Thursday, January 30, 2014

Dairy-Free Creamy Mushroom Soup

January can be summed up in two words:
1. polar
2. vortex.

Time for more soup!!!

Dairy-Free Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
2-3 tbs of olive oil
20 ounces of mushrooms, sliced - I used 2 whole packages, 1 white button and 1 baby portobello
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
32 ounces of beef broth - I used 1 whole container from Trader Joe's
A handful of fresh rosemary & thyme
Sprinkle of dried ground sage
Salt & pepper
Unsweetened, plain almond milk or coconut milk

Preparation: It's so simple! In a soup pot, sauté the mushrooms, onion, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are tender. Add fresh herbs and season with salt, pepper, and sage. Toss together. Once the veggies are soft and fragrant, add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 5-10 minutes, then reduce heat. Carefully blend soup using immersion blender (or standard blender - work in batches if necessary). Blend until the soup is smooth, and then add almond or coconut milk until the soup reaches its desired creaminess. If you don't live the dairy-free life, feel free to use half and half to thicken your soup. Simmer for a bit before serving (about 10 minutes). Add more salt & pepper to taste and enjoy!

Love,
Amy


Friday, January 10, 2014

Crockpot Tips from the Experts!

I know with the bitter temperatures there are probably many cooks out there clinging to their crockpots out of love and appreciation for the warm, stewy meals it provides. But there may also be some that are reluctantly giving it a try for the first time to combat the winter. For those of you who are new to the game, or maybe those who have been burned by a lousy crockpot result before but are ready to trust again (been there), here are some great tips from Bon Appetit!

Knowledge can be delicious.
 
Stay warm, friends! And I'll be back with some new recipes soon... this lucky girl got a new Le Creuset pot for Christmas, so I've been pretty busy. ;-) Hope you had a happy holiday season too!

sigh... its so pretty.
 
Love,
Amy