Hearty Fall Crock Pot Vegetable Soup

Crisp fall air just screams for soup that warms your whole body. It is beautiful during this season, the leaves all up and down my street are so colorful...the only problem is...the bugs are trying to come inside for the winter! Seriously they are everywhere!

 

But one thing I look forward to is soup, soup and more soup...maybe a few bread bowls thrown in there. In the past most of my soups contained a lot of cream and cheese. If I'm going for creamy soup I try to stick to a cashew cream sauce base instead of cream cheese!

Soup is so diverse also since you can use almost anything you have on hand and usually turn up with a great tasting creation! That's what happened with this hearty vegetable soup. It was delicious and I used vegetables I just had in my fridge. It was so simple and may entire family devoured it. I made some homemade garlic biscuits to go with it and it was a very filling meal. I made this soup in the crock pot but you could easily do this on the stove top if you wanted to! Enjoy--this is sure to warm you up and make your stomach's very happy!

 

Fall Vegetable Soup

 

3 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 large carrots chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 head cauliflower

1 c fresh or frozen peas

1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

2 c vegetable or chicken broth (low sodium)

2 c water

1 T Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat small amount of olive oil  to a skillet add chopped onion. Saute for about 7 minutes over med-high heat, add garlic. Saute together another 2 min. Reduce heat to medium and add all remaining vegetables. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until the potatoes begin to get somewhat soft and onions are translucent (this sauteing is what really pops the flavor). Meanwhile add tomatoes, broth and water to a crock pot. Add seasonings to skillet over the vegetables. Add vegetables to the crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours! You can mash the potatoes against the side of the crock pot once cooked to thicken it up! Enjoy

 

 

 

 

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Crock Pot Light Alfredo Sauce

Why do you suppose that creamy, thick sauce smothering pasta is so comforting? If you are like me I adore pasta sauces - the creamier the better. Cream does not sit well with healthy diet. Dairy can be harmful to our bodies and cream is full of fat!

My previously favorite dish was Olive Garden's Chicken Alfredo- a classic. My brother-in-law works at Olive Garden while he is going to school and he spilled the beans on how many calories this dish held! 1700 calories!!!!!! I always ate it all!!! I never ate it again even before I began eating better...that number was constantly flashing into my mind!

I really wanted to try and lighten up an Alfredo dish so we could eat it a little more carefree! Now there are a lot of ways to make cream sauces, most of the ways I've found still have a high fat content. If you use nuts obviously it will be better fats for you. This sauce is not made from nuts, I used Vegan Cream Cheese Alternative. It was lower in fats, about 9 grams a serving, than regular cream cheese, but still no where near fat free. So I only tried this dinner tonight since I'm trying to stick to my challenge this week! It was hard not to keep eating it. I used vegetables instead of pasta to give the kids a healthy helping of their greens.

To be honest this meal took some persuading to get them to try it. After the first bite though, there was no more persuading it sold itself! I loved the flavor, it will still be eaten sparingly in this house, but a much better option than traditional Alfredo Sauce.

Light Alfredo Sauce (vegan)

1 container of vegan cream cheese alternative, like tofutti

1 C soy milk

2 cloves garlic minced

1  T nutmeg

1 T paprika

1 1/2 T Italian Seasoning

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Pepper to taste

Add ingredients to the crock pot cook on low for 3 hours. Stirring occasionally to make sure flavors are blending! Serve over cooked zucchini noodles and mixed vegetables or  your favorite pasta!

* this tasted so great with the veggies I think this would make an excellent veggie dip or bread stick dip, what do you think?

Crock Pot Italian Potatoes

MMMMM...delicious vegetable eating at it's finest. I used to make a dinner that was Italian chicken and potatoes that was a family favorite. It had tons of italian dressing drizzled over it, cheddar cheese, chicken and potatoes. It was so tasty, but I can't even imagine the fat content from the oil and cheese.

I really had been wanting to recreate that dish since we loved it so much, but I wanted to find a way to bring our healthy eating lifestyle into play.

I am happy to say that now I have created a crook pot dish full of vegetables that is vegetarian and so much healthier.

I was so excited when Derek told me last night that he liked these potatoes better than the old dish! I was very excited. We didn't eat these as a side, they were the main dish! We had salads for a side, it was a veggie night and our kids loved every bit of it! I thought they tasted almost like delicious Dutch oven potatoes!

