The Best Cheese Biscuits I'VE Ever Had

These are OUR favourite cheese biscuit.  I love a drop biscuit...so easy.  These are pretty versatile..the original recipe makes them garlic, but I also play around with other combos...green onion, jalapeno, etc.

Makes 15-18 biscuits

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, garlic powder and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add the milk and cheddar cheese; stir to combine. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet- I sometimes lightly grease it...it makes nice crunchy cheese bottoms...mmmm.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. 

To make garlic biscuits: Brush garlic butter (melted butter and grated garlic) over hot baked biscuits.
To make scallion cheese biscuits: add chopped scallion to the cheese and milk stage. Same for jalapeno.
My mom tried this with dill...dill and cheese biscuits...not my fav.

These ones have scallions, cheese, garlic powder and a little bit of cayenne.

Taco Condiments

We love tacos here.  We've done just about everything- shredded chicken, shredded pork loin, ground beef, skirt steak, and fish tacos (a delicious cost effective fish taco trick we use is chopped up jumbo prawns that we get in the frozen section at Costco-uncooked).  Here are some things we love to pair with our tacos.

Mango Salsa

diced mango
finely diced red onion
cilantro
lime juice
salt
(hot pepper)

Mix to combine- let flavours sit a while before serving (GREAT with pork)

Pico de gallo

diced tomatoes (I like roma for this)
finely diced red onion
cilantro
lime juice
salt
(hot pepper)
***see a pattern?***

Mix to combine- best with everything...even on a spoon that goes right to your mouth...I LOVE this stuff.

Roasted Veggie Salsa (from pinterest)

Halve some roma tomatoes (I think I used 7-8...use more or less depending on how big of a batch you want...I made like 2-3 cups of salsa with my amounts), halve or quarter an onion depending on how big it is...I used one and a half onions because mine were smaller.  Throw on a cookie sheet with 1-3 jalapenos (whole) and a few cloves of garlic.  Roast at 375 for around 30 minutes, turning veggies once.  You're looking for some char on the peppers, for the tomatoes to get juicy and soft, for the onions to get translucent with hardly any char at all.  Take out, cool.  Then run through a food processor with cilantro, lime and salt.  Start with one pepper, taste and decide if you need more.  One large jalapeno with seeds in was enough to make my salsa hot without any burn.  Put in fridge for flavours to meld.

roasted vegetable salsa

Corn Salsa

2 ears of corn, cooked/charred (whatever you want) *canned corn can be subbed in the off season
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
tbsp or 2 of finely diced red onion
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Simple Guacamole

1 avocado, mashed or diced (your preference)
tbsp or 2 of finely diced red onion
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2-1 lime
salt to taste
jalapeno, optional

Note- sometimes I like to combine it with the pico de gallo- so I add chopped tomatoes to this recipe.

Fish Taco White Sauce
http://soupaddict.com/2009/06/wickedly-good-fish-taco-sauce/

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream (Greek yogurt is delicious as a substitute if you’re not a fan of sour cream)
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (you can use full fat, but, the spices are so delicious, you won’t miss that particular flavor contribution)
1 lime, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon capers, minced (didn't have this, didn't use it)
1 hot pepper of your choice, seeded and minced (jalapeno is what I used).
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped


1. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and mayonnaise until well blended.
2. Squeeze the juice from one lime half into the fish taco sauce mixture, then whisk thoroughly. You’ll want the consistency of a pourable, creamy salad dressing. If still too thick, add more lime juice from the other half. If too runny, add sour cream.
3. Add all of the spices, whisking to mix thoroughly. Add the (capers), minced pepper and cilantro, and whisk thoroughly.
4. Cover the bowl with wrap and refrigerate the fish taco for at least one hour — the longer the better.

Serve with...fish tacos of course!

Lots of things to serve with tacos...these are just our top favourites!

South Indian Shrimp Curry

Great Recipe- almost made no changes- sometimes I just increase the seasonings cause I find it a little on the mild side.  In this recipe it is important to add your spices in the beginning, before the liquid, to cook out the grittiness.
http://www.mediterrasian.com/delicious_recipes_curry.htm

2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil

1 onion—chopped

2 cloves garlic—finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger (I use 1 1/2 tsp)

2 teaspoons cumin (1 use 3 tsp)

1½ teaspoons tumeric (I use 2 tsp)

1 teaspoon paprika (I use 1 1/2 tsp)

½ teaspoon chili powder (I use 1 tsp)

1 cup canned tomatoes—chopped

1 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup basmati rice

16 large uncooked shrimp (prawns)—peeled

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, paprika and chili powder and cook, stirring, for a minute. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk and salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 8 minutes. While the curry simmers, cook the rice. Add the shrimp and cilantro to the curry, cover with a lid, and simmer for another 4 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice. Serve on a bed of rice with RAITA.


