Happy Chicken Tortilla Soup 5/5 Spoons

Q. Why is the chicken happy?

A. Because it's alive!

Okay, I've never claimed to be funny. But this soup is cruelty-free so the chickens must be happy!

(Look how happy!)

This recipe is adapted from Brown Eyed Baker which has been adapted from Max & Erma's recipe. I've decided to go the way of other bloggers and just like adapt recipes myself and keep track of all of my findings. I mean that's the way forming recipes of your own happens, right? So I wanted this recipe to be vegan and I think with just some tweaks it was super easy to do. And delicious of course. It almost tasted like a dip but in soup form. So here is my adapted recipe:

Feeds 4-5

2-3 T. olive oil
1/2 c. onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, diced small
2 Anaheim peppers, seeded and diced small *
2 1/2 T. cornstarch
1 qt. Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth
1 c. vegetable broth
4 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into small pieces
1 lime, juiced
1 ear of corn kernels cut from the cob or about 1/2 - 1 c. frozen/canned corn
1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
3/4 t. cumin
3/4 t. oregano
1/2 t. cayenne
1/2 t. red pepper flakes (I like it spicy, so cater to your own needs)
Salt and pepper to taste

* Anaheim peppers are not hot like jalapenos, so don't substitute habaneros, etc. The point of these peppers is to get the flavor and not the heat so if you need to substitute use a Poblano or a Peppadew

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the minced onion, pepper, and garlic and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the minced onion begins to turn translucent.

2. Whisk the cornstarch into the broth, then add the broth mixture to the pot, along with the minced tortillas, lime juice, corn, diced tomatoes, black beans, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium and stir occasionally. The soup should not take too long to come together and heat through (about 10 minutes). Garnish with diced avocado, tortilla chips, green onions, extra lime juice, etc.

(Photo courtesy of Brown Eyed Baker)

From start to finish, this soup took 30 minutes. Honestly. From the first cut of my onion to ladling soup into my bowl, 30 minutes. So this is something that you can easily throw together especially since it is so versatile. Think of anything you love in your favorite Mexican food, salsa, guacamole, mole, etc. and you can toss it in this pot!

And I have some huge news to share, I have a job! And one that like, I really want! I will be working production with Upton's Naturals which is a Chicago based 100% vegan company that makes delicious seitan and seitan products. I will get the industrial kitchen experience I've been wanting and get to work for and with cool people who are committed to a cruelty-free lifestyle as much as I am. I've toyed with the idea of going vegan for a long time now but realize how hard it is to do while living with omnivores who basically pay for my groceries. This is one step towards living a truly vegan lifestyle and there are only more steps to come!

Up next, I will probably be reviewing my roommate's epic layer birthday cake that I will be making next week. Until then, enjoy the beginning of March my loves!

Honey Buttermilk Cornbread 5/5 Spoons

(Check out that chili. Gahhhh, so good.)

So, I've made an obscene amount of cornbread in the last few years. Today I made Whole Foods Vegetarian Chili (which is by far my favorite chili ever) and made my own cornbread to go with it. I feel confident enough to make cornbread and pizza dough without a recipe anymore. I've made cornbread before but this one is better, trust me. And this recipe is like really not that bad for you which is a bonus. Here is my recipe:

1 c. all-purpose flour (I might try bread flour next time, we shall see)
1. coarse cornmeal
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil (or any oil of your choosing)
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9-inch pie/cake pan or line a 12 cup muffin pan.

Add all dry ingredients (through salt) into a large bowl and whisk until combined. In another bowl or measuring cup combine all wet ingredients and whisk. Add wet to dry and mix until combined but not beyond that. It will be thick like a cake batter. Add batter to the pan and place in top 1/3 of your oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or when you press the top it is firm yet yielding. Let cool for a few minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack. This is great warm or cold. Wrap your leftovers in some aluminum foil/plastic wrap. It will only last 1 or 2 days before getting pretty dry.

(Yeah, I should have taken a picture of my cornbread, but this one from Hungry-Texan is pretty close to mine)

So, you could add tons of things to this. Green onions, cheddar cheese, cracked black pepper, soyrizo, corn kernels, jalapenos, etc. The world is yours! I'm going to try making this vegan so I will get back to you all on that soon. This is a incredibly tender but not wet cake that is wonderfully sweet and corn-y.