Meals like this stand for one of my points I try to make... there are no rules that you need a piece of meat for your meal. There is no rule that you need cheese to make things taste better! There is no rule that says your kids won't eat kid-friendly healthy meals! Did I also say budget friendly! This whole meal cost approximately $5.00 for a family of four and that includes leftovers- we're able to compete with Little Ceasar's! Which one would make you feel better inside though? Ask yourself that question!

Enjoy this yummy dinner, have it ready and cooking in a matter of minutes! That calls for one happy Momma!

Crock Pot Italian Potatoes

6 Yellow potatoes (or any potato would work)

1 bunch of broccoli, chopped

1 T coconut oil

1/2 onion

2 T Italian seasoning (or a mixture of basil and oregano)

1/2 T cumin

3 T water

1 T paprika

1 T Mrs. Dash seasoning (optional, but recommended)

Chop vegetables and add to the crock pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir to coat well. Cook on high for 3-4 hours!

Crock Pot Vegetarian Chili

Fall is in the air! I love chili during the cooler months- we especially love chili on Halloween with some cornbread to dip into it! There always seem to be parties and get together and chili is the eatable guest of honor! I love the spicy flavors all meshed into one awesome bite! That is why I love the crock pot for soups...it just seems to blend it so well together.

This vegetarian chili cannot be beat with how easy it is. Seriously this is a "drop" soup....all you do is drop everything into the crock pot and walk away! Easy Peasy!

My kids always devour this bad boy! It is filling and if your looking for a meat chili you can easily add ground turkey to this, but it is so satisfying even without meat! We love it! Chili and cornbread here we come! Welcome the Fall season and make this easy dinner tonight!

Vegetarian Chili

1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)

2 c vegetable stock

1 packet low sodium taco seasoning

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1/2 green bell pepper, minced

1/2 onion, minced

1 T cumin

1/4 c nutritional yeast (optional)

Rinse all the beans together and drain liquid. Take 1/3 of the beans and mash them in a separate bowl. Add mashed beans and remaining ingredients to the crock pot. Do a quick stir to mix in the seasonings. Cook on high for 3-4 hours! Delicious, and easy! Enjoy 

Crock-Pot Vegetarian Lasagna

 Happy weekend to everyone! I've started adding a few new recipes to my crock-pot list like this fun little creation tonight! I know I called it lasagna, well that is because I had originally planned on using lasagna noodles. Unfortunately I was unable to find a whole grain or wheat lasagna noodle. It was all the enriched white pasta, so I opted for some whole grain penne.

Once again this is a very simple prep and comes out tasting great. I wanted to find a way to get the creamy cheesy feel back into a lasagna dish and I think this end result was really nice! There is plenty of wiggle room for this baby, add any vegetables you want and you will love it~

Vegetarian Lasagna

1 lb whole wheat pasta

1 can tomato sauce

1 can tomato paste

2 T basil

1 T Italian seasoning

1 T parsley

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 onion

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 c nutritional yeast

2 BIG handfuls of spinach

12 oz silken tofu

1/4 c almond milk

Combine tofu, milk, garlic, lemon juice yeast and 1 T of basil to a blender. Blend until well mixed, then add spinach. Pulse until there are only a few larger pieces of spinach left. Mix together tomato sauce and paste with bell pepper, onion, parsley, Italian seasoning and remaining basil in a medium bowl. Stir until pretty well combined, it's mostly just to blend the paste. Layer 1/3 of sauce on the bottom of crock pot add 1/3 of the uncooked pasta and 1/3 of blender mixture. Repeat layers until it is all used up. Cook on low for about 5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. You may need to stir it up sometimes to make sure the noodles are cooking evenly! Serve with salad! Yum!

* This is vegan, but if you'd like just vegetarian, add some Mozzarella  cheese on top and cook for 20-30 minutes!

Crock Pot Vegetarian Meatballs

This is an oxymoron if I ever heard! Vegetarian meatballs! Well I am here to say after experiencing this meal, no one can tell me that vegetarian/vegan meals are bland and boring! These were awesome! My little boy ate all of it! Seriously usually he never is full because he ends up throwing a lot of food on the ground, this one he actually was acting like he wanted to stop eating because he was FULL! These had excellent flavor and really were a great alternative to meatballs...obviously it didn't have a meaty taste, but texture wise they were almost twins!

