"lightened up" loaded potato soup

happy new year!!

while i'm not a huge fan of january or february and the cold that they bring, i am a huge fan of simple soup recipes. there is no better time of year than now to make big batches of soup!

soup can really be at either end of the health spectrum. there are broth-based, veggie-filled, good-for-you varieties, and there are some that are loaded with cream and calories. this recipe from southern living (my favorite magazine) is a great compromise for when you want one of those hearty, creamy soups without the caloric load.

you will need:

• 4 red potatoes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk (recipe called for 1% but i used skim with no problem!)
• 1/4 cup lite sour cream (can also replace with greek yogurt)
• salt & pepper
• bacon and cheese for topping, if desired

1. pierce potatoes with a fork, and microwave on high for 13 minutes. let cool.

2. saute onion in oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. add broth. combine flour and 1/2 cup milk and add to the pan. then add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk. 

3. bring to a boil, stirring often. boil for 1 minute. 

4. remove from heat and stir in sour cream, salt and pepper.

5. discard potato skins and coarsely mash into the soup. top with cheese and bacon.

this recipe makes 4 servings, and each only has 325 calories-not bad for a loaded potato soup!

here's how mine turned out...so good with a grilled cheese sandwich!

enjoy!

roasted veggie penne

hello everyone!

i hope you're all having a great week so far. i'm so thankful this is a short week due to good friday, and i'm pretending today is really wednesday.

everything is going well in our world...winding down this semester of school for michael (less than a month to go!), getting ready for our upcoming vacation, and of course still being very excited about baby. she/he is the size of a peach this week, and i actually have a fairly noticeable and permanent bump. fun week!

we made today's recipe several weeks ago, when it was still too cold to be spring and i was wishing for anything that made it feel like summer. this is a pasta dish, but it's loaded with veggies and isn't heavy at all. perfect for these warmer days! (even though this week is a bit of a bump in the road...come back 80s!)

[original recipe found here]

you will need:

• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 medium bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz whole-grain penne pasta
• 1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan (or pecorino) cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn (or a few teaspoons dried basil)
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1. heat large pot of salted water to boiling to prepare for pasta. preheat oven to 450.

2. in a large bowl, combine zucchini, peppers, broccoli, onion, garlic, and olive oil. divide between 2 baking sheets (i lined mine with foil for easy clean-up). sprinkle with salt and roast 15-20 minutes, stirring once. veggies should be browned and tender after roasting.

3. while veggies cook, add penne to boiling water and cook according to the package directions. reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water. drain pasta and return to pot.

4. to pasta, add tomatoes, cheese, basil, crushed red pepper, roasted veggies, and salt. stir to combine, adding pasta water if needed. cook on medium heat for 2 minutes before serving.

the final product. can you tell how cold i was??

enjoy!

cream cheese pancakes

i think we (michael and i) can officially call ourselves pancake fanatics. we used to have pancakes pretty much every saturday and sunday morning, unless we went out to brunch, and i love finding new ways to make them different. now that i've been having some weird food cravings/aversions, we haven't had pancakes as much, but since i'm officially at the end of my first trimester, i'm happy to work them back into my diet!

awhile back, i tried the quinoa pancakes recipe you can find here. i also like to mix in bananas, chocolate chips, cinnamon, etc. to make the usual pancakes a little more special.

about a month or so ago, i tried something very different: cream cheese pancakes. (original recipe here)

there are 4 very simple ingredients to make 8 pancakes:

-4 oz cream cheese

-4 eggs

-2 packets splenda (or sweetener of your choice)

-1 tsp cinnamon

put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. let the batter sit for a few minutes until the bubbles settle down, then fry on a griddle as usual.

not surprisingly for me, i took a "before" shot and was so excited to eat that i didn't take an "after". to be fair, i started the batter and michael cooked the pancakes while i was upstairs scrambling to get ready for church. sooo i missed a few photo ops. :)

anyway, here's what they look like, courtesy of ibreatheimhungry.com:

next time you're in the mood for a different kind of pancake, give these a try! so easy and fast (and gluten and carb free, might i add)!

leftover ricotta version 2-ricotta pancakes

part 2 of my leftover ricotta saga....

after the kale dip was made, i still had about 3/4 cup ricotta cheese to deal with. we love our pancakes around the segura household, so making a pancake batter for the next day's breakfast was a perfect solution!

