RUSTIC YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP

This hearty satisfying vegetable packed split pea soup is delicious for lunch or dinner.  You can make this completely vegetarian using vegetable stock or you can use chicken or beef broth.  We used vegetable stock with about a cups worth of chicken broth just to use up what we had on hand.  Also, a word about Za'atar.  I have never used it before, and when I opened the jar the aroma was heavenly.  So it definitely was going into this soup.  If you do not have Za'atar, some fresh or dried thyme and rosemary would be lovely.

With yellow split peas you do not need to soak them after a good rinse, but I chose to soak mine for 3 1/2 hours, drained and rinsed them well.  Your cooking time will take longer and need to be adjusted if you do not pre soak the peas.

2/3 cup yellow split peas, rinsed well, and soaked for 3 1/2 hours

1-2 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the vegetables, chop them small the same size

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped turnip

1 large shallot diced

3/4 cup chopped potatoes - I used roughly peeled small red and yellow gem potatoes

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

chopped fresh parsley

1 large bay leaf

1 tsp. tumeric

1 1/2 tsp. Za'atar

salt to taste

Heat up a dutch oven on low/medium heat the the EVOO.  Add in all your vegetables except the potatoes.  Saute 5 minutes, then add in the seasonings except for the parsley and salt.

Continue to saute another 3 minutes, then pour in your stock and the rinsed soaked peas.  Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low lid on and simmer 35 minutes.  At that point remove the lid and add in salt to taste, and the potatoes and cook another 15 minutes lid off until the peas and and potatoes are tender.  In total my soup took 45-50 minutes till cooked.  When done, sprinkle in the parsley, give another stir and serve with good gluten free bread.

 

 

If you read my blog, you know I am a huge lover of soups - all kinds.  With winter coming and colder temperatures in our neck of the woods this was perfect - lunch or dinner.  Although, I could eat soup any day!  Here we used homemade Turkey bone broth - highly recommend homemade chicken, beef, or turkey bone broth if you have it, or if not a good quality store bought brand can work in a pinch.

A word about Pasatta. It is more readily available at grocery stores now compared to some years ago.  It is peeled, de-seeded and strained uncooked tomatoes - heaven in a jar and so versatile.  Really adds a nice tomato punch of flavour in any dish. (plus, it freezes nicely if you do not use a whole jar)

This was a tasty, healthy, soup loaded in nutrients, and vitamins, with packed goodness in a bowl.

4 cups Turkey bone broth

2 cups tomato Pasatta

2 leeks, sliced, rinsed and chopped

2 large cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped

1/2 cup chopped:  turnip, rutabaga, carrots, celery, frozen green beans

2/3 cup chopped frozen spinach

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 tsp. dried rubbed Greek oregano

1 tsp. dried rubbed basil

1 tsp. organic tumeric

salt and pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients to a good sized pot.  Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer, cooking 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Serve with your favourite gluten free bread or bun.

 

This hummus veggie dip came together very quickly, and packs a big level of flavor.  With this recipe you could use a black bean style of hummus if regular hummus is not your choice.  Whether store bought or homemade hummus, these flavors really compliment one another.  This makes a great dip for any vegetable platter as well as making a tasty easy lunch. (someone even said it tasted great on an open face cheese sandwich lol)

3/4 cup garlic roasted hummus - store bought or homemade

3 big Tblsp. salsa, plus extra to drizzle on top

1 Tblsp. plain yogurt

1 green onion, chopped finely

big handful of cilantro, minced (include stems)

To a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix to combine, then drizzle extra salsa on top of the hummus.  Serve with any assortment of veggies, or corn tortilla chips.

With the summer bounty at our farmers market, plus a rainy grey day, soup was on the table for lunch today!

2 pints of mixed heritage cherry tomatoes, sliced and quartered if on the bigger side

a good splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

a good splash of White Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup sliced red/green pepper

1/4 of a red onion, sliced

season with salt and pepper

Add to a pan and roast at 400 degrees in an air roaster oven for 30 minutes.

While roasting prep the other vegetables:

1 cup mixed green and yellow beans, cut to 1 inch pieces

3/4 cup chopped yellow zucchini squash - 1/4 inch thick pieces

3 small/medium sized swiss chard, stems chopped, and slice the greens into ribbons

big handful of chopped basil

4 cups chicken stock - homemade or store bought

Add the vegetables to a pot and lightly steam until tender.

When the roasted tomatoes and peppers are done, add 2 cups of the chicken stock to a food processor then the roasted veggies and blend until smooth. OR Add in the 2 cups of chicken stock to a dutch oven then the roasted veggies and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Pour in blended veggies and remaining 2 cups of chicken stock to the pot and add in the drained, lightly steamed vegetables, a big handful of chopped basil, season with salt and pepper, and turn on low to heat bringing to a light simmer.

