a base of potatoes but also carrots, onions and celery.  There's milk and heavy cream in there too, but I changed out the cream for Greek yogurt just to make it a little less rich for the recovering sickies.  The secret spice ingredient is Cajun spice.  I know, I wasn't expecting that either, but it gives the soup a subtle heat and a lot of flavor.  Don't skip it - it wasn't too spicy for any of us, and I hate spice and they were vomiting days earlier, so you'll have to take our advice!

The other thing I really liked about the soup is that you don't blend all of it so it still has some texture.  Totally pureed soups aren't my favorites, and this one still has some nice chunks of veggies in there to sink your teeth into!

The soup gets topped with parsley, cheese and bacon.  I left the bacon and cheese out and was happy enough with the fresh taste of the parsley.  My family topped theirs happily with bacon as well and were very pleased with their dinner.  This soup reheated wonderfully and was a good go-to for lunches.  I know it's 90 degrees out there and you aren't thinking "soup" today, but the next time you put a sweatshirt on, keep this soup in mind.

Recipe:

potato soup
from the Pioneer Woman
yield 12 servings

Ingredients:
6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 whole carrots, scrubbed clean and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 whole small russet potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 cup grated cheese of your choice

Instructions:

1) Add bacon pieces to a soup pot over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp and gat is rendered.  Remove the bacon form the pot and set it aside.  Pour off most of the grease, but do not clean the pot.

2) Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots and celery.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

3) Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil.  Cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are starting to get tender.  Whisk together the flour and milk, then pour into the soup and allow it to cook for another 5 minutes.

4) Remove half to 2/3 of the soup and blend in batched in a blender/food processor until completely smooth, using caution.  Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine.  Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs.  Stir in cream, then stir in parsley, reserving a little for garnish.

5) Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese and crisp bacon pieces.

Banana Pancakes

"Makin' banana pancakes, pretend that it's the weekend now..."

Admit it, any time you hear the words "banana pancakes," you start singing the Jack Johnson song.  Since I was at his concert 5 years ago yesterday, it seems appropriate to be sharing a banana pancake recipe with you today!

Now, I know: banana pancakes aren't that earth-shattering, and who needs a recipe for it?  Just believe me that this isn't your normal pancake batter with banana slices tossed on top.  My mom is a big fan of bananas and pancakes, but with that said, she doesn't like "big chunks of banana" in the pancakes.  Confusing, I know.  But that's what makes this recipe so smart.  Rather than slicing bananas and adding them to the pancakes as they cook, this batter has mashed banana added to it.  Genius.  You get the flavor of banana without the mushy chunks.  Since the weekend starts tomorrow, maybe you'll have the time to put on some Jack Johnson and make banana pancakes.  If you want to top yours with sliced banana - and/or walnuts and/or whipped cream - I say go for it.  Just promise you won't use a box mix okay!?  This is only 2 steps and the results are glorious.

Recipe:

banana pancakes
from Annie's Eats
makes 8 pancakes

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 small ripe banana, mashed
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
additional banana slices for serving
maple syrup, whipped cream, walnuts, etc. for serving

Instructions:
1) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl; set aside to cool slightly.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk together to combine.  In another bowl, combine the mashed banana, milk, eggs, and vanilla. and whisk to blend.  Add the melted butter and the banana mixture to the bowl with dry ingredients and mix gently with a rubber spatula until just blended (the batter will be slightly lumpy).

2) Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Grease lightly with butter.  Drop the batter in 1/3 cup portions onto the heated cooking surface.  Cook until a few bubbles form in the top surface and the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Carefully flip the pancake over and cook on the remaining side until golden brown, 1 - 2 minutes more.  Transfer finished pancakes to a plate in the warm oven while you use the remaining batter, regressing the pan as needed.  Serve warm with maple syrup and sliced bananas as desired.

Italian Crescent Ring

About a month or so ago, my mom went to the beach for the weekend with Kenzie and Nick.  Rachel and I were going to join them after we got out of work, but before that could happen, Mom came down with a stomach bug.  They had to wait out the sickness before coming home, and we never ended up going up.  This resulted in leftover food that they had purchased expecting us to be spending the whole weekend at the beach house.  This leftover food included lots of cold cuts.  Before it could go bad, I decided to try out this recipe for dinner one night.  I had seen Italian crescent rings on Pinterest, and I was interested because I had made a breakfast crescent wreath before and thought it was simply a genius idea: use a can of refrigerated crescent dough, fill it with delicious things, and bake it.  It's like a cooler, much easier version of a calzone.

