Hot Bacon and Balsamic Brussels Sprout Salad

Talk about quick and easy! 

Oh and because it's a salad made of brussels sprouts, it nullifies the bacon, making it totally healthy!

      I have the tendency to plan two week menus for all three meals and only wind up following them about half the time. I'm easily distracted and hate following plans, even if I wrote the plan. Especially, if I wrote the plan! This salad was born out of one of my fits of rebellion. Rebellion can taste so gooood! I won't lie, when my husband set his eyes on this bowl of a goodness, he was less than impressed. He wasn't sure how this was going to fill him up for the evening or if this even classified as a meal. Once he ate it, he was a believer. 

      I had a heavy labor intensive dinner planned, the kids had eaten a huge late afternoon snack, and I just didn't have the time or energy of dealing with the the cooking and blah, blah, So I made this dude up and shoved it in my face! It makes a great light dinner or a side dish. Toss a fried egg on top and call it brunch! Whenever you have it, it's delicious and for little effort! Seriously this is the meal I can get behind!

 Hot Bacon Brussels Sprouts Salad
serves 2

4 cups shredded brussels sprouts
4 strips of bacon
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic dressing*
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil

salt to taste

Start by shredding your brussels sprouts. I used the slicing blade on my food processor, but you could easily use a mandolin or a box grater. Then, heat a large skillet to medium high heat. While it heats up, cut your bacon into medium sized pieces. Once the pan is hot, start cooking your bacon, stirring often. While bacon is cooking, whisk together garlic, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard and honey.  Slowly stream in olive oil, while whisking constantly. It should take about 4- minutes for the bacon to cook. Once the bacon is cooked through, scoop it out onto a plate and set aside. Over  medium heat stir in the vinaigrette. Add in sprouts, tossing to coat, cook until just softened, but still has a bite. Toss with bacon and serve.

*I actually used raspberry balsamic this time, but I've make it regular balsamic usually. Both are delicious! I think red wine vinegar would be amazing too.

It's the perfect lunch or dinner on the fly!

xoxo,
Ashley

Coconut Carrot Mango Smoothie

Hiiiii-eeeeeeee! Want something nice a frozen and fruity here in the middle of winter? Good me too! 

   I've got some Christmasyness up my sleeve headed your way buuuuuttt.... it's not quite ready. I'm having one of those days, you know the kind, I mean, I feel like I have 2.7439 million things going through my head. So, I made a smoothie instead of cookies. I needed brain food. Brain beverage, I suppose, is more accurate. Now, I'm going to sip on this and contemplate whether I'll be doing laundry, dishes, picking up, making apple butter and jelly or DIYing a few photo ornaments. Maybe, I'll just pretend all of that is done and binge watch some Netflix. 

     Full disclosure, I may have used photos I took of this smoothie earlier this year, I swear it is the same smoothie recipe and looks identical.  Some serious slacking on my part! But, trust me, make it, put on some reggae and pretend it's not freezing outside! It will take you to the beach.

Coconut Carrot Mango Smoothie
serves 2-3 people
(Click to print)

2 tablespoons flaxseed

1 large or two medium carrots

1 1/2 cups coconut water

2 cups frozen mango

1 cup orange juice 

1 tablespoon honey

In a blender pulse the flax seeds until pulverized. Add carrots and pulse until broken into smaller chunks. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste for sweetness and make adjustments as needed. Enjoy!

Cheers!

xoxo,
Ashley

Spinach, Broccoli and Smoked Gouda Soup

You can't go wrong with this combination, the creamy, smoky Gouda, the fresh spinach and broccoli, everything about this soup is perfection.  

You really need to make this!!!

 Sorry, I was a little bossy up there. It's just that this soup is so freaking delicious and it really hit the spot while we all were (still are in some cases) super sick. Although, I normally tend to shy away from dairy while we fight with sinus and allergies, but I couldn't help myself with this one. I was compelled to make it. I could hear the Gouda calling my name from the refrigerator and the most amazing thing happened. When I placed this bowl in front of my uber picky 5 year old, he actually ATE it, ate every last drop. He even told me it was "dewicious" which in Caleb speak means delicious and is the highest compliment given! I almost cried, I did, actually start to tear up. It was momentous. He's the "anti-Mikey" he won't eat anything. He's the kind of kid that when faced with going hungry or eating something he won't like, he simply won't eat and doesn't complain. True story, he went almost a full week with no dinner. I fixed meals that I knew he would like, if he just tried them and he refused. He loves breakfast food and lunch is easy, because pb&j suits him just fine, but trying something new just doesn't happen. So when my husband and I developed a new philosophy. You try 4 bites of everything on your plate and if you honestly don't like it, then fine, but you must try everything. With that many bites, he's getting enough food to sustain him. I knew we were in for some fight, but his new obsession with Masterchef Jr., Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Jamie's 15 Minute Meals has led him to try new things and actually enjoy them. This soup got me some resistance at first, but after a couple of bites his face went from "ew" to hmm and by the fourth bite, he was saying it was the best soup he's ever had. That's a winner in my book and I'm hopeful we can use this soup as a stepping stone to shed his picky nature! Hopefully it will woo your pickiest of eaters too. 

