Recipe Archives - Popsicle Blog

1/21/20

Easy Vegan Curried Vegetable and Lentil Soup Recipe

This easy Vegan Curried Vegetable and Lentil Soup is full of veggies and packed with a lot of flavor. Living in Southern California, it’s easy to forget that soup makes a great meal. It doesn’t get very cold here, and usually you think of making soup when it’s cold. But it’s been cold and a little drizzly lately…the perfect time to make all the soup. Because we all know it’s not going to stay cold very long. So here’s a new soup recipe to add to your list.

You only need one pot to make this comforting healthy vegetable lentil curry soup. It’s a vegan soup that even meat eaters will enjoy. It’s an easy, hearty and satisfying soup with a mild curry flavor. The great thing about this recipe is that the prep time is only about ten minutes. Then you put it on the stove to cook and simmer for about an hour and half.

To begin making this recipe, you will need olive oil, onion, curry powder, cumin, tomato paste, vegetable stock, green lentils, broccoli, carrots, parsnip, celery, parsley.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, curry powder and cumin for about 4 minutes or until onion softens. If you prefer spicier dishes, more curry powder can be used.

Stir in the tomato paste and vegetable stock and bring to a boil stirring occasionally.

Reduce the heat to low and add the lentils. Cover the pot and simmer for 40 minutes.

For the finally cooking period. add the broccoli, carrots, parsnip and celery.

Cover and cook 30 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

Finally, stir in some fresh parsley. This adds a pop of fresh and makes the flavors so vibrant. Now you can serve it up! Just add a side of crusty bread and you will have a warm and hearty dinner the whole family will love.

Best of all, if you have leftovers, you can store this soup in the fridge for up to 5 days. It tastes great..maybe even bet reheated. Make sure to add a dash of fresh parsley…because YUM!

Easy Curried Vegetable and Lentil Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon tomato paste
6 cups vegetable stock
2/3 cup green lentils
3 cups broccoli flowerettes
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1 parsnip peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Cook the onion, curry powder and cumin for about 4 minutes or until onion softens.
Stir in the tomato paste and vegetable stock and bring to a boil stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat to low and add the lentils.
Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots, parsnip and celery.
Cover and cook 30 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in parsley and serve.

Notes

This is an easy, hearty and satisfying soup with a mild curry flavour.

If you prefer spicier dishes more curry powder can be used. If you have leftovers store this soup in the fridge for up to 5 days – it tastes great reheated!

Posted by Jill | 1/21/20
Filed Under: Recipe

1 Comment

4/8/17

Knott’s Boysenberry Milkshake Recipe

the Boysenberry Festival is happening right now at Knott’s Berry Farm. it’s one of Knott’s most loved events of the year. there are over 80 different boysenberry foods to choose from boysenberry pizza to boysenberry cheesecake dipped in chocolate….YUM!!!! we had a great time when we visited on opening day. we started the day with a Fun Bun and ended it with a Boysenberry Icee. you can also buy boysenberry products at the Boysenberry Festival, such as boysenberry soap, boysenberry chapstick, boysenberry barbecue sauce and boysenberry jam. Boysenberry punch is a big deal at Knott’s, and you can buy the boysenberry punch concentrate to make your own at home. there is a lot of great boysenberry products available.

so i decided to create a Knott’s Boysenberry Milkshake with some of the boysenberry products i received. monster milkshakes are all the rage right now….so what way to better celebrate the boysenberry festival, than with a monster boysenberry milkshake. to make it, i used the following items – Berry Market Boysenberry Preserves, Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Punch Concentrate, Boysenberry Cotton Candy, and Boysenberry Honey.

the full recipe on how to make a Knott’s Boysenberry Milkshake is below. here are some easy instructions on how to make it.

first, in a blender, add the ice cream and milk. blend till smooth…

next, add the boysenberry punch concentrate.

also add the boysenberry preserves. you can also add fresh berries at this time, about a handful. boysenberries are usually hard to find, so if you can’t find any, blackberries will work. the boysenberry, is a cross between a loganberry, red raspberry and blackberry, so they go perfect together.

now it’s time to make your boysenberry monster shake. using frosting, frost the rim of a large mason jar or glass container.then you can lightly press the cotton candy around the edge.

the boysenberry honey looks pretty dripping down the sides of the jar. make sure to place the jar on a plate.

pour the milkshake into the glass jar and then top with whipped cream.

top with sprinkles and a fresh berry!time to enjoy your Knott’s Boysenberry Milkshake. it tastes like creamy, frozen boysenberry punch. so good!
enjoy!

Posted by Jill | 4/8/17
Filed Under: Recipe

5 Comments

9/8/16

Easy Chicken Parmesan with Pasta That Your Family will Love

September is Family Meal Month! so i have partnered with Smart & Final to bring you this family-friendly recipe for Easy Chicken Parmesan with Pasta that your family will love. having a family meal together every night is very important to my husband and i. it’s a time where we can regroup as a family, get up-to-date with one another and make plans for the week. with our busy school and work schedules, if we didn’t have this time, we might not ever all be in the same place at the same time.

family meals are at a critical intersection in our nation. family meals eaten at home have been proven to benefit the health and wellness of children and adolescents, to fight obesity, substance abuse and to make families stronger—creating a positive impact on our communities and our nation as a whole. but sometimes parents are overwhelmed on how to make family meals happen regularly during the week, without being overwhelmed. the National Family Meals Movement is trying to help with this, and Smart & Final and the Food Marketing Institute have joined. during National Family Meals Month™ this September, help rally the family meals movement! i challenge you to make one more meal at home per week. Smart & Final is uniquely positioned to make family meals at home easier to accomplish. they carry warehouse sized items with the feel and convenience of a neighborhood grocery store and there’s NO club fee. it’s one-stop shopping because you can buy everything from fresh produce to bakery items in large and small sizes. Smart & Final also has great exclusive lines such as First Street, La Romanella, and Sun Harvest that are priced at a great value….this makes shopping for families perfect.

i have shared before how much i love Smart & Final for my family dinners and how they are a staple for my parties. i really enjoy shopping at Smart & Final, and am especially happy because they have just opened a new store across the street from me, so convenient! and now, i am going to share my recipe for Easy Parmesan Chicken with Pasta. this dish is a family favorite. this dish takes less than 30 minutes from start to end!!!!

How to make Easy Chicken Parmesan

to make Easy Chicken Parmesan, you will need the following ingredients:

3 chicken breasts
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1-1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tsp. salt
black pepper
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese

now to prepare the chicken parmesan:

first, prep to your chicken breasts.most packages come with three large chicken breasts. cut each breast in half to create 2 thin chicken breasts. next, the under a sheet of plastic wrap, pound chicken breasts to 1/2″. note: now is also great time to get the water boiling for your pasta.

now it’s time to bread the chicken. in three shallow dishes place the flour in one, 2 eggs beaten in one and the Italian bread crumbs in the other. season the breadcrumbs with the salt and pepper to taste. first, drench the chicken in flour, shaking off the excess. then dip the chicken in the beaten egg, making sure to cover it completely. finally, place the chicken into the breadcrumbs, coating it on all sides.

in a frying pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. oil. place 3 chicken breasts in the pan and cook for 5 minutes, flipping once halfway through. once chicken is fully cooked through, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel. repeat this for the remaining 3 chicken breasts.

now place chicken on a cookie sheet and top with mozzarella cheese. place in oven on the top rack at 400º and bake until cheese is bubbly. note: now is a great time to put the pasta in the boiling water and to heat the spaghetti sauce.

to serve, pour sauce on spaghetti and garnish with parmesan cheese. you can place chicken on top. it also tastes great to spoon sauce over the chicken.

serve with a nice green salad. your family is going to love this one…and i hope that i have inspired you make a few more family meals happen at home! you’ll be happy you did.

yum!

for more great recipes like this one, head over to the Smart & Final recipe page to find hundreds of more recipes your family will love.

{Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. }

Posted by Jill | 9/8/16
Filed Under: Eat, Recipe

1 Comment

8/31/16

Night Cereal: Thai Peanut Crunch

Brought to you by got milk? Food Loves Milk

did you know that “Night Cereal” was a thing? well apparently, high profile chefs around the country are now creating savory… not sweet… “Night Cereal” dishes for their customers. i shared this with my boys… who want to think they will be the next Junior Chefs, and they thought it would be fun to concoct their own version of “Night Cereal.”

we thought and thought about what kind of cereal cuisine we could create. something really unique. when it comes to unique cuisine, my boys aren’t very adventurous. however, they do love Thai food, and we often go to a special nostalgic Thai food place in Los Angeles. they love this place, so why not create a twist on Thai food.

the boys thought it would be fun to create a Pad Thai / Peanut noodle version of “Night Cereal.” Pad Thai is one of their favorites dishes, and what goes better with milk and cereal than a little peanut butter? this was definitely going to be a culinary experience!

to start our culinary cuisine, we needed our hero ingredients! ice cold milk and Corn Chex cereal. you definitely can’t eat cereal without milk.

the rest of the ingredients are pretty simple. besides the milk and Corn Chex cereal, we also needed Thai rice noodles, scrambled egg, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, chopped green onions, and a special peanut Pad Thai sauce.

we filled our bowls with cereal, and then stacked the noodles, bean sprouts, carrots and scallions on top. we also sprinkled some of the scrambled egg around.

next, we added a special peanut Pad Thai sauce over the top. it is a mix of onions, butter, soy sauce, Siracha, peanut butter and apple cider vinegar. i have included the recipe below. this sauce is really yummy!

finally, to finish off our “Goodnight Cereal” we had to top it off with milk. as the boys say, milk and cereal are best friends!

now it was time to try our creation. i must say, it actually was good! you probably wouldn’t expect it, but it tastes almost like our favorite Pad Thai. the Corn Chex added a great crunch, and milk tastes great with peanut butter.

Night Cereal: Thai Peanut Crunch

ingredients
Milk for cereal
3 cups Corn Chex
Thai Rice Noodles, cooked according to the package directions.
1 egg, finely scrambled
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup carrots, shredded

Pad Thai Peanut Sauce
3 Tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter
2 tsp. Soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. Water
1-2 tsp. Siracha

first, make the peanut sauce. sauté onions in butter and sesame oil until translucent over medium heat. turn heat to low and with a whisk, add the rest of the sauce ingredients. meanwhile, cook the Thai Rice Noodles. once the sauce and noodles are ready, assemble the Thai Peanut Crunch cereal bowls. divide cereal among 4 bowls. next, layer noodles, bean sprouts, carrots, scallions and scrambled egg. pour Pad Thai peanut sauce over the top. right before serving, add the milk. eat like you would cereal.

makes 4 servings.

enjoy & GOODNIGHT!!!!

{ This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.}

Posted by Jill | 8/31/16
Filed Under: Eat, Recipe
Tagged With: milk, recipe
1 Comment

11/17/15

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf with Boysenberry Barbecue Sauce

the other day, i ran over to the Berry Market at Knott’s Berry Farm to pick up some of their Berry Market brand items to create a yummy recipe. Berry Market has all sorts of jams, preserves, sauces and syrups, many which are famous all over the world. the Berry Market products are also available online, so if you don’t live here in Southern California, you can still get them. i had no idea what i was going to make, but i picked up a bunch of items that caught my eye and headed home to create a delicious recipe. the Berry Market Boysenberry BBQ Sauce jumped out at me. it was one of my favorite things during the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival, so i decided to create a recipe around it. that is how Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaves with Boysenberry Barbecue Sauce were born.

