Curried Lentil Soup

Lentils. Not that anyone could tell from this blog, but I'm slightly obsessed. I'm 90% positive I could have them everyday for the rest of my life and be satisfied. If I chose my last meal before passing it would be lentils with some sautéed cabbage. I would estimate that we go through an average of a pound of lentils per week here in the Welchmeyer household. Obviously my doing, but Mark enjoys them about as much.

Most of the time I just boil them in some broth for a quick side with dinner, hardly blog worthy. What is  blog worthy, however, is this quick curry flavored lentil soup. I've made it for lunch every Wednesday for the last 2 months and will continue to make it for the foreseeable future.

On top of being ridiculously filling and embarrassingly simple, its one of those meals that leaves an awesome aftertaste in your mouth for hours. Based on my recipe for basic lentil soup I posted awhile ago, this is a worthy upgrade. One that I highly suggest trying. Serve with some crusty bread or crackers for a healthy, light lunch.

Chocolate - Peanut Butter Oatmeal (Stovetop Version)

Want a breakfast that tastes a whole lot like a no-bake cookie? I'm talking the ones that pop up around Christmas time and consist of oats, cocoa powder, butter, peanut butter, and sugar. Those have always been one of my favorites. So imagine my delight when I unexpectedly bit into its breakfast-y doppelgänger after making up measurements of ingredients in my head hoping for something edible. 

I like to think this version is a bit healthier, as it contains just a smidgen of oil (its optional at that) and not too much sugar. I was in a hurry, so I used pb2 (powdered peanut butter) instead of regular peanut butter. You can certainly use regular peanut butter, it will probably just be a little harder to incorporate. Dollops of peanut butter floating around a bowl of hot oats? Nothin' wrong with that!

Just as a side note: the longer you let it sit, the thicker it gets but its delicious either way.

Chocolate - Peanut Butter Oatmeal (Stovetop Version)

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 cup milk of choice (I used Almond Breeze: Almond Coconut. Has anyone else tried it? Addicted, I am!)

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup oats

2 tablespoons pb2*

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon coconut oil, optional

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

Combine milk and salt in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Once it starts boiling add oats, pb2, cocoa powder, and coconut oil; stir to combine.

Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup.

Pour into a bowl and serve.

Enjoy :)

If you want a more peanut butter-y oat breakfast, check this recipe out!

Oatmeal Two Ways: One Savory, One Sweet (Travel Friendly)

This past weekend Mark and I had the pleasure of having a little getaway. While we had looked forward to this getaway, I was a little worried about finding something filling and nutritious with the continental breakfast provided at the hotel. Sure, we could have gone out for breakfast, but it made financial sense to take advantage of the meal provided. Besides, having one healthy meal a day negates all the other unhealthy (but delectable) food I ate for the rest of the trip, right? Challenge: Accepted.

Anywho, getting back to my quest of finding a hidden gem in the enriched white flour, HFCS laden breakfast options available....

The first morning we awoke 30 minutes before breakfast ended so we hurried down to find a very limited quantity of items left. Mark chose a bowl of Fruit Loops and a waffle, which I nibbled on as well (oh, nostalgia). As for me, I immediately noticed the fruit bowl filled with oranges and apples. Given I eat approximately 1,468 apples a week, I switched it up and went with an orange. But the important part of this fruit bowl story is that it gave me notice to my saving breakfast grace for the next three days: instant oatmeal.

Now normally, I am strictly a thick cut oats kind of girl but sometimes compromises are needed. I grabbed two of the original flavored packets and simultaneously had a stroke of genius. Remembering that I just so happened to pack a couple gingerbread flavored tea bags (obsession of the moment) and some stevia packets I raced up to my room and grabbed a tea bag and a stevia packet. The stevia packet isn't necessary since they usually have sugar packets readily available.

This trifeca of ingredients created the sweet version of the two oatmeal recipes I am excited to share with you today.

Hotel Breakfast Style Gingerbread Oatmeal

Serves 1

Ingredients:

2 packets of unflavored instant oatmeal

1 1/4 cups hot water

1 gingerbread flavored tea bag

1/2-1 packet sweetener of choice

Directions:

Steep tea bag in hot water for 5-10 minutes (peel and eat orange during this time).

Remove tea bag and add packets of oatmeal. Stir to dampen oats and place in microwave for 1-1:30 minutes.

Remove from microwave and stir in sweetener packet.

