Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
Finally! A split pea soup recipe without bacon or ham. This is one of my favorite soups and you do not usually find a vegetarian-friendly version. This may be time consuming, but it absolutely suitable for this chilly, rainy day.
Vegetarian Split Pea Soup
1 bag (12 ounces) dried split green peas
2.5 quarts water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a large Dutch oven, bring the peas and water to a boil over high heat for 2 minutes, uncovered. Cover and Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
After an hour has elapsed, add oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and thyme to the oil and cook for about 10 minutes, or until softened. Add the mixture and bay leaves to the Dutch oven and simmer over medium-low heat for about 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Credit to Shannon for the recipe and photo at The Curvy Carrot http://www.thecurvycarrot.com/2011/02/24/vegetarian-split-pea-soup/
Baked Sopapilla Cheesecake
A friend posted this recipe that she found yesterday and I, knowing I had all 6 ingredients, immediately made them for breakfast. It really does not get better than the combination of buttery and flaky crescent rolls, sweetened cream cheese, and cinnamon. I must warn you though, these are not at all healthy and you’ll probably find yourself eating the 8 pieces the recipe yields. If you bake these little bad boys, please serve them surrounded by caution tape… if you do decide to share with others!
Baked Sopapilla Cheesecake
2 cans pillsbury butter crescent rolls
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter, melted
cinnamon and sugar, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll one can of crescent rolls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and spread equally over each piece of dough. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and fold over the mixture. Brush melted butter over the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. Serve fresh out of the oven and enjoy!
Thank you to Alina for the recipe, photo, and extra calories at My Yellow Umbrella- http://myellowumbrella.blogspot.com/2010/10/sopapilla-cheesecake.html
Red Curry with Shrimp
It has been a very long half of a year of nursing school! Thankfully I had a small break so Rocky and I were able to go on a date. We started out at an art gallery in Deering Estates (amazing venue) and then wandered over to Sushi Maki. It was our first time there and I was so happy we tried it. I have had curry once before and did not like it, but Rocky and I did “halves-ies” (we split my eel rolls and his thai shrimp curry) and I thought the dish was incredible.
Red Curry with Shrimp
2 cups medium cooked shrimp, deveined and tails removed
1 cup fresh carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh snap peas
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
For curry sauce:
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons tomato puree, cooked
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground comin
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
Combine all ingredients for the sauce and process in a food processor or blender. Add the curry sauce to a wok and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the shrimp, vegetables, and cinnamon and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Serve over rice, if desired, and enjoy!
Hot and Sour Soup
The hot and sour soup from Pf Chang’s is the best soup I’ve ever eaten. Since I am recently a vegetarian, I can no longer go to the restaurant for this wonder as it contains chicken. I decided recently to make my own vegetarian version and absolutely loved it! I am actually forcing myself to write this so I do not get up to serve myself another bowl. Is it dinner yet?
Hot and Sour Soup
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
7 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut into strips
1 quart vegetable stock
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper
1 can (6 ounces) bamboo shoots, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
6 ounces firm tofu, cubed
3 ounces white vinegar
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and saute the mushrooms, about 3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Mix in the soy sauce, pepper, and bamboo shoots and cook, about 3 minutes. Mix the corn starch and water together and add to the boiling mixture.
Add the eggs, stirring in until cooked, about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and add the tofu and vinegar. Stir to combine, ladel into soup bowls, and enjoy!
Tilapia Parmesan Rolls
We just learned that our dog has been diagnosed with IVDD. In an effort to save money to afford a possible surgery, we are cutting costs in the kitchen. Although cooking for a pescetarian can be pricey, it becomes very much affordable by just switching from fresh to frozen fish. Who knew that 8 pieces of tilapia could cost 9 dollars? This recipe was an easy few ingredients, cost next to nothing, and was absolutely delicious!
Tilapia Parmesan Rolls
4 tilapia filets
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
salt and pepper, to taste
4 hot dog buns (I used Martin’s long roll potato rolls)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pat defrosted filets dry and season with lemon pepper. Place in a greased baking sheet and cook for 12 minutes.
Mix butter and parmesan cheese together. Remove fish from oven and spread cheese mixture evenly over each filet. Place each in a potato bun and broil for about 2 minutes, or until cheese bubbles and the roll is toasted. Serve with lemon and enjoy!
Credit for recipe and photo to Jessica at How Sweet It Is (http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/01/easy-baked-parmesan-tilapia/).
Maple Pecan Rice Pudding
One of my favorite things to do is cook with my grandma. When we are not cooking, we are often watching the food network to get ideas for our next dish. Recently, we watched an episode about rice with Ina Garten and she made the most delicious looking rice pudding I have ever seen. It included all of my grandma’s favorite ingredients (raisins, maple, and pecans) so I surprised her with some on this lazy, rainy afternoon. It was probably one of the most delicious desserts I have ever made.
Maple Pecan Rice Pudding
3/4 cup white basmati rice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water
3 cups half and half
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
Combine rice, salt, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, on low for 9 minutes.
Add half and half and sugar. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, on low for 30 minutes. Stir often. Slowly stir in the egg to the mixture and cook for an additional minute. Turn off the heat and add in the vanilla extract, maple syrup, and raisins. Stir well and pour into a medium bowl. Top with pecans, either warm or chilled, and enjoy!
Credit for photo and recipe to Ina Garten at the Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/maple-pecan-rice-pudding-recipe/index.html).
Blueberry Peach Crisp
Rocky and I recently went to Grand Lux Cafe to celebrate my acceptance into nursing school! It is probably one of my favorite places, especially because of their warm apple crisp dessert. We had not been there in a while, but when it was time to order dessert the absolutely amazing apple crisp was changed to a peach blueberry crisp. Although I was not sure if I liked peaches, the dessert was equally amazing! I was thrilled to find a recipe online and share it with the family.
Blueberry Peach Crisp
1/4 cup butter, softened
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup pecans, chopped
3 cups blueberries, washed and dried to room temperature
3 medium peaches, halved, pitted, and sliced (about 1/2 inch thick)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Work butter into the mixture until clumpy. Stir in the pecans and set aside. In a large bowl, toss the blueberries, peaches, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg together.
Pour the fruit mixture into a greased 9-inch square pan (or pie crust, if desired). Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over the fruit. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is bubbling and the topping is browned. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Credit to Jennifer Yu for photo and recipe at Use Real Butter (http://userealbutter.com/2009/08/17/blueberry-peach-crisp-recipe/).
Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
It was almost 8pm and I still hadn’t made dinner for the family. I wanted to make something quick and easy that I could just pop in the oven while we all continued on with our Harry Potter movie marathon. This dish was a nice change from the baked pastas I usually make and fed a family of 6 for a little under 11 dollars!
Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
1 green pepper, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed
12 6-inch corn tortillas
1 can tomato sauce
2 1/2 cups jack cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a saucepan and saute onion and pepper, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add tomatoes and cumin and allow mixture to simmer on low for 5 minutes. Add black beans and remove saucepan from heat.
In a 9”x13” casserole dish, layer a third of the black bean mixture, 6 tortillas, and 1 cup cheese. Repeat once. Top the casserole with the remaining black bean mixture and tomato sauce. Cover with tin foil and cook for 30 minutes. Remove foil, top with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and cook for 5 more minutes, or until cheese has melted. Cut into squares, serve, and enjoy!
Credit to Kelly for photo and recipe at The Meaning of Pie (http://www.themeaningofpie.com/2010/09/black-bean-enchilada-casserole/).
Pizza-Stuffed Mushrooms
My sister and I bought a spaghetti squash while at Whole Foods the other day. She had seen a simple recipe that used the squash instead of pasta, so we thought we would try it. She enjoyed it, but it is something I would have to get used to as a substitute for pasta. The appetizer we made while the squash baked, however, was amazing! It was very easy to make and equally easy to eat.
Pizza-Stuffed Mushrooms
1 pound cremini or button mushrooms, cleaned
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella, but use your favorite!)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove stems from mushrooms and finely chop. Fill mushroom cavities with chopped stems and tomato sauce. Top with cheese and bread crumbs. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese begins to brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Credit for photo and recipe inspiration to Gimme Some Oven (http://gimmesomeoven.com/stuffed-mushrooms-with-blue-cheese-sun-dried-tomato-pesto/).
Shrimp and Corn Tomato Bisque
It’s a very lazy Saturday today! I woke up at 9 but did not get out of bed until almost noon (only because I was getting hungry). It’s been raining on and off, so I stayed in and just grabbed some leftover corn and shrimp from the housewarming party to concoct something on my own. This soup was hearty and heartwarming- absolutely perfect while laying in bed on this rainy summer day.
Shrimp and Corn Tomato Bisque
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ribs celery, chopped
2 cans tomato bisque soup (I used Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Bisque Soup)
3 cups water
1 can whole kernal corn
2 cups medium cooked shrimp, deveined and tails removed
salt and pepper, to taste
In a dutch oven, heat oil on medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add celery and cook and additional 2 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Mix in tomato soup and water and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Add shrimp and corn and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Credit to Jon Danao for photo at Silk Routes (http://silkroutes.com/2010/09/grilled-corn-soup/).
