Fall Harvest Soup

This picture was posted alongside our lasagna roll-ups awhile back. I'm posting the recipe as I made it, although I would make some changes to this the next time around.

The good things about this soup:
1. Other than the chopping, it's a fairly hands-off meal.
2. This is a great way to use up some of your fall vegetables and fruit, without having to use all of anything - it just requires a few of each thing.
3. This is a big match, giving you a healthy dose of fruit and veg for a week.

The not-fave things about this soup:
1. The apples I chose were a bit too sweet, making this soup better as a side or a small lunch. The sweeter the apple, the sweeter the soup (although maybe that's what you dig?)
2. This had a tangy-sweet combo that was delicious for the first five bites but was a bit too much once bite six came along. I'd take it easy on the combination of balsamic vinegar, white wine and apples. A simple change in wine and apples would even make a difference.

All in all, I'd hands down make this again. I'd just experiment a little bit with the ingredients. For example: if you like yams more than parsnips, make more of one and less of the other! I personally like more of a spice taste so I'd go with more masala and less acidic things the next time around.

Enjoy! Now that I've ventured (timidly) into the world of soups, I highly recommend having fun with it. It's extremely easy to do when using the crockpot.

Fall Harvest Soup
A la Allie's Kitchen

Note: these are approximations. I had fun throwing things in the pot this time around.
4 tsp of olive oil
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 small parsnips, diced
2 apples, diced
1 1/2 cups of leeks, diced
1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp of masala
3 tbsp of white wine
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
4 cups of broth (I used vegetable bouillon and water)


In a pan, heat oil and add sweet potato, carrot, leek and apple. Heat for 5 minutes then dump in the slow cooker. Stir in ginger, masala, wine and vinegar. Add broth. Cook for 5 - 6 hours on low.

Use an immersion blender (thanks to Gram for this gift!) or a regular blender in batches, if need be. Blend away. Top with croutons and tortillas if you have any and serve.

Fall Has Arrived (+ Standby Slow Cooker Recipes)

My Facebook status today was:

"Yesterday was the first day of fall. As sad as it is to see the summer go, we can look forward to big slow cooker meals on the cheap! I almost forgot how far you can go with just a few cheap ingredients placed in a one-dish fall meal in the crock pot. Yesterday: lentil chili. Today: mushroom risotto"

Many questions follow suit after any mention of a good slow cooker meal. We all know how a slow cooker meal can benefit our weekly routine. We all hope to create a slow cooker plan that we'll actually follow through on, but we rarely ever do. Well - at least I don't. My mom and I always seem to be sharing, saving or pinning crock pot blog and appetizing recipes, but we never seem to actually do anything with them. When I actually do take the little bit of time required to complete something in that little lovely appliance, I'm beyond excited about it and wonder why I don't do it every week.

I finally followed through this weekend. It was easy (as in: quick to throw together). It was cheap. It was appetizing. After a friend and reader requested some recipes, I thought I'd share it with you, along with a few other successes I've had.

Lentil Chili (Vegan-friendly)
Original Recipe from Chum Mom

J and I worked together on making this yesterday. It's one of those dishes where two people can be working on either side of the pot because you literally just need to throw everything in it - order does not matter. The purpose of this meal was to have healthy veggie-filled lunches for the week and we succeeded.

Only differences from the original? Kidney beans instead of chickpeas, no cilantro, mustard powder or cayenne (but did 1 tsp of chili powder and 1 tsp of paprika instead) and halved the entire recipe (we have a small slow cooker). 

The costs associated with this chili are so minimal: 2 carrots (out of a big $2.99 bag), 2 celery stalks (again, out of a clump for $2.99), bouillon cubes, $1.29 can of diced tomatoes, $0.99 can of kidney beans, 1 cup (out of a 2 cup bag for $1.29) of dry red lentils. So cheap considering how far it will take us this week.

Smoky Bacon Chili (Paleo-friendly)

Original Recipe from PaleOMG.

PaleOMG is a blog full of great meat-filled, caveman-lover recipes. If you ever have to make a meal for non-vegetarians that may have dietary limitations, check this blog out - or any paleo blog, really. They're free of most common intolerances. 

This chili is as opposite as you can get to the above recipe. Bean-free and meat-filled, this was still a major hit. I used pork instead of beef and only red peppers (not yellow and green). I added 2 drops of liquid smoke to regular diced tomatoes, instead of fire roasted. I also think I may have made half the recipe (we had this eons ago).

We served this over a 1/2 of a baked sweet potato each (we baked some ahead of time for the week as well!). This was mega J-approved. 

Mushroom Risotto (potentially gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly)
Original Recipe from Allie's Changing Kitchen

I love risotto but never have the time or energy to stand by a stove to make it right, or to find an appropriate parmesan-free recipe. This turned out well, tasty, but I'd definitely play with some more spices and flavours the next time I try it.

Sautee: 1 cup of sliced mushrooms + 1/3 cup of chopped onions + 2 cloves of garlic

Add in: 1 cup of arborio rice + 1/4 cup of mushroom broth (made from mushroom bouillon, veg. would be fine, too). Saute until liquid is absorbed.

