Vegetarian Kale Soup

So...this weekend I needed to fix a nourishing meal that me and the hubs could enjoy.  Sweet boy would enjoy it too, I'm sure, but he's still nursing, so breast milk is as good as it gets these days!  Anyhow, me and Jay needed something warm and comforting and filling but not too heavy.  I searched around and found this - Vegetarian Kale Soup!  Yummers!!!  I whipped up a batch and it was delish!  In fact, I just finished it off for lunch today.  This is a tasty soup, so get your taste buds ready!  All the credit goes to allrecipes.com!  I don't have a picture of the food to accompany this post so I'll just post a pic of my little sweet boy instead. :-)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves

chopped

8 cups water

6 cubes vegetable bouillon (such as

Knorr)

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

6 white potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans

(drained if desired)

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons dried parsley (I only used 1 tablespoon though)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot; cook the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the water, vegetable bouillon, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Simmer soup on medium heat for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with a piece of cheese toast and a tall glass of milk!
~Priscilla

Baked Potato Soup

...with a side of Jeffrey!

Ingredients

• 3 bacon strips, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Minced fresh parsley

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

*Recipe from www.allrecipes.com          

-Sarah

Balsamic Marinated Skirt Steak with Grated Potato Pancakes

This is a very simple and healthy recipe with few ingredients.  It didn't take long to make and I served it with steamed zucchini squash!  Enjoy!

Balsamic Marinated Skirt Steak

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 rosemary sprigs
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rosemary, and garlic in a glass or plastic dish, and stir to combine. Add skirt steak, and coat well with marinade. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours.
2. Preheat broiler or grill. Remove steak from marinade, and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Season meat generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Place under broiler or on grill, and cook about 3 minutes, turn over, and cook for 3 minutes more for medium rare.
3. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain, and serve.

**Martha Stewart Living, May 2001

Grated Potato Pancakes

• 2 Idaho potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Peel potatoes, and grate on the large holes of a box grater. Place grated potatoes in a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze tightly, removing all excess moisture.
2. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1 teaspoon canola oil. When very hot, add grated potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to press potatoes into a flat, round shape. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, shaking pan periodically, until pancake is nicely browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip pancake, and add remaining teaspoon of oil, drizzling around the edges of pancake. Gently swirl pan to distribute oil. Season again with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until golden brown and crisp on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes more.
3. Transfer to a cutting board; cut into wedges. Serve immediately.

*Martha Stewart Living

Happy Cooking!!!

~Lynn

Mashed Potato and Rutabaga Casserole With Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 pounds rutabagas, peeled and cubed
6 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 large onions, thinly sliced
salt and ground black pepper to taste

optional: shredded cheese (mozzarella for mild taste or maybe gruyere for a stronger taste)

Preparation:

1. Combine chicken broth, potatoes, rutabagas, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme in a large pot.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cover partially. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.

2. Transfer vegetables to large bowl. Add 1/2 cup butter. Use an electric mixer, beat mixture until mashed but still chunky. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mashed vegetables to a buttered 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.

3. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter or margarine in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions. Sautee until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Sautee until onions are tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Spread onions evenly over mashed vegetables. Casserole can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until heated through and top begins to crisp.

Jeffrey and I both agree that this recipe needs cheese, so we added mozzarella to ours.  It's pretty good, and besides the butter, very healthy.  Enjoy!

*Recipe from Howard at Dominion Harvest*

-Sarah

Sausage Potato Soup

This is a very hearty soup.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (48 ounce) can chicken broth
• 6 ounces chicken tenderloins, cooked and cut into pieces
• 6-8 white potatoes, washed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh kale, washed, chopped into pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. In soup pot, crumble and brown sausage with olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes longer. Add salt, peppers, broth, chicken pieces, potatoes and parsley. Bring to boil and immediately turn down to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes add kale. Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers.

*recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

-Sarah

Yukon Gold Potato Gratin

I have another very yummy potato recipe to add. With these ingredients there's just no way this could not taste good!

SERVES 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 lb yukon gold potato
• 1 cup canadian sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, very finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chicken broth or white wine
• 
  
• Directions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round or oval baking dish.

2. 2

   Slice potatoes 1/8-inch thick and combine thoroughly in a mixing bowl with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, the sour cream, olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper.

3. 3

   Arrange potatoes in a neat overlapping pattern in the baking dish. Pour chicken broth over potatoes.

4. 4

   Bake 35 minutes, until potatoes are nearly-tender and the cheese and potatoes are starting to brown. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake another 10-15 minutes.

We got this recipe from recipezaar.com.

-Sarah

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

We make this recipe fairly often because it's a delicious way to eat potatoes. And it's super easy. We used blue potatoes (they are actually purple on the inside!), but you can also use red or new potatoes.

Ingredients:

6-8 blue or red potatoes, chopped with skins on

one onion, chopped

one long sprig fresh rosemary, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

kosher salt

pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the potatoes, onions and garlic in olive oil. Add rosemary and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to mix. Put mixture in a baking dish. Bake 30-45 minutes until tender. Make sure to stir mixture around every so often while it's baking so that all parts can cook more evenly.

-Sarah