The Impulsive Kitchen

Hey - it's been a minute since my last post, but things are still going well.  I hope to post more in the coming days, weeks, months and years. I have mentioned before that I have a kitchen garden that I try growing organic vegetables, I have had some luck with it.  Okra is something that grows very well in the $#!%%y mid-Atlantic clay that I have in my Falls Church backyard. Okra also freezes very well, so I have a freezer section that is full of 2 cup (5 oz) portions of okra. Full disclosure - I LOVE OKRA, and I grew up in the deep South of the US where it is cooked a lot.  Some are put off by the 'slimy' quality that okra can have.  Having grown up with it I don't mind it - I like how it thickens anything it's added to, but some find it off-putting.  You can cut some of this by par-boiling okra for 3 minutes by itself before you add it to anything, but, to me, you may as well just go and make something else. AmIRight? This 5-2 diet friendly soup is ...

Long time, no post.  I'll try to fix that this year. This is something to do with leftover ham from Christmas.  It relies on a LOT of convenience items (condensed soups) that I don't use a lot.  These Cream of Whatever soups are fantastic shortcuts in the kitchen, but they tend to be a little heavy on sodium and bland - so you really need to add your own flavors to make the dish special.   In a large skillet or sauce pan: Melt: 2 tbls butter Add to the pot, and saute, until onions and celery are translucent: 2 medium onions, diced 1 red pepper, diced 1/2 cup carrots, diced or shredded 1/2 cup celery, diced Add,  Bring to a simmer, and simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender 3 cups potatoes, diced 4 cups chicken broth Add, 1 can, Campbells Cream of Celery Soup 1 can, Campbells Cheddar Cheese Soup 2 - 3 cups diced ham 1 can of creamed corn Simmer for another 10 minutes, and the chowder is ready to serve.  However, if your are feeling ext...

So, my spouse and I started this 5-2 diet in January, that started over in England.  The gist is that you subsist for 2 days a weeks on 500 - 600 calories for the day.  Our "fast" days are on Monday and Thursday, because that works well for us both.  I am chief-cook in our marriage, so I thought it would be cool if we went essentially vegan two days a week. Baby-steps, right? The first week was the hardest, but it's gotten much easier every week. Anyhoo...I have been looking for really hearty, but low calorie soup options. I used to love this soup that my Grandmother, we called her Dee-Mama, made back when I was a kid. It was hearty and  comforting.  Dee-Mama's was, most assuredly NOT vegan (I think it either had bacon or sausage in it). So, this is not a family recipe, but it's inspired by one.  This may be too spicy for you with the Chipotle pepper (from Penzey's, by the way), but adjust accordingly. Vegan Cabbage Soup In a large-ish stockpot he...