BLTs In a Bowl

nom.nom.nom.nom.nom.nom.

Who doesn't like a BLT??!!

Besides the grilled cheese, it's the king of all kings when it comes to sandwiches. (All things not grilled cheese, of course.)

It's so easy to throw one together when you just arrived home from work and half to rush out of the house in a half an hour to make it to Wednesday night church service. Or when you don't feel like cooking or dirtying up the kitchen. Or when all you want is a hearty deli sandwich. Or when the pantry is bare.

It's a household favorite over here. Mr. B loves his BLTs along with a side of soup. Which got me to thinking....

BLTs with soup. BLT SOUP!

It's possible, and yes, it's delicious. Whenever I make it, I have to control myself to not eat the entire batch before my husband gets home.It's a simple broth-based soup with chopped bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Most often I use Romain lettuce, but if I make it just for me to have as my work lunch for the week, I like to use a heartier green like kale. Annnndddd....the best part? One serving is less than 300 calories. Yay! Plus, I don't even miss the bread. It's perfect with a BIG COBB SALAD. Or with toasted peppercorn bread, as Mr. B reminded me. <--- He likes his bread.

The tastiest way to celebrate National Soup Month.

nom.nom.nom.nom.nom.nom.

BLT Soup

Serves 4

3 T coconut oil
1/2 c green onions, diced
3 cups Romaine lettuce or kale, finely sliced
1/2 c flour
4 c vegetable broth
1-2 cups [fresh] tomatoes,chopped
6 slices pre-cooked bacon, chopped
1/4 t nutmeg
1 t pepper
1 c unsweetened almond milk (or regular milk)
3 T mayonnaise
3 T plain Greek yogurt
Optional: extra diced bacon for topping

In a large pot, over medium-high heat, melt coconut oil. Add in diced onions and saute 3-4 minutes. Stir in sliced lettuce, and saute a couple more minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir until well combined. Pour in vegetable broth, cover pot, and bring to a quick boil. Once boiling, add in tomatoes, bacon, nutmeg, and pepper. Lower heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Add in milk and heat through. In a bowl combine mayonnaise and yogurt.

Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of mayo and yogurt mixture. Sprinkle with diced bacon, if desired.

Nutritional Information:
270 calories, 19 fat, 18 carbs, 2 fiber, 2 sugar, 6 protein

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Zucchini and Corn Rice Soup

I love finding recipes and making them my own. It's pretty much what I do 100% of the time. Oh, how far I've come. There was a time when I followed a recipe to the tee, back when I was first learning to cook on my own. At that time, I think it's important to follow recipes until you learn how to cook, what you like, and how to substitute. After that, then it's game on. Use the recipe as a guideline or suggestion, not the rule. Use what you like and replace items with similar stuff on hand. No need to run out and spend a fortune on some ingredient you have no idea how to use/or when you'll use it next. If you're still leery about making a recipe your own, make it through once the way it states, but next time switch it up.

Just like I switched up this mouth-watering soup from Jenna over at Eat, Live, Run. I'm sure her original recipe is mouth-watering, which is why I planned to make it in the first place. But as I was rummaging the zucchini out of the fridge I noticed the large bag of fresh corn that needed to be cooked soon. Very soon. So, I put on a pot to boil. I had leftover rice in the fridge, which would cut down the cooking time, and I usually replace any cream called for with evaporated milk when the recipe allows. And, of course, coconut oil ALWAYS.

However, as I was pulling out the partially-cooked corn with plans to freeze the dozen ears in preparation for winter, I realized some corn would be perfect in this soup. I love mixing zucchini and corn. (Sauteed up with some gnocchi makes for one quick summer night meal.) And then I looked in my freezer and saw I already had a bunch of corn stock freezing, and there was no way Mr. B was going to let me take up that much freezer space for stock (we really need to get another smaller freezer for the basement STAT). So, instead of pouring it out, I replaced the vegetable broth called for with my homemade corn stock...as well as placing some in the fridge for sauteing up veggies later on in the week.

