Homemade Lentil-Carrot Soup

Good Afternoon food lovers!

Today here in New England the weather is a cool breezy 60 degrees, with the sun selectively showing up. I was thinking of what I could make today or what I was in the mood for, and something was telling me I should try another soup!

I wanted to make a soup that was Spring-like with a variety of flavors, trying to stray away from traditional Winter soups that I'm sure everyone is sick of by now. 

As I was rummaging through my cabinets, I came across a bag of uncooked lentils, and my curiosity took off from there. I had never cooked with lentils before and wanted to give this a try! Researching recipes gave me plenty of ideas and inspiration, allowing me to use everyday ingredients without running to the grocery store. 

That is how this was created...

Lentil-Carrot Soup

This soup was very simple and easy to make! Total prep and cook time was about 90 minutes, which isn't bad at all! This allowed me to do other things around the house while my soup simmered. When it was done, all I needed to do was blend it and ta-da! Instant lunch ready to go. 

Let's Get Cookin' 

Ingredients:

- 1 Sweet or Yellow Onion, chopped

- 4 Cloves of Garlic, chopped (I chopped 3 cloves and used 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic)

- 3 Stalks, or 1 Cup of chopped Celery

- 2 and a half Cups of chopped Carrots (Long or Baby)

- 1 Bag of uncooked Lentils (About 2 Cups worth) 

- 14 oz. can of fire-roasted diced Tomatoes

- 2 Cans, (or 4 Cups), of either vegetable, chicken, or beef broth (Low Sodium)

- 5 Cups of Water

- 2 Bay Leaves

- 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

- 2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste

- 1 Tablespoon of dried Parsley

- 2 and a half Teaspoons of Cumin

- 2 Teaspoons of Black Pepper (Plus more to taste)

- 1 and a half Teaspoons of Paprika

- 1 Teaspoon of dried Basil

- 1 Teaspoon of dried Sage

- 1 Teaspoon of dried Tarragon Leaves

- 1 Teaspoon of dried Thyme 

- 1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

- 1/2 Teaspoon of Onion Powder

- Salt to Taste 

Garnish: Diced Green Onions with either Parsley or Cliantro in center.

Sprinkled Paprika or Red Pepper around the outside.

Step 1

Take a large pot and place it on your stove.

Add the olive oil with your onion, garlic, and celery. Add a little salt and black pepper. 

Cook these for 3-4 minutes or until onions begin to soften. 

Onion, Garlic, Celery

Add the carrots, cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 7-10 minutes. Add just enough water to fill the bottom of the pot if vegetables start to stick, and oil disappears. This will keep them from burning.

Adding the Carrots

Step 2

Once the carrots have softened, add the broth, additional water, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste, bay leaves, and all the seasonings/spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Stir every 15 or so minutes. 

Everything mixed together before the simmer!

Step 3

Take a look at your soup. Taste the broth and add more seasonings as you see fit. 

Add more salt if needed, black pepper, etc. Make sure the lentils are cooked at this point and soft. If not, keep simmering until they are. Once they are soft follow step 4.

Lentils and ingredients are fully cooked

Step 4

Shut the heat off from the pot and take out your soup blender. You can try using a regular blender if you do not have one. The picture below is me using a hand blender, they are perfect for soups!

Starting to blend

Once the soup is blended to your liking, you are done! I prefer it blended as much as possible. The soup obtains a thick and creamy consistency that way.

TIP: For those who like a spicy soup, add a tiny bit of Sriracha to taste and enjoy :)

Taste the soup once more before adding any additional salt or seasonings, and your lentil soup is complete!

You can continue simmering the soup after if you want to keep it hot or serve right away. You can even freeze this for later use. 

What kind of soups do you enjoy in the Spring/Summer? 

Let me know if any of you decide to make this, and how it comes out! 

Thanks for stopping by! xo

Food in the Windy City

Hello Food Lovers!

I hope you all have been enjoying the March weather changes as cold Winter is slowly turning into beautiful Spring! 

I know I have been absent from attending my blog posts here, but for any of you that have Instagram that is usually the best place to get all of my recent updates! I post photos more often there: @fabulous_foodie_ 

This post is focusing on my recent trip to the Windy City of Chicago! 

Chicago Eats

My weekend trip was short, but that did not stop me from eating 3 things I had set my mind on weeks before I landed in the Windy City!

