Mushroom Barley Soup

Don't let the picture fool you. It might not look totally amazing, but it is! Even my sister-in-law who is t on the fence about mushrooms loved it! If you really hate them, this soup might not be your thing, but if you are at all okay with them, then give it a try. I don't think you will be disappointed!

Mushroom Barley Soup

adapted from Forks Over Knives Cookbook

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

2 medium carrots, diced

4 celery stalks, diced

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced

2 Tsp. thyme

1 1/2 tsp. rosemary

5 cups Vegetable stock

3 cups cooked barley *

salt and pepper to taste

Place the onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms in a large pot and saute. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary and cook for another minute. Add the vegetable stock and cooked barley. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

*I cooked the barley in with the vegetables after I sauteed everything. I just added about 4-5 cups water along with 2 cups barley and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes. Either way will work!

Enjoy!!!

Curried Zucchini Soup

This is one of my very favorite soups! It is so warming and delicious, but it is light enough that you can eat to your hearts content without feeling guilty about it. :) Even better, it is really simple and quick to put together! 

Curried Zucchini Soup

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Onion

2 Garlic Cloves

5 Medium Zucchini

5 Cups Chicken Stock

2 Tsp. Curry Powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, add olive oil, chopped onion and minced garlic and cook until onion is tender. Cut all the zucchini in half lengthwise, then roughly chop them. Add zucchini to the pot and cover in chicken stock. Cook until zucchini is tender. Add curry powder and salt and pepper. Blend all the ingredients together. An immersion blender is easiest, but a regular blender will work, it will just take more time because you will have to work in batches. 

Serve with your favorite bread or crackers. Enjoy!!

Whole Wheat Bread

I am back! After a way-too-long hiatus, it is time for me to start adding a few recipes! However, they might be a little different than they were before. My family has been trying to eat a more whole-foods diet with lots of grains, fruits, veggies and beans. We still eat hamburgers and pizza and yummy treats, but we are trying to cut back.  So there will be a mix of both on here!

I made this whole wheat bread today, and it was the best one I have ever made! I have tried a few different recipes, but they always end up really crumbly, or they don't have very good flavors. This was perfect and I am so excited about it! 

Whole Wheat Bread

(adapted from wholewheatbreadrecipe.blogspot.com)

Ingredients:

                                                      1/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)

1/4 cup honey

1 cup warm water (between 110 and 120 degrees F)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast 

3 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

Directions:

In your mixer, combine the milk, honey, water, salt, oil and yeast. Mix to combine. Gradually add flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Once all the ingredients are combined, mix for 6-8 minutes or until the dough is very smooth. 

Place a small amount of oil in a large bowl, and put dough in bowl and flip to cover the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise until it is doubled in size. (About an hour or more if the room is cooler.)

Once the dough has doubled in size, grease a loaf pan and shape the dough to fit the pan. Cover and let rise until the dough has risen above the pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake the bread in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes. 

Enjoy!!