OH.MY.GOODNESS. Honestly, I think I found my new favorite soup. Move over Broccoli and Cheese.

This DELICIOUS soup combines summer and fall into one nice bowl of comfort, and is the perfect way to use up the last abundances of corn and zucchini that might be overflowing the garden and fridge. Plus, with my healthy substitutions, you're looking at only 200 calories per serving. Eat up, eat up!

Did you know September is National Rice Month?

Zucchini and Corn Rice Soup
*recipe inspired by Eat, Live, Run

Serves 4

2 lbs zucchini, sliced 1/2" thick
2-3 ears of corn, cooked and cut off cob
1 yellow onion, chopped
1-2 T coconut oil
1/2 c brown rice, cooked (I usually have leftover rice on hand)
1/4 c evaporated milk (or unsweetened almond milk)
4 c  corn stock (the leftover water from boiled corn ears) <--- if don't have on hand, use chicken or vegetable broth
1 t each salt and pepper
lemon wedges for serving (this is a must!)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot add onion and saute until golden. Add the zucchini slices and corn stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, 10-15 minutes, until zucchini is tender. Remove pan from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. (If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer soup in batches to a blender and puree.) Place back on heat, bringing soup to a simmer. Add in cooked rice, corn, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook until heated through, 10-15 minutes. Before serving, add in milk and stir through soup. Serve in bowls garnished with a lemon wedge. Sprinkle that juice all over. It's soooooo good!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Re-Visited: Cooking Club #8

[Original post date Nov. 2011. --Updated 9/22/14: original, but separate content, with updated photos and/or more details, if available.] 


---> Cooking Club is coming up soon, and now that I'm blogging, I want to share these moments but I thought I should play catch-up first. So without further ado, here (and in other posts) is what we've been up to. Enjoy!

#8 February: Soup

The Menu:
Potato, Broccoli and Coriander Soup
Steak Chili Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Quick French Onion Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ham and Cheesy Potato Soup


With it still being winter and all, Jenny thought it would be a great month for a soup-themed Cooking Club. Soup is one of my favorites, and I am always game for some soup --even in the summer.

Who doesn't love a bowl of steaming hot soup? Oh right, Mr. B is not a fan. (Crazy.) I guess he'll be making his own meals during these chilly months.

Again, my trusty cookbook, The 1,000 Best Recipes, came through with an eye-googling soup recipe, Potato, Broccoli and Coriander Soup. As I mentioned in my Broccoli-Cheddar Soup post, broccoli in my soup is a favorite. Add in potatoes, garlic, onions, a dash of cumin, some delightful coriander and you have a super healthy winter dish.

Once all of the potatoes and broccoli were chopped, they took a swim in this pan, full of chicken broth. And then this gorgeous soup, once pureed, turned into this!

With all of the soups, we had a lot of downtime while everything was simmering. Yet the kitchen was filled with a mixture of intoxicating aromas, and we couldn't wait to grab our bowls. I LOVED it! This was by far one of my favorites, along with our Thanksgiving and Cobbler months. However, while I enjoyed the other soups, they weren't enough for me to grab the recipe cards, and the photos didn't turn out all that appetizing.

Please, please invite some friends and/or family over for a soup-themed gathering!

Potato, Broccoli and Coriander Soup
*adapted from The 1,000 Best Recipes

Serves 6

1 lb broccoli
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander (note: I had coriander kernels and used a coffee grinder to ground)
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, cubed
2 small chicken bouillon cubes
about 4 c water (or you can forgo the cubes and water and substitute chicken or vegetable broth)
1 1/2 c skim milk

Lightly spray large pot with cooking spray, place over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Add 1 tbsp water to prevent from sticking. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened and is lightly golden. Add cumin and coriander and cook 2 minutes. Add potatoes and broccoli to pot, stir well and add stock cubes and water. Slowly bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over low heat 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Allow to cool slightly. Blend soup in batches in a food processor or blender (or if you have an immersion blender---I want one so bad---use that) until smooth. Return to pot and stir in milk. Slowly reheat, without boiling. Season well before serving.

