Category: Veggie Challenge (Page 3 of 6)

Creamy Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot

January 7, 2021 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

I came up with my version of creamy vegetable soup in the Instant Pot.

I was out of town unexpectedly recently and left with a refrigerator full of vegetables. When I got back, I realized that I needed to use some of the produce quickly or I was going to have to throw it out. It was more than I could eat in one sitting so I tried to come up with a creative solution.

We’ve shared a variety of vegetable recipes on this site. Chris shared a recipe for vegetable soup. I didn’t have enough variety of veggies to make her recipe so had to come up with something different.

Creamy Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot

Here’s the recipe I created. I used the Instant Pot for this though I suspect you could make this on your stove top. This ended up being a quick and easy recipe that was came out well.

I took the head of broccoli and chopped it roughly into large pieces, including the stalks. There was a bag of Brussels sprouts that needed to be used so I cleaned them. I ended up with about a pound of broccoli and a half pound of Brussels sprouts.

I think you could switch out the vegetables to something different. Perhaps a squash and carrots would be good. Cauliflower added with either the broccoli or the Brussels sprouts would be good.

Experiment with different combinations of vegetables for a variety of quick and easy soups.

I put all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and set it for 10 minutes.

I think you could make this soup with any number of vegetable combinations.

Ingredients

1 pound chopped broccoli

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts

½ yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tsp ground ginger (fresh ginger would be great)

Salt \

Pepper

1 can coconut milk

1.5 cups of chicken broth

Juice of half a lemon

Directions

Put everything in the Instant Pot. Set the Instant Pot to 10 minutes. Let it release naturally.

Use an immersion blender to cream the soup. Or put the soup in a heavy duty blender (I use a Vitamix) and blend. Take the center piece out of the lid and cover the lid with a towel.

Toppings

If you have toppings, go ahead and add them to the bowl of soup. I used raw pumpkin seeds. They worked well. You could probably use croutons or a bit of coconut cream or pine nuts. Toppings aren’t necessary but they do add a bit of crunch to the soup.

Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad

October 15, 2020 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

I came up with this Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad to help celebrate the fall season. Fall is a great time of year for the hardier vegetables like Brussels sprouts and kale. I went to make lunch the other day while my daughter-in-law was visiting and said, “I know. Let’s make this salad I’ve been thinking about.” We both enjoyed it and we both had some ideas on how to improve it.

It’s been quite a while since I posted about my cruciferous crunch salad. This is in the same vein but has a simpler dressing and fewer veggies. I bet you could use a bag of cruciferous crunch salad with this recipe.

This recipe uses sliced Brussels sprouts and chopped kale. You can buy both of these things at the grocery store but it’s easy enough to do at home. I had fresh Brussels sprouts in my refrigerator so I sliced off the ends and then used my food processor with the slicing blade. I quickly had sliced Brussels sprouts at less than the cost of already sliced ones from the store.

You can also chop your own kale or buy pre-chopped at the store. I happened to have a bag of pre-chopped kale so it was convenient.

I used a honey crisp apple because that’s what was in my refrigerator. The honey crisp apple tasted great but you could switch the apple to something a bit more tart, if you prefer.

Ingredients for Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad

2 cups of Brussels Sprouts, sliced

2 cups chopped kale

1 diced apple (remove skin if you prefer)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

Dressing

8 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tsp of Dijon or Brown Mustard

Directions

Mix the sliced Brussels sprouts and kale in a large bowl.

Pour the dressing ingredients into a small jar and shake well and then pour the dressing over the Brussels sprouts and kale.

Stir well, coating the vegetables with the dressing.

Cover the vegetables and let sit for at least an hour. Longer would be better. The dressing helps soften the crunchy vegetables so you could actually let this sit for a day in the refrigerator.

When it’s close to time to serve, add the chopped apple, pecans, and blue cheese. Mix well and serve.

Notes for Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad

The quantities of kale and Brussels sprouts can be adjusted based on what you have on hand. You could probably omit the kale completely if you want.

The first time I made this salad, we ate it right away. It hadn’t soften from the dressing so we decided this would be better if it sat for a while.

You could omit the blue cheese or replace it with feta cheese.

I used pecans but you could also use walnuts or maybe pumpkin seeds. Experiment with what’s in your pantry.

My daughter-in-law doesn’t like cranberries so I didn’t use them but I think dried cranberries would be an excellent addition to this salad. If you’re going to serve it over the holidays, definitely consider using them just for that splash of color.

