Roasted Bacon Carrot Soup

If heaven was a soup, it'd be this one. OMG it's so delicious. I know I say that about a lot of things I cook. But this one really is a standout. It's a hearty mix of pureed roasted veggies, coconut milk and lots of bacon. It doesn't get much better than this. As Ben said, "We need to have this soup often." And it's paleo and free of the Top 8 Allergens too!

I served the soup with the Corn Free Cornbread. We've been making that bread a LOT lately and we're still not sick of it. Tommy wolfed down his lunch. I think it's safe to say he approves!

Roasted Bacon Carrot Soup

12 oz bacon
~12 carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp black pepper, divided
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried basil
14 oz can full fat coconut milk
14.5 oz can chicken stock
4 cups water

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place bacon on two rimmed baking dishes. Bake for 12-17 minutes until crispy.
3. Remove bacon but reserve the bacon grease.
4. Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
5. Toss the chopped carrots, onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and garlic powder with the grease on one of the pans. Toss the cauliflower, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, paprika and basil with the grease on the other pan.
6. Bake the veggies for 30-40 minutes or until soft and browned. Stir once during baking.
7. Puree the veggies in batches with the chicken stock.
8. Heat the puree, coconut milk and water in a dutch oven pot until warmed.
9. Finely crumble the cooked bacon and stir in before serving.

Sloppy Salad

Yesterday I didn't feel like going to the store, so I decided to make Sloppy Joes for dinner since I had a can of Sloppy Joe Sauce and extra buns from the weekend. Today I used the leftover meat in a salad for lunch. Disclaimer: this recipe isn't really Tommy safe. The prepared sauce has "spices" and "natural flavors", which may mean that it contains mustard. So no sauce for Tommy. But, it is dairy, gluten, rice and egg free. I bought a ton of tomato paste at a case lot sale recently, so in the future I'll make my own Sloppy Joe sauce that Tommy can eat too. Dinner last night was good, but this salad was delicious!  

Sloppy Salad

1/2 cup Sloppy Joe Meat

2 cups chopped lettuce

1/2 avocado, diced
Juice from 1/2 lime

1. If using leftovers, warm meat.

2. In a salad bowl or plate, layer lettuce, meat and avocado. 
3. Squeeze lime juice over the top. Enjoy!

Sloppy Joe Meat

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 large onion, diced

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 bag coleslaw mix (just the vegetable mix, not the kind that has dressing)

1 can Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce

1. In a large skillet, cook turkey, onion and pepper over medium heat.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook over medium low heat until the cabbage is wilted and the sauce warmed.

3. Serve on buns or use in Sloppy Salad

Paleoalmost

I have several friends who are doing the Paleo/primal living diets. So far everyone seems to love them, lose weight and have more energy. I've been feeling like I'm somewhat in a rut these days. So maybe it's time for a change.

I'm thinking of making a shift to a Paleoalmost diet. I guess it's more like the clean eating philosophy. We're pretty close to that right now when we eat what Tommy's eating. I won't go all hard core strict, more like making a general shift. I'm not going to let myself feel like a failure if I want a bagel or pizza occasionally.

Tommy's allergic to nuts and egg whites, so those will still be off of our meal plan. I guess basically I'm going to try and live to Tommy's diet more. I try to cook dinners we can eat as a family, but the rest of the day I tend to eat a lot of wheat products like bagels or bread. 

Tommy had another follow-up appointment with the allergist today. He got blood drawn for RAST testing again. I would love if some of Tommy's numbers are finally decreasing, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I asked for a referral to a Dietitian just to make sure that we're on the right track with Tommy's diet. He's growing well and happy. I just sometimes worry that he's not getting enough fat in his diet. And possibly eating too many orange foods (his pediatrician did notice that at one of his check-ups when he was younger).

So I guess I'll be joining Tommy on the dairy-free, high fiber, non-processed, lower sugar, gluten free diet. Starting tomorrow...

Chicken Taco Soup

Thursday was a beautiful and chilly day. It was a perfect day for a crock pot soup. Last week's family crock pot recipe was provided by our cousin. It's for Chicken Taco Soup. I made a few adjustments based on what we had in the house and Tommy's allergies. Here's our version below. I served this with our Corn Free Cornbread. Tommy loved it the first day but wasn't so crazy about the leftovers. We thought it was great.