Nutritional Information
Per serving: Calories 340; Fat 18; Fiber 5; Protein 10

Pssstt. This is also a favorite during our many Baking Extravaganzas! It's a simple, grab-and-go dish, easily prepared the day before.

*I hope you enjoyed these Cooking Club snippets. There are many more to come as I try to play catch-up before this month's meeting. I hope these themes, and even Cooking Club itself, inspire you to gather with your friends and family in the kitchen, and make sweet moments (and delicious food) of your own.

**I've only included the recipes to the dishes I made. Only because I'm unsure of where everyone got theirs...and hey, we gotta give credit where credit is due. If you have any questions about the other dishes, I'll ask the other members where they got their recipes and pass it along!

Check out our previous meetings!
Cooking Club #1-4
Cooking Club #5
Cooking Club #6
Cooking Club #7

[Update: Just the previous Cooking Club links!]

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Soup Beans and Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread

Comfort and my grandma are the two words that come to mind whenever I think about Soup Beans and Cornbread.

Which is what us Southern people call it; my daddy and his family are from Kentucky--about the farthest south and farthest east you can get without living in that teeny, tiny sliver of Virginia.

However, Mr. B calls it our "poor man's" meal.

I guess he's not wrong; the ingredients are fairly cheap and it's easy to feed a crowd. I never thought of it as a poor man's meal, and the first time he said it I was kind of offended. I wouldn't consider my family poor. I never went without anything I needed. It's just I remember Grandma had a pot of beans simmering on the stove quite often. We didn't have it all the time, not every day, but I do remember eating enough of it, thinking I might actually turn into a bean. Because of this, soup beans and I have a love-hate relationship. With the first signs of fall, I start craving this warm, comfort meal, and I must make it immediately. Mr. B isn't a huge fan, you know with growing up on canned green beans, Hungry Jack potatoes, and "pork chops so thin you could read a newspaper through them" <---his step-father's exact words, not mine. (wink-wink)

Needless to say, I'm the one eating these leftovers. And I do. Every last bit. I'm sure it would help if I didn't make enough to feed a small village, but, yes, I eat them. And then I don't want to see another soup bean until February.

I always make Grandma's soup beans and cornbread (never one without the other, and in that order) in February. It's when I miss her the most, and in making this meal I feel closest to her. If soup beans are on the stove and cornbread is in the oven, Grandma's not so far away.

And it's probably the easiest meal to make, next to cinnamon toast in the morning (which my family can eat by the loaves). The beans are easy to double or triple, depending on the number of mouths, and you just put them to a simmer on the stove and check back every now and then. The perfect meal to celebrate Homemade Soup Day.

Grandma Bays' Soup Beans & Cornbread
*serves a crowd (easily adaptable to feed however many people you need, just add more beans and water)

3 c pinto beans
4 slices thick bacon, chopped
salt and black pepper
oregano and garlic powder

Give the beans a good rinse and pour into a big stock pot. Cover the beans with 3" of water and set to boil on the stove. Once boiling, cover and simmer 2-3 hours. (DO keep an eye on it, adding water as needed! The beans are done when soft.) Meanwhile, make the cornbread....

1 c corn meal
1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
1/2 milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c shortening, melted (plus extra for greasing skillet)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt a tablespoon or so of shortening in a cast iron skillet. Combine corn meal, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine milks and egg, and pour into dry ingredients, mixing with a fork. Add baking powder and baking soda, stirring until combined. Add ¼ cup melted shortening, stirring constantly. Pour into hot, greased cast iron skillet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until set (golden brown on top).

And then back to the beans....when the beans have about 20 minutes to go, add in salt and pepper to taste. I like to add a little bit of oregano and garlic powder to mine, but use whatever fits your fancy.

