Recipe: Mama's "Chicken" Soup

Miss J turned 16 this week!!! In her honor, I decided to share one of her favorite recipes!!!

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It's cold and flu season, so in our home, if anyone coughs, sneezes, travels (my husband), or looks a little funny to me, I make soup!

This soup is hearty and packed with vitamins A & C, Capsaicin, Antioxidants, Alpha Carotein, Lutein & a bunch of other stuff that's good for you!

My soup is easy to make and packed with awesome flavor!

Here are the ingredients: (Click on the ingredients to see awesome health benefits!) :)

3 Carrots (1.5 cups)
3 Celery Stalks (1.5 cups) - I use the leaves too!
1 Large Onion (1.5 cups)
1/2 Tbsp + 1 Tsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Better Than Boullion
1/2 Tbsp Butter ( If you want some...Miss J wants some.)
1 Tbsp Jalapeno (with seeds and ribs removed)
64 oz  Vegetable Broth
1 Lemon (1 tsp Zest & 1 1/2 Tbsp of Juice)
1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley
3 Medium Potatoes (I ended up with a little bit over 3 cups)
Coarse Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)
2 Tsp Nature's Seasoning Blend
2 Cloves of Garlic (1Tbsp minced)

 First, chop your veggies.  I like to chop mine pretty small. :)

Next, saute the potatoes in 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper.   Saute until the edges of the potatoes are browned & crisp.  Like this... :)

Now you'll need your dutch oven!  Add the rest of the olive oil and the veggies (except the parsley) to the Dutch Oven and saute until the carrots start to get tender and the onions are translucent.  Then, put the browned potatoes in the Dutch Oven with your sauteed vegetables.

 
Add the vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon, lemon  juice, Nature's Seasoning Blend, salt, (and butter if you choose).

 Finally, simmer for 45 minutes, add the parsley and serve!

This soup is a tasty treat, especially when served with a piece of warm crusty bread.

And, if we're not feeling well, this soup always makes us feel better!


Why the "Chicken" Soup?

Here goes....

When we ate meat, I made Chicken Soup. When we became vegetarians, we had to change the recipe just a bit!

Here's where the problem (child) came in.  Miss J insists on calling the Vegetable Soup we now make, Chicken Soup...well, Mama's Chicken Soup to be exact.  So....I decided to just go with it....hence the "Chicken" in Mama's "Chicken" Soup.


Enjoy and Stay Well!!

Love and Blessings!!!

Denise

Good Stuff #6 - Wolfgang Puck's Organic Soups

Sometimes...well...oftentimes, we are just too busy, too tired....or too lazy to cook a big meal!   On those frequent occasions we turn to quick meals like soup and sandwiches.

In an effort to eat organic as much as possible, we finally found a line of organic soups we ALL like.

Wolfgang's soup are tasty and satisfying especially when paired with a grilled cheese sandwich or veggie pita!

There are lots of different varieties for the vegetarian and non-vegetarian.  In addition, these soups are not condensed!  Just open the can, heat, and eat!

If you try them out, please come back and let me know how you liked them!!

Love and Blessings!!!

Denise

Coming soon....My homemade "Chicken" soup recipe!

Petite Haricot Verts....Tasty, Skinny, Little Green Beans!!!

I love these little green beans!!!  They are soooo good!!! My mouth waters just thinking about them!!

These skinny, delicious green beans are usually found packaged like this...

I like my green beans cooked crisp tender, so.......

I toss them in a sauce pan with a bit of Olive Oil, Garlic Powder,  and Lemon & Herb Seasoning Blend to taste.

I only saute them for a few minutes and they are tasty, crunchy, scrumptious perfection!!!

Voila!!!!  Don't they look wonderful?

Everyone in the family loves them and there are never any leftovers!  I even chop them and add them to vegetable soup!

Have you ever tried french green beans?  How do you prepare them?  Please comment, share and follow!!

A Date with Dates!

I've been hearing how good dates are for you, so I decided to pick some up!

Dried Dates

I generally like dried fruit so...why not?

Dates come from the Date Palm, a tree usually found in the Middle East and Northern Africa.  They are often used in Mediterranean dishes.  (Why didn't I know that?!)   They are eaten fresh and dried, and are known to promote intestinal health, prevent weight gain and fight abdominal cancer (Date info). That sounds good to me!

I was too afraid to buy a whole bag of dates so, I picked up a few in the bulk food section of Whole Foods.

I thought they tasted like a raisin-ish prune.... I think.  (Miss J. called it a "praisin"....whatever.)

ANYWAY, while I would rather eat some raisins or a prune, I think I will chop the remaining dates and add them to my favorite Organic Instant Oatmeal (which I will share soon)!

Confession: Ok...so, I didn't actually eat this bowl of oatmeal with the dates on top. (sigh)  The chopped dates scared me a bit, so....I told J-bird he could take this picture, with my camera, IF he ate the oatmeal with the dates on top. He went for it. (A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.)


J - Wouldn't try one.  He said he's had them before and doesn't like them.  : /
Miss J - Wouldn't try them either...no surprise here.
J-Bird - "They're ok".  : /  He has always liked prunes though!


Have you ever tried dates?  Do you "do" anything with them?  Please let me know if you decide to try them!!

Pinto Beans are...DELICIOUS!!!

J and I recently had dinner at the home of one of his coworkers and his family.  I love to try food from different cultures.   As a result, I was super excited because, since his friend is Colombian, we were going to have a traditional Colombian meal!!!

