Black Bean and Corn Fritters
Can I just go right ahead and admit today was just one of
those days. If you have kids then I know you know what I’m
talking about! Having my 8 year old son home for summer
vacation and being super preggo is a lot more then I bargained
for. Hello… when you can’t see your feet how are you supposed
to bend over and pick random things up?? Or bend over and give
the babes a bath?? Or put your own shoes on?? The big belly
struggle is real! #pregnancyproblems
However…. somehow I managed to throw these super fun and
delicious Black Bean and Corn Fritters together and the kids
gobbled them up for lunch. I wish I could say that I served
them with a green veggie or fruit salad but no, the kids are
on a hard boiled egg kick so protein + protein it was. Hey,
nothing wrong with that…. until tomorrow morning when I have
to smell the aftermath of this bean + hard boiled egg meal.
Thankfully my husband wasn’t here!
In other news my husband wants me to stop purchasing kitchen
stuff. How do I put this…nevergonnahappenhubby.
In other, other news Donald Trump is running for president. Am
I missing something here? Is he a politician now? Is he just
going to pay someone off to make important decisions? Am I the
only one super confused about this? And by the way, if you
haven’t seen his Toupee memes I suggest you Google that
immediately and have a good laugh!
AAAANNNNDDD…. Back to the fritters because they are super easy
to make and come together in about 30 minutes from start to
finish. 30 minutes!! They are so easy I would say this would
be a great recipe to let the kids help out with. I served mine
with a nice dollop of sour cream and a little extra cheese on
top and they were just perfect. Hope you all enjoy as much I
we did!
Creamy Chicken and Dumpling
Soup
This super silky milk based soup will have your family smiling
ear to ear on cold winter days. Great for thermoses and
leftovers!
This soup will hit your mouth like BAM! The perfect dreamy,
creamy, comforting chicken soup + dumplings. Does it get any
more comfort food then this? I think not.
While the Holiday cheer was wrapping up I was all like *Creamy
Chicken and Dumpling Soup must happen now!* Parties are over,
gatherings are over, and I don’t have to share with anyone!
This soup = Not for sharing! That is, unless your trying to
impress your hunky new man (or woman), or trying to prove to
your kids that you are indeed the best cook ever and nobody
will ever come close to Mama’s home cooking.
Speaking of Mama’s home cooking… I have an 8 year old that is
determined to tell me about every single time in his life that
he hated my food. Today in the car I heard something along the
lines of:
“Remember that time that you made that lasagna with the
broccoli and squash and you promised me that you were going to
save a corner with no veggies for me, and then you didn’t, and
then you actually burnt it and I hated it. Remember that
time?”
Of course I remember that time honey, the time I actually
tried to get you to eat broccoli and you acted like I was
trying to kill you. How could I possibly forget that you don’t
understand that cruciferous veggies are loaded with all the
good stuff to keep your little body growing the right way? How
could I possibly forget that I didn’t make enough béchamel to
cover the noodles completely and ONE BITE got a little crispy
on top? One….bite….!!!!! Kids, they don’t forget a thing!
Cooking Tips and Techniques
I used chicken breasts for this soup, however you could
sub 2 cups of shredded chicken if you’d like.
I added 1/2 cup finely chopped kale for some extra
nutrients. I added it very last so it didn’t get soggy
and gross. I promise, you can’t even tell it is there!
Oh Hi Kale!
I adapted this recipe for the dumplings. I used whole
wheat white flour, which does yield a courser dumpling.
I advise using whole wheat flour MOST of the time, but
if your family isn’t used to whole grains you might want
to sub 1/2 all purpose. I loved the dumplings, they had
a great flavor, and the longer they sat in the broth the
better they were!
The dumplings will get bigger after you drop them in
your pot. Small dumplings = better dumplings because if
you make them too big you will end up with a weird
center.
Creamy
Tomato
Soup
Cheesy Pita Dippers
With
Creamy tomato soup with cheesy pita dippers. That is it, that
is all she wrote. Need I really say more? If there was ever a
time I wanted to leave it at that, the time is now!
Before we start can we just take a quick moment of silence
(aka pity party) for me, the mom at the grocery store whose
kids are repeatedly yelling the word “Crotch.” I don’t know
how, I don’t know why, but one day that word rolled off my
lips while telling my son to zip his pants and the rest is
history. NOT…A…DAY has gone by since then that they haven’t
used it in every way, shape, and form they could and at the
grocery store is the worst! Can you imagine, me, a young
looking mom, standing next to the smug, know-it-all old couple
while my kids say “I’m working in the crotch.” What does that
even mean!?!?!? Please, pray for me people. Pray that my kids
will find it in their hearts to stop saying “crotch” in the
grocery store because if it happens again I might just jump
into a bulk bin and never come out!