Cabbage, Potato, and Sausage Soup in the Instant Pot

October 8, 2020 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

It’s fall once again and my heart turns to soups, including my recipe for a Cabbage, Potato, and Sausage Soup and I’m using the Instant Pot for this.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can make this just as easily on the stove. I wanted to see how the cabbage and potato would work in the Instant Pot and it turned out great.

In all of the recipes in Becoming Elli, you can count on there being a lot of recipes that include cabbage. I’m not sure why that is. I posted my basic cabbage soup recipe a while ago.

Ingredients

1/2 Tbsp. avocado oil
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
About 1 lb of baby red potatoes, cut in half or quarters depending on the size
1/2 of large onion, diced
1 or 2 cloves of minced garlic
About 1/2 head of cabbage, chopped into small pieces
1 package of turkey kielbasa (13 Oz), sliced
2 cups of baby spinach
4 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional

Instructions

Turn the Instant Pot on to Sauté. Add the oil and let it heat.

Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the pot and stir frequently for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Stir in the sliced kielbasa and sauté for a few more minutes.

Add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute or two longer.

Turn sauté off.

Add broth, cabbage, and potatoes to the Instant Pot.

Stir in salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.

Set your Instant Pot to Soup, make sure the steam vent is set to pressurized and cook for about 30 minutes.

I usually let the steam release naturally but that’s not necessary if you’re in a hurry. When you’re ready, remove the lid.

Add the spinach and stir until it’s wilted.

Notes:

I used turkey kielbasa because that’s what I had on hand. I think chicken sausage would be great in this, as would traditional pork kielbasa. Really, any sausage will do. Use a vegan sausage if you are avoiding meat. I think you’ll want something in the sausage family for this soup. Otherwise, it’s just not cabbage, potato, and sausage soup.

You can add other vegetables to this. I think green beans would be a good addition.

I added the spinach at the end because it adds a lovely bright green color to the soup but you wouldn’t need to. If you want to add kale or a different green, remember that most cook longer than spinach so you would probably want to add the greens into the pot to cook with the other vegetables.

I used baby red potatoes but you can use any potato you want. Also, I always leave the skin on when I add potatoes to soup but that’s optional. I think even sweet potatoes would be good though it would change the flavor a bit.

Fiber and Flavor in My Favorite Salad

September 19, 2020 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

Regular readers know how much I love this salad. Perhaps you have developed a favorite go-to salad much like my perfect no panic potluck salad.

One reason I love this salad it that it doesn’t spoil quickly because the dressing is olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Another reason is that you can easily up the protein by adding beans and tuna. I usually add dill and basil to the dressing and toss. It’s great if you make it the day ahead because the flavor gets into all the veggies and really tastes great.

Of course the taste is something I really love. This time of year adding fresh veggies right out of the garden makes it especially appealing. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and fresh squash or zucchini are such delights.

The big a$$ salad by Pam Sherman is another favorite of mine, but when I don’t have time, I’ll use Heather Lentz’s trick of 3 cups of cut up peppers, carrots and celery for a snack.

What’s your fiber and flavor favorite?

Cooking Cabbage in the Instant Pot

June 14, 2020 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

Cooking cabbage in the Instant Pot is so quick and easy. This recipe is perfect for nights when you need some vegetables quickly. One of the things I like about the Instant Pot is that you can cook things quickly and easily. You load it up and turn it on and only deal with it again when the Instant Pot turns off.

I just have to share this recipe even though it’s another cabbage recipe. We provide a lot of ways to cook cabbage here at the Becoming Elli website. We’ve posted recipes for cabbage soup, keto cabbage, spicy cabbage in the crockpot, and others. Just go to the website and do a search on cabbage. You’ll see what I mean.

You only need three items for this recipe: cabbage, broth, and butter. That’s it. I used chicken bone both but you could use vegetable broth or even water. Beef broth might work too but I’ve never used it.

You can also add some salt and pepper to this dish if you like.

I used Kerrygold butter but regular butter will work well too. I just love my Kerrygold.

Cooking Cabbage in the Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth or water

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 head of cabbage, roughly chopped

Directions

Put broth and butter in the bottom of the Instant Pot.

Place cabbage into the pot.

Put the lid on the pot.

Pressure cook for 6 minutes. You can let the pressure release naturally for a few minutes and then manually release the pressure.

Notes

You can add carrots or potatoes to this. If you add potatoes, increase the cooking time to 9 minutes. The size of the potato will affect the cooking time.

I think you’ll enjoy this recipe. If you try it, let me know what you think. You can email me at jill@becomingelli.com or just leave a message below or on our Facebook page.

Eating Healthy during Uncertain Times

March 29, 2020 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I am finding it difficult to eat healthy and keep my protein, carbohydrate and fat levels in the right amount. Eating healthy during uncertain times has been a big challenge for me.

For some reason I am craving carbs and find it difficult to not gravitate to them. Maybe it is the comfort food aspect?

Maybe its because I’m anxious and a little bored. I’m looking for a comforting distraction.

I’m posting these photos that I took a while back to help inspire me to meal prep veggies and lean protein.

While most of the time I am doing fine, I notice I’m more lonely and find myself having a mini pity party over the things that have been curtailed and the routines that I love that are missing.

I feel that I should just count my blessings, make my gratitude list and stop whining. I’m really lucky in so many ways.

Part of fixing the uncertainty I know is to control what I can. And so, I’m going to try to control my food prep by cutting up lots of veggies and preparing some of the frozen chicken so that grabbing good choices is easier than too many bread/potato style carbs that I have been gravitating too.

How are you doing with your food choices during this time when we are staying home, not going out and staying safe? Are you finding ways to trick yourself into eating healthy during uncertain times? Please jot a comment below or leave a message on the Becoming Elli Voicemail at 330-970-6662. I’d love to hear how you are dealing with all this.

Veggie Blender Dressing – Tricking Myself into Eating More Vegetables

March 7, 2020 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

This veggie blender dressing makes a big difference. Getting lots of vegetables can be more difficult in the winter months. Yesterday I got an idea on how to increase the amount of vegetables I eat.

So often I make the same veggies, my Brussel sprouts, cauliflower or my easy no panic potluck salad.

I thought, what if I use vegetables as the base of my salad dressing? This is my first attempt. It wasn’t bad, but I’m looking forward to making some modifications.

Recipe for Veggie Blender Dressing:

1 large Green Pepper
1 Yellow Squash
1 large carrot

Each of these veggies were rough chopped and placed into the blender (Vita-Mix)

Then I added some liquid: extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice.

I blended the mixture on the smoothie setting and it took about a minute to get smooth and fully mixed.

Pour over a large bowl of spring mix. Toss.

Voila! Spring Mix Salad with a Veggie Blender Dressing. I think this might be really easy and good as a warm dressing over a cooked California Mix frozen vegetable dish.

Have you ever tried using veggies in your dressing? What were your results! Leave a message below.
#veggiechallenge #MoreVegetables

Cabbage Soup is Lunch of Choice

March 5, 2020 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

I am having cabbage soup for lunch today. I made a large batch of soup a few weeks ago and put some containers of it in the freezer to save for later. Today is a cold, snowy day here in Ohio and I’m working from home. I was daydreaming about what I was going to eat for lunch and decided to get a container of soup out of the freezer.

Customizing the Soup

The best thing about this soup is that I can add to it. When I made this soup originally, I added some cooked chicken and beans to the soup.

Today I decided to use up the chopped butternut squash that was in my refrigerator so I chopped it into smaller pieces, coated it with some avocado oil, and roasted it. I intend to add the butternut squash to my soup. I also have spinach in the refrigerator. It doesn’t take long to cook spinach so I’ll heat up the soup, add the squash, and add a handful of the spinach. That makes a great bowl of soup. If I wanted to add protein, some beans or shredded chicken might be a nice addition.

I make the big pot of soup without adding much in the way to seasoning. I’ll add some salt and pepper maybe. When I’m doctoring up the soup for a meal, I can add more seasoning to the smaller bowl. Some ideas on that might be some Italian seasonings or just some oregano with the salt and pepper. Sometimes I add some cayenne pepper to spice it up a bit. I think you could add some taco seasoning to the soup as well. Whatever strikes your fancy will work.

I’ll have some Mary’s Gone Crackers and goat cheese as a side dish. If you read this blog often, you know that I love those crackers.

I just noticed that we have many recipes for cabbage on the Becoming Elli website and recipes for soup but we don’t have a recipe for cabbage soup. The closest thing is Chris’ recipe for vegetable soup. So, let me give you my recipe.

You’ll want to know that you can swap vegetables in or out of this soup. Use what you have on hand.

Recipe for Basic Cabbage Soup

Ingredients

1 Tbs oil (I use avocado oil)

1 onion, diced

3 carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped

1½ cups green beans, chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 can diced tomatoes

½ head of cabbage, chopped into small pieces

8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

Directions

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil and then saute the onion in it until the onion begins to soften.

Add the carrots, celery, green beans, tomatoes, and cabbage.

Pour in the chicken broth.

Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until cabbage is tender.

Notes

When you’re ready to eat the soup, add whatever ingredients you want.

Suggestions could be pasta or noodles, cooked chicken, chopped sausage, canned beans, greens, cooked potato. Use what you have on hand.

If you add white beans, kale, and some Italian spices, top your bowl of soup with some Parmesan cheese.

If you add chicken and cumin, top the soup with tortilla strips or some cheddar cheese.

Consider your soup to be the base for whatever you want.

Veggie and Fruit Smoothie of Green Goodness

December 9, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

This veggie and fruit smoothie isn’t exactly within the parameters of the #VeggieChallenge, so let me explain! We’ve been working on our #VeggieChallenge for almost a year now!

At first, it was easy to try a new vegetable every week. I did pretty well with that for about the first 6 months or so. However, I’ll tell you 24 new vegetables are hard to come up with! (Let alone 52!!)

So then we modified it a bit. The veggie challenge became, try a new vegetable or a new vegetable recipe once a week. That actually went well too.

But this week, I’m going backwards. I’ve gone back to something I used to do quite a bit – veggie and fruit smoothies with a spinach base.

I used to drink these veggie and fruit smoothies on the way to the office, when I had a 30 minute commute back in 2014 and 2015. I was deleting the fruit and adding lemon. However, I found that one day I think I went too far. It didn’t go down right, or I had eaten them too many days in a row.

Now, I’m back to these with just a few days left in 2019, so I guess it took me several years or so to get my taste buds back for this.

I do have to say: This is a DELICIOUS way to enjoy your vegetables. So I’m posting this recipe today for my weekly #VeggieChallenge.

The ingredients are very simple:

Water
LOTS of spinach
carrots
celery
grapes
Granny Smith apple

If you like it super cold, you can add ice, but I since most of the ingredients are refrigerated and I use cold water, it’s fine for me without ice. For people who are into the macros,yes, this veggie and fruit smoothie is almost all carbs, but also has good fiber and nutrients as well.

I am alternating days with the veggie smoothies with other things so I don’t get into a rut and over do it!

What’s your favorite veggie/fruit smoothie? Leave a message and let me know. 330-970-6662 is the Becoming Elli voice mail. Thanks!

butternut squash recipe and veggie challenge

Butternut Squash – Veggie Challenge

October 30, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

There is something so delicious about butternut squash! I thought I’d share my simple way of preparing them.

Turn on the oven to 400 to preheat it.

Prepare the butternut squash:

I find that the skin peel is super hard on butternut squash. So the first thing I do is pierce the skin with three skewer holes and microwave for 2 minutes.

Put olive oil on a cookie sheet. Sometimes I put tinfoil down on the sheet first and then the olive oil. It’s up to you.

While this short microwave doesn’t really cook the squash, it softens up the thick skin enough that I can get a knife into them. I split them down the middle. Place face down on a lightly oiled cookie sheet to prevent sticking. I use olive oil.

Place the butternut squash face down. I usually leave the seeds in place for now. Set the timer for 40 minutes.

When the timer goes off, press a fork into them to see if they are super soft. Mine were just soft, so I cooked them for another 20 minutes, face down.

I flipped them over and removed the seeds. Now it is easy to peel the skin off of them.

Making something from the baked butternut squash:

If you’ve only cooked them until they are soft, it’s easier to cut pieces into chunks. Maybe remove some of the squash from the tray so they are just soft, not super soft, especially if you are using them in a recipe that is not soup.

By cooking the additional 20 minutes, these were fully roasted, very scoop-able and perfect for creating a soup.

I’m planning to make soup from the squash by putting it in my blender with some pumpkin spice seasoning, a little vanilla flavoring and some almond milk. But for now, I think I’ll have one just plain. Delicious.

This doesn’t really count for the #VeggieChallenge because I’ve made these many times since 2007. Up to that point I’d never buy these because I had no idea what to do with them. Now butternut squash is a food staple for me in the months of October and November.

How do you use butternut squash? Do you add it to salads, combine with other squashes or mash it like potatoes? Let me know by leaving a message below.

Happy Halloween and enjoy!