Mom’s classic hamburger soup without potatoes or pasta

It’s summer, meaning it is the season of salads and grilling. And soup, even though it’s hot outside, because everyone loves soup, and it’s easy, and with the air conditioner on you can enjoy it year round.

My mother purchases ground beef from a coworker, that is organic and homegrown. It’s delicious, but there’s one problem: she buys it in batches of 40 pounds and puts it all in our deep freeze. So, I am always looking for ways to use it. After making countless taco salads, meat sauces, meatballs, stuffed peppers, cheeseburger stuffed zucchini, etc. I needed inspiration. Enter: an excuse to eat soup.

Hamburger soup is one of those classic recipes that everyone had as a kid. Probably because it’s cheap, easy, and can stretch. It also freezes, which means that for every time the family has hamburger soup, you can expect it again in two weeks.

However, it is summer, and I have trouble chowing down on a big bowl of pasta or potatoes when it’s hot. I just feel disgusting and borderline sick! Starches are for fall and winter, when you need your belly full to keep from shivering.

So, this is a totally classic recipe, sans starch. However, I think serving it with a nice loaf of bread would be acceptable 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped (I like yellow in this)
• 6 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups beef broth
• shredded cheddar for serving (optional)

Brown the beef in a big ole’ soup pot. One cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a plate to chill out while you cook some veggies.

If a lot of fat came out (with organic beef, it usually does for me) drain off all but just enough to saute in.

Add the onion, celery, carrot, and pepper and cook until softened (like 5-7 minutes)

Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, salt and pepper, and diced tomatoes. Get it nice and combined, then pour in the broth! Lastly, add the beef back. Once the broth is nice and hot, it’s done!

Spoon into bowls with a nice handful of cheese on top, or some croutons, or some crushed chips, or even cornbread. ( I know I cut the starch in the soup, but that just leaves room for a little something on the side that you can make whole grain or gluten free or whatever you like).

Happy summer soup day!

 

 

When you can’t make a decision: Caesar Taco Salad

Oh, my two great loves: the humble taco salad, and the fancy Caesar salad. The taco salad boasts crunch of tortilla chips, spice of jalepenos, savory queso fresca. But the Caesar provides such creaminess, with tender romaine leaves and salty shredded parm.

I feel like this must be what it felt like to make the first pb&j. Somebody clearly had two delicious foods, and rather than chose one to eat, combined them. Or how about the chocolate chip cookie? Why chose between a sugary cookie and a chocolatey one? Therefore, I am inspired.

I combined the yummy parts of both loves, into one hybrid salad that leaves me with no regrets over my decision. I also added Kale, because it’s trendy and healthy and holds up to the intense flavors of this salad!

What does this mean? You don’ t have to chose your favorite salad! You can have both- at the same time.

TACO CAESAR SALAD INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch kale (I like the curly stuff, but the Tuscan stuff is more chef-fy, I guess)
• 6 cups baby romaine leaves
• 2 cups crushed tortilla chips
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• 2 avocados
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 cups queso fresca cheese
• Caesar dressing to taste (I found one made with Greek yogurt)
• 1 tablespoon adobe sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
• 1 teaspoon cumin

Make the dressing: combine the Caesar dressing with the adobe sauce and cumin. Let sit in the fridge while you keep on chucking

In a large salad bowl, toss the kale, romaine, chips, mushrooms, and seeds. Crumble the cheese and put on top, but hold off on tossing.

Slice the avocado, and here’s the best part: sprinkle chili powder over the slices! Mmmmm

Put the avocado on top, then the dressing, and very lightly (so as not to break up the cheese or avocado) toss it together.

You can also serve the dressing on the side if you’re scared to toss it and accidentally mash everything 🙂

There we go: TWO salad cravings satisfied.

 

 

“I need to use up these tomatoes” homemade salsa

It’s tomato time in Arkansas, meaning that everybody and their grandmother is growing, and trying to rid themselves of, tomatoes.

Case in point: I came home from my boyfriend’s house with a large bag of about 8 fresh tomatoes. As I walked in the door, my mother was putting away 4 more that came from our grandmother. The problem? I can’t stand fresh tomatoes. I love marinara, sauteed tomatoes in pasta, ketchup, etc. But a sliced tomato? No thanks.

This meant that my two parents would somehow have to consume 12 tomatoes by themselves if I did not do something with them. While tomatoes are very commonly used down here in the famous BLT and the infamous tomato and salted mayonnaise sandwich, I knew I would have to help them out.

Luckily, there is one no-cook tomato dish I enjoy: salsa! It’s so easy, customizable, and versatile. My absolute favorite place to eat it is on top of a cheese omelet, which is what we did. I had no fresh peppers, but feel free to use a jalapeno or pepper of choice in this recipe!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pretty big onion (I like a lot in my salsa- adjust to your taste)
3 large tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo
3 tablespoons tomato juice or V8 (weird, but I think the sweetness helps)
2 tsp sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
salt and pepper

To prepare, dice up the onion and put it in a bowl.
Put the tomatoes, garlic, and pepper in a food processor and pulse until it’s your fav salsa consistency. Dump it in the bowl with the onion.
Stir in the tomato juice, sugar, lime juice, salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust it to how you like it!
Nice additives are cumin, chili powder, fresh pineapple, canned peaches, and I suppose cilantro if you’re one of the population who does not find it disgusting (to me, it tastes like soap).

Now I only have to use up 9 more tomatoes….

 

Spinach Pesto Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is one of the most versatile and easy meals on the planet. I’ve seen it done with grapes and cranberries and sweet things. I’ve seen it curried. I’ve even seen it with pasta stirred in, so it was a pasta-chicken salad hybrid.

Whichever way you like your chicken salad, eventually, it pays to try something new! I love this recipe because it sneaks a TON of leafy greens right into the dressing, adding a good vegetable element that your picky eaters will probably not even notice! Because of the pesto, too, one can use less mayo, which makes it a healthier chicken salad than most.

It is so flavorful, so summery, and so easy and healthy. It’s totally worth switching up your chicken salad game to give it a try!

The recipe starts with my spinach pesto, which I have posted about a few times. Here it is, again, so you don’t have to go look for it!

For the Pesto (Fine, you’re rushed. Use pesto from a jar. But it won’t be as good.):
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 cups fresh spinach (Yes, you traditional pesto lovers- use basil. It’s fine too.)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I add this for the chicken. With pasta, I don’t)
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup olive oil

For the salad:
1 lb cooked shredded chicken breast or tenders
1/4 cup additional pine nuts
2-3 tbls mayo, depending on how creamy you want it.

To make the pesto, simply put all of the ingredients except the oil in a food processor and blend. Then, drizzle in the oil slowly with the processor running. (Put the nuts at the bottom so they get well ground). This pesto is perfect for pasta, pizza, a veggie dip, and a spoon.

Then, combine the chicken, pesto, and mayo in a bowl. Stir until combined, then top with the pine nuts.

I served it sans bread and with a hearty helping of pickled beets, because that’s how I roll. Feel free to wrap it, sandwich it, lettuce cup it, etc.

 

You can actually make a layered coffee drink, and here’s how.

My go-to order at Starbucks is the iced coconut milk mocha macchiato. It’s lower cal than a frap, very caffeinated, and most of all, tastes delicious.

What makes a macchiato special is that it is NOT an iced coffee. You do not mix everything together into one consistent drink. You drink it in layers as it is given to you. The sweet syrup at the bottom wakens your pallet, making way for the creamy milk, and, finally, the dark coffee. I will say, however, that if the taste of coffee is not for you, then you should probably shake it up and call it an iced mocha 🙂

The best part? While this recipe uses chocolate syrup, you can use any syrup you want! Caramel, raspberry, toasted marshmallow (my favorite). Also, any milk works great! Coconut milk has a phenomenal flavor, almond milk works great. Dairy milk is nice and neutral so it allows the syrup to shine.

I.E, this is customizable and so easy it’s not even a real recipe. But I felt it was worth sharing!

To prepare: Drizzle FLAVORED SYRUP down the sides of a tall glass, and coat the  bottom with a good 1/2 inch of additional syrup (or less/more depending on your preference). Next, fill the glass with ICE. Fill the glass 2/3 full with MILK and top it with STRONG COFFEE, COLD ESPRESSO, OR COLD BREW CONCENTRATE. 

