Why, you make cinnamon lentil soup!

First, I softened 1 Farmer’s Market Leek  (cut like this) and 2 cloves of garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of curry (depends on the level of spicy you like), and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.  If need be, add small amounts of chicken broth so that it doesn’t burn while you wait for them to soften.

Once softened, pour in one 32 ounce carton of chicken broth or stock, and when it’s boiling, dump in 1/2 of a 1 lb. bag of lentils.  Add more broth/stock or water if it starts to look like the liquid is getting too low.  When they have softened, shred some leftover pork into it, and YUM!  This soup is heavy yet DELICIOUS, and it’s so very warm and wonderful.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Carrot Ginger and Chicken Soup
2. Faux-tato Leek Soup
3. Chicken "Noodle" Skillet Soup

Every year since I was 7, I get a sore throat which consequently turns into laryngitis.  I lose my voice for a week twice a year, usually in the Spring, and once in winter, without fail.  My kids love those two weeks : )

Last Friday, I woke up with the sorest throat.  I had some veggies and some yummy broth to use up, so I started by cutting up 2 carrots  and 2 ribs of celery (I used big, organic, garden-fresh carrots and celery from the local food co-op-YUM!), plus half a red onion (use whatever-this is what I had in the fridge).  I put olive oil in the skillet (enough to cover the bottom), and turned the stove on to medium high heat.  I took one breast of chicken, rinsed it, paper-toweled it off, covered it with salt and pepper on both sides, and seared both sides. When it’s on the second side, I added  the carrots, celery and onions (the trifecta of soup veggies, if you ask me!) until they were colored and carmelized. 

Chicken and Veggies

When the veggies were nice and carmelized, and the chicken had cooked a little, I removed the breast of chicken (allowing more saute time for the veggies, as well) and cut it into chunks.  I added a 32 ounce carton of chicken broth (for this I used some awesome free-range, low sodium, full-flavored, incredible chicken stock) right to the skillet.  Next, add the chicken back to the broth, bring to a boil, then simmer till chicken is cooked through.

Simmering Skillet Soup

Next I have a great tip: if you have kids, or partners who eat pasta or rice in their soup, boil a SEPARATE pot to cook the noodles or rice in, then take it out and put it next to the soup for them to add themselves.  This is great for two reasons: 1. I like my pasta al dente’ and I used to hate soggy noodles in soup and 2. If you’re a non-starchy-carb eater, YOU GET THE HEALTHY CHICKEN “NOODLE” SOUP WITHOUT THE NOODLES!

Chicken "Noodle" Skillet Soup

Score!

And the good news, albeit probably not for my kids?  I still have a voice ; – )

Related posts:

1. Carrot Ginger and Chicken Soup
2. Faux-tato Leek Soup
3. Curried chicken soup with apples and butternut squash

There’s a big chain Italian restaurant in this country that has this fabulous Zuppa Toscana.  I tried it, loved it, and made it at home over a year ago (before I learned about eating supportively).  The recipe is delicious, but it calls for a cup of heavy cream, potatoes, and bacon.  Today, I decided, was my day to reinvent Zuppa Toscana.

I had to think of a way to get the color (and the texture) of a cream based soup without the cream, the potatoes chunks without the potatoes, and swap out the regular bacon for turkey bacon (that was easy!)   I wondered if I could swap out the cauliflower for potatoes, and puree some of that cauliflower to make the heavy cream.  So I set out to make that happen. Here’s what I did:

Started out by sautéing up a pound of sweet Italian Sausage (it  calls for spicy, but my kiddo’s have to eat this, and the recipe calls for red pepper flakes as well-I love spice!) (I used 4 Sweet Italian Sausage Patties), with 1 and 1/2 Tsp. of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes in a large soup pot.  Once well browned, remove from heat, take it out of the pot, put it on a plate, and refrigerate until the soup is done.

Browning the Sausage and Red Pepper Flakes

Once that’s in the fridge, take an onion, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, and 4 slices of turkey bacon (torn into strips) and sizzled that till the onions were softened, and the bacon was crisped, about 8-10 minutes. 

Bacon, onion, and garlic, sizzlin' up!

Next, I added two 32 oz. cartons of low-sodium chicken broth, and an entire head of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces, and cooked on high till cauliflower was cooked through and softened, but not mush.

Softened Cauli

Then, I turned off the heat, ladeled about a cup of the cooked cauliflower and put it in the blender.  Make sure not to put the bacon in-the purpose of the blending this smooth is to make the white, sooth puree-like the substitute for the cup of heavy cream! We don’t want to make it pink with the bacon!

