DIY Wednesday: Cream Of Celery Soup

November 4, 2015November 4, 2015 / ktbuchs87

This might not seem like a DIY post at first glance, but trust me it’s a good one. Have you ever made a recipe that called for a can of whatever cream soup? Mushroom, chicken, celery, broccoli… They are used frequently in casseroles and other baked dishes to add a creamy flavor.

They’re also full of preservatives, MSG, artificial colors, and other not so good for you things. But they are SO convenient. Open a can, dump in, and go about your business. I get it, sometimes you need dinner to be fast and things like cans of cream of soup make the process smoother.

Which is why I made this DIY post. You can have the same convenience of the canned stuff but the nutrition benefits of homemade. Make a big batch of this cream of soup and freeze into batches. That way when you need to use it, you can pull out one serving and move on with your life. Simple right?

I made cream of celery for this version, but this formula will also work for mushroom and chicken. Just make sure if you do chicken, you cook the chicken before you add it to the soup. You also might want to add a carrot or two to the chicken version.

This soup is really easy to make, so whenever you meal prep for the week just add this into the mix. Another plus? This homemade version tastes WAY better than that red and white can. 🙂

Cream Of Celery Soup

2 1/2 cups celery, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup leeks, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth or water
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/2 tsp celery salt
and pepper, to taste

Heat a little olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and leeks for about 10 minutes, until they’re soft.
Add in the garlic and celery and stir to mix together. Cover the pot and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the lid and pour in the 3 cups of broth or water and season with celery salt. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Cook until the liquid is reduced by about half, about 15 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and puree the soup until smooth. You can do this in batches in the blender or use an immersion blender. Return the puree to the pot and add in the 1/2 cup coconut milk. Stir to combine and heat over low heat, but don’t let the soup boil. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

You can use this soup right away, but it will thicken up even more once it cools. Let the soup cool completely before you freeze it into batches.

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

October 30, 2015October 30, 2015 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

Today is my last day of being 27 years old. 27 has been good to me, but I’m excited to see what 28 has in store. It’s weird to think that I only have two more years of being in my 20’s. I can remember the day I turned 20 and thinking, “Finally! I’m not a teenager anymore. I’m an adult and I’m important.”

While I’m important at any age, I was far from being an adult. 20 is barely not a teenager and I had so much I still needed to learn. In all honesty, I still have a lot to learn and I think that is true for any age. Except maybe 100. Once you hit 100, you can pretty much do whatever you want and your excuse is I made it this long I think I’m gonna be just fine.

I decided to make you a delicious dinner for my birthday, which now that I’m typing it out sounds backwards. You should be making me a delicious dinner for my birthday. Jeez, you’re lazy! Making me do all the work on my birthday!

You know how delicious spinach artichoke dip is? That was my inspiration for this lasagna. Instead of cheese, I used bechamel sauce and artichokes along with a layer of spinach to create a creamy and delicious filling. This meal can come together really fast if you use a jar of tomato sauce and a box of lasagna noodles. But if you want to make everything from scratch like I did, I promise you won’t regret the time you put in.

This is also one of those meals that is even better the next day and makes really great leftovers for lunches throughout the week.

See? I’m feeding you even beyond dinner. 28 is making me a giver!

Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

1 batch of my tomato sauce or a jar of your favorite store brand
1 box of gluten free lasagna noodles (I made these from Against All Grains)
3-4 cups spinach leaves
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup raw cashews
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp celery salt
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste

If you are making the tomato sauce and noodles get those ready and set aside. If you’re using boxed noodles make sure they are cooked and ready to go.
To make the bechamel sauce: In a blender or food processor, grind the cashews, Italian seasonings, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp celery salt into a fine powder. Set aside.
Heat a little olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add in 2 tablespoons of the cashew powder and stir to make a paste. Cook until the cashew powder turns golden brown.
Whisk in the can of coconut milk and keep whisking to combine the paste and milk. Whisk in the nutritional yeast and salt and pepper. Keep cooking and whisking the milk until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your preference.
Pour the sauce into a blender and add in the drained artichoke hearts. Pulse a few times to break up the artichokes, but don’t make it completely smooth.
Now it’s time to build the lasagna. Preheat the oven to 350 and get out a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Put a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom, then a layer of noodles, a layer of artichoke sauce, a layer of spinach, and a layer of tomato sauce. Keep going until you run out of noodles and make sure you end on tomato sauce.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling. Remove from oven and uncover. Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes before you slice and serve.

