Tag: dairy free

Easy Chipotle Pumpkin Soup

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Fall in the mid-Atlantic region is funny. We have a couple of perfectly crisp days in September, but summer temperatures often linger into October. Then, suddenly, the temperatures drop and it’s cold. Sure, 55 °F may not be cold to our family in Wisconsin or friends in Boston. But when it’s 80° one day and 55° the next, 55 is cold!

Once the weather snaps like that, I’m ready for steaming tea, cozy sweaters, and hearty soups. Isn’t everyone? This week’s recipe was inspired by that desire and by one of the seasonal soups now being served at Cosi.

I call it easy because I kept it super simple. You don’t need to buy pumpkins for roasting and you don’t need to scour the grocery store shelves for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. We actually had everything in our pantry or fridge already! I hope you find it as simple to make and enjoyable to eat as we did.

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Pad Kra Prow Beef

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This recipe is one of our favorites at the local Thai restaurant. Initially, I was hesitant to even try it because it smelled incredibly spicy. Brent continued to encouraged me, and I finally tasted it one day he chose to order it without the “extra spicy please” request. I was surprised by how much I liked it.

Our version came out a little less saucy than our Thai place, but the flavor is just as rich and delicious. Plus, it comes together rather quickly—in 15 minutes or less. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.

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Caramelized Onion Dip

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There’s something about football season that brings people together in our circles; and when we gather, we eat. Dip is an easy way to serve up a lot of vegetables for a crowd, but unfortunately supermarket platters are expensive and normally packed with junk. We’ve made dip before, and it was a hit; but I wanted to try something new.

Growing up, and even to today, my dad was known to snack on potato chips with sour cream dip. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine, too, which inspired me to concoct this caramelized onion dip. It’s a great version of the classic dip with shallots, onions, and coconut cream instead of sour cream, yogurt, or a combination thereof.

Our caramelized onion dip is best made the day before, and it’s great for game-day snacks or dinner party appetizers. With both savory and sweet flavors, it’s a crowd pleaser. We hope you’ll give it a try with your favorite vegetables, or some well-sourced potato, taro, or other tuber chips.

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Mast-o-Khiar (Persian Cucumber Mint Yogurt)

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Brent and I flew to and from Germany for vacation last month on Turkish Air via Istanbul. Although the flights were long, they were mostly comfortable and the flight attendants served us plenty of food. I don’t expect airplane food to be tasty, but all three meals on each flight were surprisingly good! One item in particular, the Mast-o-Khiar, caught our attention. I do not typically tolerate dairy well; but the yogurt smelled so fresh, I had to try it. (Guess what—I didn’t have a poor reaction!)

Then, this past weekend, I encountered the slightly sweet cucumber and mint yogurt again while I was with my mother having lunch after my second wedding dress fitting. This time it was a little more soup-like, but the flavor was fantastic. It was just as light, cool, and refreshing as the Mast-o-Khiar on our flight. Our waitress kindly told me the key ingredients, and I knew then that I wanted to recreate it dairy-free at home.

This is great as a snack or light dessert, but even better when it’s served with spiced meats. We have a yummy pairing coming soon (here it is!), so stay tuned! Be sure to read all the way to the bottom of this post to see a sneak peek.

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Strawberries with Homemade Chocolate Frosting

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Brent and I do not put a lot of stock in Valentine’s Day. We usually surprise each other with random acts of kindness year round, rather than saving them for a calendar occasion. That said, we still celebrate a little on Valentine’s Day just for fun. We usually stick to a silly Valentine’s Day card, and leave it at that.

This year I decided to try my hand at a fun dessert with strawberries and homemade chocolate frosting. (Honestly, when I saw the strawberries at Wegmans this morning, I had to have them for our date-night-at-home tonight. We’re going to enjoy shrimp, steak, and roasted root veggies. Why not treat ourselves to a little something sweet, too, on this sweetest of holidays?) Strawberries alone would be great, but I’ve been itching for an excuse to make frosting. So, now I’ve done it!

We hope you enjoy this simple, and super fast, sweet treat tonight or anytime you want to sit back and savor life’s goodness.

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