My Cooking Spot

When Girl Meets Kitchen



Pho-Tastic Soup: Homemade Veggie Pho Soup Recipe

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This fragrant soup is centered around the broth, the unique spices, like cinnamon, star anise, and coriander make this soup so rich in flavor.   Pho is one of my favorite soups, its simple ingredients are paired so perfectly with the distinct flavor of the broth. Most of the Vietnamese restaurants I have dined at do not have vegetarian broth accompanying their veggie pho. Pho is traditionally made with beef broth and this is the type of broth that is normally in the veggie ones as well, so I decided to master the broth so I could enjoy this soup in my humble abode.  I hope you enjoy!

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Green Chile Broccoli Mac & Cheese

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Some might say it’s a little sad… but I really do love mac & cheese. I used to be all about the boxed stuff, but within the last few years, I’ve really taken to finding some delicious and creative recipes that take mac & cheese to a whole ‘nother level.

Just to give you an idea of how good this mac and cheese is, I made this pan full on Monday night, it was gone by Wednesday at lunch. And there were only two of us eating it. It’s still mac and cheese so I won’t go promising that it’s completely healthy, but you can at least feel good about knowing exactly what you’re eating, which is something you can’t say about the boxed stuff.

 

Alright, you might be thinking, broccoli and cheese, I get that. But green chile? Let me back up. I’m from New Mexico, where we put green chile on everything. I’m not talking about chili you see at a cook off or chili peppers from the produce section, I’m talking about THE New Mexico state vegetable. It’s a type of pepper only grown in New Mexico because of the extreme dessert climate. It can be used similarly to jalapeños or more like a salsa that goes on top of different food. New Mexicans eat it on everything, from breakfast eggs to chicken enchiladas at dinner. I’ve had green chile mac and cheese many a time at a local restaurant.

The broccoli, green chile, and bread crumb topping add so much complexity to a relatively simple dish! Each bite has a totally different consistency, based on whichever combination of ingredients you get. Green chiles are known to be spicy, although I didn’t find the canned green chiles to be spicy at all. If you aren’t crazy about spice, you might skip the green chiles. But if you love it, I might recommend two cans of the chiles, so there is enough for the whole dish.
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Winter Braising Greens Soup

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Winter Braising Greens Soup

Another wintery month means continued sparse pickings at the local farmers markets. Without doing the work to preserve produce from growing season – the local options become quite limited. Squash, potatoes, and greens populate the sparse tables of most of the farm booths. The later one, the greens, begins to pique my interest because they look a bit different than during the rest of the year.

During these chillier months, all the greens are sold in miniature size. Completely adorable but also perfect for cooking with since there’s no cutting or de-stemming required. I like to buy the pre-washed bags of braising greens for the quick convenience – great for quick weeknight dinners like pureed soups.

This soup meets a number of allergy friendly requirements as long as you use vegetable stock and oils considered safe for whatever needs you’re serving. It’s vegan, gluten free, and makes a great way to get in a good serving of dark leafy greens.

Winter Braising Greens

Makes 4 servings

 

 

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Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake

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Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe

I’ve been looking for the perfect cake to bring to dinner parties, and I think I may have found it. This cake is the perfect amount of delicious without being too sweet.

Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake

The prep time is quick and fairly easy. It only takes about 10 minutes to whip up this easy batter.

 

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When I tested this recipe, it took a lot longer to bake in my springform pan, so I would recommend making two layers and baking the batter in two 9 inch pans. That way you will be sure the cake will cook all the way through in less cooking time.

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