Kale and White Bean Soup

~ Elizabeth ~ Leave a comment
A Sunday snow storm calls for cozy cooking.  This soup is easy to make, delicious and healthy.  I typically have the items in my fridge and cupboard which makes it a go-to.  Like most of the winter soups I make, I always add a Parmesan rind.  It adds so much flavor and you can keep them in the freezer so they’re ready to use anytime.
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Ingredients:
  • 1 medium carrot chopped 1/2 cup
  • 1 stalk of celery sliced 1/2 cup
  • 1 medium onion chopped 1/2 cup
  • 1 tbsp.olive oil
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 4 cups kale, chopped
  • 1 15oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 14 oz  can diced tomatoes (undrained)
  • Grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)
  • Parmesan rind
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Instructions:
  • In a large Dutch Oven cook carrots, celery, and onion (Mirepoix) in hot oil over medium  heat  for 3 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Add broth, kale, beans and undrained tomatoes.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring twice.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.  You can top with grated  Parmesan cheese.

 

Super Bowl Snackin’

~ Elizabeth ~ Leave a comment

Super Bowl Sunday is almost here.  Time for an overabundance of food, drink, commercials and football.  If you’re looking for some foodspiration, here are some of my favorite snickety-snacks.  Can’t wait to whip up some of these yummy treats – clearly I like buffalo sauce.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

Buffalo Chix Meatballs
Courtesy: Damn Delicious

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3/4 cup buffalo sauce
  • Light Ranch (for dipping)

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, Panko, egg, garlic and onion powder and green onions; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs.
  • Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes, or until all sides are browned.
  • Place meatballs into a slow cooker. Add buffalo sauce and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours.
  • Serve immediately, with ranch dressing, if desired.

 

Veggie Patch Pizza

veggie-pizza

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans Crescent Rolls
  • 16 oz. cream cheese. softened
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
  • Assorted Veggie Toppings (your faves):
    • 1 cup broccoli, cauliflower
    • 1 cup shredded carrots
    • 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
    • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
    • zucchini, mushrooms, green onions, cucumbers

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spread Crescent rolls onto large cookie sheet and press edges.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes then cool.
  • Mix cream cheese, mayo and ranch dressing.
  • Spread onto cooled rolls.
  • Sprinkle veggies on top, one at a time.
  • Sprinkle cheese on top.
  • Cut into squares before serving.

 

Buffalo Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Sauce

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Courtesy: Food Network Kitchen

Ingredients:

Cheese Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
  • 1 tablespoon skim milk
  • 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Buffalo Cauliflower:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce, such as Frank’s
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 8 cups cauliflower florets (from about 1 medium head)

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • For the cheese sauce: Whisk together the sour cream, blue cheese, milk, mayonnaise, 1/8 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes
  • For the Buffalo cauliflower: Meanwhile, microwave the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl on high until melted. Whisk in the hot sauce and lemon juice and set aside.
  • Mix 1/2 cup water, olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower and toss until well coated. Spread the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until beginning to brown and just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Whisk the hot sauce mixture again, drizzle over the cauliflower and toss with tongs to coat. Roast the cauliflower until the sauce is bubbling and browned around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes more. Serve hot with the cheese sauce.

 

Greek Layer Dip

Greek-Layer-Dip-4c
Courtesy: Emily Bites

Ingredients:

  • 6 oz crumbled Feta cheese
  • 2 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • 8 oz Sabra Classic Hummus
  • 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/8 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon mustard
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • ½ cup diced cucumber
  • ½ cup diced grape tomatoes
  • 10 pitted Kalamata olives, diced

Instructions:

  • Combine the feta*, cream cheese and yogurt in the bowl of a food processor and process until combined and smooth. Spread the cheese mixture evenly across the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Top this cheesy layer with the hummus and spread across evenly. (*I reserved a tiny bit of the feta to sprinkle over the top at the end)
  • In a medium bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper and stir until well combined. Add the diced cucumbers, tomatoes and olives to the oil mixture and stir until well combined. Spread the tomato/cucumber mixture over the top of the hummus in the pie plate and serve.

Spinach Artichoke Bites

bites-closeup-2
Courtesy: Park House Love

Ingredients:

  • 1 (8 oz.) package softened cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
  • 2 tubes of crescent roll dough
  • shredded mozzarella (optional, though in my opinion completely necessary)

Instructions:

  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly spray mini muffin tins with baking spray.
  • Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well.  Once you’ve combined the dip, set aside.
  • Roll your crescent roll dough out onto a large cutting board/work surface.  Working with half of the dough at time (4 triangles), pinch all of the creases together so that you’re left with one big piece of dough.
  • Using a pizza slicer or a knife, cut the dough into 12 roughly even squares.
  • Press each of the dough squares into a mini muffin tin.
  • Using a teaspoon, fill each cup with the spinach artichoke mixture.
  • Sprinkle each one with a little shredded mozzarella- who doesn’t love more cheese!
  • Bake in the oven for 12 minutes.
  • Wait a couple minutes until they’re cool enough to touch, then use a teaspoon to get them out of the cups and onto the plate of your choice or into your mouth.

Roasted Chickpeas

~ Elizabeth ~ 1 Comment

Lately I’ve been taking my salads to another level at lunchtime.  I made a batch of roasted chickpeas this weekend and they are little bites of deliciousness.  Roasting them with your favorite spices adds another dimension of flavor to the chickpeas.  I’ve seen a lot of recipes with cumin and cayenne, but I opted for a blend of sea salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic and sage.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dry seasoning mix (sea salt flakes, black pepper, rosemary, garlic and sage)

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
  • Toss the chickpeas with olive oil and seasoning and spread out on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet
  • Roast in the oven for 30 minutes

photo 2 (9)

Book Worm

~ Elizabeth ~ Leave a comment

Reading is a great escape and I’m always looking for a new book to get my hands on.  I have a book club with my girlfriends – yes we actually read and it’s not just an excuse to drink wine (although there’s nothing wrong with that).  Here are some of the books I currently have on my list (I won’t bore you with the industry related ones).

Dark Places:  By Gillian Flynn

What it’s about:  From the author of Gone Girl this thriller tells the story of Libby Day, whose mother and sisters were murdered at the family’s farmhouse when she was only 7. Her testimony sent her older brother, Ben, to prison for life, and 25 years later, Libby decides to meet with the Kill Club, a group of crime enthusiasts who investigate the case and force her to rethink what really happened.

Dark Places

 

Unbroken:  By Laura Hillenbrand

What it’s about:  I saw the movie and wish I would have read the book first.  It’s the story of Louis Zamperini’s life leading up to the pivotal moment when his Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean, against all odds, Zamperini survived, adrift on a foundering life raft. Not only did he survive the torment of the open treacherous ocean, he was then faced with his captures upon rescuing. He was driven to the limits of endurance, desperation, suffering with hope and resolve.

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Yes Please:  By Amy Poehler

What’s it about:  It’s written by Amy Poehler, need I say more…Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry, photographs, mantras and advice. With chapters like “Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend,” “Plain Girl Versus the Demon” and “The Robots Will Kill Us All” Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous,Yes Please is full of words to live by.

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We Were Liars: By E. Lockhart

What’s it about?  I was sold on this overview and am currently reading for book club:  A beautiful and distinguished family.  A private island.  A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.  A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.  A revolution. An accident. A secret.  Lies upon lies.  True love. The truth.

liars

 

The Paris Wife:  By:  Paula McLane

What’s it about:  A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time—Paris in the twenties—and an extraordinary love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.  It’s the story of their whirlwind courtship, wedding and move to Paris, where they become the golden couple – ultimately exposing the cracks in their relationship along the way that could prove the undoing of one of the great romances in literary history.

Paris Wife

Psychos:  By:  Babe Walker

What’s it about:  This is the follow-up novel to the (hilarious) New York Times bestselling novel White Girl Problems.   Fresh from a four-month stint in rehab for her “alleged” shopping addiction, Babe Walker returns home to Bel Air ten pounds lighter, having made amends and confronted her past. Although delighted to be home and determined to maintain her hard-won inner peace, Babe now faces a host of outside forces seemingly intent on derailing her path to positive change.

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Mock Mashed Potatoes

~ Elizabeth ~ Leave a comment

As the saying goes..summer bodies are made in the winter.  If you’re like me, I just want to snuggle up and eat hearty meals in the winter.  We all crave comfort food, but there are some great ways to lighten things up and even trick yourself in the process.  A go-to for me is cauliflower mashed potatoes.  I can honestly say, you will not miss those little spuds after you try this delicious alternative.

photo (37)

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3-5 tablespoons skim milk (depends on the consistency you want)
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • Fresh parsley or chives for garnish (optional)

Directions:

  • Wash and separate the cauliflower into florets
  • Bring water to a boil and boil florets until soft
  • Drain water
  • Add milk, butter, garlic salt, pepper
  • Use a hand masher, food processor, or an immersion blender to obtain your preferred consistency

Sunday Dinner: Golden Globes Style

~ Elizabeth ~ Leave a comment

Sunday dinner is one of my favorite traditions.  My family always gathers for a fun filled family dinner, which is a great way to end the weekend and start the week.  We love to cook and spend time together and I’ve carried that tradition to my Sunday’s with friends.  Since the Golden Globes launch the start of awards season, I found it fitting to make a delicious meal for my viewing party.