Enjoy! And I hope you are all looking forward to my Valentine's Day dinner/dessert post this week. It will be sickeningly cute, trust me. ; )

Vegetarian Corn Chowder 4/5 Spoons

The other day I was cleaning my room (pre-Spring cleaning?) and found my swimsuit. I held it in my hands and stared at it. I miss summer. Only a few more months, I can make it. I am also excited for juicy berries and fresh sweet corn. This soup would be amazing in the summer with freshly shucked corn cut right off the cob. Ahhhh, I'm drooling.

Well, it is February not July so I made this soup with frozen corn. It was really good but this would be bumped up to 5 spoons with the substitution of fresh corn.

(Photo courtesy of Two Peas and Their Pod)

Here are my notes:

-- I skipped the butter, it seemed a tad unnecessary.
-- I didn't have a red pepper, so I doubled the carrots and celery.
-- I omitted the poblano pepper but threw in a few dashes of red pepper flakes.
-- And instead of all skim milk, I had like 1 c. of half & half in the fridge and used that. It made it deliciously creamy.
-- The thyme was not enough flavor for me so I added like 1/4 t. cumin, a lot of black pepper and a dash of paprika.

I served this with a spinach salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette and some whole wheat dinner rolls. It was really delicious and all 3 of my guests thought so as well! I saw the end of the pot within like 45 minutes. So I would say that is a successful meal. It had a nice sweet flavor with a hint of smokiness from the added cumin. This is something really easy to make and a real "toss everything you have in the fridge" kind of soup. My favorite kind of meal!

Up next, this will be epic. Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake!

JACKIE'S TOP 5

So, I know I was going to review Red Velvet Waffles with Coconut Cream Cheese Topping first but I just wanted to come here and throw out some of the recipes I can't wait to make. I always have a long list of things I'm dying to make, but these are my top 5 as of right now. My stomach is just not as big as my desire to make all this food! Here we go (and these aren't any order, I'm just listing them off):

#1: Sweet Corn Arepa Pancakes

(Photo courtesy of roboppy's Flickr page)

I've never had an arepa.... until this morning. Well let me say that I had an arepa style pancakes at Tweet (my favorite brunch spot in Chicago) and they were dynamite. They were covered with creme fraiche, soy chorizo, over easy eggs, avocado, some sort of amazing hot sauce and black beans. Every bite was a dream. I want to re-create some of those same flavors at home with this recipe. It calls for some orange juice which I think is a great compliment to the strong corn flavor. This is an easy meal with a ton of flavor and my favorite thing of all: a vehicle for a million condiments piled on top.

#2: Cookies and Cream Fudge Brownie

(Photo courtesy of BBC)

Not gonna lie, I have a huge crush on Lorraine Pascale.

(Photo courtesy of Tory Burch)

Sigh.....

Anyway, she has a show on Cooking Channel called Simply Baking. She made these on her last show and they looked so fudge-y and decadent, they are totally going to be made for like Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert. They are not everyday brownies but I bet they are just what I'm looking for.

#3: Vegan Nanaimo Bars

(Photo courtesy of One Green Planet, which is an awesome website BTW)

I had no idea what Nanaimo Bars were until like last week. I had heard of them but literally my mind always went blank when people talked about them. For some reason the name alone evoked feelings of numbness. Don't ask me why, I don't question my motives anymore.

I don't know what I was so scared of.... these are veganized bars filled with chocolate, graham cracker crumbs, nuts and a creamy pudding filling. WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING ALL THESE YEARS???? I can't wait to make these and review the hell out of them here. Then we can all share in the joy.

#4: Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk (Vegan and Gluten Free!)

(Photo courtesy of Gluten-Free Goddess)

I love pumpkin anything. Pumpkin soups are amazing. The last time I made pumpkin soup I had told my roommates that I was making it and to not eat dinner after work because there would be delicious food waiting for them. I felt like a jilted wife when they both came home at 10 pm having had dinner and ready to go to bed. Don't I sound sad here? I don't want to equate fall soup with depressing dinners! Anyhow, I divided up the soup into portions and ate it for a week and it was just as good on the 7th day as the 1st. This one is vegan and gluten-free and sounds amazing.

#5: Fettucine NoFredo with Roasted Butternut Squash (Vegan)

(Photo courtesy of Kreeli)

This is my friend Christa's dish (she used to run VeganMania in Vancouver, she is pretty amazing and you can find awesome recipes there). Vegan alfredo sauce? You are joking. But that picture is no damn joke. I plan on making this on a really cold day which will be coming sooner rather than later.

Thank you for indulging in my food fantasies. There will be a waffle recipe review this weekend. Until then, take care of yourself and eat some great food!

Vegan Refried Bean Soup 5/5 Spoons

Oh my gosh, it is totally fall right now. I'm wearing leggings and a cardigan and I finally had to bust out my light jacket for the commute to work this morning. I get giddy in this weather even though I adore summer. It is like you can almost smell the firewood and spices in the crisp air.

This is a whole lot better than me talking about farts. But oops, here we are. I'm going to just come out and say it, vegetarians and vegans fart a lot. Now I'm sure no one wants to hear about gastrointestinal distress on a food website but it is a part of my life and a result of my diet. I freakin' love beans. And cauliflower. And broccoli. And cabbage. And all those other things that make me a totally gross smelly person. I try to keep it to myself but we all know that is impossible. Anyhow, I just want to warn you what will come of eating this soup. You will be a fart machine but it will be totally worth it. (This is now the end of my gross talk. Now for the delicious food!)

(Photos courtesy of Love and Olive Oil)

This soup was SO EASY TO MAKE. I came home from work determined to eat something delicious and healthy and this took me 30 minutes flat from start to finish. It had a nice warming, spicy heat but with some sweetness from corn. And it is chock full of protein and fiber, you won't even know what to do with yourself. Here are my tiny bit of notes:

-- Can I just say, why haven't I used fire roasted tomatoes before now? They are amazing.
-- I definitely put in more hot sauce than was called for and then had some red pepper flakes. So yeah, spice it up however you want.
-- As for accoutrements, I put out green onions, sour cream and tortilla chips. The tortilla chips really made it though, so perfect.

I am putting this on my very long list of soups to make over and over again. And when it is this cheap, easy and delicious... why the heck not?

Hopefully I will be back again soon with a dessert recipe. Maybe something pumpkin-y? You will have to wait and see! xoxo

Classic Buttermilk Cornbread 5/5 Spoons

Sometimes I love sides more than I love full "real" meals.

I love to go to a restaurant and order 3 sides and gobble them up with gusto. The thing is, they have to individually be so good and different from each other that it constitutes a meal (in my mind and in my belly). I need some sort of bread product (corn bread in this instance), some sort of protein (I made organic cumin-laced black refried beans to go along with this) and a veggie (homemade guacamole! I have my own recipe, if you want it, let me know!)

(Photo courtesy of Fine Cooking)

The problem with cornbread (which I admittedly don't have a lot of experience at making) is that it can be SO DRY. I mean you can put as much butter on a dry hunk of bread as you want but you still know it's not very good. I think using buttermilk (did you know it is actually low in fat?) really moistened the bread and it is even quite tender today. I wanted to make sure to find a recipe that a. was tender (check) b. not chock full of sugar (check) and c. doesn't contain an entire stick of butter (check). I think this recipe is my new winner! Here are my notes (there are barely any!):

-- Instead of table salt, I used kosher salt and bumped it up to 1 t. because kosher salt weighs less than table salt. Interesting, huh?
-- I used low-fat sour cream without any problem.
-- Because I had it, I added about 1 c. of frozen corn kernels. I feel like this part is totally necessary.

(I'm definitely not from Alabama, but I love cornbread!)

I of course couldn't wait. So I flipped this bread out of the pan and cut it into weird chunks and gobbled it up with some butter substitute. It was the perfect amount of sweetness and had a wonderful intense corn taste that a lot of cornbreads do not have. This is a great recipe because it uses so much cornmeal and very little all-purpose flour for a super authentic taste. This *technically* is not that bad for you. There is some butter yeah, but this bread will serve a lot of people. And I'm not always so worried about butter as I appear on here, I love me some sweet cream unsalted butter. This would go great with this Vegetarian Chili or Cincinnati Chili Mac.

Coming up soon......

Red Velvet Waffles with Cream Cheese Coconut Butter

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting


and other things I'm totally making up like BBQ Beefless Tips with Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Asparagus and a White Pizza. See you soon!