Sunday Stuff

LookBack

Strangely enough, the holiday season means things are slowing down a little bit around here. Extra-curriculars are wrapping up, evening activities are winding down, and work is slowing up for the week. That means there was actually a fair amount of cooking going on around here. Well maybe not cooking…dinners prepared at home at least. Winking smile

For starters, this Pomegranate Pear Walnut Salad has been on rotation for more than a few meals this week, along side a surprisingly delicious pear & grilled red onion vegan grilled cheese sandwich.

pear walnut salad recipe

vegan grilled cheese

My favorite vegan lasagna {tofu & fake cheese free!} made it to the table this week a few times too. {What is it about Italian that makes it so.much.better after it’s been frozen and reheated?}

vegan lasagna recipe

Even though it’s not quite winter weather yet, I’m pretending it is and gearing up for the coming cold evenings with this hearty kale soup.

kale soup recipe

And I’d be lying if I said decadent desserts and drinks weren’t on my mind this holiday season.

cookie dough fudge and cocoa

Last but not least, I finally started decorating for Christmas. Hey, at least I was finished all my shopping early this year. Winking smile

Starred Photos

 

On tiny sneakers:

Only 7 weeks to go… yup, 33 weeks pregnant already.

I had an extra bonus this week when the husband had to feel my pregnancy pain for a few brief, joyous {for me} minutes.

husband sympathy belly pregnancy

 

Other people’s stuff:

Are you up to snuff on the do’s and don’ts of your taxes when it comes to your blog? If not, this is a must read: What do bloggers need to claim for taxes?

This is a truly fantastic health message. It really isn’t as hard as we make it out to be.

Hearty Winter Kale Soup

Recipe

This abnormally warm December weather is really killing my hot comfort foods rotation. I’m not complaining though. I’m just fine not scrounging around for matching gloves and hunting for socks so I can slip on some boots just to check the mail. I’ll just put on a t-shirt and eat my soul-warming foods while breaking a sweat.

kale soup

The best two winter-warming foods? Chili and soup. Or stew. Or stoup. I hate that word- stoup. Just let it be.

kale soup recipe

My favorite soup this season? This veggie-packed kale soup. Full of immune-boosting veggies to fight off the winter cold season. {Hey, the colds will still come eventually…}

vegetarian kale soup

You can change up the soup by what mix of vegetables you toss in, and how much you blend the soup. I like it thick like a puree with a couple chunks of veggies; the husband likes it best packed full of giant chunks, sans puree.

Feel free to up the protein content by tossing in some lentils or white beans. The first time I made this soup I attempted to use split peas…the smell wafting from the stove is what quickly taught the husband and I we hate split peas.

Print

Kale Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 onion roughly chopped
  • 1 cup mushrooms roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 can low sodium tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 pounds kale stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup cashews
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • Water as needed

Instructions

  1. Spread chopped veggies {except kale} on baking sheet. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until start to brown.
  2. Soak cashews in water while veggies are roasting; drain before using.
  3. Place half the veggies in a food processor with cashews and blend until smooth.
  4. Place remaining veggies and puree in pot with tomato sauce, vegetable broth, and kale.
  5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until kale is tender {about 15 minutes}.
  6. Add water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
  7. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast before serving. {Optional}.

What’s your favorite winter dish?

*Check out my guest post on Healthy Heddleston: Exercise in Pregnancy*

Sundried Tomato & Massaged Kale Chip Pasta

Recipe

When the husband and I first got married, we were living in a tiny one bedroom apartment and didn’t know anyone in town. I thought it was the absolute greatest thing that now I got to plan meals, grocery shop, and cook dinner every night. {I had no idea how old that’d get.}

I’d gotten a cookbook as a wedding gift and there was one recipe in particular I couldn’t wait to try out. It was some kind of pasta dish starring sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese. What’s not to love about that?

{Please do not ask why I like the sundried variety of the horrible fruit that is a tomato. It’s a purely inexplicable phenomenon.}

sundried tomatoes

So hear I am, newly married, thinking going to the grocery store and shopping for dinner ingredients is just the best thing ever. I pick up some pasta, a jar of sundried tomatoes, a log of goat cheese, garlic, wine, and a few other ingredients the recipe called for.

I came home all proud of myself and got to cooking. As I set two plates down on the coffee table in front of the couch {totally high class, I know}, I beamed with pride and picked up my fork in excitement.

It was the worst meal I’d ever created. Even the husband strayed from his lowest critique of “it’s not the best thing you’ve ever made” to a flat out agreement that it was indeed, gross.

To this day, I don’t know if it’s because I used cheap wine, the wrong kind of tomatoes or cheese, or if I was just a really bad recipe follower- I’ve never attempted to make it again.

Instead, when I want sundried tomatoes and pasta, I go simple. Super simple.

Sundried Tomato and Massaged Kale Chips over Angel Hair

Whole wheat angel hair pasta

Sundried tomatoes in oil

Kale

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Pepper

Fresh basil

So simple there’s no need for measurements- just use as much or as little as you like of any ingredient, and adjust to how many people you’re serving.

whole wheat angel hair pasta recipe

Cook pasta according to directions.

Rip kale into small pieces and drizzle with lemon juice. Massage kale leaves with your hands for a few minutes so they start to wilt. {I don’t know why massaged kale is a “thing” but it is…ask any foodie.}

massaged kale chips

If you like massaged kale, skip the next step. If you’re like me and don’t, bake the kale at 450 for 7-9 minutes until it just starts to crisp and brown, a little shy of how crispy you’d make regular kale chips.

Slice sundried tomatoes and basil into strips.

sundried tomatoes and basil

When pasta is done, drizzle with olive oil and some oil from sundried tomato jar. Stir in sundried tomatoes, kale, and basil. Season with black pepper.

pasta with sundried tomatoes, kale, basil

kale sundried tomato pasta recipe

Unlike my first attempt at sundried tomato pasta, this was a success. Two thumbs up on the husband scale.

recipe for angel hair with sun dried tomatoes and kale