Salted Pumpkin Seeds

Confession - I've never roasted pumpkin seeds before.  I recall my Mom maybe roasting some once when I was a kid, but I've never done it myself.  Yesterday I was talking to one of my wonderful Tastefully Simple team members, Michelle.  She had a fantastic idea of using our new Himalayan Sea Salt Blend with pumpkin seeds!  So...as we were carving last night (or shall I say I...with a little help from my youngest) we kept the seeds this time.

Wednesdays provide BEAUTIFUL late start mornings.  (Have I mentioned lately how I love this alternative to early out days?)  Bring on Google and recipes for how to roast pumpkin seeds.  After a couple different searches, this is what we landed on.  I of course "Tastefully Simplified" it :)

Salted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients
Seeds from 1 pumpkin
1 tsp salt for boiling water  (I used Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt)
1 tsp Tastefully Simple Roasted Garlic Infused Oil
1 tsp Tastefully Simple Himilayan Sea Salt Blend (this was about 40 cranks of the grinder for me)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Clean seeds from pulp of one pumpkin (I did this last night).  Boil water in medium sauce pan and add seeds. Recipes mentioned to add 1 tsp of salt to water.  I used Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt, because that's the salt we use in our house.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain seeds and lightly pat dry with towel.  They don't need to be completely dry - just absorb excess water.

Drizzle oil over seeds and mix slightly to get coverage over all of them.  Spread into single layer on baking stone or pan.  I always use my Pampered Chef baking stone - love it!  Sprinkle with Himilayan Sea Salt Blend.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir - then return to single layer on baking stone.  Bake another 8-10 minutes.  During last 5 minutes - break open a couple seeds to make sure they are not burning inside as the inside cooks faster than the outside.  Inside should be a golden brown.

Remove from oven and give a few more cranks of the Himilayan Sea Salt Blend on the top.  Cool and ENJOY!  These are a light, salty and healthy little snack!  As you can see - we are enjoying them :)  Next year, I'm thinking of trying some of our other seasonings as well.  I think Wahoo Chili would be quite tasty on the seeds.

As a complete side note...I just love this pumpkin dish.  The month before my Grandpa Brock passed away I had purchased this dish with a little plant inside.  It was a complete impulse gift, and one in which I'm so glad I followed that little voice to give him.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup w/ Parmesan and Bacon

I've really been in the mood for Soups & Stews on the weekends lately.  Maybe it's inspiration from the cookbook I got for Christmas.  Maybe it's the cold temps.  Most likely it's because I can make a BIG POT that serves for both lunch and dinner!

This recipe was once again inspired by the cookbook Sunday Soup by Betty Rosbottom.  I made some definite modifications though.  Original recipe calls for Creme Fraiche and prosciutto.  In MY world those convert to sour cream and bacon :)

NOTE:  You'll need an immersion blender for this recipe!  We use ours mostly for smoothies, but they are fabulous for making soups such as this one!  Yes - you could puree the soup in batches with a food processor, but that would be much more work and generate quite a mess - in my opinion.

I was pleasantly surprised how quick and EASY this recipe was to make!  Adding the bacon at the end added the perfect amount of flavor.  While I normally shy away from anything that calls for cayenne pepper (don't like spicy), I found that using such a minimal amount added just the right touch of flavor for this soup.

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3-4 medium leeks, chopped (use only white and light green parts and see * about leeks)
2 heads cauliflower, breaking into florets
8 cups chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 generous shakes of Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
6 generous shakes of Tastefully Simple Garlic Pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4-5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:
Melt butter in a large, heavy pot.  Add the chopped leeks and saute, stirring until softened for about 5 minutes.  Add cauliflower florets, chicken broth and cayenne pepper.  Bring to a strong simmer, then reduce to gentle simmer and cook vegetables until tender (about 20 minutes).

Puree soup (right in the pot) using an immersion blender.  Add Seasoned Salt, Garlic Pepper, sour cream and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Blend a bit more.  Heat on low for another 5-10 minutes.  Serve with crumbled bacon and sprinkle of remaining Parmesan cheese.

I hope you enjoy!!  It makes probably 10+ bowls of soup, so perfect for a large group or ensuring you'll have leftovers for the week.

*  LEEKS:  If you've never cooked with leeks before, check out this video for instructions on how to clean them:

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Breakfast Burritos

After what seemed like the Christmas Break that would never end (sub zero temps causing school to be closed an additional two days), busy schedules are back in FULL SWING!  I knew we were pressed for time tonight, so was searching for something that wouldn't take more than 15 minutes to whip up.

Enter Breakfast Burritos!  Believe it or not...I've NEVER made these!  We often have breakfast for dinner, I've just never gone to the extra effort of wrapping it in a tortilla.  I remembered a recipe book Tastefully Simple published a few years ago - "Tastefully Simple - The Food You Love".  I'm a big fan of recipe books that have pictures!  I need a visual to decide if something really appeals to me for some reason.  I dog-eared this recipe the minute I saw it, but for some reason just never put it on the meal plan.  

It was DELICIOUS!  In fact, the kids started eating their burritos as soon as I started wrapping them.  (I'm normally a stickler for trying to sit down at the table, but I knew we were pressed for time.  And...the kitchen table was full of MY junk too - ha!)  Before I even started eating my own...the kids had already finished 2 each.  Enough said - we will be making this again often!  I did vary the recipe slightly (didn't feel it needed red bell pepper or sour cream)  And yes...I took a picture of the picture in the cookbook.  Don't judge!  As you may have noticed by now...my cooking skills are much better than my photography skills :)

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground breakfast sausage, browned (Original recipe called for 8 oz. turkey breakfast sausages, cut into 1/2 inch pieces)

1 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Onion Onion

12 large eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

10 taco size flour tortillas, warmed (I warm for 30 seconds in the microwave)

1 cup shredded cheese

1 cup Tastefully Simple Corn, Black Bean Salsa

NOTE:  Next time I will buy 2 packages of tortillas, because we had enough mix for at least 3-4 more burritos.

Directions:

Brown sausage and set aside.  Cook eggs with Onion Onion and Seasoned Salt until set.  Combine all ingredients together and stir.  Add about 1/4 cup to center of warmed tortilla.  Fold in sides then roll into burrito.

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Melt in Your Mouth Beef & Barley Stew

Happy New Year Everyone!
We're experiencing BITTER COLD temps this week, so I was on the hunt for a warm and hearty stew.  My mother-in-law gave me this great cookbook for Christmas called "Sunday Soup" by Betty Rosbottom. This recipe originated from this cookbook.  Of course I adapted (aka Tastefully Simplified) it to meet the needs of my favorite products and what I have around the house!  I simplified a couple of the prep steps as well.

Caution:  This is what I would term a 'high-maintenance" recipe.  (Meaning it takes longer than 20 minutes prep, requires more than just cutting and dumping, and contains some ingredients you probably normally don't have around the house)  However, I assure you...the end result will leave you full and content!  It is definitely a recipe I will make again!  And all the healthy ingredients are just a bonus.  It's comfort food at it's best!

Prep:  About 30-40 minutes
Start to Finish:  3 hours

Ingredients
4 -4 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
10 Tablespoons olive oil (approx.)
8 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons Tastefully Simple Merlot Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
1/4 teaspoon Tastefully Simple Garlic Pepper (can substitute black pepper if you don't have this)
2-3 carrots, peeled, halved and cut into half circles (about 1/4 inch thick)
2-3 ribs celery, diced
2 parsnips, peeled, halved and cut into half circles (about 1/4 inch thick)
1 medium onion, diced
8 oz. sliced white mushrooms
1 large potato (I like Yukon Gold for the butter flavor), peeled and diced
1 cup pearl barley
1 teaspoon dried ground thyme

Directions
Cut beef into 1 inch pieces (trimming off excess fat).  Pour about 5 Tbsp olive oil into the bottom of a large stockpot and turn on medium-high heat.  When oil is hot, add enough pieces of meet to fit in a single layer on the bottom of the pan.  Brown all sides of meat then remove with a slotted spoon and place on a double layer of paper towels.  Repeat until all meat is browned.

Remove remaining oil from pot and wipe out with a paper towel.  Return meat to pot and add in beef broth, Merlot Sauce, Seasoned Salt and Garlic Pepper.  Bring to a simmer on medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

While meat/broth mixture is simmering, cut up your carrots, celery, onion and parsnips.  Place 2-3 Tbsp oil in a medium size skillet.  Saute veggies in oil for about 5 minutes, until slightly softened.  Remove from skillet and set aside.

In same skillet, add sliced mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned and softened.

After meat/broth mixture has simmered for 1 1/2 hours, add the veggies (except the mushrooms), cubed potato, barley and thyme to the stockpot.  Simmer, cover and cook for an hour - stirring occasionally.  Add the sauteed mushrooms and simmer another 2-3 minutes until heated through.