the recipe was a hit. the Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaves with Boysenberry Barbecue Sauce came out super yummy, and not hard at all to make….even if they look a bit complicated. you can create this recipe in under 30 minutes, and if you prefer to make this recipe in a single loaf instead of individual loaves…that will work just fine. the Berry Market Boysenberry BBQ Sauce has the best flavoring and the surprise of melted cheese oozing out of the loaf, will make this recipe a favorite for years to come.

to make Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaves with Boysenberry Barbecue Sauce, you will need: ground beef, Berry Market Boysenberry BBQ Sauce, mustard, panko bread crumbs, bacon, mozzarella cheese, Berry Market Boysenberry Honey, salt and pepper.

in a bowl, combine the ground beef, Berry Market Boysenberry BBQ Sauce, mustard, panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper….

and finally, the Berry Market Boysenberry Honey.

use your hands or a spoon to combine the meat and ingredients until fully blended. try not to work meat too much.

on a baking sheet, start forming the mini meatloaves. you can place them on top of a piece of parchment paper if you would like. this recipe makes 6 palm-sized meatloaves. i like to use the lid of a large mason jar to make all my loaves uniform in size. it works perfectly. use half of the meat to create the bottom halves of the mini meatloaves.

gently press the meat into to lid until it is formed into a patty, and lift the lid off. be carefully not to press or compact to much, you don’t want the meatloaf to be tough and dense.

you will end up with 6 loosely formed meatloaf patties.

now place a piece of cheese in the center of each meatloaf. i prefer to use 1/2 of a piece of string cheese cut in half for each loaf.

using the last half of the meat, create a top for all of the mini meatloaves. i use the mason jar lid again to make sure they are nicely formed. make sure that the cheese is fully covered and the sides are sealed shut.

next, wrap a slice of bacon around each of the meatloaves. i prefer to use thick cut bacon slices. gently squeeze the loaves as you wrap to create a nice round loaf with the bacon neatly wrapped. you can use a toothpick to hold bacon ends together if you need to.

generously brush each loaf with Berry Market Boysenberry BBQ Sauce.

once you have brushed each mini meatloaf with barbecue sauce, place them into a preheated 350º degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until fully cooked. during the last 5 minutes, you can turn up the heat to 450º to get that final caramelization of the bacon. remove from the oven.
hear is what the finished Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaves with Boysenberry Barbecue Sauce look like when they are finished.

nice and juicy with great barbecue taste. the crisp bacon adds a nice savory flavor.before serving, feel free to brush with more barbecue sauce.

pair with a side of mashed potatoes and green veggie for a warming meal of comfort food.

and wait!!! don’t forget about the cheese. when you cut into these mini meatloaves, melted cheese will ooze out creating a meal that is irresistible. doesn’t that look yummy!the Berry Market Boysenberry BBQ Sauce makes these Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaves with Boysenberry Barbecue Sauce, taste over the top. The have a sweet barbecue smokiness with a kick and a bit of honey sweetness. a comfort food that everyone will love. Knott’s Berry Farm really knows their food. you can purchase Berry Market products online or at the park. the recipe ideas are endless, so pick some up today.

Ingredients
1 pound 90% lean ground beef
½ cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup Berry Market Boysenberry BBQ Sauce
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon Berry Market Boysenberry Honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º degrees. in a bowl, use your hands or a spoon to mix together the ground beef, panko, barbecue sauce, mustard, salt, pepper and honey. Do not overwork the meat. shape half the mixture into 6 patties. be careful not to pack the meat too tightly or you’ll end up with dense and tough loaves. place a piece of cheese on top of each patty. top the patties with the remaining meat mixture. wrap a piece of bacon around each of the meat loaves. use a toothpick to hold the bacon together if necessary. brush each loaf with barbecue sauce. bake for 25-30 minutes. remove from oven when finished. brush with more barbecue sauce and serve!