First Stop: Drinks

Sugar Factory
5445 Park Place
Rosemont, IL

Lollipop Passion

I have heard many great things about the Sugar Factory! Upon arrival to Chicago, I had called for dinner reservations and realized they were booked for dining ALL WEEKEND. It was my fault for not calling in advance. Fortunately they are open very late, until 3AM, and for those 21 and older you can arrive and be seated by the bar if there is availability. 

Luckily my friend and I got in around midnight and we were able to order one of the Sugar Factory's special drinks.

The drink itself is HUGE. My friend and I spilt 1, which was plenty for both of us. 

First, they place the drink set up on the table with it's candy garnish, empty inside.

Then the server starts pouring the drink, which has been prepared and shaken, and that's when the magic happens. 

The drink starts smoking!! It is the coolest thing, and of course eventually it slows down and stops but in that moment it starts, it's memorizing.

If you ever get the chance to stop by and experience the Sugar Factory, I would highly recommend it! (They also offer their drinks to be non-alcohlic, for those underage). 

Currently you can find this restaurant in select locations: 

Chicago, Miami, New York, Orlando.

City Exploring Lunch: Pizza

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
805 S State Street
Chicago, IL

Small Cheese Deep Dish

One thing I do wish I had more time for in Chicago was to be able to explore ALL of the proclaimed, "Best Pizza in Chicago." This place here was probably the most popular of the proclaimed pizzas. 

The place was busy, but expected since this was a Saturday afternoon lunch stop. The pizza takes 20-30 minutes to make, so we placed our order ahead of time while we waited to be seated so we wouldn't have to wait long once we got a table. After all, we knew we were going to order pizza before even seeing a menu!

The pizza was flavorful, cheesy, and melted in my mouth. 

I will say however, that the pizza itself was extremely rich so after a few slices I was overwhelmed. I had gotten the small size thinking I would finish it no problem, but next time I will get the personal size, which is a little smaller. 

Cheese-in'

I would highly recommend this place based on the great service and experience for the famous 'Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza!'

Morning After Cure: Chicago Hot Dogs

Portillo's Hot Dogs and Italian Beef
100 W Ontario Street
Chicago, IL

Traditional Hot Dog

First let me start off by saying I NEVER eat hot dogs. It's a food I am not very fond of, I probably haven't eaten a hot dog for years. Something about them freaks me out. However, while in Chicago my cousin recommended we stop at Portillo's because they are supposed to have amazing city hot dogs.
The hot dog itself was incredible! The flavor and loaded ingredients inside was exactly what I would expect from a city hot dog. Now that I've had this experience, I can go back to my hotdog-less diet life.

Inside Portillo's

I thought the inside of the restaurant was decorated really neat! They had all sorts of stage props near the ceilings that gave this place an old-fashioned city feel.

Ani, Ossanna, Eva, Me, Marissa, Lucille

Well, that is all folks!

Special thanks to the ladies I spent my weekend with. They made this weekend extremely memorable and also put up with my constant food pictures :) 

My question to all of you is:
Where are your favorite places to visit in Chicago?
What food establishments need to be added to my list?

Leave a comment or suggestion, this hopefully won't be my last visit!

Thanks for stopping by! xo

Homemade Pizza

Hello Food Lovers!

It has been a LONG two months since I've posted, but I am back!!!

With the busy rush of holidays and my last semester of school, keeping up with my blog had become a challenge. With a new goal set that I am aiming to post at least once a week, I hope I can continue to inspire and share all my ideas and passions around food!

Here is my latest discovery...

The Very Best Homemade Pizza

Ahhh, pizza. 

Probably my most guilty pleasure.

I know my pizza doesn't look the prettiest, but for my first attempt I have to say it's alright. The flavor is what REALLY matters here, and let me tell you, from the dough to the sauce and all the toppings, this pizza is the bee's knees. Also, this outcome is wayyyyy healthy then pizza you would order on a Friday night.

Today I am going to teach you how to create your own dough and out of this world pizza sauce. Toppings of your choice are all you need additionally for each pizza, (choice of cheese, meat, veggies, etc.).