Add mixture to slow cooker, plus: 1 3/4 cup of broth (so 2 cups in total) + 1/4 of white wine + 1 tbsp of onion flakes + 1 tsp of paprika + salt + pepper.

Cook on high for 1 hour and 30 minutes (check, because I overcooked mine a little bit).

Once finished, mix in 1/4 cup of almond (or any) milk + 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast. Add more of any of the above flavourings if you want. I topped mine with homemade bacon bits but you could omit to keep it veg - friendly.

Need More Inspiration?
Here are a few other recipes from the past that have worked out well for us. My advice for those looking to get started with using slow cookers to ease the weeknight cooking pain? Stews and chilis. So many varieties. So hearty. Hard to mess up.

Panama Pork Stew
Chicken Curry Stew
Balsamic Chicken

Questions about any of the above recipes? Comment or bug me on Facebook or Twitter!

An Assortment of Recipes + Ideas

Here are a few of the things that have gone in our bellies over the last two weeks...

Baked Salmon with Asparagus + Beets (with an adaptation of added procuitto)
This is the ultimate kind of throw together meal. I cheated and used canned beets (I confess and don't care!) so I threw all of this on two tinfoil packets and in the oven it went. A seemingly gourmet meal in minutes (well, it took longer than the recipe said, but basically..) 

Weekend Breakfast
Breakfasts like this give you reason to get through your work week. I had some procuitto and asparagus leftover from the above recipe (it's all about no waste) so we cooked them up and plopped our egg on top. Delicious saltiness! It went perfectly with our perked coffee and tropical smoothie (fresh pineapple + banana + frozen mango + almond milk)

Egg Muffins
SO perfect for a work week for breakys and snacks. There are variations all over the place for this, but I used what I had in the fridge at the time: 9 eggs (for the above 12 muffins) + cut up red onions + spinach + tomatoes + salt and pepper + Italian spices. Grease your pan, pour them into the cups and put them in the oven for about 20 mins at 350. Breakfast for the week! 

Pork chops, veggie salad and kimchi.
Not entirely paleo, but nothing overtly "do not eat" on the menu I don't think. The pork chop was bbq'd with a mix of spices (anything!) and some lemon + oil. The salad is a simple spinach salad mixed with a little bit of quinoa cooked in broth (little as in most veg, different from how I usually make it) mixed with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. J liked this more than the pork I think. 

Bangers n' Mash
Okay - admittedly this photo is not exactly visually appealing and the idea of eating an entire head of cauliflower in one sitting (for two people) seems foreign, but we devoured this. Like: a head of cauliflower and four sausages and we devoured it in minutes. I had a bit of a hard time figuring out what to do with the cauliflower, so it took longer (and made a larger mess) than it probably should have but we were thoroughly impressed. J grew up on meat and potatoes and had an odd eye on me as I tackled this recipe. Luckily he trusts me enough to give it a go...;) A "will try again" (along with cauliflower rice!). (note: the bangers came from Sweet Williams at the market, yummers).

Shrimp Yellow Curry (on it's own)
I filled this dish with a can of coconut milk, + 2 - 3 tbsp of yellow curry + 1 tbsp of fish sauce + basil + lots of onions, broccoli, cooked shrimp and mushrooms. Top it off with almonds. Voila.

Thai Chicken Salad with Almond Dressing
Adaptations: almonds + almond butter in place of peanuts/butter + fish sauce in place of soy sauce +honey for the brown sugar + my salad ingredients: lettuce, spinach, carrots and cucumber
TWO thumbs up, for sure.

Who knew that dinners would be so good (and so fun) after removing all forms of white potatoes, rice, pasta and bread? We definitely did not. Eat your heart out (and feast) my gluten-free friends! I've been trying out a lot of the recipes I've been pinning under Paleo Possibilities and all are free of dairy, soy, gluten and sugar (among other things)....woot woot! Here's a little diagram of what eating paleo is all about. I'll share more resources in another post.

Enjoy :)

Easy Slow Cooker Pork Stew

Time keeps flying by. Honestly, I'm completely out of the blogging loop. I had been partially avoiding it all because of laziness (might as well admit it, right?), but partially because my eyes have been so tired from a long day of work on the computer, that another activity on the computer just couldn't cut it! I finally got my eyes checked today and sure enough - I need reading/computer glasses. Vision is still great, but my eyes are jumping through a few more hoops than usual when seeing work on the computer or when reading a book (both of which I do OFTEN, clearly)....which leads to tired eyes for all other tasks, too. Yay for figuring it out. Now, do you think I could get bangs, thick rimmed plastic glasses and be as adorable as Zooey Deschanel in New Girl? Probably not, eh? 

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I'm trying to not let too many days go without blogging. I'm fearful that I'm missing my regular (and lovely) meals trying to keep up with Meatless Mondays, Fast Food Fridays and various twitter conversations and activities...When I get overwhelmed by things, I have a tendency to just back up from everything. I definitely do not want to leave my blog again for awhile, so I'm trying to keep up and not making myself try to do everything. Between FoodieChats, Food Buzz, blog contests and activities on a variety of blogs I love and follow... you could really have this as a full time job, couldn't you? 

