Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

March is here! March is here! I really love this month. It's the beginning of spring, snow is melting, and St. Patrick's day is around the corner. So in light of this month's holiday, I'll be featuring a few green themed recipes. Today's post is a comfort food classic that is naturally gluten free. I really love finding or realizing a recipe is naturally gluten free and no extra effort is needed to "tweak it". This one is that type of a recipe. Plus, it's SO darned easy. It's one of those dump and go meals.

So here's how it goes. Layer the following ingredients in the order I have listed. Set the slow cooker to high, then cook for about 3-4 hours or 8 hours on low/medium.

1 pound dry split peas

2 smoked ham hocks, 1 meaty hambone, or 2 cups cubed ham

1/2 cup diced onion

2-3 minced garlic cloves minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup diced carrots

2 celery ribs diced

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup fresh parsley minced or 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Now mix together 1 1/2 quarts water, about 1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt of your choice (now each seasoned salt is different, so use your tastebuds to determine amount), and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well then pour over the contents of the slow cooker. Now....put that spoon away. Don't even THINK about stirring it up. What did I tell you about dump and walk away? Well...that's just it. Once you pour the water mix over everything, just set the temperature of your cooker then walk away. Really, that is all you need to do.

After your soup has cooked for a few hours, you can check it, stir it, debone the meat from the ham bones and check the consistency. Cook it longer if you like a more "soupyness" or serve it up a bit chunky. Totally up to you.

That's all there is to it!

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

1 (16 oz.) pkg. dried green split peas, rinsed

1 meaty hambone, 2 ham hocks, or 2 cups diced ham

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 ribs of celery plus leaves, chopped

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

1 ½ teaspoon seasoned salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp. fresh pepper

1 1/2 qts. hot water         

Layer ingredients in slow cooker in the order given; pour in water. Do not stir ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 to 5 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours until peas are very soft and ham falls off bone. Remove bones and bay leaf. Mash peas to thicken more, if desired.

Citrus and Mint Quinoa Salad

Yes, I know, this is ANOTHER quinoa recipe, but I am really enjoying this little grain...well technically seed. I was really craving fresh and zingy tastes the other day and I lucked out by grapefruits being on sale. So I figured I could incorporate the tastes of citrus and fresh spearimint in a fresh little quinoa salad.

So here be the recipe for y'all to try out. I hope you enjoy!

Citrus and Mint Quinoa Salad

½ cup rinsed quinoa

1 cup water

½ cup grapefruit juice

½ cup diced grapefruit pieces

¼ cup dried cranberries

1-2 fresh sprigs mint

Rinse quinoa. Add water, grapefruit juice, and rinsed quinoa to a rice cooker. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed completely. Allow to cool then stir in grapefruit pieces and cranberries. Top with fresh mint sprigs.

Chicken Pesto Rollups

You know, I've never been a pesto fan. It's not something that I think...Oooooh, some pesto pasta or pesto pizza would REALLY hit the spot. In fact, I think I have maybe ordered one dish including the green stuff in my life. Serious. Well, my dear sweet husband went grocery shopping for me the other day. Now, normally he is not allowed to do so as he will blow the monthly budget and almost double what I would normally spend. This outing was no different. He was really so sweet though. He took the time to really shop out products that I would have dismissed as having gluten or corn. I was surprised at all of the interesting things he came home with. One of which was a BIG jar of Pesto. I mean, this thing is GINORMOUS! Soooooo I am needing to be pretty creative on how to use it up before the expiration date.

So I came up with this little recipe. I am amazed at how easy it all was to throw together and how delicious the end result was. The hubby and I literally SCARFED them up.

I began with four 4oz frozen chicken tenderloins. I threw them in the microwave to do some defrosting. Then I put about 1/4 cup of pesto in a small bowl and set it aside.

Next, I grabbed two slices of dried tomatoes. Now, I know the majority of you will not have dried tomatoes. I happen to have some from my garden last year. I dehydrated the surplus of red vegetables and have been able to use them all winter long. Great thing, is you can just use some sundried maters you can buy at the store. You don't need a whole lot. Maybe 2 tablespoons. Dice them up into small pieces.

Now, you will want about 1/2 cup rice chex cereal crumbs. Now this is my munchkin's most favorite "helping" job. Crunching all that cereal in her little hands. Today....well she decided to POP the ziploc bag would be funner. Yes, this is the end result. Notice there is NO look of remorse on that little face....little stinker bum.

Ok, now get together a salt shaker, 4 toothpicks, about 1 ounce mozzarella cheese cut into four 1" pieces, 1 beaten egg, the cereal crumbs, tomatoes and pesto. Then lightly grease a small baking sheet.