You can make this lasagna ahead of time and then just pop it in the oven at dinner time. I hope you have a Happy Halloween and a great weekend!

My Review of: Fall FoMo No More from House Vegan

September 28, 2015September 28, 2015 / ktbuchs87

I think that I may have found someone who loves fall just as much, maybe a little more, than I do. If you have followed me for any length of time, you know that this is my favorite season. From my love of pumpkins and all things squash to it being my birthday and wedding anniversary time of year, it just doesn’t get any better than fall.

Hannah Teson pretty much feels that exact same way about fall. So much so that she decided to write a book about it! Fall FoMo No More is an ebook for those of you who love everything about fall and want to get the most out of this season. Not only are there amazing and delicious autumn recipes, there is a whole section of the book that is dedicated to helping you plan out fall activities. From Halloween to Thanksgiving, Hannah helps you organize your fall so that you can get the most enjoyment from this time of year. She has a fall shopping list, a cooking and cleaning schedule, fun fall activities, and so much more that make planning your fall activities a breeze.

And then there are the recipes, my favorite part! I was given the opportunity to help Hannah test out a few of her recipes and I can tell you with the highest confidence that they are absolutely delicious. The even more surprising part for some of you, they’re all vegan! She has apple cider donuts, chickpeas and dumplings, onion dip, and of course, all the pumpkin things. If you aren’t drooling just looking at the list of recipes in her ebook, then you might need to get your taste buds checked!

My Review of: Fall FoMo from House Vegan | Life Healthfully Lived

Pumpkin Pie Almond Milk from Fall FoMo

Trust me when I say that you don’t want to miss out on this awesome ebook. Hannah put so much time, dedication, and pure love of fall into this book and it absolutely shines through. I’m so happy to be able to share her hard work with you guys and applaud her for the amazing job she has done!

If you want to grab your own copy, you can head over to her blog House Vegan and get the link for the download. It will be the best $5.99 that you have ever spent, especially if you love fall! You can also check out two of the recipes from the book and see just how tasty your fall could be if you buy this ebook! I loved her pumpkin almond milk and the chili con cashew queso just screams sweaters, football, and fun.

Chili Con Cashew Queso from Fall FoMo

What fall things are you guys looking forward to? I would have to say apple picking, making everything with pumpkin, and fall clothes are at the top of my list this year! I hope that you have a great Monday and I’ll see you guys on Wednesday!

Butternut Spinach Gnudi

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Have you ever heard of gnudi? Don’t worry I hadn’t either until a little while ago. It’s kind of like the big brother of gnocchi (also pronounced with a silent “G”) and it’s delicious. I saw a recipe for it in the Clean Eating magazine and at first I dismissed it as too time consuming to make. Then I had a free Saturday and decided to see if I could tackle the gnudi. I changed a few things, put my own spin on it and while it does take a little bit of time to put together, it isn’t as hard to make as I thought it would be.

I love the dumpling-like texture of this dish. It’s filling but not too heavy especially topped with a fresh tomato sauce, plus it gets in all the good nutrients that come with spinach and butternut squash.

If you aren’t like me and don’t have 10 lbs of butternut squash in your freezer you can substitute canned butternut squash or pumpkin instead. Also, make sure to leave enough time for the gnudi to rest in the refrigerator before you cook them or else they will fall apart in the hot water.

Onto the gnudi!

Butternut Spinach Gnudi- adapted from Clean Eating’s Ricotta, Spinach & Sweet Potato Gnudi

1 cup pureed butternut squash (or canned pumpkin)
6 tbsp aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1 cup cashew ricotta
2/3 cup almond meal
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped spinach (frozen or fresh, I used frozen and just made sure it was thawed)
4 1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 batch of my tomato sauce or your favorite store bought sauce (make sure to check the label!)