This Italian crescent ring is a riff on the Italian sub.  There's sliced salami, ham and capocollo, along with provolone cheese.  Then you spice things up with roasted red peppers and hot pepper rings.

Obviously with the plethora of meat, I didn't participate in the devouring of this crescent ring, but my family loved it.  Then I brought the leftovers to work and shared them with my coworkers, who ate it both hot and cold and all agreed that it was great.  If you want to take your Italian sub to the next level, this might be the recipe for you!

Recipe:

Italian crescent ring
from Pillsbury

Ingredients:
2 cans (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/2 cup well drained jarred roasted red peppers
8 slices provolone cheese, halved
1/3 pound deli sliced hot salami
1/4 pound deli sliced ham
1/4 pound deli sliced capocollo
1/2 cup well drained jarred hot pepper rings

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 0 rectangles.  On engrossed 12-inch pizza pan, arrange rectangles in a ring so the short sides of the rectangles form a circle in the center.  The dough will overlap; half of each rectangle will hang of the edge of the pan.  Dough ring should look like a sun.

2) Spread roasted red bell peppers toward center of ring on bottom halves of rectangles.  Top with half of the cheese.  Layer salami, ham and capocollo slices over cheese.  Arrange pepper rings over top.  Cover with remaining half of cheese.

3) Bring each dough rectangle hanging over side of pan up and over stacked filling, tucking dough under bottom layer of dough to secure it.  Repeat around sandwich until entire filling is enclosed (some filling might show a little).  Sprinkle with black pepper.

4) Bake 18 - 22 minutes or until dough is golden brown and thoroughly baked.  Cool 5 - 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices.

Thai Fried Quinoa

I love cooking with quinoa, and one of my favorite recipes is my old standby, quinoa fried rice, which is basically fried rice with quinoa instead of rice.  It has onions and peas and carrots and scrambled egg, and is flavored with ginger, soy and teriyaki sauces,  and sesame oil.  Amazing, right?  But I am always on the lookout for new quinoa dishes, with a particular penchant for quinoa fried rice.  I had tried two different recipes up till this point, but when I found this recipe, I knew I had to make it.  This is fried quinoa but with a Thai twist, including peanuts and pineapple!

Some of the components of this recipe are the same as my favorite one, including peas, scrambled egg and ginger.  But otherwise, this one has a totally different vibe.  The quinoa is cooked in both chicken broth and coconut milk to give it a coconutty taste, and like I said, the pineapple bits are a unique and pretty delicious addition.  There's also cilantro and scallions to spice things up.  The sauce is made by combining lime juice and soy sauce.  I think I would double the sauce next time I try this out, because it was super tasty but kind of got lost in all that quinoa-y goodness.  And don't skip the chopped peanuts - they give such a great crunch to the dish!

Recipe:

Thai fried quinoa
from Iowa Girl Eats
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon microplaned or minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup frozen peas
1 8-ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 eggs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 cup chopped peanuts

Instructions:

1) Place rinsed quinoa in a saucepan over high heat.  Add coconut milk and chicken broth, then bring to a boil.  Once boiling, place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 - 20 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat and spray with nonstick spray.  Add green onions, ginger, and garlic and cook for 2 minute, stirring constantly so as not to burn the garlic.

3) Add peas, pineapple tidbits, and cilantro, and cook for 1 additional minute.

4) Push the ingredients to the sides of the wok to create a clear space in the center.  Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl, then pour into the wok.  Stir with a spatula until the eggs are scrambled, then stir to combine with the rest of the ingredients.

5) Add the cooked quinoa, soy sauce, and lime juice to the wok, and stir to combine.  Cook for an additional minute or two, until the quinoa begins to crisp up.  Steve with chopped peanuts on top.

Black Bean Baked Empanadas and Spanish Rice

Yeah, I'm the kind of cook that enjoys the cooking process.  But even I like some shortcuts every now and then!  And this was one of those nights.  I wanted empanadas but I didn't want to make my own dough, and you know what?  That is okay sometimes!  So bring on the refrigerated pie dough and expect dinner within the hour.  And don't feel too bad about the shortcut (I do sometimes) because you are making Spanish rice from scratch.  Boxed mixes of anything just aren't good (except Ramen noodles and Oodles of Noodles, which are clearly always acceptable).

