Month: January 2022

I write so often on soup or how much I enjoy it, so when my daughter mentioned French onion soup sounded good, I had to jump on that thought! Since I choose to not eat meat or use any part of the animal you may think I will miss out on a good bowl since a nice base and caramelizing the onions make or break this soup, but in my opinion if you do the vegetarian verson right it can be so delicious.

As you can see, I bought vegetable stock making this a faster version.

After you caramelize your onions you may add them in a slow cooker, (what a great smell and dish to come to home.)

Vegetarian French Onion Soup:

2 32 ounces of good vegetable stock base

6 yellow onions

2 Tablespoon of olive oil

2 Tablespoons of butter

1-2 Teaspoons of sugar

1-2 Tablespoons of vegetarian friendly browning sauce

In a large pot over medium/high heat add your olive oil and butter then your onions. Cook your onions, you can use some salt to draw out your moisture but for me halfway through cooking the onions I add a little sugar then finished the process. To caramelize the onions, it can take at least 20 minutes, so don’t rush it all you have to do is watch and occasionally stir the onions around the pan.

After you are done with the onions remove from heat and pour them in a slow cooker, add base and browning sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

If you are finishing the soup on the stove top, turn to a low simmer add base and browning sauce. Cover letting simmer on low for about 1 1/2 hours.

Pour in bowls top with gruyere cheese or mozzarella, provolone, parmesan is a few substitutions for the gruyere, but you can substitute any cheese you like best.

If you would like, pour soup in bowls that can take a broiler then when you top the soup with cheese place in the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese is nice lightly brown and bubbly

This soup is so delicious with a baguette, but however you have it enjoy!

I don’t know if I am the only one who at the beginning of the month, I look to see what we celebrate or bring attention to for the month, so when January began, I noticed that it is national oatmeal month. I got a little excited because I enjoy a nice bowl of oatmeal every morning. I top it with nuts, dried or fresh fruit, ground flax or chia seed. I find it filling and a good start even in the summer.

I have heard of overnight oats but since I only have had them once I may not be the best to give tips, but this is what I found to be helpful.

Plus, this might help you get to loving good old oatmeal in the morning too.

Overnight oats as the name states are oats that sit overnight slowly absorbing liquid and softening the oats to form a pudding type of texture. So, you get to start the day off with pudding so to speak and you start it off feeling fuller, so you won’t want to be grabbing for things to eat that are empty calories. They also help with your blood sugar levels, constipation and keeps your hunger hormones happy so you are the happy version of you and not hangry.

Step 1

Pick a container, like a jar with a lid or a bowl is fine too. You just want a container that will hold the ingredients and can seal shut. A mason jar is just a cute and easy on the go type.

Step 2

Add the oats (make sure you add rolled oats, instant tend to get to mushy) and you also can add the chia seeds too but if you do make sure to add a little more liquid because the chia seeds will absorb a lot more than oats do but they also give the oats a creamer texter and add a little more protein. Oats

Step 3

Liquid, you may find a non-dairy liquid works best but that is up to you. You may also use yogurt, if you use Greek yogurt which adds a little more protein you will want to add a little extra liquid like unsweetened plant/nut base milk to thin it out. It is always good to stir the dry ingredients and add more so you don’t end up with dry oats.

Step 4

Flavor Enhancers

A little bit of sweet flavor like, Pure maple syrup, honey or jam. You could also use a flavored protein powder or a nut butter.

Wanting more of a savory flavor, try bacon crumbles, green onions or a little shredded cheese with the plain Greek yogurt.

Step 5

More add ins Like fruit or nuts if you are doing a sweet flavor. Sticking with the savory how about starting you day off with some veggies, like carrots, mushrooms, chickpeas or an egg (if you do use an egg you need to cook the day of)

The ideas can be endless, and you can have a lot of fun with figuring out what works best. Regardless of what variations you try at least you know that you are giving yourself a good healthy start.

Risotto, a nice creamy Northern Italian dish made form a starchy grain like rice. I enjoy the creaminess and the versatility is great, it can go as a side or add to it and maybe even a main dish. The health benefits of risotto if just on its own comes from the rice only so in my opinion it’s not the healthiest when left on its own, plus the butter and other ingredients can make this dish vary on the health benefits. With that thought aside I wanted to try a new type I never had before.

