Sunday Supper Roast

Since getting pregnant with, and having, baby #3, we've eaten out so much more than ever.  I know it's partly due to those crazy pregnancy hormones affecting my taste buds and also partly due to the lack of energy.  If you've had a baby, you know what I'm talking about!  Well, upon review of not only my waistline but also our financial goals, I decided that one of my New Year's resolutions goals is to eat out only once per week...if that.  So, I'm working on finding some great FAST, go-to menus that my family loves.  

This is one of those recipes because: 

  1. Both kids and adults gobble it up.  

  2. It's fast to prep and throw together. 

  3. It can cook all day in my slow cooker while I'm at work so I can come home to a delicious smelling house and a meal ready to go! 

Not only does the slow cooker make the meat fall-apart delicious, but the combination of the onion soup, garlic and seasonings creates such a beautiful symphony of flavors in your mouth!  The potatoes and carrots are perfectly tender and the gravy so easy to make, although it is delicious without it, too!

{sunday supper roast}

1 (2.2 oz.) box beefy onion soup (2 env.)
1 (3 1/2 lb.) beef rump roast
2 lb. small red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
5 large carrots, chunky sliced (about 1 1/2" sections)
4 celery ribs, chunky sliced (about 1 1/2" sections)
8 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp. garlic pepper
2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans beef broth, separated
1/4 cup flour
 
Roll the meat in both packages of onion soup. Set aside. In a 5-6 quart crock-pot, place half each of the potatoes, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with half each of the garlic pepper and thyme.  Tuck the bay leaf into the veggies.  Pour all but 1/2 cup of broth over veggies.  Add the roast and scrape any dry soup mix left on top.  Cover with the remaining veggies and seasonings.  Cover and cook on LOW for 9 to 10 hours.  Remove meat and veggies and keep warm.  Pour the juices from the pot into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Whisk together the saved 1/2 cup broth and the flour.  Pour slowly into boiling juices.  Stir until gravy is thickened, about 3 minutes.  Pour over meat and vegetables and serve.

Easy Thai Chicken Curry

Okay, so remember that post I had back a few months ago all about canned coconut milk vs. powdered coconut milk?  Well, I figured it out.  And am so incredibly happy I did.  I can now eat one of my favorite meals without feeling like I'm eating fire.  Sadly, I've discovered that coconut milk powder, though fantastically shelf-stable for food storage, is NOT universal.  It's good for use in baking, but not with cooking.  Especially when you are using a hot/spicy ingredient like curry paste.  I swear, the powder only made the bite of the heat that much worse.  No lie!  So, with that said, if you're going to make this most incredible Thai flavored recipe full of coconut flavor, bamboo shoots, carrots, bell peppers, curry and chicken, you're definitely going to want to use CANNED coconut milk.  Learn from my mistakes. You'll be happy you did!  Oh...and you're going to LOVE it that you can have this amazing restaurant caliber Thai meal at home for a fraction of the price, too!

Photo courtesy of Pimp My Dinner

{easy thai chicken curry}

   from pimpmydinner.blogspot.com

4 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, diagonally sliced (to look pretty)
2 bell peppers, julienne sliced
1-8 oz. can sliced bamboo shoots
1-4 oz. can thai curry paste (green or panang) - I use MAESRI brand
2-14 oz. cans coconut milk
basil

Cook chicken in a large pan with olive oil. Add onions, carrots and bell peppers. Let cook for a couple of minutes. Add bamboo shoots. Add curry paste and stir to coat all ingredients. Add coconut milk and basil and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until carrots are soft.

Serve over rice.

Sloppy Janes

If you've been following me for any length of time, you've probably already seen this recipe, but it's so good and uses so much ZUCCHINI that I just have to remind you of all it's wholesome delicious goodness!

This recipe has very little meat (you could even go all vegetarian and do NO meat).  It consists of grated carrots, grated zucchini, diced onion and seasonings.  I've even put some of my wheat berries in substitute of hamburger and it still tastes fantastic!  This is also a recipe that I can eyeball measurements on and it still turns out excellent! I LOVE recipes that are forgiving like that!

