Vegetable Curry Soup

I posted this soup on instagram a couple months ago and my “dear” sister told me it looked like the saddest soup she has ever seen!     What???   Whatever – Well it tastes delicious – seriously and I think it looks delish too!!

Now looking at it again and thinking of it – I’ve got to make it again – like now!!

I will admit I actually did make a very sad …. dreadful is probably a better word – looking soup a few days after this that looked like it would have been the soup that Charlie and his poor family would have been eating in the beds from the original Charlie and chocolate factory – Here’s a tip don’t put purple cabbage in any soup especially with white potatoes and ground turkey – Ugh Awful!!!

Ingredients –

2 Tbls  Butter
1/4 c Coconut oil
2 Tbls Curry Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Paprika
Chopped Garlic
Minced Ginger
Flour
S&P
1 large Onion
5 stalks Celery
1 Sweet Potato
1 large white &/ or 4 red potato’s
8 cups Chicken stock or broth
1 cup Half & Half

In large pot on stove I made a roux with butter and coconut oil, flour, curry powder, masala powder, mustard, paprika, Salt and Pepper –
Once that is all mixed and “rouxed” up
Add in chopped onion, garlic & ginger Saute’ for a bit then add
6-8 cups Chicken or vegetable Broth / stock Diced – Carrots, Celery Sweet Potato’s Red and/ or white Potato’s.
Let soup come to a boil for a few minutes then turn to low, pour in half and half cover and simmer for at least a couple hours.

Season as you like + or –  ….. and enjoy!
+++ Other add ins you could do – Rotisserie chicken. Rice, noodles, quinoa, beans (like white kidney, or garbanzo , coconut milk. I just did stuff I had on hand and it was perfect.
I would love to hear if you make it & what your thoughts are.

Much love & wellness
XO,
Amy

No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola bars –

Healthy Home Made Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola Bars

These are so good –  I made a few changes to a recipe I found here is my tweak on it
These are great for a quick snack – after school – When you need a little something –

R e c i p e:
I cup oatmeal
3 cups chocolate puffed rice cereal – I used Koala Chocolate Crisp shown here
1 cup peanut butter – I used Adams All Natural Chunky
1/2 – 1 cup chopped almonds
3 Tbls Cocoa powder
1 scoop Protein Powder vanilla or chocolate – Can be made without if you don’t have any on hand – still tastes great
1/2 – 1 cup shredded coconut – I used unsweetened
1/3 – 1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

Just Mix together – press into 9×13 pan and put in the freezer for an hour – then you can take out and cut -Store them  in the freezer – You can eat immediately from freezer!!!
You can adjust how you like – I think even more almonds would be good – And I like using the chunky peanut butter for more nuts there too!

These are so good –  And something that your kids will LOVE!!!
Try them today and let me know what you think!!!

Much Love and Wellness,
XO
Amy Pond

Amazing Comfort Soup – Spicy Sausage, Potato & Kale

photo credit to thecandidappetite.

My girlfriend Katrina invited me over last night for dinner. She made this soup she found on Pinterest from The Candid Appetite – Spicy Sausage Potato & Kale and I cannot even tell you how f r e a k i n g G o o d it was!  She sent me home with a container of leftovers – thank goodness!!! I had to talk myself out of getting out of bed to have another bowl – that’s how good it was. It was hard to resist but I did. Whew. I held off until about 11:00 this morning. I will be making this very soon!

Katrina used Half and Half instead of Heavy Cream – which was perfect and I didn’t think it was lacking anything so if you are watching the calories – there you go stick with the half and half. She also used Baby Dutch potatoes instead of the russet. I have never heard of them before, she said they hold up well in soups and stews and absorb the flavor – and that they did. Ridiculous!!!
Thanks again Katrina! Always so nice to get together with a great friend and catch up!

Much Love and Wellness,
XO
Amy

Here is the Recipe. thank you to www.thecandidappetite.com

Spicy Sausage, Potato & Kale Soup

If you want to whip this up in a flash during the week when you don’t have a lot of time for dinner, and the troops are harassing you to make something delicious right away, make this soup. Some help from the store can have this soup on the table in 30 minutes. Use low-sodium store bought chicken stock or broth. Buy the kale in the pre-washed, pre-cut sacks that are ready to go. If you are not a fan of pork sausage, a spicy Italian chicken sausage does the same trick. No one will know, and your family will love you for it.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
■1 pound spicy italian sausage (I used chicken but pork is good too)
■2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
■1 large onion, chopped
■3 garlic cloves, minced
■1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
■1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
■1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
■2 large bunches of kale, stemmed and chopped, about 4 overflowing handfuls
■1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
■4 medium or 2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced
■8 cups chicken broth or stock, 2 boxes
■1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

1. Heat a large heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat. Once the pot has heated through, add the sausage, which you removed from the casing. Using a wooden spoon, begin to break up the sausage and allow it to cook, stirring occasionally, until it has fully browned. Remove the crisped sausage from the pot and transfer it to a plate or bowl. Set aside.

2. Lower the heat to medium, add the butter or oil and throw in the onions and garlic. Stir, scraping down the bottom of the pot picking up the browned bits of sausage with the back of a wooden spoon, and cook until soft and translucent about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using. Continue to sauté until the onions have caramelized. Add the chopped kale in batches, allowing it to wilt down as it cooks. It might seem like a lot of kale but it will cook down, just like spinach! Add the nutmeg and stir. Cook the kale for another 3 minutes until it has turned bright green and completely wilted down. Throw in the sliced potatoes and cooked sausage.

3. Pour in the chicken stock or broth and bring it up to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer until the potatoes are cooked tender and soft. Taste the soup for seasoning, at this point you may add more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes, if desired. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, stir in the heavy cream. Serve right away with some bread on the side. Enjoy!

A Tribute to my Garden Fresh Tomatoes …. til Next Year

If I HAD to choose only one vegetable to plant in my garden, {I would be very sad if this was a real scenario} BUT if it was for real and I did have to choose just one it would be a tomato for sure. I  L O V E homegrown, garden fresh tomatoes and I am so sad to see them go. Anyone else with me on this?

At the first of summer’s  tomato season I seriously ate 2, OK sometimes 3
Tomato Sandwiches a day. Seriously! Some days that is all I ate. They are so simple and good I can’t help myself. When my obsession did get under control and satisfied I did taper off to about 1 a day. I did get a few friends hooked on these as well and I have gotten a text or two cursing me at the amount of cheese and bread they have been going through.
Sorry – Not Sorry. 🙂 They are so good!

Here’s what you need

1. Toast – 2 slices of Multi-Grain Bread
2. Spread Mayo on toast
3. Cheddar Cheese (pref. good sharp cheese)
4. Garden tomatoes sliced
5. Fresh Basil &/or basil essential oil

 Normally in all my past years of my tomato sandwich obsession it was just mayo, cheese and tomatoes – that simple, but oh so good. I’ve always loved it just like that. Until one day I was standing there eating my sandwich staring at the basil growing in my kitchen window and decided to throw some on my sandwich – Wow!
That was so good. I kind of surprised myself how much basil I felt I needed on my sandwich. Then using the fresh basil made me think to add my basil essential oil to my mayo on my next sandwich and that was so crazy good as well.    TIP – You only need 1-2 drops per CUP of mayonnaise – I  made that mistake of putting a couple drops right on my sandwich and that was crazy strong. I wouldn’t suggest that. 🙂

If you want to still give these a try without the prime garden tomatoes – I do feel Costco’s tomatoes usually are the closest thing to a decent tomato in the off season.

And of course you cannot beat Fresh Homemade Salsa. 

I like to puree a lot of the tomatoes, garlic, onion, jalapeno’s and fresh cilantro and then add more fresh chopped tomatoes for the perfect salsa.

I also grew the most perfect, sweetest orange cherry tomatoes I have ever had in my life. They were  Sun Sugar Tomato.  Add this to your planting list for your garden next year.

This is my tribute to my garden tomatoes –  saying I miss you already and I can’t wait to grow you and eat you again next summer!

Much Love & Wellness
XO – Amy

My Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

Here’s another recipe I have “made up”  from taking a peak at a few different recipes for brownies and then doing it my own way. I love to do that. I am definitely not a strict follow the recipe kind of girl. I’m always adding in my own ingredients and leaving out others – That could be partly because I rarely have all the ingredients I need for what I’m making.
My neighbors would be nodding their heads right now and saying “Yah we know!”  🙂
But I do have to say these turned out sooo Good – Thick and Fudgey!!!! Um…. Yum!!!
And the flavors of the chocolate with the peppermint – Come on . The perfect balance.

And they’re not TOO bad for you!?!  Maybe a little? – Could be worse?  Here’s the recipe.

My Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

• 1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
• 1/2 Cup Butter
• 1 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 1 Cup Coconut Palm Sugar
• 1 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 4 Eggs
• 2 Tsp Vanilla
• 1 3/4 Cup Wheat Flour
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 8-10 Drops Peppermint Oil (Only use high quality essential oil)
• 3/4 – 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
  1. Preheat Oven to 375
  2. Combine in a mixer – Sugars, Butter, Coconut Oil, Eggs and Vanilla.
  3. Then add the Flour, Salt and Peppermint Oil. Mix well
  4. Fold in the Chocolate Chips.
  5. Spread in a oiled  9X13 Pan
  6. And you will have some serious love in 35-40 mins

  I encourage you to go for a run today ….. to the kitchen and go make these now.

  I Would love to hear what you think. 🙂

  To find out which essential oils I recommend email me at amypond127@gmail.com.

• Much Love & wellness
  XO
  Amy

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bundt Bread

                         Pumpkin – Peanut Butter – Chocolate Chip – Bundt Bread

I had been wanting to make pumpkin bread for a bit now that the time is here! I had been thinking about a couple of different ones I wanted to try… a Peanut Butter and Choc chip Bread, which I have never heard of one with peanut butter in it before but I am a huge fan of PB so I had to try. The other one was a recipe using  protective blend and Clove essential Oils. I was curious and wanted to make as well. And since I have such a hard time deciding, I decided to combine them and make up my own using inspiration from those two recipes, plus my own twists and love and then poured it all in a bunt pan – who has time for two bread pans?  I have to say it turned out sooo gooood!
And I’m not the only one who thought so , my kids agreed.
SUCCESS!
We devoured it within two days and I can’t wait to make it again.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bundt Bread

1 cup Canned Pumpkin
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
3/4 cup Applesauce
1 Egg
1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter (Adams)
1/2 cup Flax Meal
1/2 tsp Grated Ginger
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla
8 drops protective blend essential  Oil*
3 drops Clove essential Oil*
1 cup White Flour
1 cup Wheat Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbl Stevia
Chocolate Chips – you decide Milk, Dark, Semi. I used Milk Chocolate

Combine wet ingredients – then add dry mix and pour into…

I sprayed my bundt pan – sprinkled wth Stevia, Flour and Cinnamon

 Bake at 350 – I would check at 45-50 mins – don’t cook longer than 60 mins

When it came out I brushed with Coconut Oil all over – It’s so good and then of course spread a little more on each piece we ate!

*You don’t have to do the coconut oil on top/bottom but if you have it and love it – I say do it. * And if don’t have the protective blend and Clove Oils email me or substitute with pumpkin pie spice.

I hope you enjoy it!  Something a little different than your usual pumpkin bread!

Much Love & Wellness – XO-  Amy