Tortollini Soup!

Go ahead...I dare you, take a guess what kind of day it was when I made this soup...warm and sunny??? ahh...I wish...if you guessed cold and grey...BING BING BING!!! you win!!  This soup was surprisingly really good considering how simple it was to prepare.  My husband who barely offers compliments without prompting even said it was delicious- the leftovers are gone...both sure signs that this is worth repeating.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 

9 oz. tortellini, any variety, fresh or frozen, shhh! i used Trader Joes Pesto Filled, sorry Whole Foods who employs my husband
3-5 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed, I used closer to 5
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:
--In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

-- Mix in the oregano and diced tomatoes.  Add the broth to the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  

--Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions.  One minute before the tortellini is fully cooked, stir in the spinach.  Remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

--Serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired. 

Since the tortellini I was using was leftover from earlier in the week and therefor already cooked, I made the soup as indicated above however, right before serving added the tortellini and spinach, while still simmering until the tortellini was heated through and spinach was wilted.

Source: Annie Eats- Tortellini Soup 

Enjoy!

xo

Andrea

Veggie-Full Pot Pie

It has been a cold and snowy and bleak winter so-far here in NJ....I'm hoping that now, almost March we are on an upswing...at least we have seen the sun more than twice in the past week...which is a record.  *crossing fingers*  One cold and grey day I decided a vegetable pot pie would be the perfect dinner to warm our cold bellies.  I swear this was DELICIOUS...sooooooo good....I probably could have eaten the entire 8 x 8 dish myself.  And while I am not a nutritionist, this dish was healthy...the only ingredient I can think of that is not so great for you is the puff pastry topping...but really, that's just like a 1/8th  layer of the entire dish- so it's healthy!  

I based it very loosely on a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.  I used entirely different vegetables, their recipe called for more spring season veggies, while I used more winter veggies....so use what is in season, and looks good.  I'm positive any combo of veggies would work perfectly-

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1-2 potato, peeled and diced
• 1-2 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch wide
• 1-2 cups broccoli florets
• 1-2 turnips, peeled and diced
• 1-2 bulb(s) fennel chopped
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 sheet puff pastry

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Cook onions, mushrooms, and garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in carrots, potatoes, and celery. Stir in broccoli, fennel, turnips and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are barely tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir into vegetables, and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
4. Pour the filling into a dish that you think will fit all of your veggie filling, mine was heaping over an 8x8" baking dish...top with sheet of puff pastry, seal and flute the edges.  Add a few slices in the crust as "vents." 
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is brown. 

Source: All Recipes- Veggie Pot Pie
 Enjoy!

xo

Andrea

quick and dirty catch up post

I won't waste your time (or mine...less talking, more posting andrea) on why it's been what? a month since I last posted anything???  So this is going to be a quick and dirty (a new catch phrase I stole from recently, trying to incorporate it in some form every single day from now on) re-cap of some yummy things I've made in the past month.....

enjoy!
xo
Andrea

Lulu Cookies

I think we made these up so I don't want to forget the recipe. I obviously liked them because I ate three of them! Argh!


I didn't bake all weekend and I think it started to confuse everyone! So Dino and I whipped these up super fast before the Super Bowl. We don't have a name for them so we're calling them Lulu cookies in honor of the pink rhino on Ni Hao Kai Lan because that is what we were watching when the idea hit us.


They're really easy and take no time at all. Use parchment paper and there's pretty much zero cleanup!

1 bag Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix
1/4 cup butter (soft not melted)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa
1/2 bag semi sweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375. Line two pans with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips until all is blended. Add chocolate chips. Shape into balls - about 1 tablespoon each (made 21 cookies for me). Press down a little bit but leave them chunky. Bake for 12 minutes and remove to cooling rack 2 minutes after they come out of the oven.

Greek Vegetarian Pizza

This is one of our family's all time favorite pizzas...and we eat a lot of different varieties of pizza!!  I have been making this for close to five years now- so long that I don't even have the recipe anymore...it took me a while to search it out online so I could properly source it here!  It's so simple and so adaptable that as long as you have the few main ingredients you can add whatever else looks/sounds good at the moment. Fresh tomatoes, olives, capers, etc. etc etc....

taken w. phone camera again!! even w. the low budge photography doesn't it look absolutely delicious?!?

Feel free to use a store bought pizza dough- however it's sooooo easy to make your very own, and honestly it's sooo much tastier!!  So please do try! I will post the recipe I swear by (and I have tried many) below along with a link to making a perfect homemade pizza crust every time-

Ingredients

• pizza dough (recipe below or store bought)
• 1/2 cup prepared basil pesto
• 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
• 3 cups torn spinach leaves
• 1/2 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Keep pizza stone in pizza as it pre-heats.
2. Roll out pizza dough, spread with pesto leaving a thin rim around the circumfrence .   Top pizza in the following order: tomatoes, spinach, red onion, feta, and oregano. Bake until spinach wilts and cheese starts to brown, about 15 minutes.
3. Remove pizza from oven and drizzle with oil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, slice and serve. 

Source: Allrecipes.com- Greek Vegetarian Pizza

If I did not make myself very clear in the paragraph above I implore you to please at least try to make your own dough...usethe tips/tricks included in this link  and you too will never buy a boboli again!!

Basic Pizza Dough

Yield: enough dough for 2 medium pizzas or 4 calzones

Ingredients:
½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
--Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup.  Sprinkle the yeast over the top.  

--In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend.  

--Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture.  

--With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil.  Mix until a cohesive dough is formed.  Switch to the dough hook.  Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  

--Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

--Press down the dough to deflate it.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces.  Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball.  (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.)  Cover with a damp cloth.  Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

Source:  Annie Eats

Now go make some pizza!!!

Enjoy!

xo

Andrea 

Super Yummy VEGAN oatmeal cookies

I have to admit, I was skeptical about wasting my ingredients on this recipe but thought it was worth a shot, and I sure was surprised at how yummy these are! I found the recipe from Alicia Silverstone's KIND DIET cookbook. I tweaked the ingredients a bit to make use of what was in my pantry. Believe me, you will not miss the butter or eggs in these!

RECIPE:

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats 1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup white-whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons date sugar 1/2 teaspoon molasses
2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 cup dried plums(prunes)or any dried fruit
1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup chopped walnuts(optional) i did not use
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

combine oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine syrup, oil, vanilla, and molasses. mix wet and dry ingredients and fold in dried fruit/and or nuts.
roll tablespoon size scoops of dough into balls and place on sheet. press down to flatten the tops . bake for 10 minutes and transfer to baking rack to cool. cookies will be soft so be careful when transfering. they will firm up once they are cooled. recipe makes about 12 to 15 depending on the size of the balls.
they don't last long in my house - I have made them twice this week already! try them on someone and don't tell they are vegan- I don't think anyone will notice!

Our First Guest Blogger.....Super Yummy VEGAN oatmeal cookies!!

Kenyson and I are pretty smart girls....we were talking (i.e. emailing) saying how we needed to get our butt in gear and start posting some more...we just need to carve out a chunk of time to sit down and actually do it....and then- LIGHTBULB MOMENT!!  Guest Blogger!!!  That will buy us some time to post ourselves....yet there will be a new delicious recipe up on the blog to share with the world....so with that I introduce my friend- Dana- a senior member of the momtourage- and fellow foodie friend.

Check out her take on Alicia Silverstone's Vegan Oatmeal Cookies!!  I know I am definitely going to whip up a batch of these for the kids this week-

xo
Andrea