Dairy-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup

There is nothing like having a bowl of cream of (insert whatever vegetable name here) soup. I love soups that are thick and have the body to them. Unfortunately, I am sensitive to dairy and have to limit how much dairy I eat, which can be very difficult at times. However, I’ve managed to create a recipe for cream of mushroom soup that tastes just like the dairy version but is actually dairy-free. This soup comes out thick and creamy in texture with a strong mushroom flavor. It is also a great option to eat when doing a liquid detox because it is very hardy and satisfying. My mushroom soup recipe is also vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free friendly; requires few ingredients, and is quite simple to make. So have fun trying out this recipe, and enjoy!   

Dairy-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• 48 oz of baby bella mushrooms
• 7 cups of water
• 2 medium-sized onions
• 1 cup rolled oats, finely ground
• 4 teaspoons of onion powder
• 4 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 2 ½ teaspoons of salt
• ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A large pot
• A frying or sauté pan
• A knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
• A food processor

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients. Finely chop the onions in a food processor or by hand. Finely grind the rolled oats in a food processor until they reach a flour-like consistency. Take ¾ths of the mushrooms and cut them into ¼ inch cubes. Then take the remaining ¼ of mushrooms and cut into slices ¼ inch thick.
2. In a large pot, add the onions, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and cook the onions on high heat, with the pot covered, until the onions are translucent. Be sure to stir the pot occasionally.
3. Add the chopped mushrooms to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes with the pot covered stirring occasionally until the mushrooms begin to brown, have released some fluids and reduced in volume by half.
4. Now add the ground oats to the mushrooms and mix thoroughly. Then add the water to the pot, stir, and bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium, and let cook for 20 minutes with the pot covered stirring occasionally.
6. While waiting, sauté the sliced mushrooms in a frying pan. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat on high heat. Then add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Next, add a pinch or two of salt to the mushrooms and continue to sauté for a few minutes until the mushrooms have browned (See video demonstration for a visual). Turn off the stove and set the mushrooms aside for later.
7. After cooking for 20 minutes, the oats in the soup should have completely dissolved, and the soup should have thickened. Now season the soup with the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper and stir thoroughly (Note: don’t over season the soup at this point as the soup still needs to cook an additional 10 minutes).
8. Next, add some of the sautéed mushrooms to the soup. You can reserve some of the mushrooms to place on top of the soup if you want. Then stir the soup and let cook for another 5 minutes.
9. At this point, the soup is done. You can add more salt and pepper to taste if you’d like and then the soup can be served!

Lemon Pancakes with Berry Compote

I always try to think of something special to make my mom on Mother’s Day, and this is one of the recipes I came up with in the process. My mom really likes things that are lemon flavored, so I figured some fluffy, lemon flavored pancakes would be perfect! And accompanying the pancakes with a berry compote and fresh fruit provides a sweetness and tartness that contrast perfectly with the lemon flavor of the pancakes! My family loves these pancakes! In fact, the lemon pancakes taste great on their own, or with other food items like scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, or whatever you want. This lemon pancake recipe is a great option for making a special meal because it isn’t too difficult to make but the flavors are simply amazing! So have fun trying this recipe and enjoy! 

Lemon Pancakes with Berry Compote Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

For Lemon Pancakes:

• 1  ½ cup of all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons of baking powder
• ½ tsp of baking soda
• 4 tbsp of white sugar
• ½ cup of milk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 tbsp of unsalted butter, melted
• 2 lemons, zested
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice
• Butter or margarine for cooking
• Fresh berries to add on top of the pancakes (optional)

For Berry Compote:

• ¼ cup of blackberries
• ½ cup of raspberries
• 1 ¼ cups of strawberries
• 1 ½ cups of blueberries
• 2 tsp of brown sugar (or white sugar)
• ¼ cup of water

          (Note: you can use fresh or frozen berries to make the compote)

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A medium-sized bowl
• A small pot
• A flat griddle pan
• A knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
• A ladle
• A spatula