It is also VERY freezer friendly so when I make it I cook up a HUGE batch and put family serving sizes into quart zip top freezer bags and it's ready for a rainy day.  The zucchini, carrots and onion freeze well, on their own, so if you prefer, you could freeze the bags of pre-grated and diced veggies so all you had to do would be to dump the frozen veggies into the pan add the seasonings and sauces and voila!  A FAST, EASY, DELICIOUS dinner in minutes!!!

{sloppy janes recipe}

Garden Vegetable Soup

This is one of my all-time favorite soups.  Not because it's delicious, because it totally IS, but because it's all vegetables!  I can snack on this soup and feel completely guilt-free while filling my tummy!  I {HEART} it!  For those of you that are Weight Watchers groupies, this soup will definitely look familiar.  Though, I've switched up the ingredients a bit and added my own personal flair, I think you'll like it even better than the original.  I know I do!

I mean, really, doesn't that soup scream DELICIOUS!!!!????

All my measurements are a ballpark of what I use.  Usually I just eyeball it and use the whole item, i.e. whole onion, whole zucchini, whole cabbage, etc.  I don't like leaving 1/2 of anything in my fridge to spoil that much faster.  No matter how you cook this soup, it's going to taste fantastic!!!  Just remember to use as many low-sodium and salt-free canned foods as possible!  You really don't need all that added sodium!

{garden vegetable soup}
Modified from Weight Watchers

1 1/2 c. sliced carrot
1 c. diced onion
4-5garlic cloves, minced
5 c. low-sodium broth (my favorite in this one is beef, but if you must you can also use chicken or vegetable)
6 c. (or one whole head) diced green cabbage (I {HEART} Cabbage so the more the merrier)
1 14oz. can salt-free green beans
2 14oz. cans salt-free diced tomatoes, WITH juice
2 Tbsp. salt-free Tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. salt-free Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 c. diced zucchini
2 tsp. Olive Oil
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, if desired

Coat an extra large dutch oven with olive oil (of course you can use cooking spray, too but the olive oil lends such a delicious flavor and is good for you), heat.  Saute the carrot, onion, and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 min.

Add broth, cabbage, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and salt; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, covered, about 15 min or until beans are tender.  Stir in the zucchini and heat for 3-4 min.  Serve HOT. (with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.)

Serves 12.

Coming Next:

Sloppy Janes

Carrot Cake with Fresh Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

So, I still can't get the newer photo uploader to work. I finally figured out how to switch to the old uploader...so we can have pictures to look at BUT they're just not as big or as good. Sorry.

This is a recipe I've made twice now, and comes from one of my favorite baking books. If you haven't tried any of Melissa Murphy's recipes, you HAVE TO! They're all incredible!!! Every single time I've made this cake it's a HUGE hit! The carrot cake is very basic and EXTREMELY easy to whip together. Neither time, did I make it in layers like the directions say, but no matter. It still tastes incredible! The cream cheese frosting is just your basic cream cheese frosting, but with the orange zest kick, it takes it up about a dozen notches. I have the hardest time allowing the cake to have all the frosting and not just sitting there eating it all alone. It's THAT good! So, if you need a cake to WOW your guests, definitely make this one. It's a definite crowd pleaser!!!!!
{carrot cake with fresh orange cream cheese frosting}
from the Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy
For the cake:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tb. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
4 large Eggs
3/4 c. oil (I subbed equal parts of greek yogurt this last time and liked the moisture even better)
2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. carrots, grated medium fine
3/4 c. walnut pieces, coarsely chopped (I used pecans, but whatever)

For the Frosting:
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Before you start:
Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8x2-in round cake pans (or one 9x13). Line with 8-in round parchment paper.

To make the cake:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder.

2. In the bowl of and electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the eggs at high speed until light and frothy, about 1 min. Decrease the speed to medium and add the oil, sugar, and salt and mix until just combined. Decrease the speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

3. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the carrots and walnuts.

4. Pour batter evenly between prepared pans. Spin the pans to level the batter. Bake for 45 min (same as in a 9x13) or until a wooden skewer inserted into the enter comes out clean. Remove to a rack to cool for 20 min before turning the layers out onto the rack. Cool completely before filling or frosting.

Frosting:
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, sugar and zest. Start on low speed and then increase to medium-high speed and beat until smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 min. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

2. Add the butter and mix on medium speed until just fluffy and smooth, about 45 seconds more. Add the vanilla and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat.