Yum Soup....

It has been raining for the past couple days almost at a steady rate. I love the rain in the evening and most weekends when I do not have to be out and about. Yesterday I was inspired when I saw some people posting the want/need of soup during the rainy season. I lived on soup as a kid. My grandmother used make it all the time for me with different vegetables. My favorite were pumpkin soup and sweet potato soup. I couldn't get enough of it!


These recipes takes some planning. They were taken from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfelf and adjusted to my own tastes.


Meatball Soup


3 ounces whole wheat pasta shapes (I used bowties because the look so elegant and fancy)
nonstick cooking spray (I finally bought one of those empty cooking spray canisters and now my life is almost complete)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice (mine had basil and it was good)
1/4 cup carrot puree
1 1/2 tsps salt
3 cups reduced-fat low-sodium beef or chicken broth (I used vegetable broth)
3 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
1 large egg, lightly beaten (I used egg replacer. They are a bit costly but lasts forever)
1/4 cup nonfat (skim) milk (soy milk here)
2 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 pound lean ground turkey (I used a veggie burger crumbled)
salt to taste


cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente. drain in a colander and set aside.
coat a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. when the pot is hot, add the oil and then the onion and garlic. cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened but not browned 3 minutes. be careful not to burn the garlic because it will be bitter.
puree the tomatoes and their juice with the carrot puree in a food processor or blender, then add to the pot along with 1/2 tsp salt. add the broth, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered for 10-15 minutes.
meanwhile, put the bread in a large bowl. add the egg, sweet potato puree, milk, parmesan, 1 tsp salt, the pepper and paprika, and let soak until the bread is very soft. stir to break the bread, add the ground turkey, and mix until smooth. form into mini meatballs 1/2 inch in diameter (I didn't. Mine were about 1 inch and were fine).
add the meatballs to the pot. simmer, covered, until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center, 12-15 minutes. stir in the pasta.
salt to taste
serve sprinkled with parmesan.


Banana Bread
nonstick cooking spray
3/4 whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional but yummy)
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups banana puree
1/2 cup cauliflower puree
1 tsp pure vanilla extract


I dumped everything in my bread machine from wettest to dryest and walked away but you don't have to.


preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. coat a loaf pan or 2 mini pans with cooking spray.
in a bowl or a zipped lock bag, mix the flours with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, if using. set aside
in a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined. mix in the egg whites, banana and cauliflower purees, and vanilla. add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
pour the batter into the loaf pan. bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 55-60 minutes for the large loaf, 25-30 minutes for the mini loaves. let cool on a rack for 5 minutes. then turn the bread out of the pan to cool before serving.


OMG SO GOOD I HAD MINE WITH A BIT OF CREAM CHEESE!

Vegetarian Paella

Yesterday I had a pretty good visit with the twinnies (granddaughters). Yesterdays dinner was eaten with gusto. Except when I tried to feed them green peas. The youngest of the twins is quite talented in spitting them out but keeping everything else in her mouth. Besides that they were such good vegan eaters. Here, with me, they eat from my vegan dishes and drink soy milk. They listen to everything from salsa and merengue to music from Vacation Bible School and Mozart for Kids. I love them babies.

2 tbsps olive oil
1 medium size yellow onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 ozs green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 9 oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp saffron threads
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1 cup white or valencia rice
8 oz vegetarian sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 oz oyster mushrooms, stemmed trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
1 lemon cut into 4-6 wedges

heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat.
add the onion, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
transfer the onion to a 6 quart slow cooker.
stir in the bell pepper, green beans, tomatoes, garlic, artichoke hearts, kidney beans, stock, pepper flakes, saffron, and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
cover and cook on low for 4 hours
stir in the rice, cover and cook on low for another hour, until the rice is tender.
meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. a
add the sausage links and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
remove from the pan and set aside.
add the oyster mushrooms to the same pan and cook, stirring until tender, about 3 minutes.
about 10 minutes before ready to serve stir the sausage links, oyster mushrooms and peas into the paella.
cover and finish cooking.
serve garnished with the parsley and lemon wedges.


For all those who work outside of the home, you can do this!
Go to your local hardware store and purchase an electric timer. You can schedule the timer to turn on and off the crockpot. It is an added bonus together with the slow-cooker for easy healthy meals and so much cheaper in the long run when you add up all the restaurant/fast food you will order instead when you are too busy or tired to cook. You can even prepare everything the night before in the crockpot and in the morning you just remove from the fridge, plug it in and forget about it.

This, again, is from the cookbook Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. Go and get it from your local library!

Veggie Jambalaya

Yesterday I stopped at Staples to pickup a few things I wanted to organize the coupons, the finances/receipts. So many back to school things. Glittery pencil cases to backpacks with the infamous Jonas Brothers took over half of the store. I did not pick any of it up because I wanted to be on target. I picked up what I needed and walk out. I am so proud of myself!
It was relaxing to come home after all our errands to they yummy smells of the jambalaya I had in the crockpot. It was like coming home and thinking I had my own personal chef cooking up a storm while I was out and about with my children.

2 tbsps olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 celery rib, minced
1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup water
2 tsps creole seasonings
salt and black pepper
8 oz vegetarian sausage links, cut into 1 inc pieces
tabasco sauce

heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic.
cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
transfer to a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
add the beans, tomatoes, water, creole seasonings. salt and pepper, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
just before serving time, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil into the skillet over medium heat.
add the sausage link pieces and cook until browned, then add to the jambalaya along with tabasco sauce to taste.

About the beans...
on Sunday I slow cook whatever beans I use for the week in the crockpot. I have 2 so it makes it real easy on me and my wallet since it is cheaper to buy them dry than canned. Besides, who wants the extra salt in their diets?
I also did not use tabasco sauce since I am not a fan and it really didn't need it.

Spicy Black Bean Chili

This is the coldest summer since living here in the valley. We have been waking up in the 50s and 60s. I think we have dipped in the pool a handful of times (besides the kids' swimming lessons). In fact, I still have the 2 bottle of sunscreen I bought in June. Usually I have gone through them by July. One is still unopen. We haven't visited our favorite beaches. School days will be here again before we know it. Husband will be back to school. We are winding down with all our activities in the libraries. I am still cooking with my crockpot through the rest of this season and autumn.



This is another recipe pulled from the Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker...

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsps chili powder
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 cups slow-cooked or 2 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup water
1 4oz can diced green chiles, drained
salt and freshly ground black pepper

heat the oil in a large skilled over medium heat.
add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cover and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes.
stir in the chili powder and cook about 30 seconds longer.
transfer the mixture to a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
add the tomatoes, beans, water and chiles, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
or if you are like me, on high for 3-4 hours because I took my sweet time getting it together.

adobo...get rid of the MSG

Living here in California I've had a helluva time finding, what I thought were, simple things for my meals. Adobo and sofrito, a staple in every Puertorican and Dominican home, is like finding an aguja in a pajar. Searching online and I found the closest thing to adobo. I use this in place of salt for more flavorful dish. Once you go adobo, you never go back to plain old sea salt.







Makes 1 cup

6 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons ground oregano