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect the ingredients. Zest and juice the lemons. Thoroughly whisk the egg until it looks frothy.
2. Put the flour in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to loosen the flour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and lemon zest to the flour and mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
3. Now add the eggs, melted butter, milk, and lemon juice to the flour mixture. Then stir and fold the ingredients until you don’t see any streaks of flour (Note: don’t over mix the batter or the pancakes will end up flat). Then let the pancake mixture sit for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, make the berry compote.
4. First, coarsely chop the strawberries. In a medium-sized pot, add the blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, brown sugar, and water. Then place the pot on the stove, give it a good stir, and bring to a simmer on high heat with the pot covered.
5. Once the pot is simmering, stir the pot, reduce the heat to medium-high, and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes with the pot uncovered, but make sure you stir the pot occasionally. You can start making the pancakes while the compote is cooking.
6. Take a griddle pan and heat on medium-high heat. Then take the unmelted butter (or margarine) and coat the spots on the pan where you are going to put the pancake batter. Next, use a ladle to pour the batter onto the pan, and let cook for about 2 minutes or until you see bubbles forming across the batter of the pancake (see video demonstration for a visual). Flip the pancakes over and let cook for about 20 seconds. Then remove them from the pan. Repeat the process for the rest of the pancake batter.
7. By this point, the compote should be almost finished, and the berries will be soft. Take two spoons and smash the berries between the spoons to beak them down a bit. Then take a large spoon and squash the berries against the bottom of the pot until there are no large chunks of berries. The mixture should have thickened but still be a little bit runny. If the compote is too thick just add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water and mix. Then the compote is done.
8. Serve the pancakes with the warm compote, and some fresh fruit on the top or side of the pancakes!

Oven Baked Chicken

There is just something extremely appetizing and comforting about fried chicken, especially when the chicken is moist with crispy skin! I love fried chicken just as much as the next person, which makes it quite difficult to decline if you are dieting. Unfortunately, with fried chicken, you get a good amount of extra oil and fats added to the chicken, and that makes it very difficult to work into a diet plan. When I was dieting, I came up with a number of ways to eat foods I liked by altering the recipes to cut out unnecessary carbohydrates or fats to reduce the calories I was eating. This baked chicken recipe is one of those recipes. Not only is this chicken incredibly flavorful, the meat is also extremely moist, and the coating is extra crispy! The recipe is also very simple and uses just a few ingredients, so have fun trying this recipe and enjoy!

Oven Baked Chicken Recipe 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 lbs of chicken (I used leg quarters cut into legs and thighs)
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups of seasoned breadcrumb or you can use plain breadcrumb and add in some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder (or whatever seasoning you want. You can season it the same way you would fried chicken).
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of milk

TOOLS NEEDED:

• Knife, cutting board, two 2-inch deep dishes, 1 or 2 cooking trays, whisk or fork to mix, and large spoon.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS         

                                                                           

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Collect ingredients. First, prepare the chicken. If using leg quarters, cut into legs and thighs. You can use precut chicken or chicken breast if you want. Then sprinkle a teaspoon of salt on the chicken. I do this in a bowl and mix the chicken with my hand to make sure the salt is evenly distributed on the chicken.
2. In another dish (at least 2 inches deep), put the eggs, milk, and a pinch of salt together and mix thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Then place the breadcrumb in another tray or dish at least 2 inches deep. If using plain breadcrumb season with a few tablespoons of Italian seasoning, a teaspoon of onion powder and ½ a teaspoon of garlic powder (or get creative and use whatever seasonings you wish).
3. Now set up a breading station with egg-milk mixture, the breadcrumb dish, and trays for cooking the chicken. Then dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture and coat thoroughly, allowing excess egg-milk to drip off the chicken before transferring the piece of chicken to the breadcrumb dish. Next, thoroughly coat the chicken with the breadcrumbs and really press the breadcrumbs on the chicken. Return the chicken to the egg mixture to coat the chicken a second time, then transfer the chicken to the breadcrumb. When you coat the chicken piece twice, transfer it to the cooking tray and repeat the process for the rest of the chicken.
4. Once all of the chicken is coated twice, use the remaining egg and breadcrumb to coat the chicken a third time coating it with the egg first then the breadcrumb. You can use additional breadcrumb if necessary or if you run low on the egg mixture just add in a little bit of milk or another egg. Once finished coating the chicken a third time, let the chicken sit for 10 to 15 minutes on the counter. This will allow the chicken to dry a bit, which is important for ensuring the chicken gets really crispy when cooking later on. Preheat the oven to 365°F while you wait.
5. After resting the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes, you can put the chicken your preheated 365° F oven and cook for 1 hour or until the chicken is golden brown. If necessary, you can cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown the outside of the chicken.  Once finished remove the chicken from the oven and serve.

Chicken Salad Sandwich

 

One great way to use leftover chicken or turkey is to make chicken/turkey salad, which could be eaten as a sandwich, with crackers, lettuce, and more! This chicken salad recipe also incorporates apples and napa cabbage to provide a bit of crunch and sweetness! The recipe also uses Greek yogurt dressing instead of mayo to lower the caloric value, without the loss of the creamy texture mayo provides. However, mayo can still be used if that is what you prefer. As a sandwich, it can be topped with spinach, lettuce, cabbage, tomato, onion and so on to create a light, but satisfying meal. So have fun giving this simple recipe a try, get creative, and enjoy!  

Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups of chicken or turkey, finely chopped
• 1 apple, chopped
• 5 tablespoons of dill Greek yogurt (or you can use mayonnaise)
• 1 ½ cups of spinach
• 2 large napa cabbage leaves (or you can use 1 ¼ cups of regular cabbage)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bread, your choice: rolls, French bread, white or wheat bread, etc.
• Optional toppings: tomato slices, onions, cucumbers, etc. (Get creative!)

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A large bowl, cutting board, spoon, and knife

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. First, collect and prepare the ingredients. Take the napa cabbage and separate the white from the leafy part. Then chop the white part into ¹/₈ inch sized cubes and cut the leafy part of the napa cabbage into ¹/₈ inch thick slices so that it is shredded. Now peel, core the apple, and chop into ¹/₈ inch cubes. Then finely chop the chicken or turkey.

(See the video recipe demonstration for a visual of how to chop the ingredients and how small the ingredients are chopped)

2. In a large bowl add the chopped chicken, white part of the napa cabbage, and apple, then mix thoroughly.
3. Next, add the Greek yogurt dressing (or mayonnaise) and mix thoroughly. Now add salt and pepper to taste. The chicken salad is done and can either be served with crackers or made into sandwiches.
4. To assemble the sandwich, use a 4 by 4 inch piece of bread or a napa cabbage or lettuce leaf.  First, put a few tablespoons (about 4) of the chicken salad mixture, then add some spinach leaves, the shredded leafy part of the napa cabbage and top with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, or any other toppings. Then serve the sandwiches!

Note: The quantities for filling the sandwiches is up to you. This chicken salad recipe can make 3 very filled 4 by 4 inch sandwiches, so adjust how much chicken salad is made or how filled the sandwiches are based on how many people you need to feed.

Turkey Hand Pies

The best part about Thanksgiving is it gives us the opportunity to come together with our family and/or friends and enjoy great food with great company. Making Thanksgiving dinner also produces a lot of leftovers. Over the years, I’ve come up with many ways to use the leftovers. My favorite has to be making turkey hand pies because they can be premade and frozen. This gives the opportunity to eat the pies at a later time, so you don’t have to eat turkey day after day after day….you get my point. That can get boring. The hand pies can be frozen for a month or 2 and are very easy to cook in the oven. The fact that they can just be put on a tray and placed in the oven to cook makes them very convenient.  So give this recipe a try, have fun, and enjoy!    

Turkey Hand Pies Recipe 

(Makes 6 large hand pies)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 batch of pie dough (See Recipe HERE)
• 10 oz of turkey (other meat or vegetarian/vegan alternative)
• 2 1/2 cups of stuffing
• 2 ½ cups of mushroom gravy (See Recipe Here)
• 1 ½ cups of mashed potato
• ½ cup of corn (or other vegetables)
• 1 egg white plus ¼ cup of water

NOTE: the ingredients are adjustable based on whatever you had leftover. Some type of gravy is important as it helps maintain the moisture of the other ingredients during the baking process.

TOOLS NEEDED:

• A cutting board
• Baking sheet(s)
• Rolling pin, spoon, fork, knife, and spatula

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS

Pie Dough Recipe Video:

Turkey Hand Pies Recipe Video:

BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):

1. Take the pie dough and cut into 6 equal portions (or more if you want smaller pies). Then take each portion and roll it into a ball. Next, leave one portion out to work with and cover the remaining dough portions with plastic wrap so they aren’t exposed to the air or they will dry out.
2. Now on a lightly floured surface, take one of the dough portions, press it down to flatten it, and use the rolling pin to roll out the dough to 7 ½ inches across and ¹/₈ inch thick. Use your fingers and hands to round off the sides.
3. Next start filling the pie by adding 2 tablespoons of mashed potato mixed with corn and spread out evenly leaving an inch of space empty on the outer edge of the pie dough. Then add 2 tablespoons of stuffing, some mushrooms from the gravy, and a drizzle of gravy (about 1 or 2 tablespoons). Lastly, add turkey slices to the top and put 1 or 2 tablespoons of gravy on the turkey (Note: Don’t put too much gravy as it will make it difficult or impossible to seal the pies when the dough is folded over).
4. Now carefully fold over the pie dough and use a fork to press in the filling so you can keep the outer inch of the dough empty. Then use your fingers to pinch the outer edges of the dough together to seal the pie. Next, take a fork and press down on the outer edge to create the crimping pattern and to fully seal the edges of the pies. Take a knife and cut 3 slits on top of the pies to allow steam to ventilate when the pies are cooking. Then place the pie on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat the process for all of the pies.
5. When all of the pies are set up, you can either cover them with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for a later time, or you can cook them. To cook the pies, place them in a 375°F oven for 40 to 45 minute. After 20 minutes of cooking, take the pies out of the oven and brush them with an egg wash consisting of one egg white and a ¼ cup of water. Then place the pies back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.
6. When finished cooking, take the pies out of the oven and let sit for 2 or 3 minutes before serving.