On the menu…

Charcuterie plate:

  • Italian salami
  • Drunken goat cheese
  • Manchego cheese
  • Rock Creek crisps: Moroccan rosemary with raisin and cranberry multi-seed with Himalayan pink salt

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Entrée:

  • Chicken Piccata (recipe below)
  • Garlic green beans
  • Roasted redskin potatoes

photo 1 (7)

Ingredients:

  • 4 skinless and boneless chicken breast cutlets
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • All-purpose flour, for dredging
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
  • 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.  In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

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Most Anticipated Albums of 2015

~ Elizabeth ~ Leave a comment

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2015 is poised to be a great year in music and I can’t wait for several new album releases.  Here are a few of the albums I’m giddy about and a playlist of new releases and some of my favorites to tide you over.

RADIOHEAD – TBA//Release date: TBA

Radiohead is one of my favorite bands and I can’t wait for a new album release as they never disappoint.  Few bands can match Radiohead’s disruptive nature both in sound and commercial.  They are one of a kind and can listen to their albums from start to finish – which is rare these days.

LAURA MARLING – SHORT MOVIE//Release date: March 24th via Ribbon

This folk singer-songwriter created a sound of her own as soon as she burst onto the scene.  Her fifth studio album is sure to be a success as made evident by her new release “Short Movie“.

THE DECEMBERISTS – WHAT A TERRIBLE WORLD, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD//Release date: January 20th via Capitol Records

It’s been almost four years since we’ve heard anything new from The Decemberists.  You can’t fault this group for taking time off to focus on their families, but happy to hear they’re coming back with their new LP.  “Make You Better” is the first release from their upcoming album and brings be back to why I fell in love with their sound.

MODEST MOUSE – STRANGERS TO OURSELVES//Release date: March 3rd via Epic Records 

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from this eclectic group and have high hopes for their sixth album.  It’s interesting that they chose “Lampshades on Fire” as their lead single since they’ve been playing this one live since 2011.

MY MORNING JACKET – TBA//Release date: April

This album was actually supposed to release last year and it’s finally happening in 2015.  From what I’ve read, they have already produced about 24 songs they considered “solid contenders”.  We don’t have anything to preview just yet, but I’m anticipating something pretty wonderful from MMJ.

ADELE – TBA//Release date: TBA

Who doesn’t love this songbird?! Even though most of the ladies have probably had a good cry singing “Someone Like You“, her powerhouse voice and swoon-worthy lyrics make her such a talented musician.  I’m certain her next release will be worth the wait.

BAND OF HORSES – TBA//Release date: TBA

This Southern rock ensemble dives right into the core and evokes introspection in so many of us.  It’s been five years since we’ve heard a proper LP and can’t wait to hear what emotions they will stir inside of us this time.

BEACH HOUSE – TBA//Release date: TBA

I remember the first time I heard “Zebra” in my yoga class and had to get my hands on more.  Their sound is haunting and soothing at the same time.  They were in the habit of releasing an album every two years, but we never heard from them last year.  Here’s to hoping we see a fifth LP in 2015.  Til then, we have this untitled new song performed in October to enjoy.

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE – TBA//Release date: TBA

Sadly, Chris Walla played his last show with Death Cab for Cutie on September 13,2014 at Rifflandia Festival – bittersweet to say the least.  Although he won’t be touring with the band, he will appear on their forthcoming eighth studio album set to launch sometime this year.  Looking forward to see what they have planned.

JAMES BLAKE – TBA//Release date: TBA

He enticed us by dropping some singles toward the end of the year in a preview EP.  Hoping to hear the rest of it this year.  Blake dropped a few vague details about working with Kanye West which would be the first time he has collaborated with West.  Curious and excited how the collaboration influences his captivating sound.

MIGUEL – TBA//Release date: TBA

Oh Miguel you sultry man you.  He captivated us in 2012 as one of the most exciting R&B acts and released great singles to keep us going since.  Well Miguel, we have waited long enough!  One of my favorites couldn’t be added to the playlist since it’s not on Spotify (gerr) – you will find Simplethings on repeat around me.  If “hollywooddreams” is a taste of what’s to come, I want more!

MUMFORD AND SONS – TBA//Release date: TBA

The first time I heard this British folk band I remember saying “who are these guys; they’re incredible”.  After their last tour they took an indefinite hiatus.  Now, it appears they are working on new original songs for their third studio album.  I hope this is true because we could use more Marcus Mumford in our lives.

RIHANNA – TBA//Release date: TBA

Oh RiRi – not only has she reemerged on Instagram, but now her eighth studio album may drop sooner than expected.  Speaking of Instagram, she recently chose this as a medium to share a song snippet.  It’s rumored that she may have two surprise albums up her sleeve – one titled #R8 and the second could be a film soundtrack with David Guetta, according to The Daily Star.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS – DAY FOR NIGHT//Release date: TBA

The legendary Billy Corgan has been on a roll lately.  Early last year  he said he was working on two albums – one with Tommy Lee on drums and the other would be a “doom metal” record.  Last year he released the first of the pair, Monuments to an Elegy.  Hopefully he will keep the momentum going and release the second this year.  Does this mean the “doom metal” record is to come?