In a large bowl, whisk the 6 tbsp of aquafaba until it’s frothy. Then whisk in the cashew ricotta, almond meal, and all the seasonings.
Once that is all well combined mix in the spinach and fold in the butternut squash. Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of the brown rice flour and stir to combine.
Spread out 2 cups of the brown rice flour onto a large baking sheet. Using your hands, form the butternut mix into medium sized balls, about the size of a golf ball. Place the balls onto the baking sheet and repeat until all the mixture is used up. Cover the balls with the remaining flour and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Warm up your tomato sauce in a medium saucepan. Once the balls have set, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Working in batches of 4-5 balls, gently immerse them into the boiling water and cook until they float to the top. Remove from the water and set aside until all the gnudi is cooked.
Plate a few of the gnudi and top with tomato sauce. You can also sprinkle a little parmesan cheese or my vegan version.

Yes it looks like a lot and it looks like it will take forever and you wonder if I think you’re an Italian grandmother who has nothing to do but make gnudi. Trust me you can do this and it isn’t that hard. Plus you’ll be rewarded with a delicious healthy meal that will have everyone coming back for seconds. So give it a try, you might just surprise yourself!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you have an awesome weekend!

Vegan Fish Nuggets and Dipping Sauce

March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 / ktbuchs87

Before you turn up your nose or totally dismiss this recipe because there is no way you’re eating some vegan meal, give this a try! I promise it isn’t as bad as you’re imagining.

If you’re tapped into the vegan blog world or are a vegan yourself, you’ve probably heard of crab cakes/fish sticks made with hearts of palm. And if you’re like me, you were probably skeptical that a vegetable could transform into a fish dish. Unlike me you probably went about your day and that was the end of it. I on the other hand had to try it out myself and see if it actually worked.

Much to my surprise, it did work. I won’t say that it is exactly like fish and will fool fish eaters, but it does mimic the taste and texture of fish sticks. It was nice and flaky on the inside and crispy, crunchy on the outside. I like being able to make my own substitutes to regular food instead of buying the processed versions and this was really simple to put together.

But what really makes this recipe is the dipping sauce. I could (and sort of did) drink this stuff it’s so good. I used it in scrambled eggs, on top of my lentil loaf, mixed into stir fry, and dipped everything in my fridge into it. I promise I’m only slightly obsessed.

Vegan Fish Nuggets and Dipping Sauce

Nugget ingredients

1 14 oz can hearts of palm (read ingredients to make sure you’re getting just hearts of palm in water)
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp soy sauce/liquid or coconut aminos
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coarsely ground almonds
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt

1. Drain and rinse hearts of palm and place in blender. Pulse a few times until it’s shredded. Make sure there aren’t any big chunks but don’t totally pulverize it. Place into a medium bowl.

2. Add in almond flour, soy sauce, celery seed, dill weed and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir with a spatula until combined. In a separate bowl mix the rest of the ingredients until well combined.

3. Preheat oven to 375. Take about a 1 tbsp of the wet mix and roll into a ball. Roll this in the dry mix until coated and place on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. Continue until all the wet mix is gone.

4. Spray the nuggets with a little olive oil and place into the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, remove and turn the nuggets, and bake for another 5 minutes. While the nuggets are cooking, make your sauce.

Dipping sauce– slightly adapted from this recipe

1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
1/2-2/3 cup water
2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp nutritional yeast (NOT bakers yeast)
1 tbsp roasted garlic
2 tsp soy sauce/liquid or coconut aminos
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt

1. Drain and rinse nuts and place all the ingredients into a blender. Blend until you have a smooth sauce. Place it into the fridge to help it thicken just a little.

I know that many of you will shy away from a vegan recipe, but I think this is a good one to try because it doesn’t really use any weird ingredients. Hearts of Palm are a lot like canned artichokes (that’s where you’ll find them in the store) and they are really tasty. It’s always good to try new things and broaden your eating horizons. And if that still doesn’t convince you try this, at least make the sauce because I promise you will want to put it on everything!

Have a great weekend everyone!