And that’s literally all it takes 🙂

No-cook romantic picnic! (And it’s super healthy)

My darling boyfriend of three years lives 90 minutes away from me when I’m home, and three hours away from me at school. So, picnics are not exactly easy to plan with us. We need food that won’t melt or spoil if it gets hot in a car!

In addition, I like to eat healthily most of the time, and picnic foods tend to be full of pasta salads, giant sandwiches, fried chicken, etc.

To further complicate things, I am currently in two plays and a summer class and a bit too busy to cook anything fancy.

Nevertheless, we ended up planning a picnic. Go figure.

So, this is not as much a recipe as some ideas! It’s easy as can be- the whole thing took me about 15 minutes to pack. It survived the car ride, and was absolutely delicious and waist-line friendly.

To begin, I went to the deli and had them slice me two 1-inch thick slices of peppered turkey. These, I cut into X&O shapes with a cookie cutter, and packed to go! Entree? Done.

For my side, I cut a thickly-sliced cucumber and a red bell pepper into mini heart shapes with another cookie cutter. I threw in some sliced celery for good measure as well.

To accompany my sliced veggies and turkey, I packed an array of dipping sauces, all store-bought. There was Italian dressing, poblano ranch, and chipotle Greek yogurt. This way, I could lay them out in between us and we could dip different foods in different sauces and have fun sharing food, with no forks or plates necessary!

To round out the meal, I got a little cheesy with some fruit. I printed out two little tags, wrapped them in tape so they did not get wet from condensation with the ice pack I brought, hole-punched them, and tied them to a pear and a banana. What did they say? Well, on the pear was “We make a perfect pear” and the banana was “let’s never split.” C’mon, it’s adorable.

I did include some homemade pecan pie bark for dessert, which I had already intended on making and I could easily carry. Turkey, fruit, and veggies just didn’t seem like quite enough food. So, feel free to throw in some cookies or candy to add a hint of decadence.

I promise, he or she will love it.

Carb-less, kid-friendly pasta night

When it comes to zucchini noodles, I am always content with some light seasoning and lemon juice. I like the taste of zucchini noodles and don’t need to hide them!

However, in order to get my entire family to eat them, I have to really present my zoodles as a pasta substitute. And they would not be content with some lightly seared shellfish or ground turkey. They must have Italian sausage. And, naturally, a side dish is necessary to them or it’s simply not enough food!

So, there I was, last week, with a desire to eat healthy and a family that requires otherwise. Now what?

Well, Alfredo is much heavier than marinara, so marinara is the way to go. I can probably get away with turkey Italian sausage. As for a side? Sauteed spinach with whole roasted garlic cloves is healthy and delicious.

And, alas, a totally family-friendly plate of “pasta” was born that won’t mess up my diet! This is sure to satisfy picky eaters, pasta lovers, children, etc. And it’s basically a cooked salad. Just save room for dessert 🙂 You deserve it.

INGREDIENTS (feeds 4):

5 zucchini (My formula is one/person + an extra)
1 jar good quality marinara (or homemade if you’re that kind of person)
4 links of turkey Italian sausage
1 bag of spinach
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 head roasted garlic cloves (I bought these, but feel free to pop a sliced-open head of garlic in an oven covered in foil for about 40 minutes at 350′)

First step, spiralize your zucchini noodles and lay them between paper towels to catch any drippy water.

In a small saucepan, dump in the marinara and get it heating.

In a large skillet, fry your sausage in a teensy bit of oil (it’s turkey sausage so there won’t be much fat, if any). It should be about 10-12 minutes per side, until it’s browned and the juices run clear when you poke one. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Into the skillet, add the zucchini noodles. Saute them until tender, and drain off any liquid. This is fast- just a couple minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet or saucepan, add the lemon juice, oil, garlic, and spinach. Just stir until the spinach is wilted.

Once the zucchini noodles are tender, the spinach is wilted, and the sauce is hot, you’re done! Just pile some zoodles on a plate, top with some sauce, add the sausage and the spinach. The sausage should still be warm, because zucchini noodles only take about 3 minutes to cook.

Hooray pasta night!

Cheeseburger Stuffed Peppers- no rice!

I never liked stuffed peppers growing up. My family’s idea of stuffed peppers was instant Spanish rice stuffed in a boiled pepper. No judgement to people that like that, but it was never for me.

My older sister opened my eyes to the idea of non-Spanish stuffed peppers when she made a batch that was filled with black beans, feta cheese, and chicken. Suddenly, I realized that peppers were designed to be stuffed with delicious things!

Next thing I know, I’m stuffing them with spaghetti and mini meatballs, broccoli and cheese, and using them as a vessel to serve soup! I’m carving out Jack O’ Lantern faces on Halloween and filing them with pumpkin stuffing. Peppers become a staple.

Then, I come across a recipe for cheeseburger stuffed peppers. They looked lovely, but when you stuff them with rice and a whole 1/2 cup of cheese per pepper, you may as well eat a cheeseburger. So, I decided to borrow the idea and make my own recipe with cheeseburger flavors and no reason to skip dessert!

I love mustard and ketchup on my cheeseburgers. If one of those things sounds disgusting to you, leave it out. I’ll never know.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 bell peppers (I was feeding my whole family)
• 1 tbls butter or margarine
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 lbs ground beef (we eat a lot)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tbls yellow mustard
• 2 tbls ketchup
• 3 tbls pickle relish
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup corn kernels (frozen is great)
• 3 cups leafy greens (I used Arugula this time, but have used spinach successfully too. Kale will work but will take longer to wilt)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

In your largest skillet, saute the onion and brown the beef in the butter or margarine. As it starts to cook, throw in the salt and pepper, mustard, ketchup, relish, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

Allow to simmer until some of the liquid has evaporated off and it looks much thicker. Stir in the corn and the greens until the corn is hot and the greens are wilted.

Slice your peppers in half, scoop out the insides, and pop them in a large baking dish.

Spoon equal amounts of filling into each pepper and top with a handful of cheese. Pour 2 cups of water into the bottom of the dish

Bake for 40 minutes or desired doneness on the peppers (I like mine a bit crunchy). Enjoy your cheeseburger night! And your much-deserved dessert after. I had ice cream.

Healthy makeover chicken and “waffles”

As a lover of southern cooking, chicken and waffles is just about the epitome of perfection. If you haven’t heard of it, I’m sure it sounds pretty weird. Waffles and sausage, sure. Chicken and mashed potatoes, sure. But chicken and waffles?

Okay, here’s the deal. You have to approach it with an open mind. I’m sure salty, crispy bacon and soft, gooey pancakes sounded weird the first time too. But the concept is exactly the same. A salty, crispy protein and a soft, sweet treat. They complement each other in the same way, but better, because this is an all-day meal, not just breakfast!

However, obviously, fried chicken and waffles is a pretty indulgent treat. I’ll be chowing down on it come the Fourth of July, but as a lighter option, I did some rethinking.

First off, frying has gotta go. Let’s bake it! And as for “breading?” Why even have carbs at all? I bread these in freaking Parmesan cheese.

The waffles? Well, let’s eliminate the flour. I’ve seen many recipes for “two-ingredient” pancakes, so I’ll work off that. However, those usually call for banana, and I’m not quite sure I can condone banana and chicken. Pumpkin? Yep.

You’d better serve this with honey mustard, too.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound chicken tenders
• 1 cup grated parm
• 1 cup melted margarine or butter
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 good dash black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 can pumpkin puree
• 3 eggs
• I ALWAYS eat these with honey mustard, and you should too.

Preheat the oven to 350′, and line two baking sheets with foil.

Mix together the parm and mustard, seasoned salt, onion powder, pepper, and salt. Dip each chicken tender in the butter, then roll around in the cheese mixture to coat. Bake these for 25 minutes, or until cooked.

While the chicken is baking, make the pumpkin pancakes. In a blender, mix up the pumpkin and the eggs!

Heat a skillet or griddle and coat it with cooking spray. These pancakes are soft, so you need to make them silver-dollar sized. Use 1/4 cup scoops, and cook them on one side until bubbling. Flip them over, and once you can get your spatula underneath them, put them on a plate!

Take out the chicken, put it next to the pancakes. The honey mustard goes on the chicken, and you’ll want syrup on those pancakes.