Loaded Cauliflower Soup

Want comfort but still want to fit into your skinny pants? This soup has all the flavor of potato soup with a lot less calories and fat. It is creamy and thick and perfect for a winter’s night.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1/3 cup plus 4 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth, divided

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 small carrot, diced

½ of a medium onion, diced

2 (14.4 ounce) packages of frozen cauliflower, thawed

1 Tablespoon ham soup base (you can usually find this in the soup aisle, next to the stocks and broths)

1 Tablespoon flour

¾ cup fat free half and half

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes:

Crispy bacon, crumbled

Sliced green onions

Light sour cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Heat the 1/3 cup broth in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the celery, carrots and onion and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes, until the veggies get soft. Add in the cauliflower and the remaining 4 cups of broth.

Stir in the ham soup base and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Combine the flour and half and half in a jar with a tight sealing lid and shake vigorously. Add to the soup and bring back up to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 more minutes.

Turn the heat off and blend everything together with either an immersion (hand-held stick) blender or by placing a few ladlesful at a time into a blender (with the middle of the top removed and a towel placed over the top). Feel free to make it as creamy or as chunky as you like.

Taste and add salt and pepper to your preference. Serve hot in bowls with the garnishes alongside.

Turkey, Swiss-Apple Fondue and Broccoli Crepes

So, guests are coming over and all you have is leftover turkey, some eggs, some cheese and some frozen veggies. Or maybe your family is just tired of turkey sandwiches. This recipe may be your saving grace. Added bonus: you get to be fabulous as….all get-out.

There are savory crepes, there are sweet crepes, but one thing is always constant—people think they are hard to make or finicky. It’s time to dispel those myths. Crepes are just thin pancakes and they are affordable and so incredibly versatile. You can put peanut butter and jelly on them, butter and cinnamon sugar, meat and cheese, whatever you like.

I needed to connect with my late mother today and all I could think about was the little crepe maker I inherited from her. We used to have so much fun dipping the batter and making mounds of crepes. To be honest, I don’t even remember eating them-it was the experience of being with my mom in the kitchen that I truly adored. How cute is this little guy?

Don’t worry if you don’t have one of these. The directions below are for a regular, 8-inch non-stick skillet. I’m making a very basic crepe batter that will go with anything-sweet or savory.

Ingredients (makes about 15 8-inch crepes)

For the crepes:

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Pinch of salt

For the fondue:

3 cups shredded Swiss, emmantaler or gruyere cheese (I like a mix of at least 2 of these cheeses)

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup hard apple cider (or regular apple cider or apple juice, whatever you have)

1 cup light beer

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Assembly (no measurements here-just use what you like or let each person assemble their own):

Turkey slices

Dijon mustard

Steamed broccoli

Fresh chives for garnish

Directions:

For the crepes: Combine all the batter ingredients in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined (no lumps). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for one hour at room temperature.

Spray an 8-inch, non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and use a paper towel to spread the cooking spray around and remove any excess. Heat on medium low to medium heat.

Place a scant ¼ cup of the crepe batter into the center of the frying pan and swirl around to coat just the bottom of the pan. Cook, without stirring, for about 2-3 minutes or until you start to see some golden brown spots around the edges. The edges might even start to curl in slightly. Flip the crepe out of the pan onto a plate and repeat until all the batter is used-you can just put one crepe on top of the others until you have a stack.  You do not need to turn the crepes over and cook the second side. If you cook both sides, they become too crisp to fold nicely.

If you are going to leave the stack of crepes for any period of time, you might want to cover them with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.

For the fondue:

Toss the cheese(s) and cornstarch together in a small bowl and set aside. Heat a medium sized saucepan on medium heat and add the hard cider and light beer. Bring to a gentle simmer and add the cheese one handful at a time. Whisk until the cheeses melts and then add another handful. Continue until all the cheese is used. Add the nutmeg and salt and bring to a full boil for just a minute or until the fondue is thick and glossy. Don’t boil too long or the cheese will burn the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, whisk one more time and keep warm.

Assembly:

Lay a crepe on a plate, cooked (golden) side down. Put some turkey down the center and dab it with the mustard. Add some broccoli and a few spoonfuls of the fondue. Fold and top with some chopped chives.

Vegetable and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t have appetizers for dinner, especially when they are mostly vegetables, like these little beauties.  Look, Ma, all my veg and no added butter or oil! My version happens to be vegetarian, but you can change these up anyway you want. Vegan? Either leave out the egg product or use a flax egg (It’s a thing. Google it.) And ditch the cheese. Meat lover? Add chopped bacon and/or ham. 