RAITA
http://www.mediterrasian.com/delicious_recipes_raita.htm

1 cup plain thick yogurt (Greek-style yogurt is best)

½ cup finely chopped cucumber—peeled and deseeded

1 clove garlic—minced (crushed)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt Mix till combined.

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

Another go to summer salad- suuuuper easy.

Favourite short noodle (I often use bow ties)
Cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or kept whole, depending on size and preference
Steamed broccoli pieces (keep some bite in them)
Chicken pieces (left overs, poached, roasted...whatever you want)
Caesar dressing (buy a bottle, make your own, whatever)

Toss and enjoy!

Summer Potato Salad SANS mayo

I was inspired by this recipe featured on Rachael Ray.  I wanted a potato salad that wasn't a mess of mayonnaise.  I roast my potatoes but this recipe calls for grilled.  Both are great options.
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/team-food-grilled-potato-salad/

• 1 1/2 pounds baby red or yellow potatoes, roughly cut into chunks (pretty big chunks)
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 to 4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and chopped (i don't always have this on hand- use a dried herb or omit all together if you don't have fresh thyme)
• 1 lemon, half thinly sliced and half juiced, divided (i don't use the slices when roasting)
• 1/3 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon or grainy mustard
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Grilling Instructions: Preheat a grill to medium-heat. Scatter the potatoes in an 8-inch disposable aluminum baking tray and toss with the garlic, thyme, lemon slices, a drizzle of EVOO and some salt and pepper. Cover the tray with aluminum foil and place on the grill until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes if placed directly on the grill or 40 minutes if on the upper rack.
Roasting Instructions: Set your oven to 400, and either spray your baking sheet with Pam or use some tinfoil.  Drizzle some oil over the potatoes and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Roast till fork tender and nicely browned.  Turn after about 15 minutes so you get nice colour on both sides.

While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the remaining EVOO, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar and parsley in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss the potatoes in while they’re still warm, giving them a good stir to evenly coat. Serve the salad warm or at room temperature, garnished with scallions.

I-Miss-the-Noodle-Box 'Thai Peanut Sauce'

Cole and I loved the Spicy Thai Peanut dish at The Noodle Box in Victoria.  We missed it so much when we moved to Nanaimo that I found a recipe that tastes almost exactly the same.  We serve it over broad noddles and stir fried veggies, but it's good on just about anything.  I've seen people go grab a spoon to make sure they don't leave any sauce in the bottom of their bowl.  Awesome as a veggie dish but also great with chicken and/or prawns.  Super easy, too- no cooking required (for the sauce).

slightly altered from this recipe: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/the-best-thai-peanut-sauce/Detail.aspx

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 can coconut milk
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• hot sauce (sriracha) -1 tbsp for mild, 2 tbsp for medium, 3 tbsp for spicy, 4 tbsp for HOT
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, ginger, and garlic. Mix in the cilantro just before serving. 

Note: Make sure to drain everything (noodles, vegetables, protein) super well so that the sauce doesn't get too runny.

Note: Garnish with slivered green onions, chopped roasted peanuts, bean sprouts, cilantro and lime wedges

Note: The sauce is excellent on anything...even your finger.  But seriously, chicken, rice, steak, everything.

This is what the Sriracha hot sauce bottle looks like for those
of you unfamiliar with the product

peanut sauce

the noodles we always use

veggie prep- keep them small or thin to make sure they cook through

stir fry

Rice

How to Jazz up Your Everyday Rice

Serves 3-4:
1 cup rice
1/2-1 onion
1 packet of vegetable soup mix
1 1/2-2 c chicken broth

Chop up your onion, saute in a little oil till soft, add rice and toast for a few minutes, add stock and vegetable soup mix, bring to boil, lower heat to minimum, cover and wait 20 minutes. 

My Mexican Rice:

Serves 4:
1 c rice
1 tbsp oil
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2-1 onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I often don't include this)
1 small-medium can diced tomatoes, drained (you can also just dice a tomato or two)
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/2-1 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro

In a medium sauce pan, saute onion and rice and garlic in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in green pepper, jalapeno, and diced tomatoes. Season with bouillon cube, cumin, and a little pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. When rice is cooked, add cilantro and fluff gently with a fork (the recipe calls for the cilantro to be added with the other seasonings, but I prefer my cilantro fresh not cooked). I often squeeze fresh lime juice over this as well.

I cook quite a bit of southwest/mexican food so I like to find ways to season my rice to use in my dishes.  Another easy way to jazz up your plain rice to go along with your southwest dish- add lime zest and cilantro.

(easy pantry meal) Honey Spiced Glazed Chicken

Most likely you will already have the ingredients in your pantry for this meal.  Super easy, quick and very tasty!

http://www.nutmegnanny.com/2011/07/27/honey-spiced-glazed-chicken/

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Mix spices together and set aside.
Mix honey and cider vinegar and set aside.
Un-tuck chicken thighs so they are flat. Cover both sides in seasoning, set flat onto sheet pan. When all chicken as been seasoned put under broiler
Cook for 5 minutes on one side and flip.  Cook for about 5 minutes on other side.  Flip again and then baste the chicken in honey/cider mixture.  Be sure to really get the chicken covered.  Add to oven again and let it cook under the broiler for a few minutes until the honey starts to thicken up and glaze. It may smoke a little but this is completely normal.
Take chicken out of oven and let rest for a few minutes before devouring. You don’t want to burn your mouth with all that hot honey glaze!

A Spoonful of Bacon Helps the Kale Go Down

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground Italian sausage (I use hot)
• crushed red peppers (to taste)
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 slices of bacon in big cubes
• 3 big garlic cloves
• 10 cups water
• 5 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes (I used 5 medium yukon gold- I made half moon slices)
• kale (however much you want)
 

 

Directions:

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, set sausage aside.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and grated garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft (do the bacon for about 5 minutes before you add the onion)
3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about 12-15 minutes- you want them fork tender but not mush.
5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through, let the kale wilt and serve. Delicious!

Buttermilk Cornbread

Cole and I enjoyed barbecue at Smokin Georges last night. Everything was pretty great, but we agreed we liked my cornbread better.  It was the first one I tried years ago and it's been our favourite ever since.  Maybe you have a better one, but this is the best one I've ever had.  (I have not been down in the South end of the US- you will find better cornbread there, I'm sure of it!)

I almost always double this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (tried it was AP and WW was just better- nice balance with the sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For jalapeno cheddar cornbread add:

• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 chopped jalapeno

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan or 2 loaf pans for the single recipe; grease a 9x13 pan for double the recipe.
2. Melt butter in large pot or skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and whisk until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pot. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes (longer if you double the recipe), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Sometimes I brush the hot cornbread with butter just to gild the lily.
   
   
   
   

Skor Bars

That's enough soup for now...here's something sweet.  My mom makes these yummy Skor Bars:

Base:

1 ½ c all purpose flour
¾ c packed brown sugar
¾ c butter

Topping:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp butter
1 ½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 pkg SKOR toffee bits (don’t buy SKOR bars, buy the package of bits found with the chocolate chips in the baking aisle)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 13 x 9 pan.

2. Base: combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly in prepared pan. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden. (don’t overcook as it goes in the oven to bake again later)

3. Topping: heat sweetened condensed milk and butter in heavy saucepan over medium-low heat stirring constantly for 5-10 minutes. GENTLY pour over base. Bake 10-12 minutes longer.

4. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top. Return to oven and bake 2-3 minutes longer or until chocolate is soft and shiny. Remove from oven. Spread chocolate evenly. Sprinkle SKOR toffee bits on top, pressing lightly into chocolate. Cool completely. Takes a few hours on the counter top.  If you chill in the fridge the bars become very hard and difficult to cut.  Make sure you make this dessert many hours ahead of time- the day before is even better.

Potato Leek Soup

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/potato_leek_soup/

Ingredients

• 2 large leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean. Use only the white and pale green parts, chop.
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 large russet potatoes or 4 red/white potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Tabasco sauce or other red chili sauce
• Salt & Pepper

Directions

• Cook leeks in butter with salt and pepper in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Check often. Do not brown leeks! Browning will give leeks a burnt taste.

• Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 10-20 minutes (check at the 10 minute mark to make sure you don't end up with mushy potatoes). Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan. Add parsley, and thyme. Add a few dashes of chili sauce to taste. Add some freshly ground pepper, 1-2 teaspoons salt to taste.

Sweet Tomato Basil Bisque

From Pinterest: http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/sweet-tomato-basil-bisque/
changed just slightly so it tasted like I wanted

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 1 (28-ounce) cans peeled crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup half-and-half or cream (or a mixture of both)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• Pinch salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Garnish: finely chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. In large soup pot, melt butter. Over medium heat, sauté onions in butter, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Onions should be translucent but not brown. Add flour and stir; it will look a bit pasty. Cook and stir for a minute or two until the paste (called a roux), begins to brown slightly.
2. Add tomatoes, dill, oregano and stock. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes making sure to come back and stir every couple minutes so the bottom doesn't burn. Add honey, cream and parsley and return to a boil. Taste, add salt and pepper to season, and serve.
3. Garnish with a shower of chopped basil if you like.
4. Serves 4-6, depending on appetites.
5. Store in refrigerator. Leftovers are even better the next day. And the following day.

Served with what else? Grilled cheese made with fresh, homemade Italian Herb bread.  We added egg to our sandwiches to "beef" them up.

Butternut Squash Soup

My go to butternut squash soup recipe- simple but delicious!


Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper (cayenne, nutmeg, cinnamon are also great to use a little bit of) to taste

Directions:

Cook the onion, carrot and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth- or use an immersion blender. Return to pot (if you used a regular blender), and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper (and the other spices if you like that nice warmth of spice in your soups)

NOTE: don't add ANY seasoning till you've tasted it- butternut squash is a delicate taste and you want to be sure to not overwhelm the flavours of the vegetables by adding too much seasoning before tasting it.


Since this recipe, I've tried a new roasted butternut squash and apple soup- also delicious.  Here it is:

Ingredients:

2 medium butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 medium granny smith apple

1 carrot, chopped
1 onion

2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp ginger, minced/grated
8 fresh sage leaves or 1/2 tsp dried sage

pinch of cayenne
3 c vegetable broth (or chicken)
2 c water
salt and pepper
1/3 c yogurt (or cream)

Directions:

Note: roasting squash takes some time but makes taking the skin off really easy.  Once it has cooled a bit, the skin should just peel right off.

Once you've cut open the squash and removed the seeds, rub it with 1 tbsp oil or butter and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Place flesh side up on a cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 1 hour.  You can roast the onion, carrot and apple for more roasted flavour if you wish- but don't do it for the whole hour.  Try 15-20 minutes. 

Saute onion, carrot and apple in 1 tbsp butter or oil (if you didn't already roast them) for about 7 minutes.  Then add the garlic and ginger and saute another minute or two.  If you've roasted all your veggies put them all in the pot, including the squash, and then add the garlic and ginger right away.  Add sage.  Add broth and water (and squash if you haven't already).  Simmer for 15 minutes, breaking up big pieces of squash.  Puree off the heat with an immersion blender or a regular blender in batches.  Stir in yogurt or cream.  Taste and adjust seasonings- add a pinch of cayenne if you like a background of heat.

Note: If you want to make a completely vegan soup, replace butter with vegetable/coconut oil, and replace cream/yogurt with almond milk.

African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup

Found this recipe on my friend's blog. Tried it. Loved it. (Yes this is ANOTHER soup with peanut butter in it.  Peanut Butter is good.)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped, unsalted dry-roasted peanuts (optional)
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Mix in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in the sweet potatoes, and carrot, and continue to cook and stir about 5 minutes.
2. Pour water into the saucepan, and season the mixture with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
3. Remove the soup mixture from heat. In a food processor or blender or with an immersion blender, blend the soup until almost smooth. Season with cayenne pepper. Return to the saucepan. Whisk in the peanut butter, and cook until heated through. Serve warm topped with fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts.

Silky Cauliflower Soup

I am not a huge cauliflower fan, but I loved this soup.  I think it's the texture I don't really like, but this soup is silky and delicious. 
From Pinterest: http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/09/the-fragile-cooking-ego/

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil/canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop, and reserve.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup, or puree in small batches in a blender and return it to the pot.
Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth.
Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Thai Peanut Soup

If you want to ease into some thai flavours...this soup is sooooooo gooooood.  Or I loved it anyways. It is vegetarian (and vegan if you use veg broth instead of chicken) but a little higher in calories than some veggie soups cause it has a cup of peanut butter in it.  That's why it's soooooooo goooood.