Today, I was able to bring my laptop and work home for the afternoon. One should always take advantage of the extra time on a weeknight for meals. We are trying to get through one extra week than usual on our grocery order, so I miraculously put this together with what we had. On my lunch, I threw everything in our crockpot and cooked it for 3 hours on high and 1 1/2 hours on low. 

Have I mentioned how awesome it it to cook in a slow cooker? 

Your house smells great.

You will always leftovers.

You can clean up immediately after so that when you go to eat, the kitchen is already sparklin'.

I followed this recipe almost identically from what it stated, so I'm fearful to write it all out (now that I've been reading about the dos and don'ts of food blogging...) - but I will. Just make sure to check out the original recipe I've quoted. The recipe came from TLC. I simply found it by googling "slow cooker sweet potato pork" - the two ingredients I knew I had. Luckily, J had stocked up on some frozen veggies for just such an occasion...

Panama Pork Stew

TLC's site: by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

2 small/medium sweet potatoes

1 cup of frozen corn

1 cup of frozen green beans

1 cup of chopped onions

2 big pieces of boneless pork chop (what is that cut of pork called that's always on sale?...)

1 can of diced tomatoes (I used half of a 28oz can), with juice

1/4 cup of water

1 tbsp of chilli powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Mix diced tomatoes with water and spices. 

Add all vegetables to the crockpot. Add pork and top with tomato mixture. 

The recipe said to cook this on low for 7 - 9 hours. I cooked this for 3 hours on high and 1 1/2 hours on low. We each had two big bowls for supper and will have two big bowls again tomorrow. It was SO easy - I wonder why I don't make things like this more often. It's hard to believe my first ever stew and soup recipes were just a year and a half ago! 

Stews feel like such a grown-up meal, don't they? I'm 28 and it still feels young, but occasionally I stop and see myself with an apron on in a house that I own serving a big bowl of hearty pork stew to my husband in the bowls we were given for our wedding and I think: When did this happen? We're grownups now! :P 

It's Wednesday already...I can't believe it! How was everyone's weekend? How has the first half of the week been? I have lots to update on last weekend. Tea with local bloggers and allergy-friendly dinner at a friend's house! I hope to get back to updating soon... 

PS: Are you following me on Twitter? I continue to update there...@changingkitchen

Chicken Curry {Slow Cooker} Stew

I think I've mentioned it a million times before, but I'll do it again. I married a good cook. (Lucky me!)

When J and I started dating, I wasn't a bad cook. I did, however, only know how to do what I knew how to do. Alfredo sauce from a jar: seafood pasta. Shred some cheese: homemade mac n cheese. Thousand Island Dressing and taco seasoning: Taco salad. My meals were good, but were not always the most innovative of meals. Obviously I've come a long way.....

Point is this. J had the natural sense in the kitchen. He could whip anything together and everyone would like it. He would use a million ingredients and never write his recipes down. Now that I'm cooking all (most) of our meals during the week, J takes care of most of our weekend cooking. It tends to be me saying "I'm craving ...." and he makes it happen - somehow. Or we take out a lot of meat to use, and he sorts something out with it (still an unknown world to me: big slabs of meat?).

I do have a wonderful lobster pasta to update you all on soon. J threw it together - completely - and I had to follow along in the kitchen to ensure that I was marking down what he was doing....a challenge to say the least!  (This was so amazing...I promise to post it soon!) I don't know what we would do if we ever decided to make a cookbook together!

This recipe below isn't completely from scratch. We were looking for inspiration online and found it at A Nutritionist Eats. Once the "base" inspiration was found, J did his thing. I didn't even have to follow him around this time... he actually made notes along the way about how he was changing the recipe up (basically - we were missing most ingredients plus we wanted more spice!).

Here it is... It's a goodie. I'd say this has fed us (and will be feeding us) for 2 suppers (4 servings) and 2 lunches! I had mine over  brown rice, but may try it out over rice pasta tonight. J had his on its own like a stew and it worked, too!

Chicken Curry Stew
Recipe name and ingredients altered from original recipe. The name was changed to acknowledge the significant amount of spice changes we made to the recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 big boneless chicken breasts, cubed
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ginger powder
3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sriracha
1/2 cup of peanut butter (100% peanuts)
1 can of coconut milk
2 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cilantro
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 a can of peas.

What to do:
1. Add vegetables (onion, scallion, leek, sweet potato) to bottom of slow cooker.
2. Add chicken.
3. Add remaining ingredients except for the peas.
4. When there are only about 10 - 15 minutes left, stir in the peas.
5. The original recipe says to cook this on high for 6 hours or low for 3 - 4 hours. We cooked it on high for the first 30 - 40 minutes, then low for around 5 hours.

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Slow cooker meals should be made just for use as potpurri in the house! It was so hard to wait all day...

Has everyone seen the most recent Clean Eating Magazine? There are quite a few slow cooker suggestions in it!