Tasty Tuesday - Tons o' Veggie Vegetable Alphabet Soup

I missed the past few weeks with recipes because the things I was making didn't turn out very good. But I have a good one this week that I'm really happy about it. Plus, I really like the sounds of "Tasty Tuesday" over "Recipe Wednesday" so I'll be posting new recipes on Tuesday now.

The website that I'm using for weightloss, SparkPeople.com has a recipe website as well called SparkRecipes.com. I've really been wanting a hearty veggie soup lately so I started looking on there. While I found some REALLY good one's I decided that I wanted to make my own, picking and pulling from the things I liked in those. I also added some few things too, which makes this recipe pretty much my own!! As I've said before I'm not really good at coming up with my own recipes so this is great! I'm starting to feel more courageous with me cooking :).

This recipe made a TON of food and totally overflowed my crock pot so I had to transfer it to a big pot!

One of the things I really like about using SparkRecipes is that they calculate all of the nutritional info and give  the per serving breakdown (which is what I post with each recipe on here).

Here's my recipe for Vegetable Soup! Happy eating!

1 serving = 2 cups (recipe will make 8 servings)

   

- 28oz can diced tomatoes

- 32oz vegetable/chicken/beef broth (recipe uses veg)

- 3 cups water

- 3 large carrots, diced

- 2 stalks celery, diced

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 1.5 lb red potatoes, diced

- 1 leek, sliced (white part only)

- 1 tsp fresh thyme

- 5 cloves garlic

- 3 tsp Mrs. Dash Table Blend (or your favorite seasoning)

- 1 zucchini, chopped

- 2 cups peas

- 2 cups corn

- 2 cups green beans

- 1 bay leaf (1/2 tsp crushed)

- ½ cup alphabet pasta (or similar small pasta/rice)

1. Combine broth, water, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, potatoes, leek, onion, thyme, garlic, Mrs. Dash, and bay leaf in a large crock pot. Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

2. Add corn, zucchini, peas, and green beans. Stir well, recover and continue cooking on high for 1.5 hours. (This is when I had to move mine to the bigger pot. I cooked it on a medium/high level)

(OVERFLOW!!!)

3. Add pasta, cover and cook for another 15mins.

 

Serve in a bowl and enjoy! Perfect for warming tummies on a cold day!

*If you used a full bay leaf remember to remove it before serving.

**I served with french bread that I sprinkled some freshly grated Parmesan cheese on and toasted.

Recipe Wednesday - Deanna's Banana Raisin Bread

With all the people in my life that love to cook I think it would be fun to showcase them, and their recipes, once a month. This one comes from my step-sister Deanna, also known as my niece's Mom. She is a very creative cook who isn't afraid to try new things and have fun with what she makes.

This is one of those recipes that is never made the same way twice, yet is always super moist and delicious...you can add nuts, take out the raisins, not put the brown sugar on top...however you like it! After the recipe check out a quick interview with Deanna. Happy cooking!

Deanna's Banana Raisin Bread 

1 serving = 1 slice

* 2 cups flour

* 5-6 medium bananas (about 2 1/3 cups mashed)
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp nutmeg
* 1 tsp allspice
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup raisins (optional)

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350degress. Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice in a large bowl.

 

2.  Cream butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar in a small bowl

 

3. Beat 2 eggs in a separate small dish

4. Peel and mash bananas in their own dish as well (it helps if you have the best banana masher ever help you)

 

5. Add the eggs, butter mixture, vanilla, bananas, and raisins to the dry ingredients and mix well.

6. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9x5 bread pan and crumble remaining brown sugar on top.

 

7.  Place in oven and back for 60 - 65 minutes.

 

8. Slice into 12 pieces and serve. 

 ***For an added bonus, try toasting your piece before eating it...soooooo tasty!

Meet Deanna

1. Tell us about yourself:

 I am a single mom and a part time student. I love being a mom and all the hard stuff that comes with it. I love food. I love to cook and make yummy meals. 

2. Why do you like to cook?

I love to create. The best thing about cooking is you get to eat what you create. I love to experiment with recipes. It is so much fun. The more I cook the better I become at it.

3. Your favorite thing to cook:

I love to bake, but my favorite thing to make is meatloaf. Using my hands is the best part; getting it all in the perfect texture. I wouldn't be able to tell if I was mixing it with a spoon.

4. Your favorite type of food?

Mac and cheese for sure. I love homemade mac and cheese. I have not found the perfect recipe yet but I am working on perfecting one! (Side note: I can't wait to try it when she does...and I'll make sure you share it with you all!)

5. Anything else you'd like to add?

You won't know if you are a good cook unless you try. So get up and try sometime. Also taste something before you serve it to other people; sometimes it just needs a little something else that was not on a recipe.