Brittany's PantryDairy-Free Veggie Chowder
Brittany wrote this on 17 January 2016
almond milk, bacon, carrots, cauliflower, chicken broth, gluten-free, milk, onions
When I think of chowder, I think of heavy, milk and cream laden soups that are nearly as thick as a stew. And, I must admit, that is what I find appealing about them. If you are eating them whilst wistfully gazing out at the sea, then they are even more appealing.
I have been to Seattle several times and each time I try to eat something different. On one such visit, I had some of the local clam chowder. It was solely for the purpose of eating the local fare in an amazing location. Of course, if you have ever had really good clam chowder in the Pacific Northwest, you know that the salt in the air, the sounds of sea birds, and the spray of the water against the hull of a ferry boat all contribute to the flavor. It is the experience of it as much as the food. Like eating a beignet while walking the streets of the French Quarter in New Orleans or gazing up at the Sears (Willis) Tower in Chicago while digging into a hot dog loaded with chopped tomatoes, onions, celery seed, and a pickle spear. The flavor and the memory are one and the same.
Well, this is not that kind of chowder.
I know! I know! You want a recipe for the heavy, milk and cream laden soup. But that isn’t what is happening today. Nope. Today is the ‘lets make a thick and creamy healthy chowder’ day. Don’t worry. You will thank me latter when you feel great and look fit.
The whole she-bang is simple. Bacon + veggies + broth = wonderful goodness. Its a culinary formula for success.
Sometimes, it is the spectacular flavor that pulls you in and that is the deal with this soup. It may look rather plain and nondescript, but it is a classic example of how a few simple ingredients can make something spectacular. In this case, I wanted all of the goodness of a vegetable chowder but due to the dietary limitations of a house guest, it also had to be dairy free. As it turns out, that isn’t really a problem with chowder. No, it may not be traditional but for me, it hits enough of the major characteristics to qualify. So chowder it is.
Dairy-Free (Gluten-Free) Veggie Chowder
Recipe adapted from here.
6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large carrots, chopped
3 large stalks of celery, chopped
2 T olive oil, grapeseed, or coconut oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
1 head of cauliflower chopped, core, leaves, and large stems removed
1-48 oz carton of good quality chicken or vegetable stock
1 HEAPING T arrowroot
1 c plain, unsweetened almond milk or 1 c or regular milk
In a large soup pot, saute the bacon until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a bowl, and drain off excess fat. Do NOT wipe out the pot! Over medium heat, add the olive oil to the pot along with all the vegetables. Season with the salt and pepper. Stir often to let the veggies start to cook. When they start to steam, add the bay leaves and the stock. Bring the soup up to a slow simmer, and let it cook until the vegetables are cooked, but not mushy. Gently break up the chopped vegetables with a potato masher, and if you choose, blitz it a bit with an immersion blender. Mix the arrowroot and the milk together and slowly stir it into the soup. Let it heat up to a bubble again, taste for seasoning, and serve with crumbled bacon on top.
Peanut Butter Cinnamon Granola
Brittany wrote this on 15 January 2016 bananas, flax, maple syrup, oatmeal, peanuts
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #StartWithJifPowder #CollectiveBias
I know I have mentioned my obsession love of peanut butter on previous accounts and I have no intention of changing that attitude. At all. My unofficial mantra is ‘All peanut butter, All the time.’ I really really love peanut butter. I always have and I assume I always will. When I got to college and was buying groceries for myself, I quickly discovered that JIF was quite possibly the best peanut butter ever. I have not strayed from them since. So when I found out that they were releasing a new product, Jif™ Peanut Powder, I was positively giddy.
The calories of a traditional peanut butter are really the only thing that gives me pause. I could eat it several times a day, and while I know that some is beneficial, the fat content has me stopping one step from just eating it straight out of the jar for breakfast. Ok, sometimes I still do that, but I have really cut back…
As I approach the end of my 30’s, I am aware that while it is still worth it to eat the things I really love, I could definitely be making adjustments. I have been trying to drink more water and I plan to run my first 5k this year. More veggies and less meat. All kinds of little things to improve my health and well-being. Jif™ Peanut Powder is part of that. It is a new year people! I am making some changes!
See that package in the picture above? That is the peanut powder. It is made from only one ingredient-peanuts. Thats it! All the protein but much less fat than traditional peanut butter. No added salt and no added sugar; two ingredients often hiding in foods. Not here. Just. Peanuts. I add a scoop to my smoothies and wow. Thick and creamy. I have even stir it into my oatmeal. Then I got really smart and created this peanut butter granola. Simply outstanding. A great breakfast or snack, now even better for me!
I easily located this new product at my local Walmart, snuggled in with all the other kinds of peanut butter, making it very convenient to grab some. And yes, as you can see above, they have a chocolate version as well. Either flavor is perfect to add to baked goods like muffins or scones and it fits nicely into your meals if you are dieting or just trying to eat a bit better. Like this recipe. We make granola on a regular basis in my house, but I like to switch things up so we don’t get bored. Different mix ins, different spices, that kind of thing. Not to be cliche, but a banana with a scoop of peanut butter is something I regularly enjoy so I figured I would just combine my loves to save time.
Booya! This granola is full of good things for your body, but warm and scrumptious at the same time. Toasty oats and ground flax are mixed with Jif™ Peanut Powder and an extra dose of cinnamon. So easy and so ridiculously crunchy, we can’t stop eating it. We love to eat it as is with dried bananas added and sprinkled over yogurt, or in a bowl with milk and a whole sliced banana. The flavors of the fruit with the peanuts and the cinnamon…..gaaaaah. Mouth watering.
Granola freezes wonderfully, so be sure to make an extra batch so that you have it on hand for a quick, protein packed option for breakfast or a quick snack. Then you can see what else you can make with Jif™ Peanut Powder. How would YOU use it in your kitchen? Post in the comments below! Because us peanut butter fanatics have to ‘stick’ together.
Peanut Butter Cinnamon Granola
2 c rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1/3 c Jif™ Peanut Powder
1/4 c ground flaxseed
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c canola, grapeseed, or coconut oil
1/4 c pure maple syrup
dried bananas, fresh bananas, optional
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Add the oil and syrup and stir well, mixing completely and evenly coating the oat mixture. Spread the oats on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Stir well, spreading out into a thin layer again, and bake for another 10 minutes. Stir well and bake for a final 5 minutes. Granola should be slightly darker and nice and crunchy. Let cool on sheet completely and it will crisp up even more! Stir in dried bananas or serve with fresh bananas, if desired. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or well sealed in the freezer for several months.
Cran-Orange Pinwheels W/Smoked Turkey & Sriracha
Brittany wrote this on 4 January 2016 cranberries, cream cheese, orange, tortillas, turkey
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterWithCraisins #CollectiveBias
Sometimes, you have no choice but to just throw all your favorite things into one recipe.
Meat? Check. Cream cheese? Check. Cranberries? Check check. Add in a bit of citrus and the kick of Sriracha and you have something that can only be called wonderful. Julie Andrews is singing in my head… “…these are a few of my favorite things….”
It is officially game season here and in the weeks leading up to various big games, I am upping my strategy a bit with this recipe. I don’t make a lot of pinwheels (although I have no idea why) but I really really love it when I see them at gatherings. So I said to myself, “Self? Why not make them more often?” I was experimenting with my favorite flavors over the holidays and eventually, it all morphed into this. I tested the recipe at a few holiday events with mucho success, and now, they are hitting the football party scene.
The beauty of this recipe is in its simplicity. The cream cheese and turkey pair great together, but the Craisins® Dried Cranberries are the star. They add color, texture, and a bit of natural sweetness. Obviously, most of us use Craisins® in baked goods, snack mixes, and salad toppings, but if you have never used them in a savory appetizer, now is your chance. Bonus! 1/4 c of dried cranberries equals a 1/2 c serving of fruit, so when you are popping these bites in your mouth, you know you are putting good things in your body.
I got my Craisins® at the local Walmart and they were very easy to find in the dried fruit section. I also discovered something new! These Craisins® Fruit Clusters come in two different flavors and my whole family loved both kinds. You can find them right next to the other Craisins® products. They are pretty great for snacking. I portion them out into smaller containers and tuck them in my kids lunch box, or toss the whole bag into my purse for those days when the family needs something easy to munch on when we are traipsing around the zoo, running errands in town, or spending a few extra hours at the park. 
However, the recipe today features the straight-up, no frills dried cranberries. I wanted the sweet and sour, classic flavor in this appetizer and it works perfectly. Other reasons this works so well? You can make it ahead of time and can easily be a gluten free, depending on the tortillas you use. The cream cheese mixture can be made a day or two in advance and you can assemble the rolls when you need them. Or make the pinwheels as directed and store them in the fridge, uncut, up to 8 hours before party time. Leftover cranberry mixture? It is out of this world smeared on a bagel.
So when you are sprinkling those Craisins® over your oatmeal in the morning, consider a savory appetizer like this one for your next get together. Who could resist when it is full of favorite things?
Follow Craisins® and Ocean Spray® on social media so you don’t miss a thing!
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Cran-Orange Pinwheels W/Smoked Turkey & Sriracha
Don’t worry about the heat from the Sriracha. It isn’t enough to do much more than give it just a bit of warmth in the back of your throat. Of course, I won’t tell anyone if you add more. Feel free to experiment with other flavors of Craisins®. All would taste just as good!
6 large tortillas-we like whole grain and gluten free versions
1 block cream cheese, low fat is fine
1/2 c Craisins® Dried Cranberries
1 tsp Sriracha (or to taste)
zest of 1 large orange
1/2 lb smoked turkey, sliced thin
In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, Craisins®, Sriracha, and orange zest until well mixed. Set aside. Can be made up to two days ahead of time. Spread the mixture evenly on the tortillas, making sure to go all the way to the edges! Lay two pieces of turkey down the middle so that the meat reaches from end to end. Roll very tightly and set aside, doing the same with the other tortillas. Wrap tightly and store in the fridge for a few hours until ready to serve, or slice immediately. Cut into 1 inch slices, arrange on a platter or plate, and enjoy!
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Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
