Mushroom and Barley Soup

For Christmas I got a great new cookbook for my crockpot -- in fact, it has three cookbooks in one! This recipe comes from the soups and stews part of the cookbook.



This recipe has simple ingredients and pretty good flavor. Plus, it's loaded with yummy good-for-you veggies!



Mushroom and Barley Soup - Adapted from the Crockpot Cookbook

6 C chicken broth
16 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped (or 2 T minced flakes)
2 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 C barley*
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper



Combine all ingredients in the crockpot and stir. Then, cover, and cook on low for 4-6 hours.



*I would add the barley about 2 hours before serving (if it's quick cook), otherwise it will be too overdone.



We used the leftovers (with a little corn starch as a thickener) over a pork roast... yum-o. Highly recommended.

Linked to:

• Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Gluten-Free Banana Bread

About 2 years ago, my MIL was diagnosed with celiac. This means she can't have any wheat (or barley), and dairy. While she'd been dairy-free for years, going wheat free has been an adventure. One recipe she shared with me while visiting for Christmas was for this gluten-free banana bread.

Doesn't it look wonderful?!
My MIL makes this bread often, and enjoys it for breakfast.



Gluten Free Banana Bread - From my MIL

2 C gluten-free flour mix*
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/8 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter (try replacing 1/4 with apple sauce)
1 C sugar (you can use brown sugar and reduce to 3/4 C)
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas; peeled and mashed

*My MIL buys GF flour in bulk --



So this is what we used in the banana bread.

First, combine the flour, soda, salt and xanthan gum in a large bowl. Mix well.



Meanwhile, using a mixer, cream together butter (or margarine/shortening in my MIL's case) and sugar.



Add eggs, one at a time.

While the egg/sugar mixture mixes... mash up the bananas.



Add the bananas to the sugar blend.



Then, mix in the GF flour blend.



Pour batter into one greased 9x5 bread pan, or into 2 smaller loaf pans.



Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.



This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Someone thought these were good.

I left the room for 2 minutes... and when I came back 3 gingerbread men were missing from the cooling rack. Hmmmm. I think we'll be making these again.

They are soft, yet have crunchy edges, and are only made with 3 T butter! Thus, they are fairly healthy for you too.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies - Adapted from Taste of Home

3 T butter, softened
3 T applesauce
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C molasses
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 C white wheat flour
1 1/2 C wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves

Cream together butter, applesauce and sugar.

Then, add egg, vanilla, and molasses.

While the mixture is creaming, mix together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until the dough balls up.

Then, place dough into the bowl you used to mix the dry ingredients, cover and keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Then roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into 1/4 inch thickness, and cut out gingerbread (and other shapes) using cookie cutters.

Bake cookies at 350 for 7-10 minutes, until the edges are firm.

Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Make sure you make an equal amount of gingerbread men and women... no gender discrimination here.

Nope, not us. There is no way there would be TWO piles of gingerbread men and 4 gingerbread women.

That's what happens when you give your hubby a cookie cutter....

This post is linked to:
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Save Room for Dessert
Ingredient Spotlight

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup

A few weeks back, we bought a 10 lb bag of potatoes. It takes 2 people a LONG time to eat 10 pounds of potatoes.

We tried a new soup to use up some of the potatoes, and it was delicious and easy. It reminded me of broccoli cheese soup, but it was super creamy because of the potatoes, not because of lots of extra cream. It's a healthier version of broccoli cheddar soup :)



Cheesy Broccoli and Potato Soup - SnoWhite

5 C diced potatoes
water to cover the potatoes
~12 oz. chopped broccoli (we used frozen)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 C milk
1 C extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Place the diced potatoes in a large stockpot, sprinkle with salt and cover with water. Boil for about 30 minutes, covered. Stir occasionally, especially as the potatoes get softer.



When the potatoes are tender, mash a few times with a potato masher. Then, add in the frozen broccoli. Allow the broccoli and potatoes to continue cooking for another 5ish minutes.

Add the milk, and heat until the mixture simmers. Mash the soup a few more times with the potato masher, if desired.

Then, remove from the heat. Stir in the pepper and the cheese and allow the hot soup to melt the cheese slowly.



Serve warm with a yummy crusty bread.



This post is linked to:

• Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
  

Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna

This was a fantastic lasagna!  Garlic (lots of it), and butternut squash were in the original recipe, and I added in spinach to compliment the flavors and add some color (not to mention some good-for-you by products).  Our guests said they enjoyed it more than "regular" lasagna. I think the combination of flavors makes this roasted butternut squash lasagna one for the family recipe book.

Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna - Given to me by my friend, Bird, & adapted from AllRecipes

1 1/2 lb. butternut squash
1 T olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt

1 T butter
2 T minced garlic
2 T flour (I used white whole wheat)
2 C milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 C whipping cream
1 pkg. frozen spinach
4-6 lasagna noodles
2/3 C Parmesan cheese

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast at 450 for about 45 minutes, until soft when pricked with a fork. 

Allow the squash to cool for about 20 minutes, and then scoop out the squash into a large bowl. I had about 3 loosely packed cups of squash.

Smash the squash well, so the large pieces are eliminated.

Heat butter in a skillet, cook and stir in garlic until softened and the garlic smells great!

Add in flour (again, I used white whole wheat), and then continue cooking for about 3 minutes.

Add in the milk -- whisk until smooth. I added the milk little bits at a time, and stirred until smooth.

Bring to a simmer, and cook until the mixture thickens -- about 10 minutes.  Stir in the squash (this would be great with leftover squash too!) and season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Grease a 3-quart baking dish (or, double the recipe and make a 9x13 baking dish).  And, preheat the oven to 375.

Beat the whipping cream until foamy and add in a little salt until peaks form. Then, set aside.

Pour 1/2 C of the butternut squash sauce into the baking dish and place lasagna noodles over the top in a single layer. 

Spread half of the sauce over the noodles, half of the spinach, and sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan cheese.

Place another layer of noodles on top, the remaining sauce, the remaining spinach, and one third of the Parmesan cheese.  Place the final layer of noodles over the top.

Pour the whipped cream over the top of the lasagna.  Make sure all those noodles are covered. 

Then, sprinkle with the remaining third of the Parmesan cheese.     

Cover with foil (I just used the cover to my casserole dish), and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Then, remove the foil and bake until the top is bubbly and brown, about 10 more minutes.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy paired with a yummy garlic bread!

It was so tasty, despite the strange aspect of pouring whipping cream over the top! Hope you enjoy it.

This post is linked to:
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Grocery Cart Challenge
Ingredient Spotlight
URS