Ingredients (makes about 25 mushrooms):

1 ½ (10 ounce) packages of mushrooms (baby bella, white, whatever)

1 whole shallot, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1/3 cup frozen spinach, thawed (pssst, buy the frozen loose leaf spinach in a bag-that way, you can take out a handful whenever you want without having to thaw a whole box)

¼ cup vegetable stock

¼ cup yolk-free egg product (like Egg Beaters®)

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon Worcestershire

Dash freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence (or thyme-I just happened to have Herbes de Provence)

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/3 cup shredded Swiss or gruyere cheese

2 small slices whole grain bread (I’m using Ezekiel® Sprouted Whole Grain bread), toasted and pulsed to crumbs in the food processor-about 1/3 cup

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment and set aside.

Clean the mushrooms and pull the stems out, leaving a nice little ‘cup’ inside each mushroom. Place the mushrooms cup side up on the baking sheets. Dice the mushroom stems and put in a bowl along with the shallot, celery and spinach.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the stock. Toss in the diced veggies and cook for about 6 minutes or until they are soft and fragrant and all the liquid has evaporated. Let cool slightly and place in a mixing bowl.

Add all the other ingredients to the vegetables and mix until well combined. Place a good, healthy teaspoon of the filling into the middle of each mushroom. Spray the top with a little cooking spray (optional).

Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Let cool slightly and serve with apple slices or grapes. 

Ginger Applejack Cocktail

Sometimes it is good to have a ‘signature cocktail’ when friends and family visit—especially during the holidays. I offer this recipe for a light and refreshing drink that is light and effervescent, yet full of autumn flavor.

Ingredients (serves 8):

1 apple, diced (I like Honeycrisp®, but then I always like Honeycrisp)

4 cups apple cider

4 ounces applejack liquor (I used Yukon Jack’s Jacapple)

32 ounces ginger ale

Directions: Place the diced apple in a pitcher. Add the apple cider and applejack. When you are ready to serve, stir in the ginger ale. 

Cheesy Smoked Turkey, Swiss and Vegetable Casserole

This is one of those recipes where the picture is deceptive. It looks like it might be a very bland casserole, but looks can be deceiving. Try this casserole-the scent coming from the oven will entice you and the creamy, cheesy taste will keep you coming back for more.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons light butter or margarine

¾ cup dried breadcrumbs (I like seasoned breadcrumbs here)

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 (10.5 ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup (I’m using the 98% fat free type)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup baking mix (like Bisquick®)

½ of a medium onion, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 (around 10 ounce) bag of frozen broccoli florets

1 (around 14 ounce) bag of frozen cauliflower florets

1 cup pre-cooked smoked turkey, cubed

      (Ask for a ½ slab of the smoked turkey at the deli counter and cube it at home)

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a microwaveable bowl or mug, melt the 3 TB of butter or margarine. Stir in the breadcrumbs and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, cream of mushroom soup, Worcestershire, and baking mix until well combined.

Stir in the onion, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, turkey, Swiss and parmesan cheese. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the casserole mixture into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle the buttered breadcrumbs on top.

Bake for 55 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Apple Cranberry Pecan Baked Oatmeal

Whether you are looking for a hearty breakfast or a comforting dessert, this dish is the perfect choice in chilly months. I know some recipes call for fruit on the bottom, but this one bowl recipe is easier and allows the juices from the apples to soak right into the oats as it cooks. Warming, hearty, and not-too-sweet, please give this one a try.

Ingredients (serves 8):

Cooking Spray

2 cups almond milk (or other milk)

½ cup yolk-free egg substitute (like Egg Beaters®)

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted (I used Earth Balance®)

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

2 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds

2 Tablespoons toasted wheat germ

1 cup pecan pieces

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 to 2 ½ cups chopped apples (your favorite, peeled or unpeeled)

Optional:

2 Tablespoons of butter or margarine to dot the top of the casserole before it bakes.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 2.5 quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg substitute, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, butter or margarine and salt. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg.

Next, stir in the oatmeal, flax, wheat germ, pecans, cranberries and apples. Pour into the baking dish. Dot with the additional 2 Tablespoons of butter or margarine, if you like.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the top is golden and the casserole seems firm. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Autumn Cassoulet

Simple, honest food for a cool fall evening. This bean stew is hearty and flavorful. I love using smoked pork chops in a dish like this and they are easy to find in the supermarket this time of year.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ of a medium onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 smoked pork chops, diced

2 chicken and apple sausages, diced

3 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes in tomato juice

2 cups vegetable stock

½ to 1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

1 ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs

½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme

4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Directions: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Add in the diced pork chops and sausages and cook about 8 minutes or until the meat starts to brown.

Add in the beans, tomatoes, stock, garlic salt, thyme, marjoram, bay leaf and salt/pepper. Bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour on low heat, stirring occasionally.

Remove the cover and cook another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs with the salt and thyme. Stir in the melted butter.

Remove the cassoulet from the heat and uncover. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top and bake for 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs start to brown.