Spinach, Broccoli and Smoked Gouda Soup
Serves 6-8
(click to print)

1 yellow or white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half
2 cups milk
4 cups broth
4 cups broccoli, chopped
4 cup spinach
8 ounces smoked Gouda, shredded
salt to taste

Greek Yogurt for topping

  In a large stock pot, over medium heat, add onion, garlic and butter. Once butter has melted, stir in the flour, making sure there are no lumps. Allow to cook a couple of minutes, then slowly stir in the half and half just a little at a time. Once that is incorporated, stir in the milk, followed by the broth. Add in the broccoli and drop to medium low heat, allow to cook for about 10 minutes. Add spinach and cook for another 5 minutes. Once the spinach has wilted and broccoli has softened use a stick blender (or just pour into a regular blender) and blend until smooth. Stir in cheese and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve warm, I like to top mine with Greek yogurt or extra cheese.

   Now, that it is officially FREEZING, I suggest you make this and curl upon the couch with someone you love and binge watch Arrested Development.


xoxo,
Ashley

Curry Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

I am going to sneak in my favorite fall,winter soup in before it's truly cool enough for it.

I love this soup. 

   The sweet potatoes and carrots are hearty and give it a mild sweetness that when combined with the subtly of the coconut milk and heat of the curry, onion and peppers make this the most perfect meal for the chilly fall air. Or, you could make this on a scorching hot day like me and crank the AC, whatever works for you. 

    I may be planning a couple more summery recipes for you but I could not stop myself from sharing this right now. I might have had a mint, honey suckle watermelon smoothie for breakfast today and this for lunch. My brain is really confused right now! It's one of the draw backs of living in the south, the weather has not gotten the memo that kids are back in school, and Halloween is just around the corner and I should be sipping apple cider right now but it is still reeeeeediculousy hot! Or atleast it is as I write this, who knows what the weather will be when this posts next week.

Can we walk about how thick and luscious this soup is? You could easily thin it out more with more broth or coconut milk but I find it to be more filling and comforting like this. 

   I should also tell you that this recipe is vegan but you don't have to keep it that way. I prefer the coconut milk for the flavor and consistency but you could use half and half. You could add in chicken broth, I have used it when I didn't have any veggie broth. This is the perfect filling and easy meal to make for a vegan or vegetarian when they come over for dinner. I like to keep us all veg a few times a week.

 It is also gluten free for anyone out there with a gluten intolerance of some kind.

Curry Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

serves about 8

(click to print)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped lemongrass

2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons curry paste*

1 Serrano, seeded and choppped**

1 orange or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

3 large or 5 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

5 large or 8 small carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

4 cups vegetable broth

1 14oz  UNSWEETENED coconut milk***

chopped peanuts and cilantro for topping

In a large pot over medium high heat, add olive oil. Once it is warm enough, add the lemon grass, ginger and garlic. Saute until softened, just a minute or so. Add in onion, saute until softened and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in curry paste, let cook for a couple of minutes just allowing the flavors to develop. Stir in both peppers and cook until softened, around 3 minutes. Add in potatoes and carrots. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, then stir in broth. Turn down heat and bring to simmer. Let cook uncovered around 20 minutes and test carrots or potatoes to see if they are soft.  Once they are soft enough to be smash with the back of a spoon, use a immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. If you don't have a stick blender you could use an upright blender, just pulse 4 cups at a time until each batch is smooth, then add back into the pot. Continue to cook and stir in coconut milk and season with salt to taste. Eat warm! 

NOTES:
* I sometimes use more. It just depends on how much spice I want. You could get away with 4 tablespoons before it goes over the top with the spice.