I added this puree to the soup, then stirred in a bunch of small, torn, kale leaves.  I scooped some into a bowl, put in a couple of heaping spoonfuls of the prepared sausage, and YUM!!!!  DELICIOUS, ZUPPA TOSCANA!

DELICIOUS, SUPPORTIVE, ZUPPA TOSCANA

This soup is undeniably, unbelievably close to the original Zuppa Toscana from the Italian Chain restaurant. YOU MUST try this soup!!  You won’t believe your tastebuds!

YUM!

Related posts:

1. Carrot Ginger and Chicken Soup
2. Chicken "Noodle" Skillet Soup
3. Faux-tato Leek Soup

First, I softened 3 cloves of garlic, 2 onions, a 1 one or two inch peice of ginger, and roughly ten carrots (don’t bother peeling, I just washed and chopped) in about 4 tbsp. of olive oil.

Carrots, Ginger, Onions, and Garlic

  Once soft, add a 32 oz jug of low sodium chicken broth:

Simmering in Chicken Broth

once the carrots are thoroughly cooked through, puree (either with an immersion blender or in a regular blender), and add back to the pot.

I pre-cook my proteins on Sundays, so I had some chicken breasts in the freezer.  I took 1-1/2 breasts out, thawed, chopped up, and added to the puree.

It looked like this:

Carrot Ginger Chicken Soup

Super-fast, super-delicious, and super, super flavorful.  Give this one a try, you won’t be sorry.  Yum!!!

And for all my vegetarian friends, simply omit the chicken and subsititute chicken broth for vegetable broth.

P.S – No clue what’s in this picture, pretty sure it was a scratch in my camera, because I know it’s not a hair in my soup!

P.P.S- Hallie brings up a good question in the comments section below.  Read what she has to say, and the response.

Related posts:

1. Faux-tato Leek Soup
2. Curried chicken soup with apples and butternut squash
3. Chicken "Noodle" Skillet Soup

First up, I found some gorgeous, full white bulbs of whole Vidalia Onions, a fantastic head of orange cauliflower (I have never seen orange), and some bright red and green Swiss Chard.  I decided at that moment that these were going to become my dinner. 

Cauli, Chard and Vidalia

I softened the three Vidalias (white part only, not the green) in olive oil, about 4 tablespoons that I had put some Siam Curry in.  Any curry will work, I just use an awesome Curry blend that I bought at the Chelsea Market Basket this past Spring when I visited NYC.  Chelsea Market Basket is inside the Chelsea Market, right underneath the shooting of the Iron Chef America and Emeril Lagasse shows that were filming that day, and Food Network and it’s test kitchens.    

Softening Vidalias

I added a 32 oz can of broth (yeah I cut corners, rather than making my own), and let it simmer away.  In the meantime I had chopped up the head of orange cauliflower, and put the entire thing in, chopped.  Once the Cauliflower was softened, I used my immersion blender and smoothed things out and blended things up, but not too smooth, as I like some bite in my soups and stews.  I turned off the burner, and stirred in a breast or two of cooked shredded chicken that I keep in my freezer for just such occasions, and a bunch of the raw Swiss Chard leaves (that way it just wilts instead of boils down and becomes brown, losing it’s nutrient-density and beautiful coloring), and ENJOYED! 

Related posts:

1. Curried chicken soup with apples and butternut squash
2. Balsamic Sesame Swiss Chard
3. Faux-tato Leek Soup

Well, over Christmas, I came down with the most hellacious stomach bug I’ve encountered in a while.  And given that I have children (aka lil’ petri dishes!), I can assure you that it’s suffice to say, I am knowledgable in the art of encountering (and catching) stomach bugs.  I’d even go as far as to say I’m an expert!  And while I’m STOKED about my kids being so awesome about sharing with others, there IS an instance where I’d like them to be greedy…and this is one of those instances : )

Anyway, after two days of barely the ability to stand up, and my babies staring at me wide-eyed for something I would typically make to eat (ie, not the pb and jelly’s that I had been slapping together for them for the previous 2 days since my illness began), I knew I needed something quick, healthy, and easy to make.  The thought of soup appealed to me, and Heaven knows, I needed the calories!