Let's Get Cookin'

Ingredients:

For Your Dough: (Makes enough dough for 2 individual pizzas)

- 2 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour

- 1 Envelope or Packet of Active Dry Baking Yeast

- 1 Cup of Warm Water (About 110 degrees F)

- 1 Tablespoon of Sugar

- 1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

For Your Sauce: (Makes PLENTY, you'll have leftovers)

- 1 Entire 28oz. Can of Crushed Tomatoes, no salt added

- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste

- 1 Tablespoon of Sugar (Or start with 1 Teaspoon and add accordingly) 

- 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons of Dried Basil

- 1 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder

- 1 Teaspoon of Onion Powder, or a similar spice

- 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons of dried Oregano

- 1/2 Teaspoon of Thyme

- 1/2 Sea Salt

- 1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

- Optional: 1/2 Teaspoon, (more or less), of Red Pepper Flakes

Step 1 (Sauce)

(If you REALLY want the most out of your sauce, make it the night before if possible.

It'll give some time to let the flavors sit and taste better the next day).

Grab a medium or large bowl and empty your can of crushed tomatoes in the bowl.

Add in all your spices and ingredients. Mix well.

The tomato paste is great for thickening your sauce, feel free to add more if you prefer a thicker pizza sauce.

Refrigerate until needed.

Getting Ready!

Everything in the Bowl

All Mixed Together!

Step 2 (Dough)

For the dough, allow yourself at least 90 Minutes to prepare and let sit before actually cooking with it. If possible, make the night before and refrigerate so it is ready to go the next day. 

Grab a measuring cup and from your faucet add a cup of hot water. Use a thermometer to test the degrees, Around 110-125 F is where you want it. Set aside.

Take out a large mixing bowl, add your sugar, warm water, and packet of yeast to the bowl. Whisk quickly together. Keep an eye on your bowl. When you notice the yeast starts to foam rapidly, then continue to the next step. Note: Bubbles may arise but the foaming looks different. See pictures below.

Mixture RIGHT after whisking.
Bubbles, but no foam

The middle of the mixture, right near the bubbles, is foam.
It's dark, thick, and starting to spread.

Once you see the foam, take 1 Cup of your flour and add it to your bowl. Use your whisk and mix it for 75 turns, and then stop.

Mixing during the 75 turns

Finished with the 75 turns!

Next, add the remaining 1 Cup of flour and use your whisk to slightly mix and fold your dough into the remaining flour. Once most of the dough has absorbed the flour, use your hands and fold the dough. Add sprinkles of flour to the dough as needed. Dough may be a little sticky at first. You want a dough that is stuff but also squishy, not too wet. 

Folding the dough in additional 1 Cup of flour!

Complete!

Step 3 

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside in a room temperature or warm place, (away from the cold), and leave it alone for 45 minutes. 

Step 4

When you check on your dough, you will notice that it has increased in size and has risen.

Punch it down once in the middle and leave it alone for another 20 minutes. 

Step 5

Once 20 minutes is up, divide the dough into two parts! You now have 2 balls of dough to make two individual pizzas with! Use right away, refrigerate for a few days for future use, or freeze the dough if you plan on saving it longer than that. 

Step 6, Pizza Time!!!

To cook your individual pizza, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

They will need to bake for 12-15 minutes, add more time if needed. 

I found 15 minutes as the perfect cooking time.

Grab a baking sheet, cover in aluminum foil to save yourself some cleaning time, and add some olive oil to keep your dough from sticking. 

Grab 1 of your dough balls and add flour as needed to keep it from sticking on your counters. Use a rolling pin to spread it out and then use your hands to complete the shape.

Spread it on your baking sheet for desired thickness of crust. 

Fold the edges inward to create the end of your crust.

Crust ready to go!

For an added option, you could add cheese in between your folded crust edges to create a stuffed-crust! (Let me know if any of you do this, and how it comes out)!

Step 7

Add your sauce, followed by desired toppings. For a healthier pizza, you could add mashed avocado to replace cheese, or just add avocado as a topping in general! (Use it and thank me later). 

Here were some of the creations:

My Sister's Pizza:
Sauce, Cheese Mix of Mozzarella and Parmesan, Tomato Slices, Avocado, Broccoli, Spinach, Mushrooms, Green Onion
Once out of the oven, topped with fresh basil

 

My Boyfriend's Pizza:
Sauce, Cheese Mix of Mozzarella and Parmesan, Tomato Slices, Avocado, Green OnionOnce out of the oven, topped with fresh basil

My Pizza:
Sauce, Minced Garlic, Avocado, Tomato Slices, Daiya Mozzarella Cheese, Spinach, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Green Onion
Once out of the oven, topped with fresh basil

Well that is all I have for today! Fresh Homemade Pizza is the best kind.

This was easy and fun to make! How do you like your pizza?

Leave a comment or suggestion below, and let me know if any of you create your own pizza!

Thanks for stopping by! xo