RECIPE: Turkey Vegetable Soup

Tired of looking for recipes of casseroles for leftover turkey? I'm not sure what Turkey Tetrazzini is, but it sounds like it's loaded with carbs. 

After Zumba today I stopped by a local grocery store and picked up a few things to throw into a pot and call soup. I wasn't sure what I wanted, so I bought a few things I knew would be safe … Cabbage, Yellow squash, and spinach. s luck would have it, what I made was quite good and worthy of blogging.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups Trader Joe's Turkey Broth (or equivalent)

3 cups cooked and chopped leftover turkey

2 cups chopped cabbage (I used one small head, minus the core)

2 cups fresh baby spinach

2 yellow squash, sliced

1 teaspoon garlic, chopped

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 sprig each of fresh rosemary, sage and thyme

1/4 cup Trader Joe's quick cook barley (optional)

5 - 6 croutons

A few sprinkles of fresh parmesan

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour broth into a soup pot and bring to a boil, adding cut cabbage, squash and turkey as they are ready. Cover.

2. Add fresh herbs, salt and garlic … Stir. 

3. Reduce heat and simmer soup for an hour. 

4. Add spinach, then the quick cook barley, if you choose to add it. 

5. Simmer for 20 more minutes.

6. Place soup into bowls, add a few crunchy croutons, then lightly sprinkle parmesan on top. 

Serve and enjoy!

RECIPE: Ultimate Green Smoothie

Ultimate. Green. Smoothie. Three powerful words make up an equally powerful nutritious drink! The ingredients are simple. The process is simple. The results are AMAZING!! Granted, this drink won't win any awards for it's beauty, but it tastes FAR better than it looks AND it's very healthy!!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla Coconut Milk
1/2 cup vanilla Greek Yogurt (I prefer ZOI)
1 ripe Banana
2 small Carrots (cleaned and cut into chunks)
1/2 cup frozen Blueberries
3 - 4 cups organic Spinach
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spices
1 teaspoon grated unsweetened Coconut
8 Ice Cubes

DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

 Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Green Soup

I saw a recipe for green soup that looked very healthy and easy, but there were several vegetables we don't care for in the list of ingredients, so I decided to improvise. I'm glad I did because this soup IS easy, healthy and VERY tasty!
GREEN SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 large bunches of Broccoli
1 large bunch of Asparagus
6 cups Spinach
6 cups organic Chicken Broth (I substituted Wildtree Chicken Bouillon Soup Base and water)
Sea Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash and chop vegetables.

2. Put olive oil in a large deep soup pot, turning heat to medium-high.
3. Put asparagus in the pot and allow the pieces to soften. Watch and stir often, as you don't want the asparagus to brown.

4. Add broccoli pieces all at one time. Allow them to soften - about 2 - 4 minutes. 

5. Add 2 cups of organic Chicken Broth and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add remaining chicken broth and cook another 5 minutes.
7. Add all the spinach and cook an additional 3 - 5 minutes.

8. Turn flame/heat off and add sea salt and pepper to taste. 

9. Transfer the soup into a blender (2 cups at a time) and puree soup. Pour pureed soup into a large pot and continue until all the soup has been pureed.
10. Taste. Season, as needed. Other seasonings may be added, but it's recommended to add any extra seasoning per bowl rather than seasoning the entire batch.
Serve and enjoy!

The photo below has been added since the original post. I just wanted to show the soup with our dinner the following evening. Left over Vegetable Breakfast Casserole, a baked acorn squash and a steamed artichoke. Yes, we're definitely eating our veggies! (Dessert was blueberry sorbet!)

**This soup freezes well and can be doubled. Be sure to cool completely before storing it in containers.

RECIPE: Veggie and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

I bought a LOT of spinach at the market the other day. Some much that I was worried it would go bad before we could eat it all, so I started looking for new ways to prepare it. I already had mozzarella cheese for the zucchini dish last night, so I wanted to incorporate the remained into the dish. I found a recipe for spinach mozzarella egg bake on Kalyn's Kitchen, so I decided to see what else I had in the fridge that needed to be used. With my modifications, here's what I came up with ...
VEGGIE & CHEESE BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
6 packed cups of organic baby Spinach
1 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
4 ounces Mushrooms - chopped
1/4 of a sweet onion - chopped
Sea Salt
Pepper
Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute
8 Eggs

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 X 13 casserole dish with olive oil.
2. Heat a large skillet, lightly coat with olive oil, and add all spinach at once. Stir spinach often until it's all wilted. Spread evenly in casserole dish.

3. Add a little more olive oil to your skillet and sauté the mushrooms and onions. Stir them often. You dont want them to brown - just soften.

 4. Layer the vegetables on top of the spinach, then cover with grated mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle with seasonings.

5. Beat eggs, salt, and pepper well, then pour evenly over the vegetables and cheese. 

6. Using a fork or spoon, blend ingredients lightly to insure even distribution.
7. Bake for 35 minutes. The mixture will be completely set and starting to brown. Remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

8. Cut. Plate. Serve. Enjoy!

(I served this with my  Crunchy Chewy Fruit and Nut Bars , fresh strawberries, and a Carrot Spice Smoothie!)

RECIPE: Roasted Chicken Vegetable Soup

I absolutely LOVE the Roasted Chicken and Barley soup I posted while back, but I wanted to adapt that recipe to something totally grain-free. I had several varieties of squash, so I altered the recipe a bit. Here's what I came up with ... a healthy, nutritious, Paleo/Primal soup!
ROASTED CHICKEN VEGETABLE SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
½ cup white Onion – fine dice

1 stalk Celery – thinly sliced
1 large Garlic clove – minced (I used Wildtree Garlic Galore)

6 ounces white Mushrooms – chopped
1 medium roasted Chicken – meat shredded
2 Bay Leaves

1 Zucchini - cut in half, then sliced

1 Yellow Squash - cut in half, then sliced

2 - 3 cups organic Spinach
1 14 ½ ounce can chopped Tomatoes
6 cups of organic Chicken Broth (I used Wildtree Chicken bouillon soup base and water)

Sea Salt

Fresh ground Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin by preheating soup pot on medium heat for 1 minute.

2. Add olive oil and sauté the onions and celery for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not brown.

3. Add garlic, mushrooms and bay leaves and continue sautéing for additional 3 minutes.

4. Add 1 cup broth, zucchini and yellow squash. Stir and bring to a boil.

5. Add tomatoes and the rest of the broth. Stir and bring to a boil.
6. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and partially cover with lid.

7. Cook for 15 minutes.

 8. Add shredded chicken and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.

9. Add spinach and simmer for 3 - 5 minutes.

10. Taste and season.

There's even some left for another meal or three!

RECIPE: Banana Blueberry Spinach Smoothie

Y'all are going to think we consume nothing but smoothies! Not so - I assure you! I'm not going to post any more for a few days ... Smoothies - Not recipes! I'm planning on doing some real cooking ... Just you wait! (However, this is one of my most favorite smoothies!!!)
BANANA BLUEBERRY SPINACH SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 Banana
1/2 cup frozen Blueberries
2 cups fresh organic Spinach

DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a blender. 

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour. Enjoy!