Recipe: Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup
makes 6 servings, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups each

Ingredients:
1 lb split green peas, rinsed
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4-6 medium carrots
4-6 stalks celery
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
1 tsp dried thyme
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp salt

Directions:
[1] Dice carrots and celery; soften on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes in a pan with oil.
[2] Add all remaining ingredients; raise heat to high and bring to boil.
[3] Once bubblage has been obtained, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 1 hour.
[4] Insert soup into bowl; spoon into soup; then spoon into mouth.

Nutrition Info Per Serving:
250 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 12.5g fiber, 21g protein.

Recipe Cost: $3.77 total recipe; $0.63 per serving.

Enjoy!! ~Jay :D

Foodie Friday: Split Pea Soup With No Meat?!

It's time for another episode of Foodie Friday! This week, we're making Split Pea Soup with no meat! A lot of folks use meat or bones as seasoning, but this flavorful recipe gets by just fine without! I used chicken broth as my base, but this recipe could be made completely vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth. Let's do this!!

Recipe: Shepherd's Pie / Cottage Pie

Shepherd's Pie / Cottage Pie
makes 6-8 servings, depending on how you work dat knife

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey (or meat of your choice)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 medium carrots
4 stalks celery
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp dried minced onion
2 lbs cauliflower
15oz can pinto beans
1 cup cheese
2 tsp seasoned salt (one for the meat, one for the cauliflower)

Directions:
[1] Cauliflower: rinse and cut into manageable sized pieces; boil for 10 minutes; drain; add 1 Tbsp salt; mash or puree until smooth (adding about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid back in if needed).
[2] Meat & Veg Mix: dice carrots and celery; soften on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes in a pan with oil; add meat (raise temp to medium-high) and cook until brown; add broth, worcestershire, onion, and 1 Tbsp salt; simmer 10 more minutes.
[3] Assembly: In 9x13 baking dish, layer meat & veg mix; then beans (rinse & drained); then smashed cauliflower; then top with cheese.
[4] Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until cheese has browned (broil at the end if needed).

Nutrition Info:
- If cutting into 6 pieces: 390 calories, 18g fat (7.5 saturated), 10.5g fiber, 27g protein.
- If cutting into 8 pieces: 292.5 calories, 13.5g fat (5.5 saturated), 8g fiber, 20g protein

Recipe Cost: $9.15 total recipe; $1.53 per piece for 6 pieces; $1.14 per piece for 8 pieces.

Enjoy!! ~Jay :D

Foodie Friday: Shepherd's Pie / Cottage Pie Using Mashed Cauliflower?!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! It's time for another Foodie Friday video, as Jay plays around with cauliflower in the kitchen in an effort to healthy-ize another classic dish... With both Pi Day and St. Pat's this week, it seemed a perfect fit!

Foodie Friday: Black Bean Turkey Chili (Using Dry Beans)

Here's a reboot of our Black Bean Chili recipe, using dry beans!!

Playlist: Carnival Pride - January 2017 - ParoDeeJay

Hey gang! Here's the nifty YouTube playlist for our Carnival Pride cruise out of Tampa in January 2017... woohoo!! :D

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbURfqJTql-za30FQwAZM4OOUE8mi_8rZ

Remember, you can click on the word "playlist" in the labels section of this blog post to see ALL our playlists!

Playlist: Carnival Vista - November 2016 - ParoDeeJay

Hey gang! Here's the YouTube playlist for our Carnival Vista inaugural Journeys sailing out of New York City in November 2016... woohoo!! :D

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbURfqJTql-xftkFDjftsVA-n1wdK77v6

Remember, you can click on the word "playlist" in the labels section of this blog post to see ALL our playlists!

Playlist: Carnival Pride - December 2015 - ParoDeeJay

Hey gang! Here's the sweet YouTube playlist for our Carnival Pride cruise out of Baltimore in December 2015... woohoo!! :D

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbURfqJTql-zDRVGE7mzIboDYNFJpWwgh

Remember, you can click on the word "playlist" in the labels section of this blog post to see ALL our playlists!

Playlist: Carnival Fantasy - October 2015 - ParoDeeJay

Hey gang! Here's the handy dandy YouTube playlist for our Carnival Fantasy cruise out of Charleston in October 2015... woohoo!! :D

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbURfqJTql-xNdBB3uRhtFayywCvvApPx

Remember, you can click on the word "playlist" in the labels section of this blog post to see ALL our playlists!

Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Makes About 8 Servings (1/2 cup each)

Ingredients:
Tahini (Sesame Paste), 3/8 cup
Lemon Juice, 1/2 cup
Canola or Vegetable Oil, 2 Tbsp
Salt, 1 tsp
Ground Cumin, 1 tsp
Garlic Powder, 1/4 tsp
Chickpeas, two 15oz cans, drained
Roasted Red Peppers, 12oz jar

Directions:
[1] Combine lemon juice & tahini in food processor. Process for 1 minute, scrape down the sides, then process for 30 seconds more.
[2] Add oil, garlic powder, cumin & salt. Process for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides, then process for 30 seconds more.
[3] Add half the chickpeas and half the red peppers, then process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides, add the rest of the chickpeas and red peppers, and process for 1-2 minutes until thick and smooth.
[4] If the hummus is too thick, add 2-3 Tbsp of either the liquid from the red peppers (my preference), the chickpeas, or just plain water, and process until it reaches the desired consistency.
[5] Grab some veggies or healthy chips, and get dippin! :)

Nutrition Info (per 1/2 cup serving): 215 calories, 11.1g fat (1.4g saturated), 21g carbs (6.9g fiber, 1g sugar), 9.1g protein ... Cost Per Serving (at my store, anyway): $1.18

Enjoy, and until next time... rock on!
--Jay :)