Enjoy :)

Tempeh Spring Rolls with Pseudo Peanut Sauce

A couple weeks ago we went out to eat at a Thai restaurant which had spring rolls on their appetizers menu, we didn't order any but I had been thinking about/craving ever since. Fast forward to last weekend when strolling through the aisles of the grocery store I came across spring roll wrappers. Having never used them on top of my unusual yearning for spring rolls meant only one thing: I was buying the wrappers and would attempt to make my own, with a fail-safe meal in mind of course.

I looked at a couple recipes online but decided to just use what I had on hand and hope for the best. I sliced up some raw vegetables and tempeh (which I marinated) and then came the fun part: figuring out the magical powers a little warm water has on a rice paper wrapper! Seriously, I pulled out the dry wrappers and thought for sure I was going to crack them and the rolls would just fall apart, but after dipping them in water for 10 seconds they were instantly rip-proof and semi-flexible. So one by one I dipped, filled, and folded until all my rolls were done. It was THAT easy.

Ingredients

(Partially) Whole Wheat Herb Drop Biscuits

Remember that lentil soup recipe I posted a few days ago mentioning some drop biscuits that accompanied the meal? Well they were a huge hit with both Mark and me, like made-the-meal kind of hit. So I thought I would post the recipe.

I ate mine by placing it at the bottom of my bowl and pouring the soup on top while Mark enjoyed his with butter and honey. Obviously we are two very different individuals.

Welcome back Fall, when I bit into these biscuits it made me think I actually missed you.

(Partially) Whole Wheat Herb Drop Biscuits
Adapted from here

Makes 12 biscuits

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

5 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons herbs of choice (I used 1 tsp ground thyme, 1.5 tsp basil, 1.5 tsp oregano)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

5 tablespoons cold butter cut into chunks*

1 cup milk of choice*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray.

Mix together flour, baking powder, herbs, salt, and garlic powder in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.

Using your hands cut butter into flour mixture until well incorporated (you can use a pastry knife, I just don't have one).

Add milk to bowl and stir until sticky dough forms.

Drop 12 equally sized (about 1/4 cup each) chunks of dough onto baking sheet.

Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until your home "smells like pizza dough" as Mark enthusiastically stated.

Serve with soup, butter, eggs, etc. Store any leftovers in an airtight container, but use as soon as possible.

Enjoy :)

Notes:
*Obviously use vegan butter and non-dairy milk to make these vegan.

Basic Lentil Soup

Now that fall has arrived full force here in the midwest my body is in soup-desire overdrive. There hasn't been a day in the last week that I haven't had an aching for some kind of soup. A couple days ago I wanted a light lentil soup and came up with this not-so-imaginitive recipe, but hey its exactly what I was looking for. Served with some drop biscuits, butter, and honey my rather boring soup became infinitely more swoon-worthy.

I would highly suggest serving this soup with a more calorie dense add-on as it is, albeit healthy, extremely low in the calorie department. So get everything simmering, make yummy Panera-like sandwiches, and in 30 minutes time you will have a body-warming meal on the table.

Served with aforementioned biscuits

Basic Lentil Soup

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

4 cups broth of choice

1 cup water

1 cup dry green lentils, picked over and rinsed

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrot, chopped

1/8-1/4 cup salsa (or a can of diced tomatoes)

4 teaspoons of your favorite herbs (I used basil, oregano, and thyme)

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

Directions:

Bring broth and water to a boil in a large stock pot over medium heat.

While liquid is heating chop carrots & onion and mince garlic cloves. Once broth is boiling stir all remaining ingredients into pot.

Bring everything back to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer.

Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes, or until carrots are soft.

Serve with a side salad and bread.

Enjoy :)

Super Quick Chunky Tomato Soup

This soup was the invention of a busy weeknight. Going into it we had no idea how well it would turn out, definitely a welcomed surprise. We served it with some grilled cheeses and called it a well balanced meal. I scarfed it down too quickly to take any pictures so just take my word. If you find yourself hungry and wanting some tomato soup and grilled cheese give this 20 minute fix a try.

Super Quick Chunky Tomato Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 can whole tomatoes, chopped

1 8 oz. tomato juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 carrot finely, chopped

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 bay leaf

salt & pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, add onion, garlic, and carrot. Stir and sauté until onions are translucent and carrots are soft.