These empanadas are delicious.  They are filled with corn, black beans, jalapeño, salsa, and monterey jack cheese, and spiced with cumin, lime juice and fresh cilantro.  The pie dough works perfectly and is flaky and buttery!  Next time I will leave out the jalapeño, but that's just me (and my family.  We are big babies. Dousing the empanadas in sour cream helped though!)

Then there's the rice - don't skip it - which is cooked in stewed tomatoes and chicken stock, and flavored with chili powder, oregano, garlic salt and cumin.  Super tasty and so much better than any box mix of Spanish rice.  It will make you feel better about yourself for taking the pie dough shortcut :)

Recipe:

black bean baked empanadas and Spanish rice
from Hip 2 Save
serves 4

Ingredients:
for the rice:
1 15-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/4 cups rice
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon cumin
for the empanadas:
1/4 cup canned or frozen sweet corn
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup salsa
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro
1 package (14.1 ounce) refrigerated pie pastry
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

Instructions:

1) Cook the rice: mash tomatoes with a potato masher or fork. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until rice is done.

2) Meanwhile, make the empanadas.  In a large bowl, mix corn, jalapeños, black beans, salsa, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro. Set aside.  Unroll pie pastry on floured surface.  Use a 4-inch wide cup or round cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough.  Roll out scrap pieces of dough for more circles to make about 20 in total.  You may have some of the filling left; reserve it to serve on the side.

3) Place bean mixture and a pinch of cheese on each circle.  Fold over and use a fork to press down and seal edges.

4) Lay each empanada on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake in a 450 degree oven for about 12 minutes until browned.  Serve with remaining corn and black bean salsa.

Black Bean Roasted Poblano Enchiladas

I'm back from vacation!  Did you miss me?  All things considered, it was a pretty good week.  Life is still not the way I want it to be, but it was nice to be at the ocean.  What's that saying about everything being cured by salt water - tears or the ocean?  Or both?

Anyway, speaking of things not being the way you want... let's talk about these enchiladas.  I was so excited to make them because I recently (this year) learned that I do not hate poblano peppers (thanks to these stuffed poblanos and this slow cooker quinoa white chili with roasted poblanos).  I'm not scared of them anymore; they aren't the spicy little demons I imagined them to be.  These enchiladas match roasted poblanos and black beans with a tomatillo sauce.  Plus, monterey jack cheese.  Enough said, right?

The problems started right away.  First the grocery store didn't have tomatillos, either canned like the recipe calls for or even fresh.  Since I couldn't make my own tomatillo sauce, I bought a jar of it, and while I didn't like skipping that step, it certainly made dinner come together much more quickly.

Then, I found out the broiler didn't work.  So the charred poblanos were more like baked poblanos.  Not the end of the world, but annoying.

The final result definitely had potential.  The cheesy, beany filling is hearty and has great texture thanks to half of the beans getting mashed and the other half being left intact.  Flavored with onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin and coriander, they have great taste.

But there's bad news.  The tomatillo sauce I bought was so spicy that it practically rendered the meal inedible.  Even Nick agreed it was insanely spicy, and my mom said it was the spiciest thing she ever ate.  Our mouths were on fire despite covering the enchiladas with sour cream (which helped a little bit).  The worst part was that we all thought the enchiladas had great flavor, but it was hard to appreciate it when your tongue felt raw.   My advice?  Don't give up on these enchiladas, because I haven't.  I will definitely try again and I will make my own sauce.  I will not use a jar of lava, which is apparently what I used this time.  Another example of the power of making things from scratch!