These would be excellent with spaghetti or on subs! They do take some prep time outside of the crock- pot but they are still simple to make, it's just not quite like my crock pot mac and cheese where you just throw it all in! We had ours served over rice and it was fantastic! There is only one small ity, bity reason they aren't a completely vegan meal....I used onion soup mix for flavoring, and it has traces of milk so if you're looking for 100% vegan leave that mix out and season it with Mrs. Dash or other seasonings, me personally....I thought the onion soup mix made it fantastic! Meat lovers will love these too....if you're looking to add a few meatless meals in, you want to try this one.... you won't feel deprived I promise!

Crock Pot Vegetarian Meatballs

1 1/2 C lentils

2 c vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 packet of onion soup mix divided

1/2 onion

2 T ground flax seed

3 T cornstarch

1 can stewed or crushed tomatoes (28 oz)

1 can tomato paste

1 T Italian seasoning

1 T basil

In a sauce pan add lentils, vegetable stock, half onion soup mix and garlic and heat on med. Let it simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils have absorbed liquid. Meanwhile add tomatoes and tomato paste to the crock pot with Italian seasoning and basil. Begin to cook on high. Add chopped onion to a small skillet with small amount of olive oil and saute until cooked. Add onion, flax seed, cornstarch, remaining onion soup mix, and half of the lentil mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until solid. Combine with remaining blender mixture and place in the fridge to cool for about an hour. Once it has cooled form into medium sized balls and place them in the crock pot. Cook for another 1 1/2 to two hours! Enjoy!

* you can also bake them if you want to for go the crock pot, just make the sauce in a skillet and bake the meatballs for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. I've never done it so I can't vouge for the end results! 

White Hot White Chili

I haven't forgotten about Alphabet Days! It is coming to a close and it is "W" day and we made it spiiiiicy!
I have never been a huge fan of insanely spicy foods; I can never quite understand how it's enjoyable to eat food while you're tongue is burning slowly out of your mouth! Derek on the other hand can't get enough of the "tough guy" spice. He told me he thought this chili had an intense kick to it! So that means I could only eat half of it before I was done. It was really tasty, but tooooo spicy for me!

This chili is a perfect shake up to typical every day chili, a creamy base with tons of white beans floating around. Yes please. If you want to add a major wake up call to your tastes tonight this if for you! I made mine in my crock-pot, but it can easily be made in a sauce pan.

White Hot White Chili

2 cans of white beans

2 C frozen corn

1 onion

1-2 green or yellow chili's, chopped

2 C water

2 C milk ( any milk will do. A good one to try is canned coconut milk)

2 T cornmeal

1-2 T cornstarch

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

1 T cumin

Add beans, onion, chili's, corn and 1 cup of water to the crock-pot or sauce pan.

 Combine milk, one cup of water, cornmeal and garlic to blender. Blend for 60 seconds. Add corn starch to the blended milk and stir to help thicken it. Add salt and cumin and pour over the top of beans and vegetables.

 In crock pot cook on low for 4-5 hours in the sauce pan let simmer together over med-low for 30-60 minutes Enjoy

*you can also use cashews in place of the cornstarch, just add them to the blender to thicken.

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Crisp, chilled lettuce. You complete me! Summer is a beautiful time to take advantage of green salads and all the wonderful nutrients they give our bodies~

I also love lettuce wraps. I love having everything I would put on a sandwich without the bread and it really gives people with a gluten free need a list of tasty options.

These passed few days I've felt myself stretched thin and I am feeling it in my muscles today. I probably know I haven't been drinking as much water as I should be and I might have been eating too much of my mint carob fudge! When I make these silly decisions I feel it in my back. The only way to describe it is it feels almost like a charlie horse right in the center. Luckily I work in an environment where I'm surrounded by occupational therapists and physical therapists. However, I still came home really sore, but at least I've been guzzling my water like a maniac today :)

When the soreness sets in I bring out the Crock Pot! Simple, no brainer, dinners! This was totally simple and totally tasty! I savored each bite and loved the lettuce wrap addition! We used quinoa as our grain filling and it was perfect! I love flavor without a lot of ingredients that I had to think about and throw in. This meal contained basically my two favorite things, lettuce and quinoa. ~bliss! Play around with this, it's the slow cooker, you can do almost anything you want :) Enjoy

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 lb organic boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 C water

1/2 C low sodium teriyaki sauce

2 garlic cloves minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 C cashews (optional)

1 head bibb or romaine lettuce

Combine all ingredients to Crock pot except the lettuce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Serve with quinoa or brown rice. Wrap chicken and grain in lettuce leaves. Use remaining juice from Crock pot as a dipping sauce! Enjoy