I have a love/hate relationship with creamy soups. Steaming bowls of rich and hearty lobster bisque, decadent she-crab and loaded baked potato chowder - these are the soups that make dreams come true. 🤣 I mean, can anyone resist a steaming bowl of clam chowda? As much as I love creamy soups though - I hardly ever give myself the permission to indulge in them. You see, cream based soups aren't only loaded with flavor, most of the time, what makes them so great is the not so secret ingredient - a healthy dose of heavy cream. 🥛 Cream adds that undeniably rich, savory element to the soup but unfortunately, it also adds unwanted fat and calories to my favorite cool weather lunch treat. 🍜 The good news is - not all "creamy" soups are flavored with cream. 🤷🏻♀️ This Autumn Wild Rice soup is proof that you can have a deliciously, rich and creamy soup without cream or any dairy at all. A can of lite coconut milk proves to actually be a scrumptious substitute for full fat cream. Loaded with hearty rice, tasty root vegetables, fiber rich kale and plenty of seasoning - this soup might just be my new favorite go-to guilt-free lunch choice this Fall. Autumn Wild Rice Soup 1 Tablespoon oil 6 cups chicken stock 1 cup uncooked wild rice 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 medium carrots, diced 2 ribs celery, diced 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 1 small white onion, peeled and diced 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk 2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed salt and black pepper
Stir coconut milk and kale into soup. Season with salt and pepper. I've had this Autumn Wild Rice soup recipe in my blog cue for a while now - waiting for a good time to share it. (Really, just for the temperatures to drop below 80. 🤣) This has been such a weird Fall but it looks like we're headed for some more Fall like temperatures soon so - now's the time to get your soup on.
Ciao!
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Normally, we spent November weekends raking and blowing and collecting leaves but last weekend, we ignored all the leaves that are blanketing our yard and we spent intentional time together. (The leaves will still be there next weekend.🍂) Friday night we went to dinner and a movie, we spent our Saturday at an air show and ventured out on a marathon shopping trip on Sunday. It was so much fun but I think I was even more worn out on Monday morning than if I had worked in the yard all weekend. 😅 Thankfully, the weather cooperated all weekend with lots of sunshine and warm temperatures. This nearly perfect Fall weather, makes me want to spend my whole weekend, outside.☀️ These 80 degree afternoons may not be the norm for November but I'm taking full advantage. You better believe that I'll be firing up the grill to cook my dinner outside this week. Those of you that read my blog posts regularly, already know that I'm not a red meat or pork eater. It wasn't a medical decision to avoid it - just my preference. That doesn't mean that I don't prepare beef and pork. (I'm a caterer - I make things that I don't eat - every day.😅) The great thing about cooking on the grill is that I can simultaneously cook a chicken breast for myself and a pork tenderloin for my family. Since I can't give you a first hand description of this Smoked Bourbon Pork Tenderloin - I will only say that it looked and smelled fabulous. I figured that I would be able to get 2 or 3 meals out of this tenderloin but the two family members that I served it to enjoyed it some much, that there were only a few pieces left at the end of the meal. I figure that's the best assessment of a recipe that I could ask for. 😅 Smoked Bourbon Pork Tenderloin 1/2 cup bourbon 1/2 cup soy sauce 3 Tablespoons brown sugar 3 garlic cloves, smashed 1 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins
Transfer to a a cutting board. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice and serve. Ciao!
Since our trip to Greece - I've redefined my definition of fresh fish. We caught fish in the Agean and within an hour - we were dining on our fresh catch. 🎣😳 I'm sure that some of the appeal of this amazing meal was the fact that we were dining al fresco, on a boat, in the middle of the sea, on fish so fresh I'm pretty sure it could still have been revived with some quality CPR - but this was one of our favorite meals in Greece.
After a couple of hours of fishing the waters of the Agean, we jumped in the water and swam alongside the fish. 🐠 OK, so it was more like a gradual slide into the water rather than a jump but, I achieved the same result. 😂 And while we swam, our amazing charter caption and her first mate prepared our delicious lunch of grilled and pan fried fish, salad, vegetables, potatoes and bread. Like I said ... freshest fish EVER! I'll never be able to replicate our Greek fishing experience so I'll have to do the best I can with the fish that available to me in Georgia. Lucky for me, the local market stocks really fresh Scottish Salmon. Blackened Salmon Sandwich 4 brioche buns 4 salmon filets 2 teaspoons blackened seasonings butter lettuce olive oil Dilly Ranch Dressing 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup buttermilk 1/3 cup sour cream 1 garlic clove, finely minced 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped 1 Tablespoon tarragon 2 teaspoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Top with salmon filet. Top with lettuce and top bun. We like salmon a lot and we eat a lot of it. I've prepared it in a lot of different ways - grilled, baked and pan seared. We eat salmon tacos, burgers, salads and sandwiches. If you're a salmon fan like me, you need to give this sandwich recipe a try. You will NOT be disappointed.
Ciao! Halloween hangovers are no joke. 😂 Does anyone else think that trick or treating should always happen on the last Saturday of October? 🙋🏻♀️ I don't know about you, but Halloween festivities, wear me out. And I don't even have small children that I have to wrestle into a costume, force feed dinner to or accompany on a nighttime walk around the neighborhood.😅 My only responsibilities on Halloween are to light the pumpkins and welcome all of the kids and adults that come to my door. I recognize that it sounds ridiculous to say that Halloween wears me out and it's probably only something that my fellow introverts will understand. 🤷🏻♀️ It's exhausting but in the best kind of way. 🤣 It doesn't matter if you come to my house for Thanksgiving dinner, a birthday party or to borrow a pot - you better believe that you are going to leave with something sweet in your hand. 😂🍪 I just feel like everyone that visits my home, should be gifted some sugar, so naturally - Halloween is my jam. All of the kids who walked up my sidewalk Monday night were given a piece of candy and the adult chaperones were handed freshly baked donuts. 🍩 When my kids were little, I was the parent in charge of accompanying them on their trick or treat journey around the neighborhood on Halloween. Only parents who have done this will understand the level of anxiety that taking small children trick or treating will cause. 🤣 You are the reason that I try and always make a special treat for the adults on Halloween. This year - the adults got donuts and I hope that it made your journey around my neighborhood with your sugar-high children - just a little more tolerable. Mini Pumpkin Pecan Baked Donuts 1 cup canned pumpkin 2 eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup water 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 3/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon cloves 2 cups powdered sugar 3 Tablespoons maple syrup 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Dip donuts in icing mixture and then sprinkle with chopped pecans. Ciao!
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