**Oh, and I forgot to seed my Serrano pepper and oh boy, let me tell you, this puppy had a bite! It was good though, it just got a bit too hot for me by the next day. I just stirred in more coconut milk and it saved it for me. Just a little note for you in case your a goober like me.
*** Make sure you get coconut milk not cream of coconut. cream of coconut is VERY sweet and will ruin your soup!

xoxo,
Ashley

Spinach Walnut Pesto {A House Recipe}

   This Pesto is Ah-MAZE-ing! I love all types of pesto, from the most traditional, to the farthest out there. This one gets made on the regular around here. I pack it full of spinach on the sly so that a certain picky little boy will eat it and I use walnuts because I prefer the flavor with spinach. 

   I'm going to try to start showing some quick recipes of homemade staples that I keep around the house every few posts. You can often find me eating this pesto from a spoon while the pasta is boiling. It is so quick, easy and nutrient packed! I know, I know, nutrient packed doesn't scream delicious but in this case it is. It is so freacktastingly good I cannot even begin to tell you. 

Spinach Walnut Pesto
yields about 2 cups
(click to print)

2 cups tightly packed spinach
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
3/4-1 cup olive oil
salt to taste

In a food processor or blender put in spinach, walnuts, Parmesan and garlic. Pulse until things are roughly broken down. Turn on and slowly stream in the olive oil until everything is combined and the correct consistency. It should be pour able but not to thin, unless you prefer it thicker and it should still be chunky.

Lasts about two weeks in the fridge.

This perfect for pasta, chicken, shrimp, a spoon... The possibilities are endless!

xoxo,
Ashley

Summer Spinach Salad

I love salad. My husband doesn't believe this is a square meal. I don't care, he has to eat what I fix him. :)

Poor guy is so mistreated.

I need to talk to you about this salad! Every year just before spring, when the chill is starting to fade and I can't wait to lock my boots and sweaters away for a few months, I start dreaming of salad. This one is a combination of salad I adore from a certain sandwich cafe/coffee house/bakery, that we all know, and a salad my mom made every summer and still makes. Her salad has turkey or chicken and this one would be amazing with it but I wanted to go meatless with this one. I am not a vegetarian, have never professed to be one and honesty I love bacon too much to be one but I feel like my family could use a little less meat in our diet. Mom's salad also had these crunchy, caramelized pecans that have always been my favorite. This time I chose almonds because that is what my man loves. I combined my favorite two salads in the universe (other than caprese but I can't mess with perfection) and came out with this beauty and there was no need to turn on the stove. I have eaten it multiple times since. 

I actually photographed this a couple of months back and I feel that I need to finally rish and share it with you while summer produce is still in season.I mean, holy guacamole, how is it almost "back to school" time already! Sorry, back on topic, this is the perfect sweaty day supper. So, make it, quick!

The best thing about salads like this, you can change ingredients in our take them out and come up with something new each time. I have left tomato out every time I have made this since. It just wasn't my thing. My husband prefers it without avocado, but he is clearly insane!

The dressing is super easy and so delicious. Just toss everything into a blender or food processor and you're done. I love it and my husband loves it, that is no small feet let me tell you. He is not a vinegar fan normally but he loves apples, which is how I convinced him to try it. 

This dressing is super versatile, swap out the apple with another fruit and change up the vinegar or even just leave out the vinegar for citrus juice and you have something totally new. 

Summer Spinach Salad:

For the Caramelized Almonds:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup almonds

In a heavy bottomed skillet, I prefer an iron skillet, heat the sugar over medium high heat. Stirring constantly, until the sugar hes melted and is golden brown color, then toss in your nuts. Allow them to cool on a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper until they have hardened and are cool enough to touch. Roughly chop before topping the salad.

For the Dressing:
1/2  green apple, cored and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
*1 teaspoon of honey
salt to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Place apple, vinegar, honey and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until the apple has broken down and all the contents are smooth. Turn on low and pour oil in a thin stream through the opening in the top of the lid. Once all oil is incorporated you should have an emulsified dressing. Taste and make tweaks to the taste.

For the Salad:

2 cups baby spinach
1 mango, diced
4-5 strawberries, diced
**1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 green apple, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
caramelized almonds

Toss you lettuce in a large bowl, layer on all of your toppings and dress with dressing. Serve immediately.

*Feel free to add more or leave it out all together. I knew my guys would prefer a little more sweetness.
**Like I said before, I left the tomato out after this but I included it in the ingredients since it can been seen in pictures.

It's calling your name!