Spicy Lentil Soup with Chickpeas & Quinoa

Holy Protein! Lentils, quinoa, and chickpeas are a protein packed punch when combined in this delicious and simple soup. I appreciate dishes where there isn't alot of prep time, you don't have to stand by the stove for hours and is insanely delicious. This dish is all that and more.

Sweet Potato Chilli

Spring has not sprung in Rhode Island yet. We had one week where it was 80 degrees F every day, and now it has been dreary and rainy ever since. What happened to the sun? Please come back. Since this weather makes me want to instantly change into sweatpants I decided to make chilli to keep me warm on the dreariest or dreary days! This chilli was originally from Can You Stay for Dinner ( Awesome blog you should totally check it out.)

Recipe Swap: Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

Can I start raving about this recipe now? Wow. This soup is delicious. First off, it was really easy to put together. Basically you chop and drop,simmer,blend and serve. I really enjoy butternut squash in the winter and this soup gave me a new way to use it. I am usually not a fan of overly sweet dishes and I was afraid this would be sweet, but it surprisingly was not. The bacon helped cut the sweetness of the squash and cider. It added really great texture also. A big thank you to Colleen who supplied me with this amazing recipe. Check out her blog, Does not Cook Well with Others!

WIAW & Spicy Black Bean Soup

It's that time of the week again! What I ate Wednesday! Since this month is veggie themed I of course have lots to share!! I took Valentine's Day off this year for a "mental health day." And boy, was it needed. Between getting my MBA, working full time, and blogging I am stressed to say the least. A day to myself where I could do whatever I wanted sounded amazing. I ended up getting a hot stone massage ( OMG) and got all of the knots I accumulated from the past few months kneaded out! Gosh, did that feel good. After that, I spent the whole day lounging, watching T.V and I even got an oil change. My awesome husband even came home early from work before he had class so we could hang out! SCORE!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

I read it was impossible to make brown foods look good. This was my attempt.

So I am on Day 2 of crock pot cooking. The honey lemon chicken was such a hit I figured I would give the crock pot another try. I found this recipe on All Recipes.com.   I was so excited when I found the recipe since I love beef stew. Beef stew is one of those reasons I love Winter. In fact, it might be the only reason I like Winter. It makes you feel so warm inside, especially when the temperatures are dropping here in the Northeast.

Chef Michael Symon's Spicy Tomato & Blue Cheese Soup

I love foods that make us warm when the weather gets increasingly colder. Since Rhode Island has had snowfall already (it wasn't even November yet?!?!)  I figured I would add a recipe that I made from The Chew. Chef Michael Symon made this amazing spicy tomato soup ( spiced up with Sriracha ), but you could use regular ole hot sauce or whatever you want or if you don't like spicy things don't use it at all. A great contrast to the hot sauce is the blue cheese that you stir into the soup and crumble on top. As I ate it I thought crumbled bacon would have been a great addition. How did Michael Symon not come up with that? He is all about Pork. Oh well.. anyway I like this recipe because it is super easy to make.