Creamy Vegetable Soup

 Ingredients:

3 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced 

3 zucchini chopped

2 cups chopped broccoli florets

1 large onion chopped

1/4 cup butter of choice

2 cartons of vegetable broth (about 8 cups)

2 large potatoes - peeled and shredded 

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

2 cups of either heavy cream, plant based cream, half and half or whole milk

Directions:

Put everything in a slow cooker and stir except the cream/milk.  Cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.  Add cream/milk and cook for another hour.  Remove some of the soup - 2-4 cups (depending on preference) and blend in a blender until smooth and then pour back in and stir and serve.

Moist Vegan Banana Bread

 3 medium overripe bananas - bananas should be more brown than yellow

⅓ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup brown sugar

⅓ cup canola oil (or your favorite baking oil)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans, vegan chocolate chips, or your favorite banana bread stir-in)

For the topping - 1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Lightly oil a 9-inch loaf pan and arrange a strip of parchment paper width-wise along the center, with just a bit hanging out over each side.

Peel the bananas and place them into a large mixing bowl. Mash them well with a fork or potato masher.

Add sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla to the bowl. Stir until well-mixed.

Add the flour to the bowl, then sprinkle the baking soda, cinnamon and salt on top of the flour.

Stir everything together just until mixed. Don't overmix. The batter will be thick.

Fold in the walnuts.

Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle the top with brown sugar.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack. Allow the loaf to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Slice and serve.

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

 

• 3 ½ cups peeled and diced potatoes

• 3 ¼ cups water

• ¾ cup diced cooked ham

• ⅓ cup diced celery

• ⅓ cup finely chopped onion

• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules

• 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste

• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

• 5 tablespoons butter

• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups milk

Combine potatoes, water, ham, celery, and onion in a stockpot. Bring to a boil; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in chicken bouillon, pepper, and salt

Melt butter in a separate saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour; cook and stir until thick, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk; cook and stir until thick, 4 to 5 minutes

Pour milk mixture into the stockpot; cook and stir until warmed through.

Serve and enjoy! 

Peanut butter chocolate lasagna

 Crust

36 Oreos regular, not double stuffed, with the cream included

1/3 cup butter melted

Peanut Butter Layer

8 oz cream cheese softened

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar aka confectioners sugar or icing sugar

8 oz Cool Whip 2 cups

Chocolate Layer

7.8 oz Instant Chocolate Pudding 2 boxes (4 serving size)

2 3/4 cup milk

Topping

8 oz Cool Whip 2 cups

1/3 cup peanut butter warmed in microwave

1 cup mini Reese's cups chopped

Place the Oreos in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Add melted butter to the Oreos in the food processor and pulse until combined. Press into bottom of 13×9 pan. Place the baking dish in the fridge for at least 10 minutes as you prep the other ingredients.

Use a mixer to combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar and peanut butter until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Fold in cool whip until fully incorporated. Set aside.

Whisk together instant chocolate pudding and milk until thickened.

Remove the baking dish from the fridge.

Pour the peanut butter-cream cheese mixture over the chocolate cookie crust and smooth down using an offset spatula.

Next, add the pudding layer and smooth out.

Top with Cool Whip. Sprinkle the chopped PB cups on top.

Warm the peanut butter in the microwave until it reaches drizzling consistency. Drizzle PB over the top. Chill until ready to serve

Chocolate Lasagna

 1 package Oreo cookies (36 cookies)

6 tablespoons butter melted

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 1/4 cups milk plus 2 tablespoons, divided

1 (16 ounce) tub whipped topping thawed and divided

2 (3.9 ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix (see note 1)

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips for garnish 

In a food processor, or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, crush the Oreo cookies into crumbs. In a medium bowl, add Oreo crumbs and melted butter and stir to combine.

Pour into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crust firmly and evenly into the bottom of baking dish.

In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with an electric mixer, add cream cheese and beat until fluffy. Add sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk and beat until combined.

Stir in half of the whipped topping (about 8 ounces) to cream cheese mixture. Spread cream cheese mixture over cookie crust and refrigerate to set, about 10 minutes. 

While the cream cheese layer is chilling, using a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment, or with an electric mixer, on medium speed add instant pudding and remaining 3 ¼ cups milk. Beat until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Spread pudding mixture over chilled cream cheese layer and refrigerate to set, about 10 minutes. 

Once set, gently spread remaining 8 ounces whipped topping over pudding layer and garnish with mini chocolate chips. Cover loosely with cling wrap and chill for 4 hours, or freeze for 1 hour. Cut into slices and serve. 

Rebeccas cheesy baked Ziti (Primo Pastia)

 1 16 ounce box of Penne, cooked al dente

1 pound sausage, cooked crumbled

1 24 ounce marinara sauce, or spaghetti sauce

1 8 ounce cream cheese

Mozzarella cheese, measured with your heart

Cook and crumble the sausage. When done, add the Mariana or spaghetti sauce and stir. Add the block of cream cheese and allow to melt, turn heat to low so it doesn't burn and stir every so often until mixed. 

Cook pasta until al dente, almost cooked and drain. 

Add pasta to sauce and mix. Pour into a greased 9x13 dish and top with as much mozzarella cheese as desired. 

Bake at 350 degrees covered with Aluminum foil for 20 minutes, uncover and bake another 10 minutes. 

Enjoy! 

Sweet Potato Casserole

 Sweet Potatoes:

4 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes

2 large eggs, beaten

½ cup white sugar

½ cup milk

4 tablespoons butter, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

Pecan Topping: I suggest strongly tripling the topping

½ cup packed brown sugar

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter, softened

½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Prepare sweet potatoes: Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium-high heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.  Or use a large can of yams, smash.

Mash drained sweet potatoes with a fork. Add eggs; mix until well combined. Add sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt; mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Make topping: Mix brown sugar and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter until mixture is coarse and looks like peas; don't overmix. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle topping over sweet potato mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven until topping is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.