Velvet Vegetable Soup & a Birthday Bash! GF, V, BED, SCD!

What a fun evening! While we were up in Wisconsin, my mom and I both celebrated our birthdays! Since it was just the two of us (my dad was in Scotland), the family wanted to celebrate “for real” when we got home!

So tonight, both of my brothers and their wives came over and had a nice birthday dinner! It was so fun. They brought ingredients and cooked up a feast! There’s truly nothing better than enjoying the company of loved ones while dining on delicious dishes:)

the mushrooms add the perfect chewy bite!

When family is together, there will always be:
*lots of laughter
*potential pranks
*recalling embarrassing moments
*soulful jazz piano music (my brother is truly amazing – self-taught!)
*brie cheese and a baguette (I miss both terribly)
*and scotch

catchin’ some sun:)

Speaking of pranks, our family is a bunch of pranksters:) Consider it…a welcome to the family. For instance: the first time my brother’s wife came to visit while they were dating, we saran-wrapped her bed in the guest room! “Welcome! We’re glad you’re here!” haha All in good fun of course:) Luckily no pranks were pulled tonight!

So tonight for dinner, I had two goals. I wanted to make something for myself, so my sister-in-law wouldn’t have to worry about SCD-Legal ingredients. And, I wanted to make something that I could make ahead of time and then just heat up right before dinner so she could have free range of the kitchen.

What does that mean? It means SOUP! :)  Delicious soup to be exact.

Velvet Vegetable Soup!

I had a TON of veggies in the fridge from my grocery haul yesterday, so I simply combined a little of this, and a little of that and created a bomb-diggity vegetable soup!

And it’s Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

mmm mmm mmm!

Here’s what you need: serves 2-3

1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot (1/2 cup chopped)
1 celery stalk, diced
1 cup frozen artichoke hearts
1 stalk of broccoli, broken into florets (1 3/4 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper
3 cups vegetable stock

3 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (garnish)
1 green onion, sliced (garnish)

In a dutch oven, saute your onions and carrots in 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Let them soften for about 3 minutes. Then, add your celery and let it cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in your broccoli, artichokes and garlic and let them cook for about 4 minutes. Add in your liquid, scraping the bottom to get all the “flavor bits” off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 25 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, saute your mushrooms in a small frying pan. I just spritzed them with olive-oil and sautéed them for about 2 minutes.

Take the soup off the heat, and then carefully puree with a stick blender. If you don’t have a stick blender, you can use a regular blender, just be sure to do it carefully in batches since it is a hot liquid! Reseason with salt, and serve garnished with mushrooms and green onions!

wonderful texture and delicate flavor!

This soup was so comforting. Call me Plain Jane, but I just love a good bowl of soup. Feeling the warmth travel through your body is just so soothing. The flavor was so delicate with the broccoli and artichokes. There was just a subtle hint of spice from the chili powder, but nothing overpowering or overwhelming….juuuust right:)

what a dish!

The color wasn’t anything to write home about, but the texture sure was! It was SO silky and creamy — velvety! It was hard to believe that there wasn’t any cream or butter in it because it tasted so rich! And the chewy mushrooms provided just the perfect texture contrast with the silky pureed soup.

What are some of your favorite family get-togethers? Christmas? Thanksgiving? Fourth of July? Impromptu dinners?

Need an immersion blender? Here's the cute one I use and love:

Artichoke & Mushroom “Noodle” Soup! GF, V, BED, SCD!

What a day, what a day!

Artichoke & Mushroom “Noodle” Soup!

Today was a comfort food type of day — you see, my car “broke down” today. It didn’t die, but the oil light came on, and I had to pull off and change the oil.

Except I didn’t know how to do it.

I had to be “rescued.” Lets just say, I know now :P

earthy artichokes! yum!

So, needless to say, I wanted a “hug in a bowl” tonight — and that’s just what I got!

so silky and luxurious!

I made a delicious Artichoke and Mushroom “Noodle” Soup! Creamy and silky, with chewy mushroom noodles! It was exactly what I needed:)

Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet, Specific Carb Diet!

And it’s Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

Here’s what you need: (serves 1 w/ enough for lunch the next day) :)

1 heaping cup of frozen artichokes, chopped
3/4 cup cauliflower florets
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups veg stock
salt and pepper
5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
green onions, chopped (garnish)

In a medium-sized sauce pan, saute your onion in 1 tsp EVOO with salt and pepper. Let them soften for about 3 minutes, and then add your cauliflower. Let it cook for about 3 minutes, and then stir in your artichokes and garlic. Let them cook for about 4 minutes, and then add your stock. Let it come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer, and cover for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and with a stick blender, blend until smooth and creamy. If you don’t have a stick blender, you can also do this in a regular blender. Just be sure to do it carefully in small batches — it’s hot!! Adjust seasoning to taste – I added about 1/2 – 3/4 tsp of salt.

While your soup is simmering, saute your mushrooms in 1 tsp of EVOO for about 3 minutes, until they start to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Serve your soup garnished with mushrooms and green onions. YUM!

delicious!

This soup was literally a “hug in a bowl.” It’s flavor was so comforting — delicate and earthy. You could really taste the artichokes! Just wonderful!

yum!

And the texture was brilliant! The soup was so creamy and luxurious! The addition of the cauliflower gave it a silky and rich quality — superb! It was hard to believe there wasn’t any cream in it! It was so fabulous!

chewy mushrooms!

Finally, the mushrooms were just like noodles! They were chewy and almost slurpy! They were the perfect texture contrast to the smooth soup.

a hug in a bowl!

What did you think of the Opening Ceremony!?

I’m currently watching it right now! :) I love the music!

See ya tomorrow!

Need an immersion blender? This tool makes pureeing soup SO easy! You can also use it to blend smoothies, and make sauces! Here's the one I use and love:

Sweet and Tangy Lettuce Wraps & Gazpacho! GF, V, BED, SCD!

The recipe for these outrageous GF, V, BED & SCD Sweet & Tangy Lettuce Wraps is available in my new e-book cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy, available HERE ---> The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy  - Only $2.99!

Mexican Broccoli Soup! GF, V, BED, SCD!

I know what you’re thinking…another soup recipe? It’s summer! What’s going on here, Caralyn!?

delicious!

Well, Happy Tummies, it’s time to be straight with you. My tummy is not so happy right now.

Mexican Broccoli Soup!

As you may remember, about a month ago, I got a procedure done to see the severity of my Ulcerative Colitis, as this is the 8th month of my flare.

Well, even with all the healing foods, natural homeopathic meds, and Asacol I’ve been taking, it has not kicked my UC back into remission.

mmmmmm!

I have another doctor’s appointment later this week, but I’ve decided to begin the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. This is a diet that has been shown to be beneficial for Ulcerative-Colitis and Crohn’s Disease.

But many of you will be interested to hear that this diet is also beneficial for those of you suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), or those of you who’d like to lose a few pounds. It also has been shown to help autism and Aspergers.

Tomorrow, I’ll get into how it works – this post is long enough as is ;)

As you may know, I’ve been on the Body Ecology Diet to heal the Candida overgrowth I had. I have now completed Phase One of the BED (3 Months) and have gotten the Candida under control, and will now be transitioning to the SCD.

creamy and cool guacamole!

The SCD and the BED are similar, but just different enough to make a difference. The main difference is that the BED allows 4 grains (quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, and millet), as well as Red Skinned Potatoes and Sweet Corn.The SCD is grain free, including corn and potatoes. The BED prohibits all fruit, since it is a NO SUGAR diet. The SCD allows fruit.

I’m still learning about the SCD – highlighting books like crazy, and taking notes like I am preparing for the MCATs.

so creamy!

I know that a lot of you frequent my blog for BED recipes, and I apologize for switching diets. However, I’ve created over 80 BED recipes that can all be found — clearly labeled — on myRecipe Page. Also, since the two diets are similar, there will be a lot of overlap, and I’ll clearly label the recipes that are also BED, or can be modified for the BED.

This switch is something I need to do for my health. It’s kind of the “last-ditch effort” before having to begin one of two MegaDrugs – a biologic or one that in essence, shuts off my immune system.

healthy never tasted so good!

So the reason for the soups, is that I’m giving my tummy a chance to heal, making it do as little work as possible. So my diet these past few days has consisted of green juice, pureed vegetables, and soup. Very exciting, I know. Back to normal tomorrow though:)

I’m still holding off on fruits until the three months on the BED are exactly up – 5 more days! Don’t worry, there will be a celebratory post on that day! :)

And just to be clear: yes I am still Gluten Free, and yes I am still a Vegan (that eats pastured farm-fresh eggs). :)

Now that the “housekeeping” is taken care of, onto dinner!

gluten-free, vegan, Body Ecology Diet, and SCD!

Tonight’s soup was a Mexican Broccoli Soup! It’s Gluten Free, Vegan, Body Ecology Diet friendly & SCD! And it was super delicious!

so dramatic :)

Complex mexican flavors, topped with a cool and creamy guacamole!

Here’s what you need:

2 stalks of broccoli, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/2 cups veg stock
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp cumin
1/4 – 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 – 1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
1 green onion, sliced
cilantro, chopped

Guacamole:
1 avocado
1 garlic clove, grated
1-2 Tbsp red onion, finely minced
1-2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
squeeze of lime
salt

In a large dutch oven, saute your onion in 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, and the spices. Let that cook for about 4 minutes. Then add your broccoli and let it cook for about 6 minutes. Then, add your garlic and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Add your stock. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cover for 15-20 minutes. Readjust salt to taste. Turn off the heat, and then, with a stick blender, puree your soup until it is smooth and creamy. You can also do this in a blender, just be sure to do it in small batches, since it’s a hot liquid! Finish by stirring in the juice of a lime. Serve garnished with green onions and guacamole.

To make your guacamole, Combine all your ingredients in a bowl, and smash your avocado with the back of a fork. Mmmm!

If corn is okay for you (read: not SCD), this would be great topped with tortilla chips!

Yum Yum Yum!

This soup was terrific. The flavors were spectacular! The warm spices with the broccoli paired perfectly with the cool, fresh guacamole. The cumin, chili powder, and paprika gave it such depth of flavor.

love the broccoli!

And something wonderful happened with the guacamole. You could take your spoon and swirl it into the soup, and that wonderfully bright flavor kissed each bite! And topped with the fresh cilantro, it was just delightful!

Happy Tummy Approved!

What’s your favorite type of soup?

Back to non-soup food tomorrow! :)

See ya then!

Need an immersion blender? Here's the one I use and LOVE: