Butternut Squash Soup

Okay, okay.... Don't laugh. I was reading "RedBook" magazine 

and I stumbled upon the recipe section within the magazine. 

I quickly skimmed through the ingredients of "Kelly's Butternut Squash Soup"

and realized just HOW easy this soup could be. 

I also noticed the base was a vegetable stock and coconut milk. 

Even better!

Ingredients:

4 tbsp Olive Oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium onions, diced small

2 large butternut quash (2 lb), peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

2 small yukon gold or russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used 4 small yukon)

8 cups vegetable stock or water (I actually used chicken stock)

2 cups canned coconut milk (I used lite)

salt and pepper to taste

This recipe makes 12 servings. Each (1 cup serving): ~210 cal.

Heat oil in a large stock-pot over medium-low heat.
Add garlic, onion and a pinch of salt, stirring until translucent, 3 to 5 min.

Add squash.

Add carrots and potatoes.

Add stock.
Bring to a BOIL.
Lower heat to a simmer and cook 25-30 min,
or until vegetables can be easily pierced with a fork.
Remove from heat and add coconut milk.

Puree soup with a blender. 

Season with salt and pepper.

I garnished my bowl of soup with 4 oz. grilled chicken.
This is a great soup.
Easy. Simple and very delicious!

Recipe courtesy of: Redbook Magazine p.24; Kelly Osbourne, "Kelly's Butternut Squash Soup"

Olive Garden Breadsticks

Why do I LOVE Olive Garden?.....THOSE BREADSTICKS!!! 

So dang good! I wanted to make these at home. 

I wanted to try to see if I could perfect those little boogers into the hot, buttery taste of the real thing.

 So I tried different sauces. Butter, garlic, parmesan, salt, different spices....All kinds of different mixtures with melted butter, drizzled over bread. None really tasted like it.

Until I gave up thinking that it was a mystery concoction and realized it was as simple as this little COMBO:

So FIRST OFF, open this tab, "HOMEMADE BREAD"

and prepare bread as normal.

Once you get to the point of dividing up your bread into equal portions, use ONE (or more if you want)

portion and roll it out like a big rectangle.

You want to have some thickness to your rectangle.
Maybe just a tad thicker than pictured.

Lay all breadsticks on parchment paper.

I ended up making small loaves of bread AND bread-sticks.

Cover all bread with clean towels.

Let rise for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven first to 350.
Bake for 15 min or until they look like this.
 (slightly golden brown)

Once out of the oven, brush melted butter over all breadsticks.
Lightly sprinkle garlic salt over the buttered breadsticks.
(Lawry's seems to taste MOST like the olive garden type)

...and there you HAVE it!
So easy.
Unlimited bread sticks out of your own oven.
Your welcome.

Saucy Asian (Turkey) Meatballs

Oooooh! Now, THIS is worth a try!

I came across this recipe this morning, and thought this just looked amazing! 

Mason even loves meatballs and that's ONE way I have been able to hide vegetable purees within the meatballs, but for this recipe, I just wanted to try it out without putting my own twist to it. 

So here's a tasty lunch, dinner or appetizer idea!

Meatball Ingredients: (makes 40 meatballs)

1  1/2 lb. Lean Ground turkey (I used 93/7)--I'm almost certain 99% fat free will work just fine (FYI: the original recipe calls for ground beef)

1/2 lb. ground pork

2 tsp. sesame oil

1 C. panko breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

3 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 C. thinly-sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Thoroughly mix everything together.

Roll into forty 1 in. meatballs.
Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bake for 10 min. Rotate meatballs. If you are using two baking sheets, then this is also the time to rotate the pans.
Bake an additional 10 min. (20 min total baking time)

Asian Sauce Ingredients:

1 1/3 C. Hoisin sauce (you'll need 2 jars)

1/2 C. Rice vinegar

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C. Soy sauce

2 tsp. Sesame Oil

2 tsp. Ground ginger

Optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Mix everything in a saucepan and heat through. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. 

We served 5 meatballs over 1/2 C. brown rice with 1 C. steamed veggies.

You can use this tasty recipe for appetizers at any event as well.
The sauce contributes a sweet and tangy bite to the hearty meatball that makes a delicious dinner.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from http://cookingwithmandy.blogspot.com/2013/02/saucy-asian-meatballs.html

Rainbow Coleslaw

This is an amazingly crunchy 

coleslaw that has a tangy, sweet bite to it!

First off, I've never been a fan of Coleslaw. Coleslaw reminds me of watered-down, mayonnaise covered goo that sinks down into a runny-sauced cabbage.

THIS IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT!

Ingredients:
1 small cabbage, shredded (1 1/2 pounds shredded)
1 medium onion (I use a yellow, or white)
1 Carrot, shredded
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 small sweet red bell pepper, chopped
1 small sweet yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 C. Sugar
2/3 C. white vinegar
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. Celery seeds
1/4 tsp. ground mustard

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl, STIR.
In a saucepan, combine sugar and remaining 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Pour vinegar/sugar mixture over cabbage mixture; TOSS.

Cover and Chill at least 2 hours. (preferably overnight)

Enjoy with a BBQ dinner, or just as a healthy side-dish.
Serves 8-- Calories--140/serving

Recipe Courtesy of Jennifer Cooper

Easy String Beans and Onions

I'm a HUGE fan of green beans. I love them. I grew up having green beans as a side dish a lot. My mom used canned beans, then fresh....whatever she had. 

I prefer fresh now, because you can make it taste like anything you want it to taste.

Ingredients:

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 Cup white or yellow onion, halved and sliced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, grated (on a rasp)

1 1/2lbs. fresh string beans, sliced into thirds

1 C. chicken stock

Lemon wedge for spritzing

Prepare your veggies first.
Cut off the stems.

Rinse and wash.

Cut onions, halved and sliced

In a Saute pan, with straight sides or a medium pot, add the olive oil and raise the heat to Medium high.
Add the onions and season with a pinch of salt and a grind or 2 of black pepper.

Cook the onions, stirring and moving around, until tender and translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic and LOWER the heat. Continue cooking for about 2 min.
ADD the string beans and season with salt and pepper. Stir to Coat.

Then, add the chicken stock. 

Raise the heat to a simmer and cover.
Cook until the green beans are very tender, about 25 minutes.

Spritz with Lemon just before serving.
My hubby makes the best ribs and we decided to pair it along BBQ basted chipotle rubbed ribs! YUM!

Enjoy! This is a simple staple and we enjoy it a lot!

Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson, foodnetwork.com "Easy String Beans and Onions"

Mexican Cream Cheese Chicken Dip

This is a super EASY recipe and one that is so versatile. This is from my mother-in-law. She's always been an awesome cook and we always enjoyed having dinner at the Roberts home!

She made this for us all the time. 

It's awesome! 

Only a few ingredients and very easy. 

It can be used as a dip for chips or it can be the main course for tacos or burritos.

Boil 4 chicken breasts for 30 min.

Ingredients:

4 Chicken breasts, shredded

2 sticks of cream cheese. (You can use lo-fat or fat free)

1 can diced green chiles

1 jar of salsa (we use 24 oz.)

Mix everything in a crock pot.

Cook on high for 4 hours.
Stirring every 30 min or so.

....and here you go.
A creamy and spicy chicken dip.
Serve with chips or as the main dish in tacos or burritos or cafe style salads.

Hot Artichoke Dip

Entertaining? This is a great artichoke dip to entertain with. 

Forget buying a pre-made artichoke dip at the store. Go get a few ingredients and make this. It's super easy & hearty! This recipe has been a classic one in our household and it was started by my sister, Michelle. She always makes this for parties, get togethers or birthdays. Whatever the occasion, it's always around. YUMM!

Ingredients:

1 stick of cream cheese

1 1/2- 2 C. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese ( I use 2)

1/2 C. Parmesan cheese

1 C. Mayonnaise

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 handful of parsley flakes

3 small jars of "CARA MIA" Artichoke hearts (marinated in oil)-- make sure 2 out of the 3 jars are fully drained of the oil, but do not rinse them. Leave one jar with all of it's oil.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Put first 6 ingredients in a large saucepan, on medium heat.

Parsley flakes added to saucepan as well

Drain 2 jars and leave one jar with all of it's oil.

Put all three jars into a blender or food processor. If you like it chunky, then pulse it.
I puree my artichoke hearts.

Add the pureed hearts to the saucepan.

mix well on low heat

Take a sourdough bread bowl and cut a circle in the top.

Then GUT IT.

It should be pretty hollow now.

Pour dip into the bread bowl.

Cover with the bread bowl top and wrap in foil.

Make sure it is FULLY covered.

Place in oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours
or
350 degrees for 30 min.

Once cooked, serve with bread, chips or even veggies.
Remove foil. Place on a platter with bread around it and serve!
Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Michelle Sanchez. Another food-tastic-sister!