Place tomatoes, tomato juice, paprika, basil, cayenne, bay leaf, and salt & pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir and add onion mixture.

Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Divide between 2 bowls and serve.

Enjoy :)

Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Last week ended up being crazy busy for us, as I had to be downtown 3 days in a row unexpectedly. I barely had a second to breathe let alone plan dinner, so the slow cooker was dusted off about a week earlier than expected. Not that I minded spending 15 minutes in the morning to coming home to a wonderfully smelling kitchen.

One of the things I made in the crock pot, besides this delicious chili, was "baked" sweet potatoes. All I had to do was wrap them in foil, throw them in the crock pot, turn on low, and come home with a ravenous stomach and a plan for a quick meal! Have I given thanks to the slow cooker Gods yet?

On the bus ride home I had come up with an idea for the sweet potatoes that involves semi-gutting then re-stuffing them with a tex-mex mixture (a lot like stuffed zucchini or squash). Given my love for the sweet potato/black bean combination and my craving for spice I jotted down a hodgepodge of ingredients I thought would go well with the bean and potato base.

Its basically a "dry" chili with tons of flavor. Now I know this recipe isn't revolutionary in any sense, but it was new to us and ready in about 20 minutes. Mission accomplished.

You could use the mixture as a side dish, filling for a vegetarian burrito, or maybe a sweet potato hash! Oh the ideas that went through my mind as I devoured mine.

Recipe Review: Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowls

So much yum!

Sometime last week I received an email from Mark's sister with a few recipes attached. This is a semi-regular occurrence between the two of us and I always get really excited because we seem to have the same philosophy on food: healthy without sacrificing flavor.

Two of the recipes were ideas for fall apples, one was for a chicken salad, and the other was for a black bean and quinoa burrito bowl. I knew right away that I wanted to try the burrito bowl first; it just called to me like all other mexican style dishes. So I soaked a huge batch of black beans and cooked them up the next day.

Other than using fresh black beans instead of canned I followed the directions exactly topping ours with fresh tomato, greek yogurt, and guacamole. Yum! Being as its the burrito filling without the wrap I thought I would miss the tortilla but I was wrong. Mark didn't even complain! It doesn't need anything else. Both of us just loved it.

Seriously... Make. This Tonight. It's definitely a winner.

Head on over to The Shiksa in the Kitchen for the recipe.

One last bad picture

Celery Haters Ants On A Log

Ants on a log is a quick and healthy snack that has a little bit of everything: fruit, veggies, and protein. However for some (Mark), celery isn't an appealing vegetable. So I took out the celery leaving Mark satisfied because it still involves raisins (one of his favorite snacks) and also continues to provide him with a serving of vegetables.

So if you have someone close who doesn't like celery, deeming ants on a log a non-option, try replacing it with carrots for an easy afternoon snack.

Celery Haters Ants On A Log

Ingredients:

1-2 carrots

1-2 tablespoons peanut butter (or nut butter of choice)

raisins

Directions:

Slice carrot(s) into mini sticks.

Spread peanut butter onto carrot sticks.

Top with raisins.

Enjoy :)

Sweet & Salty Chocolate Banana Soft Serve

I'm sure I'm not the first to do this, but I just made banana soft serve with cocoa powder and pretzels. I liked it a lot so I am typing it out for memory sake.

For the fans of the sweet & salty combo this snack is for you.

Sweet & Salty Chocolate Banana Soft Serve

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana cut into chunks

1/2-1 tablespoon cocoa powder (depending on how dark you want it)

6 mini pretzels

1-2 tablespoons milk, optional

Dash of salt

sweetener of choice, if desired

Directions:

Place banana chunks and milk (if using) in the bowl of a mini food processor and blend until almost all the banana chunks are smooth.

Add cocoa powder, pretzels, salt, and sweetener (if using) and finish blending until desired consistency.

Spoon into a glass and enjoy with more pretzels :)

Quick and Easy Bean Chili

Growing up my dad had to learn how to do a lot of things on his own, he was the youngest of 5 kids being raised by a single dad. Lucky for me one of the things he taught himself was how to cook and growing up I reaped all those benefits. From pork chops, meatloaf, collard greens, grilled chicken, banana pudding.... He can make it all and he does it all very well, but hands down one of my favorite dishes he makes is chili and corn bread. The chili is spicy, meaty, and full of chunks of tomato. It's pretty much heaven in a bowl in the middle of the winter. And dipping the corn bread into it is TO. DIE. FOR.

