Amazing Adventure- Rattlesnake Point and Soupy Sunday Finish

Today I want to share how awesome my Sunday was. It was actually much more than our hiking adventure and delicious soup. It started with a great power workout in the morning, followed by a delicious brunch with my parents. Love them so!  Then the 'serious' stuff started.

Before my daughter and I left for our hike, I put all the ingredients for this incredibly delicious Stuffed Pepper soup in my crockpot and ran to the hills. (recipe at bottom).

My daughter wanted to go for a hike to a place she'd never been...in the snow... in winter, Sigh!

So I say, 'anything to support my daughter's healthy living efforts', and we headed off to Milton to Rattlesnake Point. I remember this place way back in high school when my friend Janice and I would hike through the hills with our headbands, lip smackers and leg warmers... this time though, my daughter and I had the right equipment and spirit.



See, there was lots of snow, but it was patted down and fairly easy to hike on.

Look below this incredible selfie (LOL), we are up high on the mountain (ok, escarpment).

We read that this park was established in 1964 and the proof is carved into the rock.

Look at the gorgeous Melanie just looking out over the escarpment. The sun was amazing with just a little wind blowing. I captured the essence of her joy and excitement at trying something new and exploring the world around her. I LOVE this picture!

Interesting wooden tee pees.

Looking over the escarpment...

... and looking up at the cliffs, we saw some people climbing with their mountain climbing gear- just like my brother used to do.  I am so grateful for my beautiful daughter. I would not have gone out again after a big, sweaty gym workout in the morning, but she pushed me to try something new and it was amazing!

And now the Soupy Sunday part of this post.

Crockpot cooking is the best! After our hike, we came home and our dinner was ready!

I love sharing my Soupy Sunday recipes with you - especially when it's so effortless and really delicious. 

Here's the recipe.

Stuffed Pepper Soup (adapted from www.recipesthatcrock.com/slow-cooker-stuffed-pepper-soup/)

INGREDIENTS

1lb lean ground beef

1 diced onion

1 diced clove garlic

28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice  

2 chopped green peppers

1 chopped red pepper

4 cups low-sodium beef broth

½ T dried basil

½ T dried oregano

½ t paprika

½ t dried chili flakes

Salt and Pepper

2 cups cooked rice

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown beef with onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Drain fat from beef and place in crockpot. Add all the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Meanwhile cook some rice. When ready to serve, put some cooked rice at the bottom of the bowl and spoon soup over.

Soupy Sunday- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Spicy Crunchy Chickpea Croutons

Happy Spring! On this first day of Spring, I thought I would give you one last taste of a warm and spicy Winter Soup.

Let's start with the fun part of this soup... have a look at these, the Spicy Crunchy Chickpea Croutons. Brent just loved them!

Here's the recipe:

Gold Rush Butternut Soup with Smoky Chickpea Croutons

(Adapted from http://www.mynewroots.org/site/2014/01/gold-rush-soup-chickpea-croutons

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash

2 large yellow onions

8 cloves garlic

2 tsp. ghee or coconut oil, plus olive oil for garnish ( I used butter)

1 tsp. both sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

3-4 cups vegetable broth

1 Tbsp. grated fresh turmeric or 2 tsp. ground turmeric powder

2 tsp. each fresh / 1 tsp dried rosemary and thyme (optional)

1 batch Smoky Chickpea Croutons (recipe below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Peel and cube the butternut squash and place on a baking sheet. Peel and cut onions into quarters, add to baking sheet. Peel whole cloves of garlic and add to baking sheet. Drizzle with melted ghee or coconut oil and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place in oven and roast for approximately 30 minutes until the squash is tender and the garlic is golden.

3. In a large blender pour 3 cups hot vegetable broth, turmeric (fresh or dried) and add the finely chopped rosemary and thyme. Carefully add the roasted vegetables and blend on high until completely smooth (let blender run for a minute or so). If the soup is too thick, add more broth to thin to desired consistency. Season to taste.

4. Pour soup into bowls and serve with a sprinkling of chickpea croutons and a drizzle of olive oil. If necessary, pour into a large pot to reheat if necessary. Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Freezes well.

Smoky Chickpea Croutons

Ingredients:

3 cups or 2 cans cooked chickpeas – drained and well-rinsed

3 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. smoked paprika or ground chipotle pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.

2. Spread chickpeas out on a clean tea towel and rub them dry, discarding any loose skins. Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl and toss with coconut oil, seasoning and spices until coated.

3. Spread the chickpeas on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp. This takes about 25-35 minutes. Please note that the chickpeas will crisp up outside of the oven quite a bit, so if they are still a little soft when you take them out of the oven, that is okay.

4. Remove from the oven. Let cool, and serve at room temperature. Store in an airtight glass container for up to one week.

Let's start at the beginning. First I roasted the veggies.

Then I rinsed and drained the chickpeas.

I didn't read the instructions properly, I thought it said to remove the skins on 'ALL' the chickpeas... that took a lot of time and I had to recruit my darling daughter to help.... but looking back at the recipe, it mentions to remove the 'lose' skins, oh, well, you live and learn!

There are the crunchy beauties, a real nice difference from the ordinary bread or cracker as the usual garnish!

 

Oh, and here is a closeup of the gorgeous golden soup. Nice, eh?