Now, your chicken should be thawed, place them in a gallon size ziploc baggie and grab a mallet. Now....I don't have a kitchen mallet, so my hubby's orange one will have to do. Lightly pound the pieces flat.

Now take your flattened chicken pieces and lightly salt the outside. Next get 1 tablespoon pesto and spread on the inside of the chicken (meaning the inside of the chicken you will be rolling up? got it?), then spread some diced tomatoes along the center and place a piece of mozzarella on the end.

Now roll up your chicken and place a toothpick through the chicken and cheese to hold it together securely.

 Now dip or spoon the egg over the outside and roll the rollup (wow, that isn't redundant is it???) in the cereal crumbs. Place on the greased baking sheet and your SET!

Bake these little guys at 400 for about 20 minutes on the center rack to keep the cereal from burning. It's SO yum...even for that patsy green stuff lol!

Recipe:

4 4oz chicken tenderloins (thawed or fresh)
1/4 cup prepared pesto
2 tablespoons sundried tomatoes diced
1 ounce mozzarella cut into four 1" pieces
salt
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup rice chex cereal crumbs
4 toothpicks

Preheat oven to 400 and lightly grease a small baking pan then set aside. Place chicken in a gallon size ziploc bag and lightly pound them flat. Remove from the bag and lightly salt the outside of each piece of chicken then spread 1 tablespoon of pesto on the inside. Then place one piece of cheese on one end of the chicken and sprinkle some of the tomato pieces. Roll up the chicken and place a toothpick through the tip and through the cheese to hold it securely. Then either dip the chicken roll up or spoon some egg on the outside then roll it in the cereal crumbs covering the outside. Repeat process for all four pieces of chicken. Place on the greased baking pan and bake at 400 for 20 minutes on the center rack of your oven.

Spiced Quinoa Breakfast

Yes, another Quinoa recipe. Honestly though, I can't get enough of this stuff. It's healthy, it's nutty, it's so versatile. I also love how easy it is to prepare :) Just toss the ingredients into your little rice cooker then go about your morning tasks then 20 minutes later you have a delightful breakfast. 

Start out by rinsing 1/2 cup of golden quinoa. You know the drill with this stuff....rinse, rise, rinse ;) Then place 1/2 orange juice and 1 cup water in a saucepan or rice cooker. Bring to a boil the add the rinsed quinoa. Next, measure out and add to the pot 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, a dash or two of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon orange zest. Now comes the hard part....cover it then walk away. I know...tough stuff right?

20-30 minutes later your quinoa will now be nice and cooked and ready. Top with fresh strawberries and add milk, cream, almond milk, whatever tickles your tastebuds. Then drizzle a bit of honey on top and BAM. You have a spicy, tangy, nutrient infused breakfast :)

recipe:

1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash or two of nutmeg (or 1/8 teaspoonish)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange zest

milk, strawberries, and honey for garnishing

Rinse quinoa and set aside. Bring orange juice and water to a boil. Add quinoa then stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Cover, then reduce heat to a simmer then cook on medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until quinoa is cooked and there is no remaining liquid.

Home Brewed Green Chai Tea concentrate

Hey everybody! Who here loves Chai Tea??? I know I sure do. Who here HATES spending $4 for a cup of Chai??? I bet you couldn't guess....I do. Plus, there is so much gosh darned sugar in a cup of chai that you would get at a local coffee shop.

I recently found a recipe for brewing your own chai tea concentrate at home. Then YOU can control how sweet it is and you can make it for a fraction of what you would pay to buy just one cup of tea. Plus, it will make your house smell amazing! In fact, I made a batch yesterday and I can still smell the spicy goodness this morning :)

Ok, start out by putting 4 1/2 cups water in a saucepan with 10 tea bags. I love my green tea, so that is what I used. You can also use black tea for this recipe as well.

Now add 2 cinnamon sticks broken in half.

Next assemble your herbs. You will want 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root or 3 thin slices. Then 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 7 cardamon pods (now if you are like me in UT and couldn't FIND cardamon pods, there are roughly 12 seeds in a pod so you can do the math and add the seeds or add 1 teaspoon ground cardamon), 2 whole star anise (I did not have the whole star anise so I used 1 teaspoon anise seeds as one star anise equals 1/2 teaspoon seeds), and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.

Next add 10 whole cloves.

Now grate up 1 teaspoon orange zest.

Place all the ingredients in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and allow to steep for 15-20 minutes. Pour into a cheesecloth to strain out liquid

Now you can add sweetener now or later. I prefer to sweeten mine by the cup. If you would like the concentrate sweetened, stir in 2/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon honey.