I got “RightRice Creamy Parmesan style” risotto, which is made from vegetables, so the protein and fiber is higher in this risotto, and it has a lot fewer net carbs. I decided to add my own twist and make it more of a small meal instead of a side.

I have made risotto before, and it took a while plus adding in liquid as it cooked so when I read the instructions and it said total time was 12 minutes, I was excited.

(A little FYI, it took mine a bit longer than the package said but still a dinner in less than 30 minutes is pretty great.)

Creamy Zucchini Risotto

Time about 30 minutes total Servings 6-8

Ingredients:

2 bags of RightRice risotto Creamy Parmesan

4 cups of water

4 teaspoons of Vegan Chicken Bouillion powder

1/4 cup of Nutrional Yeast

4 green onions cleaned and diced

4-5 cloves of garlic diced

1 small to medium Zucchini washed and cut in bite sized pieces

1-2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

grated Parmesan

Instructions:

In a large pot over medium to high heat add olive oil, zucchini, garlic sauteing for about 5 minutes then add green onions cooking just a few more minutes before adding the water, bouillon and nutritional yeast. Bring the water to boil then add the risotto, follow the package directions from here (boiling just a little longer then remove from heat cover and let set for a total of 12 minutes)

Serve with bread and top with freshly grated parmesan if you wish.

I know it may not be summer yet but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good burger every now and then. I also thought maybe a different type of recipe today would be good to try, plus why not start the new year with tips on how to cook a little healthier.

Some may say that if it doesn’t have meat, it’s not really a burger but I will give you seven easy steps to use helping win over the toughest critic.

Step 1

Any good burger needs a good protein base and beans offer just that. You will want to pick a bean of your choice but black or kidney make for just a few to choose from. Not only do beans give you a good protein but they also give a good starch allowing them to be sticky and hold the burger together.

Step 2

Next, veggies of course! You will want to add some nice roasted veggies and the sky is the limit! When you add the roasted veggie, you are adding depth and so much great flavor so don’t hold back and it gets fun deciding on different ones but if you aren’t sure start with carrot, mushroom, celery or onion then build on that after you get comfortable with making your own burgers.

Step 3

Nuts are the next to be added, not only do they give more protein but also healthy fats and even more flavor, texture and crunch. You may want to start with almond or cashews but again once you start getting more acquainted you may want to add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or pistachios. You may even want to roast them for more flavor but if you buy, just reduce the salt in your burger if you buy them salted.

Step 4

Seasonings like herbs and spices take your veggie burgers to the next level and really win over those critics.

Pantry staples like dried oregano, smoked paprika, and cumin are wonderful options, but you can add so much more

Mix in chopped olives, minced garlic, or caramelized onions for extra flavor.

Pro tip: If you make a big batch of caramelized onions, you can also save them for a topping.

Palmer suggests these delicious flavor combinations:

• Herbal: garlic, green onions, and cilantro
• Thai: ginger, peanuts, red pepper flakes, cilantro, and basil
• Southwest: garlic, chili powder, cilantro, and cayenne

Step 5

A binder:

Your veggie burger mixture should be like cookie dough — thoroughly mixed and not overly wet or crumbly.

Beans help bind everything together, as will the extra veggies you include but, you may need a little help so if your mixture feels too wet, add breadcrumbs, rolled oats or a cooked grain plus this gives a little extra texture. (Great tip, if they are wet and you reach for those oats or breadcrumbs add it then wait a few minutes for them to soke up the moisture, this will help eliminate adding to much.)

Still not sure if your burgers will hold up?

Chill the mixture for about an hour, then press into the shape of a burger.

If they’re dry and crumbly, add a bit of salt-free broth.

Step 6

Now after you put in all those great ingredients and made them into patties you will cook them. Cooking them on the grill is the best but having a nice cast iron skillet will also be a great way to cook them but if you don’t have that any pan will be fine or a 374-degree oven for about 30-40 minutes will be good too.

Step 7

The last but not least step is adding all the great toppings or if you prefer keeping it simple and just enjoying your creation then that works too.

Now that you see that it is easy to make your own veggie burger, enjoy!