Crockpot Lentil Veggie Sausage Soup

When a friend shared this recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen on Facebook, I knew I had to try it out--and soon! And now I want to try it again. It was so very tasty and satisfying (and would be without the sausage, too).

Note: If you prefer stovetop over crockpot, those modifications can be found at the above link.

Crockpot Lentil Veggie Sausage Soup

Yield: about 6 servings (in a 3.5-Quart Crock-Pot Slow Cooker)

1/2 onion, diced very small
1 carrot, diced very small
2 large stalks celery, diced very small
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. Spike seasoning (as this has a form of MSG in it, I used only half this amount and the soup still had plenty of flavor)
3 links pre-cooked sausage (I used Polish), diced in 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
1 can petite dice tomatoes with juice
6 c. chicken stock (or 4 cans chicken broth)
1/4 c. brown lentils
1/4 c. red lentils
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. long-grain brown rice
4 c. chopped fresh spinach (or kale)
2 Tb. balsamic vinegar (if you're out of this, as I was, here is the substitution I used--with raw sugar instead of refined)

Dice onion, carrot and celery. Heat olive oil in heavy frying pan, add veggies and saute until starting to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and Spike Seasoning and saute about 2 minutes more, then add veggies to crockpot.

Add diced chicken sausage, canned tomatoes, chicken stock, brown lentils, red lentils, and salt and pepper to crockpot and cook on high about 3 hours (or until brown lentils are soft and red lentils are starting to dissolve.)

Add brown rice and chopped spinach and cook about 1 hour more. Stir in balsamic vinegar and cook 15 minutes. Serve hot, with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Squash and Potato Gratin

As the garden season begins to wind down in most areas of the country, some of us are still looking for new squash recipes. I love squash of all types, but I have to have variety! And I understand that not everyone likes squash. Two of my kids don't, so I'm always looking for new ways of serving it. (I have this mommy quest of converting them eventually...) So when I came across this recipe on the Bountiful Baskets blog, I knew I had to give it a try. Verdict? Well, not everyone loved it, but everyone tried it, and it's definitely one I'll be making again. It's so full of flavor! With the basil, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese, it just shouts Italian.

Squash and Potato Gratin

2 medium yellow summer squash
1 pound red or russet potatoes
3 Tb. olive oil
8 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese (I used less by just sprinkling it over each layer until it seemed enough)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. milk
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried basil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish.

Slice squash and potatoes very, very thin. Place in bowl; toss with olive oil.

Place 1/3 of squash and potato slices into bottom of pan. Spread evenly.

Season with salt and pepper and half of cheese.

Repeat layering with 1/3 of veggies, seasoning with S&P, and sprinkling with cheese.

Finish gratin by layering final veggies on top and seasoning with S&P.

Pour milk over casserole, then top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes covered, then uncover and finish baking for 15 minutes (or more, until veggies are tender and cheese is golden brown).

Baked Taco Dip

I tried this dish at a recipe exchange I attended and loved it so much! Then when I made it for my family, they loved it too. It's hearty, delicious, nutritious, and filling. 

Because we didn't have tortilla chips at the time, I broiled quesadillas in the oven (till they were browned and crispy--almost like chips) and omitted cheese in the recipe. Then I cut the quesadillas into triangles with a pizza cutter.

Baked Taco Dip

1 lb. ground beef (can omit altogether)
1 15 oz. can refried beans (or make your own)
1 small can diced chiles (or parboil fresh diced chiles--about 1/4 c.)
1 tsp. homemade taco seasoning mix
1 c. sour cream
1 c. frozen corn

Cook ground meat, add remaining ingredients, heat through.

Place in oven proof pan, top with 2 c. shredded cheese.

Heat until cheese is bubbly.

College Fitness and Health

With many students recently heading back to college, my thoughts are turned back to my college days and what a busy, stressful, fun time that was in my life. Included in that stress was trying to figure out how to stay fit and eat healthily with my limited time and resources.

