Split Pea Soup with Toasted Olive Oil and Garlic Bread

Hello, my friends! It’s been too long since I’ve posted a new recipe. The last few weeks have been a tad stressful, and that usually means me begging my husband to cook dinner while I curl up in a ball on the couch. Alas, I got tired of eating rice and steamed vegetables (just one expertise of many that my wonderfully supportive husband possesses) and decided to shake my funk and get back to one of the things I love – cooking!

I almost hesitated to put another soup recipe up, but just couldn’t resist. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I really love soup! I’ve wanted to make the split pea variety for a while now, and when my mom called to tell me about a pea soup recipe she made recently, I got jealous…er, I mean inspired…so here we are.

Hodgepodge Pot Pie with Biscuits

What a crazy week this has been so far! Mostly due to the fact that I’ve waited until the last minute to make an overly elaborate costume for Halloween (as usual), but also because it seems like a million other things have come up. As to be expected, when it came time to make dinner tonight I realized that I never made it to the store. I stood in front of my recipe graveyard, aka the fridge, and wondered what on Earth I could make.

I noticed the biscuits first, which gave me the idea for a pot pie. I knew I had potatoes, onions, and veggie broth, so I scrounged around to see what else I could find. I found a bag of rotting carrots in a forgotten corner of my crisper drawer – gross – so those were out, but I did have yams, so I picked those up. Next I found some leftover cream I had from the corn chowder I made a few days ago, and the peas popped out at me as soon as I opened the freezer. I picked up some dried thyme, salt and pepper, and a little bit of flour, and I was good to go!

Not only was this recipe delicious, but I was able to use a lot of ingredients that otherwise would have gone bad, which is always a plus!

Corn Chowder with Cilantro, Avocado and Lime

For the last couple of weeks I have had a serious craving for corn chowder. I had never actually had corn chowder before making this, but that’s beside the point! Somehow I just knew it would be delicious…luckily I was right (if only I could say that more often!).

Not only was this recipe good, I think it might be one of the best recipes I’ve ever made, AND it hardly took any time to make, which made me love it even more. My husband and I devoured it, and my mom, who tasted leftovers the next day, went straight out to get the ingredients to make it for dinner! That’s really what I love about cooking and trying new recipes; when it turns out great, it gets people excited to try it, add in their own creativity of flavors, and share it with the people they love.

The toughest part about the whole endeavor was removing the corn from the cob, but I learned some tricks that will help make this process easier in the future. Other than that, this recipe is pretty straight forward. The cilantro and lime give it a Mexican flair that would be great as a starter for the Vegetarian Enchiladas or Grilled Eggplant Fajitas I’ve made, but it also has enough weight to be the star of the meal.

I sincerely hope you try this one; you won’t be disappointed!

5 Pepper Vegetarian Chili with Roasted Veggies

If you love chili, and especially spicy chili, then you are going to LOVE this recipe! I’ve been stewing on this one for quite some time (get it?), and finally decided to give it a try. I felt so happy about the end result that I almost cried (if only this were an exaggeration): it was thick; it was just the right color; it lit our mouths on fire; and it was perfect. I, of course, called my mother immediately to brag…er…I mean express my joy (it’s quite possible she thinks I’m having a life crisis; that’s how good it was), then we enjoyed it with freshly baked cheddar corn bread, and a dollop of sour cream. The only thing missing, as my dad pointed out the next day during taste tests, was the fire extinguisher ;)

Spicy Bean and Veggie Soup

Today is officially the first day of fall, and despite summer’s attempt to spoil it with near triple digits (seriously, summer?), I am rejoicing the coming of leaf piles, scarves, umbrellas, and the smell of pumpkin pie. No longer will I have to longingly stare of my sweater collection, or burn my hands on the steering wheel after leaving my car in a parking lot for 2 milliseconds! So, in honor of this occasion, I made a spicy bean and veggie soup that is sure to keep you warm on the cooler days to come. 

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the things I love about soup is how healthy and incredibly easy it is to store and reheat for leftovers. Not to mention the fact that it’s a great way to use up ingredients that are soon to spoil. I make soup at least once a week, so my husband and I will have healthy lunches to take with us, and am always sad when we run out. This one is one of my standbys, and if you like things spicy, then you are sure to love it.

Creamy Potato Soup with Zucchini, Rosemary, and White Wine

I have been on a major soup kick lately. I believe this is partly due to the fact that I adore my little crockpot (even though it’s slowly falling apart), but also because of the wonderful, heartwarming quality a hot bowl of broth and vegetables somehow possesses. Perhaps also because autumn is just around the corner (don’t let this heat wave fool you!); and it’s my way of ushering in the warm sweaters, rosy cheeks, and full bellies I so greatly look forward to!

Recently I made a really great creamy mushroom soup that was a big hit (my brother in-law gave it 3 out of 4 spoons on his rating scale, ha ha), and since I had some leftover cream from the Spaghetti Alfredo I made the other night, I decided to venture into the cream soup world again. This time I decided to leave out the mushrooms and add a little white wine, which gave a hint of acidity that paired really well with the cream.

Creamy Mushroom Soup with Hearty Vegetables

I’ve been on a serious soup kick lately. I love that I can throw just about any kind of vegetable and spice in there and have it turn out great. They make for a healthy lunch or dinner, and are easy for Dustin to take to work with him. This also prevents him from taking raw potatoes, which is really an embarrassment for both of us.

I started making vegetable stew the way I always do, dice an onion, start to cry, rub my eyes and make it worse, curse the existence of onions…etc. I reached in the fridge to get out the carrots and zucchini, and spotted the leftover mushrooms from the Veggie Lasagna I had just made.