Spicy Kale Soup

This is one of those recipes that The Honey calls "chick food".  He doesn't like split pea soup, either.  Or any soup that is pureed.  Or green.  What can I say - this is the man that loves Sloppy Joe sandwiches, remember?  However, the one time I convinced him to eat it for dinner, he admitted that it was surprisingly (he was surprised - not me!) tasty.  It may not sound like much of a testimonial, but it's the one I'm most proud of because it was the hardest to earn.

Although this soup looks remarkably like split pea soup, trust me when I tell you it tastes nothing like it.  It's a great blend of vegetables, including a couple of potatoes to make it creamy when it's pureed.  And the kale adds some great flavor to it, though I must admit that I'm not a big fan of kale by itself.  Add in your red pepper flakes and sour cream and you have a delicious bowl of tasty goodness that has a little kick to it.  And as an added bonus, has less than half the calories of a bowl of split pea soup.


Spicy Kale Soup
(Yields about 7 1-1/2 c. servings, about 100 calories each)

4 c. chicken broth
2 potatoes, peeled
2 carrots
1 large onion
2 crowns broccoli
1 bell pepper, red or green
1 bunch kale (about 6-7 leaves)
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt/pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
pinch of red pepper flakes
3/4 c. light sour cream

Pour chicken broth into a large soup pot (with a lid) and place over medium heat.  Chop or slice all of the vegetables except the kale as desired and add to the pot.  You don't have to make it look too pretty because you'll be pureeing the soup, but remember you want the veggies to cook quickly, so be sure to chop the tougher vegetables, such as the carrots, into thin slices to they'll cook faster.

While vegetables are simmering, wash kale and separate the leafy part from the woody stem.

Chop the leafy part.

Add to the pot on top of the other vegetables.  This should fill your pot up significantly.  Do not try to stir it in just yet.

Put the lid on the pot and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  See how much prettier it looks?

Now you can stir it in.  Add the minced garlic and salt/pepper.

Continue simmering veggies another 30-45 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

Now it's time to puree the soup.  I don't have a nice big food processor, but my blender works just fine.  I have to do about half at a time.

Puree for about 45-60 seconds, or until soup is smooth.

Return pureed soup to the pot and add red pepper flakes, celery salt, and thyme. Continue simmering over medium-low heat.

I'm kind of a baby when it comes to spicy things, so I just add a pinch of the red pepper flakes - maybe 1/4 teaspoon?  If you like hot, feel free to jump it up a notch and add more. You can also add the red pepper flakes BEFORE you puree it to release the spicy in the red pepper a little more intensely.  I did that once.  Never again.  I'm a wimp, remember?

Then stir in your sour cream.

When you don't see the creamy swirls any more you know it's mixed well and ready to eat.

If desired, add some cooked sausage to your bowl just before serving.

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

I don't know what it is about men and beef, but when I say the word "steak" to The Honey, he gets a glazed, joyful look in his eyes.  And if I say the words "Sloppy Joe" he starts to salivate.

Huh??

But since I love my man, I try to accommodate him from time to time.  And since I'm not the kind of person that normally has cans of Manwich on hand, I needed a recipe for Sloppy Joe sandwiches.  After looking at a few, I found a good recipe by Laurie Hauser on allrecipes that I could work with.  I made some minor changes of course - I just can't make anything like it's written.  (Or that calls for 1/2 cup of ketchup - I had to use some vegetable juice instead!)  But either way, these turned out good enough for me to enjoy.


Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
(Yields 4 servings of filling, about 180 calories each.  If you're counting calories, don't forget to add in your bun!)

3/4 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. ketchup
1/2 c. vegetable juice
1-2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Brown meat and onion in a skillet over medium heat.  When cooked, drain and rinse with hot water.

Return meat and onion to pan.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat until it reaches desired thickness.

The traditional way to serve this is on a bun, but if you'd like to try something new you can spoon it over a little brown rice and serve with some veggies.

"Ritzy" Holiday Cookies

About 4 years ago my older sister and I took a day-after-Thanksgiving road trip to upstate NY to visit a younger sister and her family.  While we were there our younger sister was participating in a Christmas Bazaar and had a bunch of Christmas goodies for sale, including these.  I'm not sure who originally got the idea for them, but I know I can't take credit.  I just know I could gain ten pounds every Christmas just eating the things.  And since Horse Lover is also a peanut butter lover, they are her favorite that she requested this year.


"Ritzy" Christmas Cookies

2 sleeves Ritz crackers
Creamy peanut butter
24 oz. Almond Bark vanilla candy coating
Sprinkles (if desired)

Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on a Ritz cracker.  Top with another cracker to make a sandwich.

Do this for all the Ritz crackers you are using and line them up neatly on wax paper.

Now it's time to melt the almond bark for the coating.  Some brands of almond bark are sold in big bricks (as shown in yesterday's post) and need to be broken up before placed into a bowl for melting.  However, some brands are sold in cubes as shown in this picture:

These are nice if you can find them because it is a whole lot easier to work with - especially if you're not using the whole package. Either way, you're going to melt the almond bark the same way.  Start off by microwaving it for about 1 minute, then stir.  Keep microwaving in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until completely melted.

 Drop a Ritz sandwich into the bowl of melted candy coating.  Using a fork, flip it over and make sure it's coated well all around.

 

Then pick it up with the fork and give the fork a couple of taps on the side of the bowl.  This gives you a smoother coat on top, and also knocks off some of the extra almond bark that you really don't need.

Place cookie back on wax paper to set.  If using sprinkles, be sure to put them on when the coating is still melted to they'll stick.

As you can see, my kids love to help out with these by putting on the sprinkles.

If desired, leave a few cookies plain.  I prefer them without sprinkles, myself.  But then, they don't look quite as festive, do they?