That's all there is too it. You can keep this in the refrigerator and make yourself some delish chai tea at home by pouring equal amounts of concentrate to milk or almond milk.

.

I think I will go warm me up a cup now hehehehe ;)

Here is the printable recipe:

Spiced Chai Tea

4 1/4 cups water

10 tea bags of your choice (green or black)

2 sticks cinnamon broken in half

3 sliced medallions ginger root or 1 teaspoon grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

7 cardamon pods (or roughly 80 seeds or 1 teaspoon)

2 whole star anise (or 1 teaspoon anise seeds)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

Add all ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a boil then set aside to steep 15-20 minutes. Strain liquid in a cheesecloth.

To serve, add 1 part chai concentrate to 1 part milk of your choice.

I will leave you with a picture of the remnants of the tea bags. Couldn't think of any other witty way to include the picture lol!

Gluten Free Creamed Asparagus Soup

Ok....I give in. Mother Nature is throwing storms, rain, cold, and snow at me despite my insistent rebelling. After my husband got muddy, wet, and cold on a dirt bike riding trip...and I got dirty, wet, and cold cleaning out the horse barn today we both are in need of some nice hot fiber and nutrient dense soup. Oh and did I mention how low calorie and healthy this stuff is?  Well...consider it mentioned. So while doning my warm fuzzy pink socks I am whipping up some surprisingly tasty green vegetable soup.

So how do we turn this:

Into this?

Read on my friends and you will see :)

Take one of these and dice up 1/2 cups worth.

Now take 1 pound asparagus, chop off the bottoms and throw away, then cut into 2" pieces. Keep the tops and set aside.

Now throw the 1/2 cup diced onion, asparagus pieces, and 2 cups chicken (or vegetable broth if you want this dish vegan). Heat on high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to moderate high, cover, and simmer for 15-20  minutes until onion and asparagus are tender.

Now, set aside and allow to cool for a bit. Place in a blender and puree well. Meanwhile, pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pot. I just used the same pot I boiled the veggies in, I just rinsed it out. Then add 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, and 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour.

Now take a cup of this (milk if you couldn't tell ;)

  whisk it in on medium heat. Keep stirring continuously until white sauce is nice, thick, and creamy. Then pour in your pureed vegetable base and mix well. Now you can use the tops of the asparagus for garnishing, or placed them in the soup and simmer for 5-10 minutes until they become tender to give the soup a bit of texture. Salt to taste and garnish with sour cream, greek or goat yogurt.

You will have to take my word....it may be green,  but is is most definitely delish.

Creamed Asparagus Soup

1 pound asparagus

1/2 cup onion diced

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sweet rice flour

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup milk or almond milk

salt to taste

sour cream, greek or goat yogurt for garnishing

Dice asparagus into 2 inch pieces. Set tops of asparagus aside. Place broth, asparagus, and onion into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium high, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until onions and asparagus are tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour vegetable and broth into a blender and puree well. Meanwhile, pour olive oil, sweet rice flour, and pepper in a saucepan whisking well to incorporate ingredients on medium heat. Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk and continue whisking until white sauce is creamy and thick. Pour in pureed vegetable base blending well. Place the tops of the asparagus in the soup and simmer for 5 or so minutes until they become tender.

Geneva's Creamy Cucumbers

Maybe it's my extreme suffering of cabin and spring fever. Maybe it's because the fresh crisp bite of a cucumber makes my mouth water, or maybe it's because there was a killer sale on cucumbers that spurred me to make this recipe. I just HAD to make my husband's grandma Geneva's Creamy Cucumber Salad. I'll be honest, I was very leery of trying this salad newlywed and eating dinner at her house...creamy cucumber salad? I was not too sure about that...Well, as to my surprise, this is quite the tasty concoction. I have found most anything out of that amazing woman's kitchen divinely crave worthy.

Now as the temperature drops and the storm blows in I am DEFIANTLY making a fresh springy salad. In your face Mother Nature.

All rebelling aside, the recipe is relatively simple.

Blend together the following sauce ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup evaporated canned milk

1/4 vinegar (apple cider or white)

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 drops Tobasco sauce. (now this amount will not make it spicy, just add a hint of tastefulness)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

(now if you do not have garlic or onion salt, just use garlic powder and onion powder, then add additional salt to taste)

Blend well then set aside.

Next, peel and thinly slice to about 1/8th of an inch thick 5 medium sized cucumbers. Place in a large bowl then pour sauce over cukes and stir well. Let this sit for at least an hour or more.

*disclaimer* The sauce WILL become very runny as cucumbers will weep water. This is fine. Serve this salad using a slotted spoon.

That is all there is to it :) I hope you are brave to make and try this for yourself.