this recipe is based on martha stewart's lemon-poppy seed ricotta pancakes, but i modified it in several ways to fit the ingredients i had on hand.

these pancakes are so light and fluffy, thanks to the egg whites, and just sweet enough without being overpowering. so so good and unusual!

here's what you need:

-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 1/2 tbsp sugar
-pinch of salt
-1 cup ricotta cheese (i only had 3/4 cup, so i added a little plain greek yogurt to make up the difference)
-3 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
-3/4 cup milk (i used almond milk)

[the original recipe calls for lemon zest and poppy seeds, which i'm sure would be fabulous in these pancakes, but i didn't have either on hand at the time]

1. in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder.

2. in a large bowl, mix ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.

3. add the dry mixture to the cheese mixture and mix until just combined.

4. beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff. gently fold egg whites into batter. [we put the batter in the fridge, covered, overnight at this step. turned out fine!]

5. cook and enjoy!

mexican chicken & veggie casserole

i've had this recipe in my cookbook for quite awhile, and i'm not sure where it came from. regardless, it's a really simple, healthy casserole that could quickly become a go-to dinner meal.

you'll need:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cups chopped or sliced zucchini (i thinly slice mine, but either will work)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
• 1 can ranch-style beans
• 1 1-oz package taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup light sour cream (i subbed in non-fat greek yogurt since i don't love sour cream)
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 8-oz package low-fat cream cheese
• 12 5" corn tortillas
• 3 chicken breasts (the original recipe did not include chicken, and this is a great vegetarian meal if you'd like it to be. we added chicken this time though!)

1. preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x9" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. add zucchini and onion and cook for 8-10 minutes.

3. add corn, black beans, ranch-style beans, tomatoes, and taco seasoning. stir and turn heat to low.

4. in the meantime, if you prefer to add chicken, cook it any way you like. i used my grill pan, but you could bake it or cook it in a saute pan. once the chicken is done, slice it into bite-sized pieces.

5. in a small bowl, combine 1 cup of cheddar, cream cheese, and sour cream/greek yogurt. mix until blended.

6. layer 4 tortillas on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. top tortillas with 1/2 of the zucchini mix, then top evenly with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. you can add the chicken to the zucchini mix or just place separately on top of the cheese layer.

7. place 4 tortillas on top of the cheese layer, then top with remaining zucchini mixture. add the rest of the cheese mixture on top, then cover the casserole with 4 more tortillas. sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

i forgot to take a picture before we dug in! this is
after we each had a serving so excuse the rough appearance :)
it's way prettier when it's fresh out of the oven!

enjoy!

quick meal ideas

i don't know about y'all, but i think having an arsenal of quick-to-make meals can be a lifesaver.

i'm lucky to have a husband who currently cooks 90% of our meals, but if i happen to forget to buy an ingredient, or it's the weekend and we don't have a set meal plan, i am always thankful for a familiar meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make.

here are a few of my favorites:

• breakfast for dinner: we always have eggs, grits, and pancake mix in the house. we also typically have bacon, so we can have a good breakfast made in about 15 minutes.
  
  even though my mom is probably disappointed by this, i make only instant grits. i actually don't think i've ever made "real" grits. oh well, these taste good to me! i love the cheese flavored kind from quaker.
  
  as for pancakes, we always have one of the "complete"/just add water mixes in the pantry. i try to always buy whole wheat if it's available. whole wheat mixes are becoming more and more common, so these are increasingly easy to find!

• almond butter & banana sandwiches: i know a lot of people enjoy peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but if you've never tried it, i highly recommend subbing in almond butter instead. i buy the crunchy version, and it is too good for words with some ripe bananas and a little honey.
  
  

• black bean burgers/frozen veggies: i don't eat frozen burgers very often, but i am always so thankful i have them in a pinch. i eat these mostly when michael isn't home, or for lunch at work. in fact,  just this week i didn't have leftovers for lunch so i took a black bean burger, stuck it in the freezer at work, and warmed it up for a minute and a half. voila! instant lunch.
  
  frozen vegetables are also used all the time in our house. we typically do all of our grocery shopping on the weekends, so depending on the quality of the fresh produce in the store, it might go bad by friday. we always have a few bags of veggies in the freezer so we don't miss our veggie side with dinner. a few favorites: brussels sprouts, broccoli, and the standard target "italian blend".
  