Chicken Taco Soup

12 pieces frozen chicken tenderloins
2 - 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
16 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 - 4 oz cans diced green chiles
12 oz gluten free sorghum beer
1 cup diced onion (1/2 of a large onion)
1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano

1. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.
2. Cook on low 6-8 hrs or high 3-4 hrs.
3. Shred chicken an hour or so before serving. 

If You Like Bacon, You Need to Make This (Loaded Roasted Squash)

We took a long weekend and went to Moab with several friends and their families. It was such a wonderful trip. Plenty of time outdoors, good food and great laughs. But now it's back to real life. 

Corona Arch

We loved the soup I made last week so much, that we're having hot dogs again tonight just so we'll have leftovers. And this time I won't be using lentils. The soup's on the menu for Friday, so keep an eye out for the recipe.

So tonight we're having turkey hot dogs, Loaded Roasted Squash and salad. A nice healthy meal after a weekend of overindulgence. This squash recipe is so good. It's like having loaded mashed potatoes, but with less calories and a lot more nutrients. 

I like to make all of our own salad dressings. I love the flavor of fresh dressings so much better than the ones I've had from the shelf. I like salad dressings that are more on the sweet side and light on the oil. So today I'll share my recipe for my Balsamic Vinaigrette. This is my usual go to salad dressing. I like to chop up an apple and have it soak in the dressing for about 10 minutes while I finish the rest of dinner before I add the lettuce. 

Loaded Roasted Squash

2 medium acorn squash

1 medium butternut squash

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 Tbps coconut oil

1 bunch of green onions, sliced

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. 

2. Cut squash in half and scrape out seeds. Place squash cut side down on baking sheet sprayed with oil.

3. Bake for 45 minutes until the squash is tender.

4. Let the squash cool for a few minutes. Scoop out the pulp and discard skins. 

5. In a dutch oven pan, combine squash and the rest of the ingredients. Heat until warmed.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 Tbsp maple syrup

1/2 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp whole seed mustard

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 small apple (optional)

1. Combine all ingredients at the bottom of a large bowl. Stir together to combine.

2. Optional: Core and dice an apple. Toss it with the dressing. Let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Add lettuce and toss gently. 

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Well, now it's looking like lentils are causing Tommy to have some eczema on his face. It's nothing near as bad as the eczema he gets from dairy, but it's there nonetheless. It's frustrating. Just when I think we've got a good handle on his allergies and am creating tasty recipes, he reacts to something else. 

The redness is worst for about an hour and then it's just a mild eczema outbreak. So he may be ok with a little bit of lentils every once in a while. Tommy's allergist once said that allergies that appear as eczema are less likely to lead to anaphylaxis than reactions like hives. 

Sometimes I feel like I'm kicking butt cooking with food allergies. Today is not one of those days. 

You'll Eat These Hot Dogs One Way or Another! (Lentil Soup)

Tommy's allergic to beef, so I was excited when I found nitrate free turkey hot dogs. We grilled some last week and they actually taste pretty good. But Tommy wouldn't even eat them. I haven't tried making gluten free hot dog buns yet, so I just chopped his up and served it with some roasted sweet potatoes. He meticulously picked out all of the hot dogs pieces and threw them on the floor. 

We had a BBQ  this weekend, and I thought we'd try the turkey hot dogs again and see if Tommy liked them better this time. He wound up having pulled pork for dinner instead, so we were left with a bunch of leftover grilled turkey dogs. Since they were something Tommy can eat, even if he doesn't like them, I was determined to use them. 

I looked around our pantry and fridge and determined there was enough stuff to make a lentil soup. OMG, it is soooooo good. It's Tommy first time having lentils, but so far it seems to be going ok. He has redness on his cheeks after he eats the soup, but it's temporary and isn't actual hives. So we'll continue the trial for now. Tommy may not be willing to eat straight hot dogs, but he LOVES this soup. I served it with the Corn Free Cornbread and Tommy asked for seconds! Success!

Lentil Soup

4 turkey hot dogs, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 cup lentils, rinsed
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients except for the Creamy Cauliflower Sauce in a crock pot.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
3. Add the Creamy Cauliflower Sauce and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes.