Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

adapted from Rachel Ray's Smoky-Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Soup is not something that I normally love. Don't get me wrong. I do like soup. But it has to be good. Really good, in order for me to enjoy it. However, I love sweet potatoes, I love bacon (who doesn't!?) and I love spicy stuff. So I decided to give this recipe a whirl. And if you don't don't like bacon or want a vegetarian version, just don't add the bacon as a garnish. Easy Peasy.

My rating: ★★★★★

After a few minor adjustments, this soup has become my favorite soup ever. Seriously. I like my soup to be chunky and I love cheese, so I added feta and extra bacon. I have already made this soup three times since I first found the recipe three months ago. However, I don't recommend this as a family meal, unless of course your kids like hot stuff. It definitely has a kick to it! 

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• salt to taste
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 teaspoons of adobo sauce
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons milk (I used 1%, but you could use anything)
• 1 teaspoon grated peel and juice of 1 orange
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pepper
• sour cream, bacon bits and feta cheese, for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, add the sweet potatoes and cover with water. Bring water to a boil, add salt and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil, add the onion, carrot, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Cook until the onions are softened, 6-7 minutes. 
3. Stir in the chicken broth, water, orange peel, orange juice and cinnamon.Simmer about 5 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
4. Add the broth mixture to the sweet potatoes in the pot and puree with an immersion blender (you could also use a full size blender) Stir in milk.
5. Serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle bacon and feta cheese on top. 

Sausage, Kale & Gnocchi Soup

Wow. This came out incredibly. Got rave reviews from the man of the house. Original recipe found here.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground hot italian sausage (definitely go for the hot sausage)
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups of kale, roughly chopped and stems removed
• 1 pound of gnocchi
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper, to taste
• freshly shaved Parmesan. 

Instructions

1. Add hot sausage and diced onion to a large stockpot.  Cook over medium-high heat until the sausage is browned.  Drain out any excess grease.
2. Add in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer (still over medium-high heat).  Once it reaches a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and add the kale and gnocchi and stir to combine.  Continue cooking for 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in the heavy cream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Serve warm with freshly shaved Parmesan

My Rating: ★★★★★

Another winner here. Simple. Easy. Delicious. It's hard to beat that. 

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie

This is a traditional irish shepherd's pie and it's quite good. I almost used beef, but come on, that's not a traditional dish. You gotta use ground lamb. It's the best for this meal.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 2 cups frozen veggies (I used peas and carrots, but you could do corn and green beans as well)
• 1 can of cream of mushroom
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups of mashed potatoes (seasoned with butter, milk and salt/pepper to taste)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown ground lamb in skillet, with onions and garlic
3. Make your mashed potatoes (You can do this ahead of time if you'd like)
4. When the meat is browned, add the flour, cream and 4 T. butter. Stir to combine.
5. Add in the frozen veggies and stir. Cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add the cream of mushroom soup. Stir well. Cook until heated through, season with salt and pepper, as needed.
7. Pour lamb and veggie mix into a greased casserole dish.
8. Cover the beef and veggies with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese, optional
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

 My rating: ★★★★

This recipe is definitely a winner. Tasty. Simple. No frills or thrills. Just a traditional and classic Irish Shepherd's Pie. You can't go wrong. 

Smoky Roasted Chicken

Here's a quick and easy dry rub to add some zing to your roasted chicken.

Ingredients

• Chicken wings or drumsticks (bone in, skin on)
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 Tablespoon sea salt
• 1/2 Tablespoon pepper
• 
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Toss chicken in melted coconut oil
3. Mix spices in a ziploc bag. Add chicken to bag and shake until coated.
4. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, turning once after 20 minutes

My rating: ★★★★

This is an excellent rub. I usually like my roasted chicken with lemon and garlic, but this was a very good alternative.  I served this chicken with a Baked Sweet Potato with Feta and Honey.

Baked Sweet Potato with Feta and Honey

This dish makes an excellent side for any meal. I love sweet potatoes and I love feta. Throw in a few more things that bring out the flavors of both and voila! I will be remaking this in a couple weeks for Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients

• 3-4 sweet potatoes
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I use low fat and it tastes just the same to me)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (for a little extra kick)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into bite sized cubes. 
3. Toss the sweet potato cubes in oil and bake on  parchment covered baking sheet for 20-25 minutes.
4. Drizzle with honey, balsamic vinegar, feta and chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper. 

My Rating: ★★★★★

I feel like I say this all the time. But soooo delicious and easy! Seriously, I am a little obsessed with feta. So if I can find something that I can pair with it, I will!

I served this with Smoky Roasted Chicken.

Hot Italian Sandwiches

Another easy meal! Very tasty and satisfying. Adapted from this recipe here.

Ingredients

• 4 Hoagie Rolls
• 8-12 slices of salami
• 8-12 slices of pepperoni
• 8-12 slices of deli smoked ham
• 4-8 slices of mozzarella
• butter
• Italian seasoning
• 1 tomato, sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler
2. Mix the softened butter and Italian seasoning and spread evenly on inside of hoagie rolls.
3. Broil for 2-3 minutes, to toast bread.
4. Remove rolls from oven, layer your meat and cheeses to your liking. Top with sliced tomato (You can also add grilled onions, grilled peppers or banana peppers)
5. Return to broiler for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted.

My rating: ★★★★★

Definitely a tasty and easy sandwich to throw together. The Zucchini Fries were more time consuming, but not by much. They went excellent together. 

Baked Parmesan Zucchini

Absolutely unbelievable. A tasty and healthy alternative to traditional fries. I slightly adapted the recipe that I found here.

Ingredients

• 3 zucchini, quartered lengthwise
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup egg beaters (I use this low cholesterol alternative, but an egg will do)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl combine Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Pour egg beaters into a separate bowl
4. One at a time, take your zucchini and dip into egg, then gently roll in parmesan mixture. 
5. Place zucchini on parchment covered baking sheet. 
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Then broil for 2 minutes. 
7. Serve immediately, with side of sweet onion mustard sauce.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Awesome appetizer or side dish. Really easy and super delicious. I served this with some Hot Italian Sandwiches.