I remembered Kristi’s stew, took a glance at the recipe, and saw that I had only a few of the items.  I sure as heck wasn’t going out in the cold, sick, with 2 small kids to the grocery store to gather ingredients, so here’s what I did:

First, I took about 1 onion (I pre-cut my onions, and put them in a large Tupperware for easy weeknight disposal), chopped, and about a clove of minced garlic, and browned it with some olive oil.  I then put in a pound of ground turkey seasoned with YEP! my favorite, Old Bay.  Once that had browned up nicely, I dumped in a can of chickpeas, a large can of crushed tomatoes (the one I had on hand had onions and garlic in it, too) until that was heated through, then put in some frozen whole green beans that I had taken from my garden this summer.  I stirred them in, put a cover on it, and simmered just a minute or two, until the green beans were a nice vibrant green, and turned the heat off to enjoy. 

Related posts:

1. Carrot Ginger and Chicken Soup
2. Faux-tato Leek Soup
3. Beanless Chili in Green Pepper Cups

Well one of my all-time fav’s is Shepard’s pie.  I know some people make it with a can of tomato soup, or some other additives, but I like to take it Back to Basic’s- kinda. 

First up, I used 93% Ground Beef (actually thought it was turkey because I portion and freeze from a bulk, oops!) and browned it with one onion.  While that was cooking I took a large pot and poured a 1/4 inch of chicken broth (what I had, for added flavor-you can use water if you want) in the bottom of the pan, bringing it to a boil.  Once boiling I dumped in a 16 oz. bag of frozen cauliflower, covered it, and “fake-steamed” it.  I let the cauliflower soften, and all the liquid evaporate out of the cauliflower, getting it as dry as possible before it changed the color of the cauliflower-don’t want any burned cauliflower!

When they were done, I used my food processor and dumped those all in with a nice handful of shredded cheddar.  Mind you my 6 year old son has hands bigger than mine, so I would call it about a quarter cup. Here’s what it looked like:

About to become Cheesy mashed fauxtatoes

 I then layered the layers-browned beef and onions, diced yellow peppers, then smoothed the cauliflower on top.

Again, I like some crunch.  My mom used to make these with bread crumbs on top.  I had already put the cheese inside, so I topped with some parm and something in my cupboard I had called Soy Crunchies.  You know I will freely admit, I don’t even know what they are exactly- I don’t know if they’re dried, freeze dried, or what, but they are some concoction of a whole soybean. They are crunchy but not exactly flavorful, so I smashed em up and used ‘em as bread crumbs atop, and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes. 

Guys, for real- TRY THIS.  It was so absolutely incredible, the cheese in the fauxtatoes gave it a decadence and creaminess, and it was absolutely wonderful.  The peppers were GREAT in place of the corn, too. 

Heres the finished product:

Shepard's Pie, right out of the oven

And last but not least, I could barely get a picture without snagging a bite.  YUM!!!

Shepard's Pie- Supportive and Delicious!

My leanKitchen “test kitchen” loves this recipe, and it was quick and easy. 

Now guys, who says comfort food can’t also help you achieve your fat loss goals?? 

Now when you look outside and see your kids building a snowman, hopefully you get the urge to try this, instead of making a big, starchy casserole.  Just one of the 12 ways leanKitchen helps you get through the Holidays!!

Related posts:

1. The 12 Days of Christmas- Christmas Eve Fish
2. 12 Days of Christmas-The Office Party
3. 12 Days of Christmas-The "Short Notice Guest"

How to prepare a leek.  Enjoy my Academy Award winning performance : )

P.S. What do you do with those yummy half-moon shaped leeks?  I have an idea!  How ’bout putting them in your Faux-tato Leek Soup??

Related posts:

1. Faux-tato Leek Soup
2. Spicy Cinnamon and Lentil Soup
3. Carrot Ginger and Chicken Soup

My favorite food on the planet? Soup.  Pretty much any kind I can get my hands on. 

On my list of favorites?  Curried Butternut Squash, Carrot Ginger, and Potato Leek.  Tonight, I had a “hankering” (love that word: ) for Potato Leek soup.  Given that I eat supportively now, I had to make a couple of changes to an old classic for two reasons: 1. Potatoes are a starchy carbohydrate, and in order to lose fat you need to cut out/limit starchy carbs and 2. Typically, Potato Leek soup is just that-potatoes and leeks.  I added shredded chicken to mine, because without a good protein source, while still good for you and veggie-packed, it’s not a complete meal (protein with a fibrous carb-fruit/veggie).   

So to solve problem number 1, I omitted potatoes, and used a head of cauliflower.  Issue number 2, making the formerly non-protein-containing recipe into a supportive meal was done  by adding chicken. 

