Fall Recipe Round Up

Happy Monday, all!  Seeing as the cooler temps are here to stay and, dare I say it?  Snow is just around the corner, I thought I'd compile a few of my fall-ish recipes that I've made over the past few years.  Enjoy!!

 Vegetable Ragu 

-1 medium carrot, sliced
-1 garlic clove
-1/2 cup sliced zucchini
-1/4 cup onion
-a few mushrooms, sliced
-a small tomato, chopped
-1/3 cup of Hunt's fire roasted tomato's
-2 Tbsp chopped roasted red pepper strips
-1 Tbsp fresh basil/parsley
-S & P

Pour a quarter cup of water in the frying pan. Add carrot, garlic, zucchini, onion, mushrooms and tomato and S & P. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add fire roasted tomato, red pepper strips & herbs. Cook another 5 minutes. Serves 2.

Sweet Potato Barley Risotto

-1 tsp olive oil
-1 small onion, diced
-1 cup pearl barley
-3 cups broth or water
-1 sweet potato, cubed
-1 tsp each coriander & cumin
-1/2 tsp each chili powder & cinnamon
-salt & pepper to taste
-2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

*cube sweet potato and microwave in a bowl with a touch of water for 6ish minutes or until fork tender. Side aside
*heat oil in saucepan and cook onion about 5 minutes
*add barley and spices and cook 1 more minute
*Add broth/water, cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes or until thick, checking every so often that the liquid hasn't dried up. Add more fluid if needed.
*Once barley is cooked through, stir in sweet potato and cheese. Remove from heat and serve.

Smoked Turkey, Lentil & Kale Soup

·                     2 carrots, peeled and chopped

·                     1 onion, chopped

·                     3 ribs of celery, chopped

·                     2 crushed garlic cloves

·                     2 tbsp avocado oil

·                     4 cup stock

·                     2 cups water

·                     2 cup green lentils

·                     2 bay leaves

·                     1 smoked turkey leg

·                     1 packed cup of chopped kale

·                     salt & pepper to taste

1.             Heat oil in a large pot and add all chopped veggies.  Cook until soft 5-8 minutes

2.             Add garlic, bay leaves, salt & pepper.  Cook 1 minute more

3.             Add smoked turkey leg, stock and water.  Bring to a boil

4.             Add lentils, bring back to boil then turn temp down to a simmer

5.             Partially cover and let simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

6.             With approx 45 minutes of cooking time left add chopped kale

7.             Remove turkey leg and set aside too cool slightly.  Puree soup with an immersion blender.  **If you  like your soup a bit thinner, add water accordingly.  I added an extra 2 cups**

8.             Keep soup on low heat while you remove and chopped all the meat from the bone.  Add turkey back to the pot and cook just a few more minutes to heat

Lentil & Rice Pilaf Stuffed Peppers

-1 onion
-1/2 cup shredded carrots
-1 cup lentils
-3 + 1/2 cups water
-1 can fire roasted tomatoes with juice
-2 minced garlic cloves
-1 cup brown rice
-1/2 cup pepper pieces (I used the tops of the peppers to be stuffed) 
-1 Tbsp basil
-salt & pepper
-6 peppers, tops cut off and inside cleaned out
-grated asiago cheese

*Pre-heat oven to 350*

*saute onion & carrots for about 5 minutes. Add water and lentils. Bring to a boil & then turn down heat, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

*add can of tomatoes, garlic, rice, 1/2 cup water, pepper pieces, S & P and basil. Cover & cook for another 15 minutes. Check to make sure mixture doesn't dry out. Add more water if needed.

*Put peppers in a casserole dish trimming bottom as needed so they stand straight. Fill with about 1/2 a cup of lentil/rice mixture. Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp of grated asiago on top.

*Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Nut Muffins

·                     1 cup WW flour

·                     2.5 tsp baking powder

·                     1/2 tsp salt

·                     1/2 tsp baking soda

·                     3/4 cup oats

·                     1/4 cup agave

·                     1/4 cup Egg Beaters (or 1 egg)

·                     3 tbsp melted butter

·                     1/2 cup vanilla flavoured “milk” (I used USVAB)

·                     1 cup pure pumpkin puree

·                     1/4 cup chopped walnuts

·                     1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

1.             Heat oven to 400*

2.             Combine flour, baking powder and soda, salt

3.             Add oats

4.             Add remaining ingredients

5.             Stir to combine

6.             Fill greased muffin cups 1/2 way and bake for 20 minutes

You can check out all my recipes by clicking on the Recipe Tab at the top of the blog.  And don't forget to visit my Krista's Kravings Facebook page!!  I'd love to see some love over there, too.  :)

What is your favourite fall recipe??

Bye for now!!

Smoked Turkey, Lentil and Kale Soup

My sweetheart of a Mom brought me a smoked turkey leg the other day and I knew right away that I wanted to make split pea soup with it.  Only I didn’t have split peas, just loads of green lentils.  Never to let something so minor stop me, I forged ahead and was rewarded with a terrific pot of flavourful, thick, hearty soup!  Check it out!
Smoked Turkey, Lentil and Kale Soup

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 4 cup stock
• 2 cups water
• 2 cup green lentils
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 smoked turkey leg
• 1 packed cup of chopped kale
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large pot and add all chopped veggies.  Cook until soft 5-8 minutes
2. Add garlic, bay leaves, salt & pepper.  Cook 1 minute more
3. Add smoked turkey leg, stock and water.  Bring to a boil
4. Add lentils, bring back to boil then turn temp down to a simmer
5. Partially cover and let simmer for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
6. With approx 45 minutes of cooking time left add chopped kale
7. Remove turkey leg and set aside too cool slightly.  Puree soup with an immersion blender.  **If you  like your soup a bit thinner, add water accordingly.  I added an extra 2 cups**
8. Keep soup on low heat while you remove and chopped all the meat from the bone.  Add turkey back to the pot and cook just a few more minutes to heat
9. Serve and enjoy! I’ve been eating this all week like it’s my job.  And boy have I ever been loving this job!  Haha!  Surprisingly, DS also loved this soup.  I think it was the smoked turkey that really reigned in his taste buds. I went home for lunch on Tuesday and while there decided to throw some wild rice in the crock pot to see how it would cook versus the stove top.   I had approx 1.5 cups of rice to which I added 5 cups of water.  It cooked on low for 3.5-ish hours.  Here are the results: It turned out fabulous!  There was some water still at the bottom so I had to strain it, but the rice itself didn’t get mushy at all.  I now have four 1 cup servings hanging out in the freezer and have been eating the rest over the course of a few days.  YUM!  Do you like wild rice??
   So we’re a little more than halfway through November and I think it’s about high time I showed you what my hubby’s Movember stash is looking like! I think it’s coming along awesome!  DD absolutely HATES it.  She can’t wait until he shaves it off.  LOL  This is what he looked like on November 1:
   If you’ve been following along you’ll remember that he’s growing said stash to help raise money to fight prostate cancer.  You can click on the link ^above^ if you’d like to donate!
   FOOD! The above is wild rice, kale and dried cranberries.
   This was a great meal!  Buffalo chicken shake & bake, sautéed kale and wild rice.  
   Would it surprise you that I ate this bag in 5 days?  Probably not!  Hehe!
   Wanna see something cute?  Here are my niblets in their school photos from last year: And here they are in their photos from this year! Isn’t it amazing how much change can happen in a year?  I see it loud and clear in my daughter.  And yes, she is only 11.  DS is 8.  YIKES!
   Bye for now!!

Happy Saturday!

How’s everyone’s weekend going so far?  Mine’s been pretty good.  The weather’s turned around for now and the sunshine has been out in full force. 
I was a tad short on time yesterday morning so cereal came to the rescue in the form of  Kirkland cinnamon pecan and PC organic flakes:
I had my very last Luna bar before going to the gym.  **Sniff sniff** 
At least the last one was a good one!  I hammered out 3 miles on the treadmill at the gym at a speed of 4.2 mph and the incline set at 7.5.  I’m glad I did it, but it was a struggle to get there, I tell ya!  Friday workouts just seem tough, ya know?
I mentioned that I was short on time in the morning so lunch was a Smart Ones microwave meal.
I use to eat meals like this all the time but got out of the habit.  Although this was good, it made me feel really full.  More than I should have felt for the amount of food: Guess that what all the added salt and preservatives do to you, right?  I think I’ll be staying away from these from now on!
There was a meeting at work and at the end of the day they put all the leftover treats out for us to eat.  I chose a pecan tart (which wasn’t very tasty) and a chocolate chip cookie.
A little Friday treat is always in order.  Especially when there’s also coffee to dip said cookie in!
I kept dinner simple by trying a sweet potato topped with almond butter.  This was a first for me!
Yumalicious!  I’m glad I finally decided to climb out from under the rock I’ve been living beneath!  I also had a zucchini jam oat bar with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I spent the evening sprawled on the couch magazine reading.  T’was wonderful!  The perfect ending to the week.
DS had hockey practice this morning but I stayed back with DD to get the housework done.   My kitchen had been neglected for far too long and was treated to a deep clean today.  Counters, appliances, floors, the inside of the fridge…..all got a good scrub-a-dub-dub.   DD vacuumed for me which, although was not done perfectly, was hugely appreciated.  I owe that kid an allowance!  ;) 
Before all that took place I made myself some steel cut oats.  I really need to make a pot one night and portion it out for morning because I really do adore the texture.

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup steel cut oats
• cinnamon, vanilla extract, pinch of salt
• pumpkin butter, chopped almonds & coconut flakes

A bowl of fall!  I enjoyed this while blog reading.  Just before lunch DD and I had to go buy her hip hop shoes for dance on Monday and we stopped at Winner’s to get a gift cert for my sister’s b-day which is tomorrow.  I can never leave that place (similar to Marshall’s) without doing extra damage. 
Can’t wait to try out that maple agave!  And the gin gins are awesome.  I also bought these unique sounding chips:
DD and I tested them out and they’re decent enough.  More like a rice cracker consistency wise, but they had good flavour to them…
Lunch was a warm kale, tomato and maple tempeh bacon salad served in my spanking new purple leaf bowl, courtesy of Winner’s:
I snacked on a rice cake with Maranantha chocolate PB spread, but it escaped the photo shoot!   We had to hit the road by 5pm for an out of town hockey game.  Seeing as it was over the dinner hour and we knew we’d be home a little late, Subway ended up being our choice for dinner.  I rolled with a turkey and Swiss on WW with all the fixings:
The boys lost BUT played pretty great considering it’s their first game together as a team.  Besides, it was an exhibition game so didn’t count point wise.
 
We haven’t been home long, but long enough for me to brew a David’s Tea to sip on while blogging>
We have to be on the soccer field for 8am so it’ll be early to bed for all of us.  Then there’s another hockey practice at 12:30, then my sister’s b-day dinner.  I’m tired already.  :)
Bye for now!!

Weekend Shenanigan’s and Back To School

I’ve been feeling a little scattered today.  Not sure why because everything has gone pretty smoothly.  I guess it’s just getting back into the groove of things!  Did you all have a fabulous long weekend???  The weather here was pretty crappy but I’ll never complain about extra time off work.  Sunday I rendered myself to couch potato status leaving the house only to get the groceries done.  And only because I absolutely had to in order for the kids to have some food for lunches this week.  LOL  My eats were ho-hum, but compared to yesterday they were saintly!
Dark Chocolate Cherry Mocha oats…
A great big kale salad with tomato, roasted butternut squash and zucchini dressing with fig balsamic and nooch.
More than my fair share of kettle corn.  Loving this stuff…maybe a little too much!
This was a superb “BLT”….Tempeh bacon, yellow tomato (from the garden), cassata cheese, lettuce and mayo on Silver Hills bread.
Monday dawned gloomy yet again but the sun started to peek out and it warmed up some by 1-ish.   We had been invited to a pool party by one of the sets of parents on DS’s hockey team and decided it was nice enough to go.  The kids were thrilled because all morning we had been saying no way.  But back to breakfast and lunch first because my eats sorta went downhill after that!
-1 cup water
-1/2 cup Quaker oats
-cinnamon
-raisins
-Enjoy Life Foods mountain mambo mix
Lunch was the last little bit of my Fage mixed with zucchini jam and granola:
There was a crap load of food at the party; not much of it on the healthy side.  I (unknowingly, at the time) approached it like I was drinking on a weekend night (cuz I do so much of that…enter sarcasm).  The consumption went like this; 2 Timbits, slice of watermelon, a handful of chips, slice of watermelon, a chocolate chip cookie, slice of watermelon.  I had myself a good chuckle later in the evening when I realized I did this.  Food aside, the kids really did have a blast.  They went from pool:
To hot tub, to trampoline, to a hockey game:
Imagine that!  ;)
We were back home in front of the TV with no appetites whatsoever by 5pm.  We all just grabbed random food items for dinner as the evening progressed.  My hubby polished off the last 2 chicken drumsticks and beans from the night before, DD had some Nature’s Path PB granola, DS had a grilled cheese and I stuck with my “sweet” theme for the day by having a toasted Ezekiel muffin slathered with some Maranantha dark chocolate peanut spread:
Oh yeah, baby!!  I needed that like a hole in the head, but figured; “what the hell”!  I may or may not have topped that off with a handful or 2 of Boulder potato chips.  ;) 
I finally got to the point where I did not want another morsel to pass my lips and the only way to cure me was to get in the kitchen and start baking.  If I’m working with food I do not want to eat it.  Am I weird or what??  I went with a fool proof Mama Pea recipe that I’ve made before; Blackberry Oat Bars.  Last time I made these beauties I used apricot marmalade.  This time I rolled with my homemade zucchini jam because it really needs to get used up before it goes funky on me.  I made them late enough that they were too hot to handle before I hit the sack so no “taste testing” for “quality control” took place.  I did pack half up to spread the love at the office this morning.  Seeing as I work at a school board and today is the first day back for all the kids, I figured everyone could use a little something tasty.   
I cut the pieces smaller than the ones at home so the plate had 12 squares on it which all disappeared before the noon hour.  YES! 
I kept my eats MUCH cleaner today.  I started off with the last of my beloved Old Wessex:
-1/2 cup each coffee & water
-1/2 cup Old Wessex 5 grain cereal
-cinnamon
- chopped almonds
-yogurt chips (OK, maybe those aren’t the cleanest around!!)
I went into work late so I could take the kids to school.  Not that they care too much; they took off on me before I had a chance to get the keys out of the ignition!  It’s all good.  I really just wanted to find out who their teachers were gonna be for the year then I left.  They even grumbled about me taking first-day-of-school pics!  
Can ya tell??!!  Buggers!  I told them they’d appreciate my efforts one day.  I guess only time will tell on that one, eh??   I did get DD to take a picture of me in my newest top:
I found this at Le Chateau reduced from $69.95 to $19.99.  Score!  I also bought this cute bracelet for $3, regular $10…
Purple’s my favourite colour so there was NO way this was staying in the store at that steal!   I snacked on a Nature’s Path PB granola bar before heading off to torture Tuesday with Jillian:
It was just 2 of us shredding today.  One gal hurt her shoulder and 3 were off for the day.  It was still kick ass, though.  When we were done the DVD I hopped on the treadmill for 15 minutes to round my time to 45 minutes.  Seeing as that’s all the time I have I like to make the most of it, ya know?
Lunch was a beautiful kale salad, very similar to the one earlier in the post only this one had salmon on it:
I also packed some grapes and strawberries but only had time to pick the grapes out.  DS ate the berries for me.
I made a stir fry for dinner using this pouch of seasoning:
I used chicken breast, mushrooms and a red & yellow bell pepper.  We served it over brown rice for a quick, tasty meal. After dinner DD and I went to buy me some more Almond Breeze, try on a pair of jazz shoes that I found on Kijiji (they fit DD perfect and saved me $50.00!!) and then over to the Pilates studio to pay for my next session.  Once we home grabbed KC and took him for a walk with my parents.  I took my very last chocolate Bliss bar walking and shared it with Mom who loved it!
I’m off now to browse through the awesome looking Smart School Time recipe book that I downloaded today.  You can get one, too…and for FREE by going here OR here.  It looks like it’s going to have some amazing recipes written by many lovely bloggers!  Can’t wait to check it out!
Bye for now!!