From Pinterest: http://sketch-freeveganeating.blogspot.com/2011/01/thai-peanut-soup-vegan-gf.html

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced (I always grate mine over the pot, way easy)
1 red pepper, diced
1 carrot, sliced (like matchsticks)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (I just used one 14 oz can and it was enough tomato)
1 can coconut milk
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth (I always use chicken)
juice from 3 limes
1 tsp salt
cilantro, chopped
dry roasted peanuts, unsalted, chopped

Directions:

In a large pot, cook onions, peppers and garlic until tender (5 minutes). Add spices and allow a minute or so for them to develop their flavour, then add all other ingredients except cilantro and peanuts and salt. Simmer until cooked through (and carrots are tender but not mushy- no one wants mushy carrots in their soup). Test if it needs the 1 tsp of salt or any other seasonings. Top with cilantro and chopped peanuts (the peanuts are a must- adds great texture). Makes 5-6 servings (yeah right..more like 3...depends on how much you like it).

Potato and Corn Chowders

Cheesy Potato and Corn Chowder 

 

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped jalapeno
chicken broth (start with 2 cups and work your way up to the consistency you want your chowder)
3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes (about 2 russets)
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can creamed corn
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat.  Add onion and jalapeno; cook and stir until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add chicken broth; bring to a boil.  Add potatoes; cook over low heat for 10-20 minutes (until potatoes are fork tender), stirring occasionally.

Stir in both cans of corn; return to boiling.  Stir in milk; add cheese; cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Smoky Potato, Corn and Bacon Chowder

 

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, chopped
1 leek, chopped (just white part)
1 clove garlic, grated/minced
1 russet potato, peeled and diced small
2 cans (or 2 cups frozen) whole kernel corn
1 can creamed corn
2 cups broth (veg or chicken)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp thyme (or 1 sprig fresh)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Crisp up the bacon in a large saucepan.  Remove all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat.  Add the leek and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.  Add garlic, cook another minute.  Add rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10+ minutes (until potatoes are fork tender).  Adjust seasoning. 

Soup It Up!

Into the soup blogs.  I LOVE soup.  There is nothing quite so comforting (in the food world) as a homemade delicious bowl of soup.  I've been testing tons of soup recipes this last year and I will post my favourites.  I was talking to someone who said they didn't really know how to go about making soup.  So before I post my favourites, I thought I would let anyone who didn't know the formula for soup making.

Generally, while making soup, these are the steps you take, and the soups you can make with this formula are endless:

-in your soup pot, saute your aromatics (your onions, garlic, celery, carrots, peppers- anything of this nature)
-add spices/herbs (it's always good to wake up your spices by sauteing them with your veggies- also, if a soup has a lot of spices, this step can cut out any grainy texture that comes from adding lots of spices late in the game.  Some spices are added at the end to taste.  Salt and pepper are always a last step for soups.
-add your liquids and veggies that are already mushy or need to be boiled (potatoes, tomatoes, etc)
-simmer
-adjust seasonings/blend/serve/etc

Some soups are different or more complex.  These are the basics.  You will find as you search out soup recipes, they all follow a similar pattern.  As you make more soups, you get more comfortable making them your own.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts (one per person)
Flour for dredging
2 eggs
Panko Bread Crumbs (in the Asian aisle often; creates a crispier crust)
Seasonings for your Bread Crumbs (I use garlic powder, fresh parsley, red chili flakes, salt, pepper)-use whatever you'd like
Parmesan (about 1/4 c)
A couple slices of mozzarella or jack cheese for each piece of chicken
Linguine
Pasta sauce (make your own or your favourite stuff from a jar/can)

Instructions:

Set oven to 350
Pound out the chicken breasts into cutlets so that they are thin (1/4 to 1/2 in thick) and even all the way around.
Set up your breading station:
-Mix Parmesan, seasonings and bread crumbs (I usually run it through a food processor to get it all incorporated and to make sure the parsley is finely chopped- but you don't have to)
-Whisk 2 eggs in a bowl
-Put a few tbsps of flour in a bowl
Run the cutlets through the flour, egg wash and then bread crumbs
Sear both sides of chicken in a little bit of oil on medium high heat till golden brown
Put your pasta sauce in a casserole dish
(Now here's the part that I keep switching up.  I originally (after searing) cooked my cutlets in the sauce in the oven.  But the breading on one side would get all soggy- but the flavour and moistness of the chicken from being in the sauce was sooooo good.  I've tried keeping the chicken separate and cooking it on a baking sheet...but the flavour isn't the same.  So unless you're smarter than me, you have to decide if you want crispy chicken all way round or super moist delicious chicken infused with the sauce.  I lay the chicken cutlets very carefully on top of the sauce and we just pretend we can't tell part of the breading is soggy- the taste wins for us every time.)
Top chicken with mozz or jack cheese and bake in oven till cooked all the way through (20-40 minutes depending on how much of it was cooked on the stove top first)
Serve over linguine.