Creamy Potato and Kale Soup

This semester has been incredibly busy for me. One full-time job, one part-time job, and finishing my degree. Cooking (and even more so, blogging) food has, unfortunately, been low on my priority list. I have been eating old favorites, quick meals, and going out to eat more than I would prefer. So, last night, I had two hours between jobs and decided to toss together this soup to eat when I finished my second shift. It was the greatest idea. I have made & blogged a lot of soups before, but I will say, not-so-humbly, that this is the more delicious one yet. This recipe makes many servings, which is great because it heats up so well. Enjoy!

Veggie Migas

Apparently, migas is one of my new favorite things. I haven't really been exposed to them too much growing up (which, I'm sure to some of you out there is completely blasphemous). They are fairly easy to make and super-filling and delicious. You can add any veggies to it that you want, but I kept it fairly simple for this recipe. I used a recipe from Cookie & Kate (lovelovelove that blog) as a guide and this recipe makes enough for two large servings.

Thanksgiving Quiche

Need something to do with those Thanksgiving leftovers other than sandwiches or Thanksgiving pizza? Grab some of those veggies, potatoes, and stuffing to make a delicious and filling Thanksgiving quiche. This recipe makes one quiche.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
One (1) 9" frozen pie crust -- you can also use homemade pie crust, especially if you have some left over from the holiday.
Four (4) large eggs, scrambled
One & a half (1 1/2) cups of chopped veggies -- I used mushroom, potato slices, onion, and green beans. I'm thinking corn, peas, or any other veggies you might have left over would be a great addition.
One (1) cup of cheese , shredded-- I used sharp cheddar cheese. You can use as many types of cheese as you'd like.
1/2 cup of stuffing
Small handful of Craisins
Two (2) cloves of minced garlic
One (1) tablespoon of butter
Salt & pepper to season 

Directions
Preheat your oven to 425F degrees.
Saute your veggies in butter and garlic until mostly soft.

Place these veggies at the bottom of the pie crust and cover with cheese.
Pour scrambled eggs on top of veggies, until it almost reaches the top of the pie crust, but not quite.

Cover eggs with stuffing and top with Craisins.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until completely cooked through (this may vary based on oven).

Remove from oven and enjoy while it is still warm.

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

If you don't like green bean casserole, but have only tried the Campbell's soup version, I highly urge you to try this recipe before you completely nix the idea. This fresh twist on an old classic is a great addition to your Thanksgiving table. This recipe makes about eight servings and is based off of a recipe over at The Novice Chef.

Pistachio Sesame Vegetable & Rice Bowl

There are so many fresh veggies out there right now, it's hard not to get excited about the possibilities! I tossed together some of the veggies hanging out in my house and made a delicious stir fry, served over brown rice. This recipe makes one large dinner serving or two lunch servings. Enjoy!

Four-Bean Salad

Okay, so you know three-bean salads. They're delicious, healthy, full of protein. Well, I upped the ante and added a fourth bean. I know; I take some pretty intense culinary risks. This healthy and filling salad is perfect with tortilla chips, on a green salad, on pasta, or on its own. Enjoy the protein and the hearty taste! This recipe is based off of a Real Simple recipe and makes a huge bowl.

Hoppin' John

Hoppin' John is a traditional meal to bring luck into the new year. It is usually made with bacon or some other meat, but Thug Kitchen posted an awesome vegan recipe this week. I changed things up a bit and tossed it all in my slow cooker. I served it over brown rice, but I've also heard of it being served with sauteed greens. This recipe makes about six servings. Have a happy & fruitful new year!

Potato Latkes

Happy Hanukkah! The official food of Hanukkah is potato latkes (potato pancakes). My awesome Jewish friend, Rebecca (the same friend that taught me how to make hamantaschen last year), hosted a latke party tonight to celebrate Hanukkah. There are two main ways to make latkes - bird's nest-style and pancake-style - and we made both! Enjoy & happy Hanukkah!

Slow Cooker Herb Stuffing

Why is stuffing primarily a Thanksgiving dish? I mean, it uses up leftover bread (extra points for that, for sure) and is a truly delicious and filling side dish. I am totally an advocate of year-round stuffing. For Thanksgiving dinner this year, I was busy cooking other things, so I tossed all of this in the slow cooker (Stirring occasionally? I think I can handle that) and let it do its thing. This recipe was inspired by A Year of Slow Cooking & fills a 4-quart slow cooker. Enjoy & happy Thanksgiving!

