Vegetable Soup

Vegetable Soup:

3 tbsp olive oil

1  small onion, diced

1 tsp minced garlic ( I like to use the stuff in a jar, which is equivalent to 2-3 cloves)

4 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 box beef broth(946 ml)

3 cups tomato juice

4 large potatoes,peeled and cubed

1/4-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

2-3 tbsp chicken soup base

1/2 tsp seasoned pepper

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

1 quart jar canned green beans, drained

2 tins tomato soup

2 tins vegetable soup

2-4 cups water ( more or less depending on how thick you want your soup)

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, carrots and garlic. Saute for at least 5 minutes. Pour in beef broth and tomato juice. Add potatoes, Italian seasoning, chicken soup base, seasoned pepper, seasoning salt, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Add green beans, tomato soup, vegetable soup and water. Continue to simmer until corn and peas are cooked, another 20-30 minutes.

My first attempt at my own vegetable soup. I started following a recipe on Pinterest and totally switched it up because that is just what I do. I got my mother in laws approval, which is a pretty big deal because she is the queen of soup making so I decided to blog it. Hope you all enjoy! Feel free to tweak it to your liking as well :)

Homemade Baileys

Homemade Baileys:

1 2/3 cups whiskey

1(14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups light cream 

3 tbsp chocolate syrup

1 tsp instant coffee

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Place all ingredients into blender. Blend for about a minute. Put into jars and refrigerate. If using fresh cream it will stay good or several weeks.  Shake or stir well before using.

My hubby thinks it is a must to have Baileys at Christmas time; tastes so good in coffee!

Chocolate Mint Baileys:

Same as above except for the almond extract. Replace almond extract for 1/2 tsp mint extract. If the mint taste is not strong enough you can always add more. I have found that different brands of mint flavoring will vary in the strength of the mint flavor. Also increase the amount of chocolate syrup to 1/4 cup.

3 Cheese Scrambled Eggs

3 Cheese Scrambled Eggs:

Butter OR Cooking Spray

2 Eggs

2 tbsp Cottage Cheese

2 tbsp Feta Cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 tbsp shredded Marble Cheese

Butter or spray the pan you will be using. Place frying pan onto medium heat. Lightly whisk together eggs, cottage cheese and feta cheese in a small bowl. Pour eggs mixture into warm frying pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow mixture to cook for a minute or so before stirring. Repeat until eggs are cooked through. The cottage cheese will make the eggs super moist. Transfer to plate. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

You may choose to make this recipe with a variety of add ins such as: diced and sauteed mushrooms or onions(make sure to saute separately before adding), diced ham, chopped cooked bacon.   

Toad in a Hole

Toad in a Hole:

1 slice of bread of your choice

Butter or Margarine

1 Egg

Salt & Pepper to taste

Spray frying pan with cooking spray. Place on a burner turned on medium heat. Spread butter or margarine on both sides of the bread. Use a cookie cutter to remove the center of the bread. I like to be creative and use hearts, stars or flowers. Remove center piece of bread and set aside, Place bread into frying pan. Crack your egg into the hole of your bread slice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until bread is nicely browned and egg is ready to be turned. Use a spatula and flip the bread/egg being careful not to pierce the yolk, unless of course that is your preference. Continue to cook the second side for a few minutes or until the egg is cooked to your preference. Remove from frying pan. Place the center piece of bread into the frying pan. Flip once the bottom is nicely browned and do the same for the second side.

This is a quick and delicious breakfast. My mom made this numerous times for me when I was growing up and now I enjoy making it for my kiddos:)

Chocolate Pretzel Bites

Chocolate Pretzel Bites:

30 Mini Pretzels

30 Rolo's OR Hershey Kisses

30 Plain OR Peanut M&M's

Preheat oven to 275. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place Pretzels evenly onto the cookie sheet. Place a Rolo or Hershey Kiss on top of each pretzel. *Bake for 2-3 minutes or until chocolate is melting(Rolo's need less time then Kisses). Remove from oven. Immediately press an M&M into the chocolate. Let cool and harden before serving.

* This also works in a microwave. Put into a large plate lined with parchment paper. Microwave about a minute, checking after 30 seconds as times will vary on the each individual microwave.

4 Cheese Cauliflower Noodle Lasagna

4 Cheese Cauliflower Noodle Lasagna:

Meat Sauce:

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tin(15oz) tomato sauce

1 tin(15oz) diced tomatoes 

1 tsp Italian Seasoning 

1/4 cup dry Parmesan Cheese 

Cauliflower Noodles:

4-5 cups cauliflower rice, packed

5 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Additional Ingredients:

2 cups cottage cheese

Italian Seasoning 

shredded cheddar cheese

shredded mozzarella cheese

Start by making your cauliflower noodles. Pre heat oven to 350. Place parchment paper onto a large cookie sheet. To make cauliflower rice: wash cauliflower and cut into florets. Put into food processor with water and blend until it is finer than rice. Place cauliflower into a bowl; making sure to have water in the bowl as well. Microwave on high for 5 minutes.Place the cauliflower rice in a tea towel placed into a colander. Rinse it with cold water to allow it to cool of faster. Twist the tea towel and squeeze out ALL the moisture. You will be surprised how much liquid comes out but it is import to have dry cauliflower rice. I used 2 average sized cauliflower and the end result was between 4 and 5 cups of cauliflower rice.

Place drained rice into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients for the noodles. Evenly spread the mixture onto the bottom of 2 9x13 pans lined with Parchment paper. You want it as thin as possible but at the same time making sure there are no holes. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes. Carefully peel off of the parchment paper. Set aside.

While your noodles are baking you can start your meat sauce. Place ground beef into a frying pan along with the diced onion and garlic. Fry the meat mixture until evenly browned. Add Tomato Sauce, Diced Tomatoes, Italian Seasoning and Parmesan Cheese. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend in. Remove from heat.

To assemble the Lasagna:

Put about half of your meat sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread the cottage cheese over the noodles. Top with another layer of noodles followed by the remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle a good layer of shredded cheese on top. I use about 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and at least 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. I like to sprinkle Italian Seasoning (maybe 1/4 tsp) on top of the cheese yet just to give it a nice appearance.

Cover with foil (make sure to spray your foil with oil to prevent sticking) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

This is by far my favorite low carb recipe. In my opinion it is much better than the typical zucchini noodles because it is not as watery. It is well worth the effort! 

Creamy Coleslaw

Creamy Coleslaw

1 package coleslaw mix( or  equivalent amount of shredded carrots and cabbage)

1/ 4 cup green onions-optional

1 apple, cored, sliced and cut into bit sized pieces-optional

Dressing:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp celery salt

Put first 3 ingredients into a bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour over veggies. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.