I wasn't feeling my best yesterday, plus it was cold outside. It seemed like the perfect day to whip up a hearty tomato soup. Plus, I really needed some greens in my diet and no meat. This soup is so yummy! I even convinced my FBP to eat it even though it has cheese, and he's a "no cheese" kinda guy!
Roasted Tomato, Garlic, & Kale Soup with Goat Cheese
7-8 tomatoes
2 leeks
1 white onion
6 garlic cloves
1 bunch kale
1 carrot
2 cups vegetable stock
6 tbsp. goat cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper
Quarter the tomatoes. Cut leeks, only us the bottom. Make sure to cut the leeks, then put in a water bath to release all the dirt. You want them nice and clean. Chop carrot, onion, and leave garlic whole, then roast at 425 degrees until they begin to change color. It usually takes 20 minutes or so.
Place 3/4 of roasted veggies into blender. Blend until smooth. Now pour this into a stock pot on medium/ low heat. Blend the other 1/4 of the veggies in the blender, but leave some texture to them. Now add this to your stock pot.
Add 2 cups of vegetable stock. Add 6 tablespoons of goat cheese. I used half of a large log that I found at the grocery. Chop the kale bite size, then add it to the stock pot. Let this simmer a few minutes.
Wanna' get down with a redneck? How about Blake Shelton's "Boys 'Round Here"? I'm teaching this line dance tonight at Bourbon Jacks in Kent. We are there from 9 - 11 pm and dancing the entire time! I teach the lesson at 10 pm!
Try the Redneck Freeze with me before you come, so you'll be ahead of the game! ;) C'mon...you can do it...
When I heard Kacey Musgraves "Blowin' Smoke", I knew I had to choreograph a line dance to it! The song makes you wanna "stomp clap", so that's where I began. This line dance is beginner level and super fun!
Push your chair back and try it with me! C'mon, you can do this!
We dance the Canadian Stomp to lots of songs at Bourbon Jacks! If you have 90 seconds, you can learn it here! Then come dance it with us TONIGHT at Bourbon Jacks for Wolf night!
Got 90 seconds? I can teach you a Hot New Country Line Dance! I choreographed this one to Darius Rucker's Wagon Wheel! I call it the Two Step Shuffle, but honestly everyone at Bourbon Jacks ends up calling it Wagon Wheel! Ha!
Push your chair back...start the video! You can do it!
Whenever I eat Thai in a restaurant, I always like to try their version of "Larb". Don't be scared by the name. It's simply ground chicken wok fried with fresh veggies, ginger, garlic, and lime. You can typically find it on the menu under the "SALAD" section.
Here's MY version:
DeeLee's Larb
1 lb. ground chicken
1 2 inch piece of fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves
1 bunch of fresh mint
3 limes
1 bell pepper
1 red onion
1 carrot
1 tbsp. Asian vinegar
1 tbsp. Fish Sauce
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. canola oil/ Coconut Oil
1 cup peanuts
Cut all of your veggies, garlic, and herbs and get everything ready to go. Once you chop, this recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes.
In a wok, brown the chicken in coconut oil or canola oil on medium/ high heat.
Add the ginger then the carrot. Then add the bell pepper, red onion, and garlic. Add the chicken and remove from heat. You want some crunch left in the veggies.
Add fresh lime juice, Asian vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil and stir well. add the peanuts and the fresh mint.
Serve with a side of cabbage that has been quartered. You are going to roll these up like tacos and eat em'! I love to put Asian hot sauce like Sambol Oelek on them and make em' super hot! YUM!
I'm picky about my margaritas and salsa! So whenever we have them at home, I make them from scratch rather than store bought.
In my travels, I have made many Latin American friends who were kind enough to share their recipes with me. This is what I learned....
The Perfect Margarita
The Mix
6 limes
2 lemons
1 orange
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Making the Perfect Margarita
2 oz. Silver Tequila
1 oz. Triple Sec
2 oz. fresh squeezed citrus
1 oz. simple syrup
Make the simple syrup! Boil one cup water with one cup sugar until sugar dissolves. Easy right?
Squeeze all the citrus into one container.
I like to keep the simple syrup and fresh squeezed citrus separate. That way you can control the sugar content and sweetness level. Some like their margaritas more tart than others and vice versa. So taste and pour...make it the WAY YOU LIKE IT! :)
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
5 tomatillos washed with husks removed
1 white onion peeled a quartered
1 jalapeno
3 cloves garlic in their skins
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat over to 425. Put everything on a large baking sheet and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast 20 - 25 minutes. They should start to turn brownish/ black in places! That's where all the yummy flavor is living! Remove the garlic a little early so it doesn't burn and remove from their skins.
Put everything into a blender! Blend it up adding a little salt and pepper IF needed. Add a little water if you want it thinner.
I love watching Paula Dean! It's her southern accent and laugh that reminds me of my mother. So Paula and I cook together most every night at my house. Well, Paula made goulash for her son, and I decided to tweak that recipe. This is what I came up with...
Chipotle-Lime Chili Mac
1 lb. wheat penne pasta
1 lb. ground turkey
1 package chili spice mix
4 chipotle peppers
1 lime
2 cloves garlic
1 16. oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 onion
1 bell pepper
In a large pot, brown the turkey. Add chopped onions, bell pepper, and garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add chipotle peppers, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, then squeeze the lime into the pot. Let this simmer for 15 minutes.
Now add the penne pasta into the pot, and let that simmer with a low boil for 20 minutes with the lid on. Make sure to check it and stir it around so nothing sticks to the bottom.
This is a little spicy, so if you want to tame it down don't use as many chipotle peppers!
Whenever I'm feeling "fluffy", I make my cottage cheese crunch recipe! It's packed with fresh veggies and protein. You can garbage up on these things and not feel ANY guilt!
Cottage Cheese Crunch
4 big scoops of cottage cheese
1 wheat tortilla
2 romaine lettuce leaves
Veggie Salsa
2 lemons
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 carrots
handful of chopped radishes
1/2 red onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch of fresh basil (use a lot - it's yummy)
1 tbsp. onion powder
1/2 tbsp. red pepper
salt and pepper
Chop all veggies, onion, and basil and put in a large bowl. Add spices, oil, and lemon. Then mix together.
Spoon 3 or 4 scoops on top of your cottage cheese! Wrap it up and chow down!!
I crave hamburgers! So rather than pulling through the drive thru OR running to Dick's Hamburgers, I will get some fresh local fish and make burger patties out of them!
You can stretch fish that is otherwise a little expensive. And you can use ANY flavor profile you enjoy. Make em' Italian, Mexican, or Thai! Whatever your mood calls for, go for it!
Ahi Tuna Burgers
6 oz. fish
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
2 cloves of crushed garlic
fresh parsley
3 - 4 tbsp. lemon and olive oil mixed together
Chop fish until it begins to look like ground meat. Add all other ingredients and form into patties.
Bake at 400 for 10 minutes! OR...
Grill 5 minutes per side with lots of canola oil so they won't stick on medium-high heat!
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Trim off ends of brussel sprouts, then cut in half. Spread out on a sheet pan, coat with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
I wasn't feeling my best yesterday, plus it was cold outside. It seemed like the perfect day to whip up a hearty tomato soup. Plus, I really needed some greens in my diet and no meat. This soup is so yummy! I even convinced my FBP to eat...
Meet Evan. He's my favorite person on the planet.
He's visiting from LA and brought his matching bracelet with him.
Shirt - Old Navy
Pants - Nordstrom
Boots - Fred Meyer
Mariners Bracelet - M's Team Store
Gold bracelet...
Meet Evan. He's my favorite person on the planet.
He's visiting from LA and brought his matching bracelet with him.
Shirt - Old Navy
Pants - Nordstrom
Boots - Fred Meyer
Mariners Bracelet - M's Team Store
Gold bracelet...
Out of England … Mistaken Identity
18 year-old Xenna Kristian just got beat up. I'm talking about a major UFC-Cage Match style beat down from another chick. Poor littl Xenna even had to go to the hospital! So why would someone beat her up? ...
Out of England … Mistaken Identity
18 year-old Xenna Kristian just got beat up. I'm talking about a major UFC-Cage Match style beat down from another chick. Poor littl Xenna even had to go to the hospital! So why would someone beat her up? ...
