Fisco Nordic Center! 1-30-17

I had an amazing time on my skating skis and then on my snow scooter at the Frisco Nordic Center! The weather was amazing and the scenery was too!

My Friend Joanna and I Go Ski Scootering!

My friend Joanna and I both now have Snow Scooters! Today, we tackled a hill at Bear Dance Golf Course in Larkspur, Colorado. It was so much fun! It feels a lot like my Razor scooter...has a brake in the back and is great going down hills!

The Netherlands welcomes Trump in his own words

This video is SO FUNNY!

 

Vegan Vegetable Stew

I made this today!  It is wonderful!

• Hearty Vegetable Stew - From the Brand New Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 stalk of celery, minced
• 1 medium carrot, minced
• ¼ cup of low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 oz Button Mushrooms, sliced
• Portobello Mushrooms
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• ½ cup of white wine (ok to sub with more broth, but the wine really adds a good flavor)
• 3 cups of low-sodium veggie broth
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground pepper
• 15oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 2 yukon gold potatoes, rough chopped
• 8oz can of tomato sauce
• ½ tsp kitchen bouquet
• 1 tbls balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbls cornstarch
• 1 cup of frozen peas

Instructions

1. Mince the carrot, celery stalk, and small onion very fine.
2. Saute this mixture in ¼ cup of veggie broth until the veggies are nice and soft.
3. Add the large chopped onion and continue cooking until softened.
4. It’s ok if the liquid gets a little low – the brown bits add to the flavor.
5. Stir in the seitan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the mushrooms and cook on medium high until they lose their liquid.
7. Season with the rosemary and italian seasoning.
8. Add the wine and deglaze any brown spots in your pan. (This is the good stuff!)
9. After a few minutes add the rest of the broth, the tomatoes and tomato sauce.
10. Add all your chopped veggies and turn the heat up to boil.
11. Add the rest of the seasonings – but not the cornstarch.
12. Once it’s boiling, turn down the heat to low and add the peas.
13. Mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water and stir this in to thicken.
14. Simmer to desired consistency.

Andersen's Split Pea Soup - Copy

Andersen's Pea Soup is so good, but we can't purchase it in Colorado, so I had made a copycat recipe that is GOOD!




  Ingredients:

• 2 cups green split peas
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled into very small pieces
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Sort the peas and rinse them clean.
• Combine the peas, celery, carrot, onion, thyme, bay leaf and cayenne in a soup pot and cover with eight cups of water.
• Bring the pot to a boil. Keep at a high simmer for 20 minutes.
• Reduce heat to a low simmer. Let the mixture cook for another 25-30 minutes till the peas are completely tender. Towards the end of cooking, add the seasoned salt, then add salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the peas are tender, put the hot mixture in a blender and liquefy.
  
  
  Pour the liquid soup into a large serving bowl and enjoy!  
  
  
  Note: We like eating this soup with croutons and veggie bacon bits!

Panera Bread's Black Bean Soup - Copied

Everyone in my family loves Panera Bread's Black Bean Soup.

We found several copy cat recipes online, but decided to duplicate with this one at the link below:

• Black Bean Soup that tastes just like Panera’s - From Treble in the Kitchen

Yields: about 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1/2 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 small chicken bouillon cubes (I actually used 2 cups of vegetable stock in place of the chicken bouillon and water)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 3 (15 oz) cans black beans, undrained
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

In a pot, combine the first six ingredients; simmer for 10 minutes.
Add 1 can of beans, salt, chili powder, cayenne and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.
Puree soup in blender or food processor.
Add the rest of the beans to the soup.
Combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold water.
Add the lemon and the cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.

ENJOY!!