Soupy Sundays- Turkey Sausage Tortellini Soup

Here's a warm and filling soup you can make on those cold winter nights! It's a meal in a bowl and it will fill you up and provide you tons of vitamins from the tomatoes, carrots and zucchini.

Tortellini Sausage Soup
(Adapted from www.ourbestbites.com)

Ingredients:

4 links Italian turkey sausage
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
½ c. water
3 cups chicken broth
½ c. apple cider
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini
2 Tbsp. dried parsley

Directions:

If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing.
Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Your house will smell heavenly. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.  Add the tortellini  and cook until tender, and then serve with grated Asiago or Parmesan.

Delicious closeup for you to smell!

Soupy Sundays- Mexican Chicken Soup

As the days get colder, the soup needs to get hotter.... right???
Let me share with you a hot and delicious soup with flavours and ingredients from south of the border- Mexico.

This soup is adapted from a Glow (the Shopper's Drug Mart Magazine) issue from last year. It has fresh flavours and nice warm, earthy flavours. A perfect winter soup combination.

Mexican Turkey Soup

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 glove of garlic- minced
1 large carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 796ml can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried cumin
1/4 tsp dried coriander
1/8 tsp of chili powder (or more!)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice from 1 lime
1 avocado, chopped

Before I even got started, I had to get some chicken all cooked up and shredded. So here's my quick and awesome trick....

Some delicious sea salt blend. A lovely present from my friend Roshni. Look, it even comes with it's own little scoop.

 Some sea salt, some herbs, some spices...

All you need to do is place your chicken breasts in a pan, rub a little olive oil on them and them sprinkle with the sea salt blend. Cook at 400 for about 25 minutes. Done! Cool them and shred them with forks. (You'll only need about 2, but keep the rest in the fridges for leftovers to add to salads and stirfries during the week).

Now here are the directions for this lovely soup.

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot and sauté garlic, onion, carrot and celery until they start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, spices and chicken broth, while stirring. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add corn, chicken and continue to simmer for 4 minutes. Divide among bowls.

 Nice.... but wait....

 Top with cilantro, avocado and lime juice.

This makes 8, 1 cup servings. Here's the nutrition per serving:
216 calories, 9 g fat, 5 g fibre, 14 g protein

Served with some oven-toasted chili spiced tortillas cut into wedges.

Soupy Sunday - Mulligatawnski Soup a fun twist on an old classic

Here's something your should try for your next Soupy Sunday, an alternative to a delicious spicy, fragrant soup. It's called the Mulligatawnski Soup, made by those 'cooky' sisters Janet & Greta Podleski. What I love the most here is the addition of Quinoa, my new favourite wonder food!

Mulligatawnski Soup

Adapted from Crazy Plates Cookbook by Janet & Greta Podleski

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter or olive oil

1 cup each chopped celery, onions,and carrots

1 clove garlic, minced

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tbsp grated ginger root

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ground gloves

4 cups chicken broth

1  19 oz can diced tomatoes drained

1/2 cup quinoa, dry

1/2 tsp pepper

1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

3/4 cup light coconut milk

Directions:

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add celery, onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook and stir for 3 – 4 minutes until vegetables begin to soften and onions become translucent.

Add chicken and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add ginger, curry powder, chili powder, cumin and cloves and stir for another 4-5 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes, quinoa, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add apple and simmer for another 5 minutes, stir in coconut milk and cilantro or parsley Heat for 1 more minute and serve hot.

Ok, big closeup! But I just really wanted to show you that it's so full of goodness, health and nutrition. I think anytime you can make a full, balanced meal in one dish, you have found a WINNER!

Soupy Sunday- Best Broccoli Soup Ever!

May I present - bar none- the best soup that I have ever presented to you on the Soupy Sunday portion of my blog. Broccoli soup fit for Royalty!

I love broccoli soup with a bit of orange cheddar, and when I can make it at home from scratch, yum, and when it tastes like the best soup I have ever made... even better!

This recipe is actually an adaptation from the famous Food Network chef Emeril Lagasse. I believe what makes this soup super is the simmering of herbs and spices with the butter.

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Ingredients

•           3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

•           1 cup yellow onions or sliced leeks (white parts only, well rinsed)

•           1/2 teaspoon salt

•           1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

•           Pinch nutmeg

•           1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

•           1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

•           3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

•           3 cups chicken stock or canned, low-sodium chicken broth

•           1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli, thawed and separated (I used a head of fresh broccoli)

•           1/2 cup heavy cream (I used milk)

•           1 1/4 cups shredded medium Cheddar (I used light cheddar)

Directions

In a medium pot, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme cook, stirring, until fragrant, for 20 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring until the mixture is well blended and smells fragrant, 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, until tender, for 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender.

Add the cream and bring to bare simmer to heat through. Add the cheese and cook over low heat, stirring, until melted. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons cold butter, stirring to blend.(omitted this step).

 

Now here's a little bonus, remember Emeril always going 'Bam' with the spices on all his food, well here is the secret recipe.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (the BAM): 

•           2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

•           2 tablespoons salt

•           2 tablespoons garlic powder

•           1 tablespoon black pepper

•           1 tablespoon onion powder

•           1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

•           1 tablespoon dried oregano

•           1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. 

Yield: 2/3 cup