Clearly, I like it.

Well, funny thing about having your parents take the time to cook you dinner almost every night.... You go to college 800 miles away and realize those meals didn't put themselves together. This is no fault of my parents. They offered to show me their cooking ways many a time. Nevertheless I found myself craving some of my dad's chili one cold, sub-zero day my junior year.

To make a long story short: a call was made, a recipe was written down, a pot of chili was made. It was ok, but it wasn't my dad's. After a couple more attempts throughout the years I gave up. Instead I have used his recipe as a guide to help me not get too far off track. There is room for 2 different chili recipes in the Welch family, right dad?

Black Bean and Vegetable Tex-Mex Filling

Us at the Twins game. Final score 19-7... Yeah it was that kind of game.

Over the weekend I cooked up some black beans to use for Monday's dinner. When Monday morning rolled around I was craving some Mexican inspired dish. Finally deciding on black bean tostadas, I went out for my run. It was during my run that I realized that Mark has taco salad for lunch every Tuesday so he probably wouldn't want tostadas the night before. As crushed as I was, I settled on black bean sloppy joes made with salsa.

Homemade Salsa (Using Canned Tomatoes)

Running out of salsa is never a good thing in my opinion. I never know when I will be craving some for my eggs, or deciding I want tacos for dinner. So what is a girl to do if she is in a pinch and needs salsa NOW? Remember that she has a can of whole tomatoes and an awesome food processor and get to work.

This salsa was literally made in 3 minutes time. It's going to take longer to type this recipe then to actually make it. Yeah, that quick. And it tastes pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

Homemade Salsa (Using Canned Tomatoes)


Makes about 2 cups


Ingredients:


1 14 oz can of whole, no salt added tomatoes

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Handful of cilantro, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:


In the bowl of a food processor layer tomatoes (with juices), onion, garlic, cilantro, salt & pepper, in that order.

Pulse to desired consistency.

Dip in tortilla chips to "taste test".

Store rest in refrigerator in an air tight container.

Notes:


*Add 1/2 chopped jalapeno pepper to add some spice


*Dried cilantro works just fine

Microwavable Carob Mug Cake

Carob mug cake with "white" mug cake

Back in my post about Chloe's 3rd birthday I wrote about her carob mug cake we made for her birthday dessert. Here is the recipe:

Microwavable Carob Mug Cake
Adapted slightly from here


Serves 1


Ingredients:


3 tablespoons of flour

2 tablespoons carob powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon applesauce

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:


In a mug stir together all dry ingredients really well.

Add liquid ingredients and mix well again.

Microwave on high for 45-60 seconds.

Notes:


* Can be made vegan by using non dairy milk

Garbanzo Bean "Burgers"

Bad picture of garbanzo bean burger with a side salad

Often times around here we get busy doing a million things that when it comes time to eat we have no patience to wait around for food to be ready. So having a couple quick, go-to meal ideas or freezer ready meals is a life saver.

Another life saver is vegetarian protein sources like tofu, tempeh, or beans. Why are they life savers you ask? Because you don't have to wait for them to cook through, meaning food gets into your stomach that much sooner. And while Mark and I are definitely not vegetarians, we enjoy the flavors and textures these sources offer.

Today's post is going to focus on beans, specifically garbanzo beans, and no its not a hummus recipe. Its a "burger" patty recipe for those nights when you want a bun topped with lettuce, tomato, and cheese but don't have the want to wait for ground beef to cook.

English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches (Freezable)

While I think we can all agree, Mark especially, that McDonald's breakfast sandwiches are delicious, most of us would prefer to have these sandwiches waiting in our freezers for us to reheat. And I am not talking about those boxed frozen breakfast meals in your grocer's freezer. This is definitely the case in our household on a lazy Sunday morning when we are still in our pajamas at noon. This is also the case for my cousin Josh, who often finds himself traveling unexpectedly.

For one of our Sunday breakfasts a couple months ago, Mark and I had decided to create homemade english muffin breakfast sandwiches and they turned out wonderfully. They were much leaner than the ones from fast-food restaurants but just as tasty. Upon further research I discovered that we could freeze them individually, which was the perfect solution to lazy Sunday morning breakfasts and unexpected travel.

So if you like McDonald's breakfasts as much as Mark try this simple, make ahead meal.

Basic Ingredients

This recipe can easily be adapted based on personal preference.