Susan, a friend of mine, recently brought this website to my attention (found at http://www.thebestcolleges.org/the-best-regimen-for-college-fitness/), and I embed it here for others who may be struggling with the same college-time health questions. And really, these are great tips and reminders for all of us, no matter our age:

non-GMO Shopping Guidelines

This short video explains what to watch for in shopping for non-GMO foods:

Fancy Fan Potatoes

This old family recipe is a classic on my mother's side of the family. It's very easy to make and so delicious that even my potato-shy 5-year-old has been known to eat it without complaining. It looks fancy enough to be served to dinner guests, but easy enough to make for a regular family dinner (as the main coarse). Surprisingly, it is even good as leftovers!

Note: This recipe is vegetarian-friendly!

Originally posted here in March 2012.

FANCY FAN POTATOES

4 medium-sized potatoes
1/4 c. soft butter
1 Tb. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. dried dill seed or weed (I prefer the latter)
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Grease baking dish and wash potatoes.

Cut potatoes in 1/4" wide slices to within an inch from bottom. Place in greased dish.

Melt butter in small bowl, add spices; mix. Drizzle butter mixture over potatoes, making sure slices are slightly separated so mixture gets down inside.

Cover dish with foil and bake at 425 for about 45 minutes.

If you want potatoes a little extra crispy, remove foil and allow to bake for 10-15 minutes more.

Cream of Celery Soup

This is our favorite celery soup recipe. It's creamy and mellow with enough other stuff in it that my kids can't pinpoint the celery flavor, and so they like it. We're not huge fans of celery, but sometimes we get a head or two in our Bountiful Baskets and need to use it up. This is the perfect, satisfying, and wholesome way to do that!

Original recipe (which I modified) found at allrecipes.com.

Originally posted here in July 2012.

Cream of Celery Soup

3 cans chicken broth
2 heads celery, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, sliced thin
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped
1 c. flour  (I use whole wheat, even for soups)
1 Tb. salt
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper (or more, to taste)
2 c.+ milk
1 c. butter

Bring chicken broth to boil with celery, carrots, and onions. Cover, boil gently until vegetables are almost tender (about15 minutes).

In small saucepan, melt butter. Add salt and white pepper and gradually stir in flour. Cook and stir for a few minutes, till cooked completely. Gradually add milk and bring back to boil; stir until thickened to desired consistency. 

When veggies are almost tender, use immersion blender or regular blender to puree veggies in their juice. Then add flour and milk mixture to pureed vegetable mixture and return to boil. Stir well and season more to taste, if desired. Serve.

Gingerbread Cake

This is definitely a Family Favorite! We all absolutely love the delectable and comforting flavor of this cake. 

Vanilla Sauce is shown here, which is wonderful, but I think I even like Lemon Sauce better. Recipe comes from my Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, p. 163, with the only modifications being changing the white flour for whole wheat and the refined sugar for raw sugar.

Gingerbread Cake
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter (or shortening)
1/4 c. raw sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. molasses

In bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add raw sugar; beat until fluffy-ish.

Add egg and molasses; beat 1 minute.

Alternately add flour mixture and 1/2 c. water to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until combined. Pour batter into greased pan. Can use round, square, or rectangular cake pan. I like to use my 9" x 12" pan.

Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes in pan on wire rack (is very crumbly while hot).

Sauces:

Vanilla Sauce (from p. 484)

1/2 c. raw sugar
1 Tb. cornstarch
1 c. boiling water
2 Tb. butter
1 tsp. vanilla paste or vanilla extract
dash salt

In medium saucepan stir together raw sugar and cornstarch. Slowly stir in water.

Cook over medium heat until mixture is gently boiling. Boil for 5 minutes; remove from heat.

Stir in butter, vanilla, and salt. Serve over gingerbread, etc. (Cover and chill leftovers for up to 3 days.)


Lemon Sauce (p. 483)

2/3 c. raw sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 beaten egg yolks
6 Tb. butter, cut up
1/4 c. half-and-half, light cream, or milk

In small saucepan, stir together raw sugar and cornstarch.

Stir in water, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly.

Cook and stir for 1 minute more.

Remove from heat and gradually stir egg yolks into hot mixture. Return mixture to stove. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

Gradually stir in butter until melted. Stir in half-and-half (or milk). Serve warm. (Cover and chill leftovers for up to 3 days.)