Recipe:

black bean roasted poblano enchiladas
from Annie's Eats
yield 8 servings

Ingredients:
4 poblano chiles
2 13-ounce cans tomatillos, drained
2 onions, finely chopped, divided
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
1/3 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
5 cloves garlic, divided
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (1 15-ounce can), rinsed
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded and divided
8 - 10 7-8-inch flour tortillas

Instructions:

1) Preheat the broiler with an oven rack 6 inches from the heating element.  Place the poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Place under the broiler and cook, turning as needed, until the skins are blackened and blistered on all sides.  Remove from the oven, transfer to a medium bowl, and cover.  Let stand for at least 15 minutes.  Once cool enough to handle, peel away the skins and discard.  Seed and chop the peppers.  Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

2) In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tomatillos, half of the onion, half of the cilantro, broth, cream, half the olive oil, 3 whole garlic cloves (peeled), lime juice, sugar, and salt.  Process until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Adjust seasoning with pepper if needed.

3) In a bowl, mash half of the beans with forks or a potato masher until mostly smooth.  Heat the remaining tablespoon of the oil in a  large skillet over medium heat.  Add the remaining onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 - 7 minutes.  Stir in the remaining 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed, chili powder, coriander, and cumin, and cook until fragrant, until 30 seconds.  Stir in the chopped poblanos, mashed beans, and remaining whole beans.  Cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4) Transfer the bean mixture to a large bowl.  Mix in 1 cup of the cheese, 1/2 cup of the tomatillo sauce, and the remaining 1/2 cup cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spread 1/2 cup of the tomatillo sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover with a damp dish towel, and microwave 30 - 60 seconds, until warm and pliable.

5) With one tortilla at a time, fill with about 1/3 cup filling down the center.  Roll up the tortilla tightly around the filling and place in the baking dish, seam side down.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas until the filling is used up.  Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese over the top.  Cover the dish with lightly greased foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, about 25 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Mexican Haystacks, Two Ways

I was just sharing my blog with someone and explaining that, while I am a vegetarian, many members of my family (okay, all of them) are not.  So most of my recipes are meat-free, but every now and then I have to throw the rest of them a bone (literally.  I made ribs on Sunday).

One nice trick I have learned is to figure out a way to make both a meaty and meatless meal at the same time like my vegetarian blog-idol, Kitchen Treaty with her One Dish, Two Ways section.  Here's my first attempt at making the same kind of compromise dish: Mexican haystacks.  Traditionally, haystacks are piles of rice, salsa, ground turkey, and toppings.  I suppose this looks like haystacks?  I like to mix mine all together, but they do look pretty cute with all the separate layers.

Of course, ground turkey isn't my cup of tea, and when I went to the grocery store, I couldn't find any (couldn't even find ground chicken).  Totally fine with me!  I decided to make a vegetarian version using beans in place of the turkey.  Should you want the meat version for your family, go for it.  If you'd rather the beans, kudos to you!  Or, should you want to go with both, that's totally possible too; just cut your garlic powder, salsa and onion in half and cook the beans with one half and the meat with the other.  Dinner, done.  Everyone, happy.

With that said, I should add that my family loved the vegetarian version of these haystacks.  They are so fresh and bright - do not skip the mango!  The toppings tie everything together and make it special!

Recipe:

Mexican Haystacks, Two Ways
adapted from Whole and Free
serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:
for rice:
2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 bunch fresh cilantro
for meat or bean layer:
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or 2 14-ounce cans kidney beans
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups salsa
toppings:
1 - 2 avocados, chopped
1 - 2 red peppers, chopped
1 - 2 ripe mangoes, chopped
fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1) Start your brown rice in a pot on the stove according to package instructions.

2) If you're making the meat version, add ground turkey and chopped onion to a large sauce pan.  Add garlic powder, salt and pepper.  When the turkey is browned, add salsa.  Bring the salsa to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime, chop the cilantro, pepper, avocado and mango.

or

2) If you're making the vegetarian version, add beans and chopped onion to a large sauce pan.  Add garlic powder, salt and pepper.  When the turkey is browned, add salsa.  Bring the salsa to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime, chop the cilantro, pepper, avocado and mango.

or

2) If you're making both meat and vegetarian versions, add ground turkey and 1/2 chopped onion to a medium sauce pan.  Brown turkey.  Add beans and the other 1/2 onion to another medium sauce pan.  Add 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder to both, followed by 2 cups salsa to each pan.  Bring the salsa to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.   In the meantime, chop the cilantro, pepper, avocado and mango.

3) When rice is done, stir in almost all of the fresh cilantro, leaving enough to garnish each dish.

4) To serve, stack
rice and meat/beans on each plate, and allow everyone to choose their own toppings.