Moving on, this soup is the perfect blend of creamy and tomato
with a hint of cheddar. Not only that, it is very dip-able,
hence the pita dippers! The dippers can be put together in
just a minute and thrown in the oven to complete the soup in a
way that your kids will love. This soup is lunchbox friendly,
freezer friendly, and versatile as I have even made it with
extra veggies. This recipe is a large batch recipe, so I
created it specifically for the moms looking to save some time
by making a large batch and freezing some for later. The
recipe filled my 8 quart stock pot, so the large batch is
large! I freeze this soup in half pint ball jars to use
specifically for my son’s lunchbox thermos and it is always a
big hit. If you are only looking for a regular sized batch,
just cut the recipe in half (included below).
Cheesy Pita Dippers
Ingredients:
Store bought pitas (Food for Life Prophet Pockets
Recommended, if you can’t find them check the
ingredients in your pitas! They should not contain any
weird ingredients, especially partially hydrogenated
oils, preservatives, or bleached flours!)
Extra virgin olive oil
Pink Himalayan or Kosher salt
Freshly grated cheddar/parmesan cheese or cheese of your
choice
Directions: Cut pitas in triangles and brush with olive oil.
Lightly salt pitas, top with cheese, and bake at 350 degrees
for about 10 minutes until slightly browned and crisp.
Regular Batch Measurements
1 stick butter (1/4 pound)
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk (whole or 2% recommended)
4 ounces cheddar cheese
6 cups (48 ounces) strained tomato (I buy strained
tomatoes in a glass jar as I am not fond of canned
tomato products. You can use any jarred/canned tomatoes
as close to measurement as possible that are smooth and
do not contain added salt)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 +1/4 tsp pink Himalayan or Kosher salt
black pepper to taste
*Just for reference, this is the tomato product that I use.
Look in your local organic section or specialty store and they
should carry it. If you can’t find it, again any smooth and
unsalted tomato product will work. Amazon also carries the
product but it is more expensive online even in the bulk
quantity.
Cajun
Pasta
Shrimp
and
Broccoli
My husband went away for an over-night trip with friends and
dropped one of my boys off at his Meme’s house on the way.
Boy, did my house seem eerily quite! I don’t know if any other
moms can relate but don’t things seem so weird even if just
one child is gone? Sheesh it was like I was on a vacation from
my life or something! So naturally, I decided it would be a
great time to cook a spectacular meal seeing I was dealing
with a 1 year old who could obviously care less, and a 7 year
old who was convinced I was trying to hide copious amounts of
broccoli in his food (it was parsley!!) Off to Wegman’s I went
to purchase the biggest, most beautiful wild caught shrimp I
could find. I came home and slathered those babies with a
creamy sauce, cheese, and generous amounts of Cajun seasoning
and boy did I ever feel bad that the rest of my family was
gone when I sat down to eat this meal!
I mentioned that naturally the baby would care less about this
pasta. How wrong did he prove me when he was begging and
begging for more! Not only did he beg for more, he continued
to climb into his high chair over and over until I fed him
more pasta. Then when he was done with that he grabbed his
brother’s plate off the table and proceeded to park his little
tushy on the floor and have a little feast by himself! How
could I really be mad at that cute little face covered in
sauce though?
Plus, he was eating broccoli so that made Mama
happy!
For the noodles in this dish I used whole wheat lasagna sheets
and cut them in half (they were really narrow to begin with).
I have been looking for whole wheat lasagna sheets for the
longest time and was finally able to find some! Funny how a
product that is so widely used is so hard to find in whole
wheat. Regardless, you can use any pasta you’d like for this
dish because the pasta doesn’t really make the dish. I did
enjoy a different type of noodle in this but if you want to
switch it up a whole wheat rigatoni or penne would work
fantastic! I used 8 ounces of pasta total.
Here are the Steps I Took to Cook this
Meal:
1. Cook the Pasta: I used 8 ounces of lasagna noodles, you
can use any kind of pasta you’d like!
2. Season and Roast Broccoli: Sprinkle broccoli generously
with Cajun seasoning and roast in the oven for about 25
minutes while you are cooking your other ingredients.
3. Boil the shrimp: Self explanatory! After you boil the
shrimp peel them if needed.
4. Make the sauce.
5. Layer in skillet.
6. Bake.
7. Be Amazed at How Delicious it Was! Ok this is bordering
on being a gimmicky catch phrase food bloggers use, but
seriously it is really good!
The quicker way to do this would be to boil the pasta, and
within the last few minutes throw in the shrimp and broccoli.
I prefer oven roasted broccoli so that is why I didn’t do
that, but if you are looking to save time this would be the
way to do it!