Serve with fresh bread of choice or grilled cheese.

 

This is a lovely side dish to have with any main dish or lunch, especially in summer.  While not a big fan of sweet coleslaw, there is a bit of sugar in this recipe, but it is not overpowering at all, and by all means add more if that is to your taste.  The dressing makes about 3/4 cup, and in this recipe we used 1/4 dressing for the coleslaw, so leftovers can be used again on just about any salad you make.

DRESSING:

1/2  cup Mayonnaise

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tblsp. White vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. white sugar

1/2 tsp. ground celery seed

1/2 tsp. paprika

fresh cracked pepper

COLESLAW:

1 1/2 cups finely sliced, shredded green cabbage

rounded 1/2 cup finely sliced red cabbage, or a bit more if you prefer

1 small to medium grated carrot

2 green onions, diced

Whisk up all the ingredients listed in the dressing recipe and set aside.

To a bowl, add the green and red cabbages, grated carrot and green onions, tossing with a fork to combine.  Pour in 1/4 cup of the dressing, mixing well.  Refrigerate 1- 2 hours before serving.

With the number of chili recipes on this blog, I realized I never seem to make chili the same way each time.  Guess I love playing with flavors, textures of food, lol, and chili offers a perfect opportunity to do just that.  This chili was simple to put together, yet there is definite complex flavors going on.  In this recipe you can certainly play around with different peppers depending on the heat you like.  We always do mild, but this chili offers a nice "smokey" flavor with the extra cilantro added.

1 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lb. ground beef (I like to mix my ground beef - 1/2 lb. lean, 1/2 lbs. extra lean)

1 medium onion chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped

1/4 of a red pepper, diced

1/2 of a green pepper, diced

1 small can, 5.5 oz. of tomato paste, plus 1 can of water

1 can tomatoes and green chilis like Rotel

salt to taste, 1 Tblsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. dried rubbed oregano

one 14 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed

huge handful of chopped fresh cilantro

grated cheddar cheese

tortilla chips, on the side

Heat up a dutch oven on low medium heat with the EVOO.  Add in the onion, garlic, peppers, celery saute for 5 minutes.  Then add in the ground beef, breaking up with a spoon to brown well - about another 5-6 minutes.  Sprinkle in the seasonings, then pour in the can of tomatoes with green chili, tomato paste with water, stirring well to combine.

Add the drained/rinsed black beans, and fresh cilantro.  Lid on, turn down to a low simmer, cooking for for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Check for seasons and adjust if necessary, serve topped with cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips on the side.

This is an easy pasta dish to put together, and is lovely for lunch or dinner.  With a leftover bowl the next day it can also easily be turned into a pasta salad with some chopped spinach added in.

8 ounces small pasta shells

1 small shallot sliced

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tblsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

6 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces

5 Tblsp. fresh pesto

1/4 - 1/2 cup reserved pasta water

Parmesan cheese

Heat up a pot of water to cook the pasta.  While pasta is cooking, heat up a large pan with the EVOO, on low medium heat.  Add in the shallot and asparagus, sauteing about 5 minutes. Then add in the tomatoes and continue to saute.

Pour in 1/4 cup pasta water, season with salt and pepper and add the drained cooked pasta, tossing to coat.  Remove from the heat, and add the pesto, and grated Parmesan cheese, mix well.

Serve along side any main dish, or have as a meal on it's own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With this recipe, we used a 3 quart slow cooker.  Each slow cooker seems to have it's own unique heat.  In determining the cook time, I would recommend using a 3 quart slow cooker.  This lovely side dish was cooked in 2 hrs. and 15 minutes.  It makes a nice lunch with a salad, or a lovely side dish to any Mexican flavoured main dishes.  Adding sliced avocados, salsa, plain yogurt are nice accompaniments.

2 tblsp. Avocado oil

3/4 cup long grain basmati rice, well rinsed

1 small shallot, diced

1/4 of a green pepper, diced

2/3 cup diced tomato

14 oz can of black beans rinsed well

1-2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tblsp. warm water

Plug in the slow cooker, and preheat on low.  Heat up a saute pan on low medium heat with the Avocado oil.  Add the vegetables and saute 5 minutes.  Add in the seasonings and rice, and saute for another 3 minutes.  Transfer the rice vegetables to a slow cooker, add in the black beans and pour in the water.  Stir gently lid on and cook on low for 2 hrs. 15 minutes.

 

 

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