  
  
  
• spaghetti: spaghetti might be michael's favorite meal we ever make. if not his favorite, it's in his top 5. we always have some sort of whole wheat pasta on hand, and 9 times out of 10 it's spaghetti or angel hair. i also try to keep an extra jar of pasta sauce in the pantry (or make your own! see this post for my take on gwenyth paltrow's simple tomato sauce). i prefer my spaghetti with ground beef/turkey and mushrooms, but even if we don't have either of those on hand, noodles with sauce will always work. pair it with a veggie side and you have a meal!

must try recipe: quinoa pancakes

do yall ever have one ingredient in your pantry that just sits around...you look at it for weeks...you always consider using it...and it still sits there?

that ingredient for me was a little bag of quinoa:

i bought it forever ago, and while i've used quinoa before, i kept this around for awhile just thinking of something different to do with it.

thanks to pinterest, i found what i was looking for: this recipe from the patrician palette. patricia made quinoa pancakes with blueberry maple syrup. since we had a couple of lazy mornings this past weekend, i knew this would be perfect to try.

[side note: for anyone who's scared of quinoa, don't be! it's a grain-like product that's high in protein and gluten-free. it makes a great side instead of rice, pasta, etc. it's really easy to make and will take on any flavor you add to it.]

here's what you need:

pancakes:
-2 eggs
-2 1/2 cups buttermilk (see substitution below)
-4 tbsp shortening (see substitution below)
-2 1/2 cups flour
-2 tsp sugar
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp salt
-1 cup cooked quinoa

syrup:
-maple syrup
-6 oz fruit (recipe called for fresh blueberries, but i used frozen strawberries, thawed)

substitutions:

-i didn't have any buttermilk on hand, so i subbed in skim milk + lemon juice. for each cup of milk, you need 1 tbsp lemon juice (vinegar works too!). mix and let stand for 10 minutes before using.

-i prefer not to use shortening, so i used 4 tbsp vegetable oil instead.

directions:

1. beat eggs well. add remaining ingredients and mix until blended.

2. pour onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle. cook until golden brown on each side.

3. add syrup and fruit to a small saucepan. heat on low until syrup is warm.

4. pour syrup over pancakes. i served these with bacon, because really...what is better than bacon and syrup? yum.

i highly, highly recommend making this recipe. it's so filling, and the pancakes are a really unique texture thanks to the addition of quinoa.

enjoy!

simple homemade tomato sauce

happy monday everyone!

we had such a great weekend! we got to hang out with lots of our friends and had plenty of time to relax at home (my perfect combo).

i also got to do a little cooking this weekend, which i enjoy so much more now that i do it in my free time instead of rushing to cook dinner after work every night. (thanks again, chef michael!)

one thing i've been wanting to try for awhile is a homemade tomato sauce that i can make, freeze, and use instead of store-bought tomato/pasta sauce. even though lots of stores have healthier versions of pasta sauces these days, they're typically still loaded with sodium, artificial colorings, etc.

my parents bought me gwenyth paltrow's cookbook it's all good for Christmas, and i love it! she is fairly famous in the food world now for her lifestyle/cooking blogs and books, and this one in particular has a lot of great recipes, as well as some articles talking about why she chooses to eat the way she does. while it would be hard for "normal" people like me to eat this way all the time, i think it is great to try to cut out as many processed, artificial foods as possible.

anyway, it just so happens that this book has a homemade tomato sauce recipe in it that's so easy! as soon as i read it, i put the ingredients on my shopping list to make this weekend. it turned out really well and made the house smell awesome!

here's what you need:
-2 tbsp olive oil
-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
-4 large fresh basil leaves (or 2 tbsp dried basil)
-2 28-oz cans whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice
-salt & pepper

directions:

1. heat olive oil in a large saucepan on low heat.
2. add garlic and cook for 5 minutes

3. add basil and cook for 1 minute

4. add both cans of tomatoes and their juice, and bring to a boil.
5. turn heat down to low and let simmer for 45 minutes, covered. stir occasionally and break up tomatoes with a wooden spoon.
**note: i had a hard time breaking up the tomatoes, even after they cooked for 45 minutes. i took out my handy potato masher, and it worked like a charm!
6. let sauce cool before packing. this recipe made roughly 4 cups, which i packed in 2 mason jars. it will keep in the fridge for a week and in the freezer for up to 6 months.

enjoy!