Special note to picky eaters: I made a decision when I turned forty to expand my horizons where food is concerned. I have always been an extremely finicky eater and many times I missed out on some amazing foods because of fear. In the past year, I have eaten things I NEVER thought I would and loved them. While there have been a few things I didn't like, I'm so happy for the opportunity to try something new. That's not to say that I don't still have reservations where food is concerned.   I just make a serious effort to experience new tastes! In the process, I have added lots of new things to my Shaky Vegetarian palate and I look forward to lots of new culinary adventures!

Now, back to the food!

The first dish was a wonderful salad made with Avocado (which I NEVER eat), Cilantro (I eat in REALLY small amounts), Tomatoes (I typically ONLY eat tomatoes on sandwiches), Cucumbers (which I like), and some sort of tasty dressing! To be honest, I was mildly concerned, but curious.   :)

The salad was DELICIOUS!! The combination of flavors was cool, refreshing and a perfect compliment to the other dishes.

I will be making this at home...as soon as I beg for the dressing recipe!

Next, we had a wonderful white rice cooked with, get this.....Coconut Oil!  What?!!! It was awesome, especially after it was topped with....Pinto Beans!

I've never really been a bean person.  Usually, I would eat them, but very small portions.

THESE Pinto Beans were tasty and full of flavor.  They were mixed with corn, so if you don't have a corn allergy, I would be sure to add some!

Next, we had the BEST fried Plantains I have EVER eaten.  They were thin and crispy and FRIED!!!  They were sweet, crunchy, fried perfection!  (Did I mention they were fried?)  :)

So, with that, I must take a moment to thank the "E's" and their beautiful daughters for the fantastic meal and great fellowship!   J and I were blessed with a lovely evening.

The next day, I couldn't stop thinking about the Pinto Beans, so I went right out and bought some.

Here's what I used to prepare them:

1 package of Dried Pinto Beans
1 Large Organic Yellow Onion
2 cloves of Organic Garlic
1 tbsp Organic Vegetarian Better than Bouillon
32 oz  Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
2 tsp Organic Olive Oil (not pictured)
2 tsp Nature's Seasoning Blend
Salt & Pepper to taste!

1. Rinse and pick through the beans in search of anything that shouldn't be in there. (i.e. rocks or sticks)

2. Soak the beans according to package directions.  I soaked mine overnight, then rinsed the beans in the morning.

3. Chop one Organic Yellow Onion and two cloves of Organic Garlic

4. Add all the remaining ingredients to the Crock Pot and cook on High for 7 hours or until tender. Stir occasionally.

  Finally, They were ready!

I served them with rice and they were delicious!  (Miss J said to describe them as "palatable", but I thought that was ridiculous, so "delicious" they were!)

Please comment & subscribe!!!

Love & Blessings,

Denise

The Shaky Vegetarian is BACK....and shakier than ever!!!

Hi!!!!! I'm back!!!!!  It's been a long, long, looonnng time since I've posted, sooooo....here's a quick update!

We have been super busy, working, playing, schooling, praying, and trying to figure out what in the world to try next!!!!

As a result, I am taking a fresh approach to this blog!  I will be presenting more favorite organic and all natural products, sharing recipes, and exploring new foods and cuisines.  Miss J will be a guest blogger from time to time and is excited to share her take on what's going on in our Shaky Vegetarian world!

We have finally reached our 1st anniversary of being veggies, and I must admit that I am shakier than ever.

To be honest, if someone put a Filet Mignon cooked to a perfect medium in front of me, this whole thing might come crashing to an end. (Just keeping it real)

Nevertheless, we press on exploring new foods, discovering ways to incorporate much needed nutrients and working hard to continue on our vegetarian (Me), flexitarian (Miss J, my daughter), pescatarian (J, my husband) and carnivorous (J-Bird, my son) paths!

I pray you'll continue to follow my Shaky Vegetarian Journey!!

Love & Blessings,

Denise

Good Stuff # 5 - Organic Chocolate Pudding & A Personal Note

A Personal Note

 Life is a bit crazy in my Shaky Vegetarian world!  For those of you who don't know me personally, I am a homeschool mom of two.  My daughter is a freshman in High School and my son is in 5th grade.  We are about to embark on a major two-week field trip, so the frequency of my posts will temporarily decrease, then pause while we are away.  I am thankful for your support of my blog and we covet your prayers for safe travel.

That being said...YOU HAVE GOT TO TASTE THIS PUDDING!!!!

Zen Chocolate Pudding

I know...I know, how can chocolate pudding that is soy free, dairy free, & gluten free possibly taste good, you ask?

It really is guys!  Would I steer you wrong?

This pudding is so CHOCOLATEY!! (Yes, I did look up the spelling!)  :)

It's very light, and not too rich.

Overall, if you are avoiding dairy, soy or gluten, I think this is a really good option.

Denise - "It's delicious!!! I love that it's dairy free, low calorie and organic!"

Miss J - "As a chocoholic, it's not bad....considering it's made with almond milk, it's dairy free and only has 110 calories." ( She's a chocolate snob.) 

 JB - "It's very good.  The almond milk adds a deeper flavor to the chocolate" (JB is a foodie, can you tell?)  :)

J - "It's very good.  Don't tell me if it's organic, or doesn't have any milk or anything in it." (Of course I told him.  I couldn't help myself!)  :)

If you're local to me, you can find this pudding at Earth Fare and Harris Teeter.

Have you tried this pudding?  What did you think?  Are you a chocolate snob like Miss J?

Please comment, share & follow....Please!  :)