Slow Cooker Three-Bean Chili

I made some chili for a friend's work competition early last month. It was super-easy, since I just put it in my slow cooker all day and let it go. To make it stand out amongst the competition, I used cocoa powder (think mole sauce) and three different kinds of beans (since I wasn't using any meat). This recipe makes about five full servings.

Black Bean Vegetable Soup

Break out your slow cooker for this one. Low & slow is how I chose to make this black bean soup, for a few reasons, but the biggest being that I didn't want to have to watch the soup while I was watching Battlestar Galactica. I know, I know. This recipe makes about four servings & is perfect for the cooler temps that we've been experiencing lately. Enjoy!

Corn Salsa

This is a copycat recipe of Chipotle's corn salsa (one of my favorite toppings to get at Chipotle!). Make a bunch of this and keep it on hand for tacos, salads, or even to snack on by itself with some tortilla chips. This recipe makes a small bowl, but feel free to change what you need to make a batch to fit your needs.

Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos

I went to the beach with a group of 15 friends this weekend and I offered to cook dinner for everyone. The main conundrum was that I wanted a meal that could feed everyone (meat-eaters and vegetarians alike) and that wouldn't require me to sit inside and cook all day while everyone else was lounging in the sun. Enter: the slow-cooker. Tacos also allow for everyone to customize their meal. I made a ton of lentils for this (I had to use a 6-qt slow cooker), but half (or even quarter) the below recipe for a smaller yield. This recipe is based off of the great one over at Kitchen Belle.

Potato Fajitas

This is one of those 'I have too many CSA items and don't know what to do with it all' posts. Not to mention, my sister, who lives in Kansas, just told me that she is hosting a Mexican food party this weekend & I am super-jealous so, that is how this dinner was born. Luckily, fajitas are one of the easiest - and most delicious - ways to use up a ton of produce (if you have zucchini, squash, or any other hearty produce, toss those in too!). The recipe below was used to feed two hungry folks. Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Salsa

I came into a large bounty of fresh vegetables this week, and started brainstorming all of the foods that I can make with them before they go bad. I settled on salsa because it's delicious, easy to share, and uses a ton of veggies! This recipe makes two jars' worth. Enjoy!

Cauliflower Cheddar Soup

I have been sick all week and this soup has proved itself as a perfect comfort food. It has a deep savory flavor and will warm up your whole body. Making it did feel a bit time consuming, but I threw it in my slow cooker so I didn't have to actively watch it. I do wish the photos would have turned out a bit better, but let's blame it on my being sick at the time! This recipe makes about three cups and is based off of this Closet Cooking recipe.

Portobello Sliders

Inspired by a recipe on The Curvy Carrot's website (what an awesome blog name, by the way), I made these delicious and filling portobello sliders for dinner. My recipe is slightly different from hers, since I had different ingredients on hand. My recipe makes four sliders (and feeds about two people). Enjoy!

Lover's Pizza

This pizza recipe is perfect for Valentines Day. I first heard of it from my partner when we met. He says that it is ironically called Lover's Pizza because all of the toppings are foods that you certainly wouldn't want to eat before kissing someone. I think it's called Lover's Pizza because it is so delicious that I want to marry it. Either way, I hope that you enjoy!

Portobello & Veggie Fajitas

Veggie fajitas are awesome because they're really filling and fairly low-calorie. Not to mention that they're super-easy to cook, as long as you have a skillet of some sort on hand. This is a highly customizable meal, so throw in any types of veggies, top with any type of sauce, and season as mild or spicy as you'd like. This recipe makes two generous servings.

Guest Post: Corn & Potato Chowder

MV Banks made us an amazing Kale, Mushroom & Sage Risotto a couple months ago and now she's back with delicious Corn & Potato Chowder!
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The Ravens won, and life is grand.  However, I'm not sure I could eat one more bite of anything spiced with Old Bay, one more seven-layer-dip, or guacamole.  I love avocados more than life itself, but after a prolonged football season, I need a break.  With the cold weather that's swung back in town, what you need is a good, hearty soup that'll stick to your ribs and take extra miles on the treadmill to burn off.  Enjoy the warmth of standing over a toasty stove while there's more snow forecast for the week.

Sometimes my recipe inspiration comes from Tastespotting, a dangerous but wonderful food porn site.  Other days, I turn to Google and just type in what's going bad soon in my kitchen, allowing the handy "recipe" search to find my dinner for me.  Today, it brought me here, and I edited it ever-so-slightly.  I love soup, because it really can so easily become a haven for all things looking questionable.