So to begin, I cut up three leeks (video on how to cut leeks to follow) -just the bulb, not the leaves, and softened them in olive oil with a tablespoon of chopped garlic:

Softening the Leeks and Chopped Garlic

I then added one 32 oz. low sodium chicken broth (you can use vegetable, too if that’s what you have), and, while that was heating up to a boil, I was busy chopping baby carrots (I like the size of the carrots, because I have kids, and big chunks make me nervous; feel free to use your standard carrot) and roughly chopping up a head of cauliflower.   Once it was boiling, I put all the veggies in.  It looked like this:

Simmering up the soup

Next, once the veggies were all fully softened, I used a slotted spoon to scoop out some small pieces of veggies; while this soup is pureed, I love a little bit of chunk to my vegetables, too.  I left all of the broth and most of the vegetables in the pot, and scooped out a bowl of cauliflower and carrots. 

Maintaining Some Chunkiness in the Soup

Next up, my favorite kitchen accessory- my $12 immersion blender.  On a side note, if you don’t have one, you SHOULD!  This thing is perfect for making sauces, soups, smoothies, Pie in a glass, well…pretty much anything.  I blended it

Immersion Blender, Doin' what it does best!

…until it was smooth and creamy, then stirred in the rough chunks of veggies and some shredded cooked chicken (I used about 2 breasts that I had pre-cooked this weekend).  Here’s the final result:

Faux-tato Leek Soup

Faux-tato Leek Soup

Enjoy a bowl-or two-with little shame.  For me, soups and stews are the epitome of comfort food.  Especially the cream-based chowder types.  Here’s a way for me to really have a rich, thick, hearty soup, without sacrificing or undoing all of my hard work at Bootcamp.

~For all my Vegetarian readers, you can easily make this a vegetarian recipe by omitting the chicken and substituting Chicken stock with Vegetable stock.  For added protein, try adding a can of chickpeas before pureeing.  Don’t forget to let me know how it turns out!!

Related posts:

1. Carrot Ginger and Chicken Soup
2. I have a Leek-now what the heck do I do with it??
3. Chicken "Noodle" Skillet Soup

Crockpot Pork

I looooveeee crockpot meat.  It makes the house smell awesome, and very, very little work needs to be done to have awesome tender dinner pretty much waiting for you when you get home.  Also, with crockpots, you can buy a less expensive cut (usually more tough), and you’re left with meat you can cut with a fork.  Economical is GREAT in my book! 

I started with a 2 lb. pork roast (I found it on sale and it was about 3 bucks, AWESOME!), pulled it from the freezer, and didn’t even thaw it first.  I removed it from the packaging, rinsed it, and patted it dry.  This is important because you want to sear the meat, and you want it to all brown evenly, which is accomplished by the most direct contact to the heat source as possible with the meat.  Once thoroughly patted dry, I coated it evenly and completely with Old Bay Seasoning (if you don’t have old bay, you could try celery salt and s&p, or whatever you have on hand).

Now when I say I coated it with OB, I mean COATED.  I’m going to sear the meat so it locks in the juices, and the seasoning  coating creates a nice, evenly browned, and tasty crust on the meat. 

I took some oil, coated the bottom of a large pot, and cranked the heat (between medium heat and high) so it was very hot.  Another purpose of a sear is to brown the outside, so the meat looks nice and appealing. Once I seared it on all sides, I put it into a crock pot and  added about an inch of chicken broth.  You can use pork, beef, veggie stock-whatever you have.  Water and bouillion would work, diluted apple juice, whatever.   I put it in and set it for 8 hours, and went about my day. You know your Crockpot (and your daily schedule) better than I do, so if another length of time would work better for you, do it that way. 

When I got home, knowing there was about an hour before I was going to eat, I shredded the meat up with a fork, added a couple of cups of zukes and summer squash (I chopped and frozen them from the garden this summer), a can of diced tomatoes (I happened to accidentally buy the kind that were flavored with garlic and onions, and they worked really well in this recipe) and stirred.  I let it cook in the crock for about another hour (or until the veggies were done) and enjoyed!

(Oh- I apologize for the picture; I realize it’s a bit on the fuzzy side, but my camera is momentarily on the fritz, so it was taken with my Blackberry!)

Enjoy!  Awesome, supportive, and delicious.  Happy Cyber Monday!!!!!

Related posts:

1. Roasted Crockpot Cinnamon Pork
2. Eat pork, lose fat!!!
3. The 12 Days of Christmas- Christmas Eve Fish