I like to top mine with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Spring Pea Soup

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I have a super healthy green soup to celebrate the day....and just in time for Spring!

Today is the one day we celebrate all things green, at least in my household. And when I made this soup a few weekends ago to celebrate the approaching spring (this warm weather is crazy, but I'm loving it), I knew this dish was a St. Patty's Day must.

Only five ingredients, ready in 30 minutes, it's light and simple and spring-y and healthy and GREEN!

Plus, it's one of my all-time favorite soups. EVER. Mr. B despises peas. He can find them in anything. So this is a great way for me to get my pea-fix, and knowing it's all mine because he won't go near it is fabulous.

I'm almost positive I could eat the whole batch.

Perfecto!

Spring Pea Soup

Serves 6-8

2 c peeled and cubed potatoes
2 Tbsp butter, cubed
6 c chicken broth
1 c frozen peas
handful of minced chives

In a Dutch oven, saute potatoes in butter until lightly browned. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 12 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 5-8 minutes longer or until potatoes and peas are tender. Cool slightly. Transfer soup to a blender (in batches, if needed) and puree until smooth. (Or you could use an immersion blender if you have one. I do not. I'm demanding one for my birthday.) Return soup to pan and heat through. Sprinkle with chives and enjoy!


Nutritional Information
Per cup: 99 calories, 3 Fat, 14 Carbs, 3 Fiber, 3 Protein

This soup is perfect for a work lunch. I make this Sunday night and eat on it throughout the week.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Are you wearing GREEN today?

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Hands down THE BEST Broccoli-Cheddar Soup I've ever tasted.

(Trust me. I've tasted a lot. It's my favorite soup.)

There's just something about the perfect green broccoli and the sharp cheddar cheese that marries beautifully, with a creamy base, in a big pot on the stove. Add in a bay leaf, and I cannot stay out of the kitchen.

So when my mother-in-law bought me the latest Food Network Magazine, I dropped everything when I saw the soup featured on the cover. I flipped right to the recipe, and after noting the ingredients (yes, bay leaf!), I made a quick trip to the grocery store. Because.I.Had.To.Make.This.

Love this magazine!

At first, I thought this particular version had to have a ton of cheddar because of it's color.

Nope.

It gets it's gorgeous orange hue from the sweet potatoes. What?! IN my broccoli-cheddar soup? Hmm...I'm game.

Yes, I am in love with this soup. Sweet potatoes? Yes, please. I want to live inside this bubbling pot of deliciousness. The recipe called for less cheese than I am used to, but to be honest, I didn't miss it at all. I actually felt very healthy after eating this soup, and one bowl is super filling. Mr. B even said it was good, declaring it a 2-out-of-3-star meal...because he's not a "soup" person. (In case I haven't mentioned, he's a meat kind of guy.) Crazy. But after this, he promptly refilled his bowl two more times....

However, I did make a few changes to the recipe. I omitted the celery because my hubby dislikes it, added extra onion, used 1% milk to make it more figure-friendly, and didn't season it as much. And I made my own croutons.

Don't forget the croutons! You'll thank me later.


Broccoli-Cheddar Soup
*adapted from Food Network Magazine

Serves 6

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you're wanting a vegetarian dish)
2 cups 1% milk
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 c chopped broccoli florets
1/3 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Croutons, for topping (optional)

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth, milk, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 c water, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl; add 3 Tbsp water and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes; drain. When potatoes are tender, remove bay leaf from soup and transfer soup to a blender. Puree until smooth; return soup to the pot. Return to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in broccoli. Add cheese and stir until melted. Ladle soup into bowls and top with croutons, if desired. Season if needed.

*This soup is even tasty cold and without croutons. But, why not croutons?

Nutritional Information
Per Serving (without croutons): Calories 266; Fat 7.7; Fiber 6.2; Protein 8.5

Yeah, I don't see me making any other version anytime soon.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi