Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Chickpea Veggie Soup. Vegan. Gluten Free.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Gluten Free, Holiday, Pasta, Running/Races, Soups, Stocks/Broths, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 1 Comment

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Chickpea veggie soup.

This recipe was a fun remix sparked by The Minimalist Baker‘s latest cookbook.  Traditionally, I would always take my leftover turkey bones/meat and make my version of chicken noodle soup.  The cold temperatures.  The leftovers that had been worked over numerous times already… this recipe was always a welcome sight plus it froze perfectly for future, timely dinners.

Flip ahead 4 years & although I don’t have meat leftovers – I have a plethora of veggies leftover that I want to use up.  When I was flipping through my new cookbook I saw that Dana had a chickpea veggie soup and BAM!  The idea hit me that I could make my soup with chickpeas for the protein.  It came out perfectly and makes a huge pot.  We had some for dinner and froze leftovers for a easy prep dinner in the future.

You can easily add whatever veggies you have on hand and if you do eat meat & have leftovers – feel free to add that too.  I prepared  vegan/gluten free ramen noodles for our soup but brown rice, leftover quinoa or a small pasta would work nicely as well. I prepare & store it separately.

Happy meatless Monday!
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— Knead to Cook

Chicken, Ham and Kale Soup.

by Filed Under: Chicken, Italian-inspired, Pork, Soups, Stocks/Broths, Wheat Free 2 Comments

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First before I get into the recipe at hand, I wanted to let you know that I have since deleted (it takes 14 days) my Knead to Cook Facebook page because they continually make it difficult for my posts (and other bloggers) to share recipes and photos.  Despite having over 70k fans only 1-2k were ever getting to see a post a time and managing my efforts and time – that wasn’t working.  I will continue to post on my website along with my Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest feeds so fear not.  Happy 2014!

I whipped this soup/stew or stoup (ha ha) up right after Christmas with the leftover ham that we had on hand.  You can always tell when you family tires of leftovers and it’s time to reinvent.  This recipe came to me on the elliptical at the gym.  Braising meat always brings out the best flavors and it is the easiest dinner ever.  I added some nutritionally packed kale and this dinner was out of this world.  I left my chicken pieces (I used cut up breasts) in large pieces but you can choose to either shred or cut smaller for more a soup feel.

Perfect for cold and chilly days like today when the kids are home from school and you need something to warm your bones.  Enjoy!

 

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— Knead to Cook

Sweet Potato, Pear and Sage Soup.

by Filed Under: Brunch, Featured, Fruit, Soups, Stocks/Broths, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 12 Comments

 

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As many of you know I was unfortunately down and out last week.  I had surgery on my finger the week prior and contracted a staph infection that landed me back in the hospital this past week hooked up to IV’s.  I’m so thankful to be home surrounded by family and good friends.  Boy the things we take for granted!  Despite my finger being bandaged and unable to really get in the kitchen and cook up a storm – I have to rely on my wonderful husband to help me, which he gladly obliged!  After my run on Sunday we whipped this up (had just picked up some fresh sweet potatoes and pears) and thought it would be the perfect dish on our first chill-in-the-air fall feeling Sunday.  It turned out beautifully and even my pickiest loved it.  Winner!

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— Knead to Cook

Dried Fava Bean Hummus.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Condiments, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Indian-inspired., Party Foods, Snacks, Stocks/Broths, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 4 Comments

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I often buy bags of beans (thanks to Bob’s Red Mill) that look interesting or something I haven’t tried before.  Now I’ve eaten fresh fava beans but never dried so I grabbed the bag and vowed to make something this week (and not let it get buried in the back of pantry never to be seen again).  This is a crazy (yes, another) week with three swim meets, one of which we are hosting amongst construction in our house, training and our swim banquet.  My eye is twitching in stress as I type this (ha ha).  So in my free hour that I was blessed with today, I grabbed the beans and cooked them according to the package directions.  It only took about 40 minutes.  The texture is similar to a baked potato when done.  They are packed with protein, fiber and iron!  Perfect as I haven’t been eating meat in the past few months.  And this is what I did with them after draining…

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— Knead to Cook

Homemade chicken broth in the slow cooker.

by Filed Under: Stocks/Broths Leave a Comment

 

 

Last evening my husband make a lovely roasted Rosemary chicken.  I knew today’s weather was going to be quite chilly & knowing how much my family loves chicken noodle soup… I decided to make some homemade broth in my slow cooker overnight.  Homemade broth is incredibly tasty and you control the spices/salt etc.

Ingredients:

1 carcass of a chicken roaster
5 carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs of fresh Rosemary (or 2 tsp of dried)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of whole peppercorns
2 cloves of garlic (cut in half)
Water

Directions:

Turn your slow cooker on low and place the carcass in the cooking vessel.  Cover with cold water.  Then add the remaining ingredients.  Cook overnight and in the morning strain the broth (into a tupperware container) discarding the bones, seasonings and vegetables.  Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.  I then skim off any fat that has congealed at the top and then I either freeze or use immediately – like I’m doing today for chicken noodle soup.

 

 

— Knead to Cook