Food + Family + Friends

Christina Shoup

Southwest Chicken and Vegetable Soup

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If my family’s sneezing, congestion and general uncomfortableness isn’t a sign that spring has officially sprung, I don’t know what is!  The plants and grasses are the brightest lime green (one of my favorite colors), the trees are budding and flowers are blooming. Here in the Bay Area, and specifically on the Peninsula where it stays a bit chillier year round, it’s always soup season! What is better for you when you’re suffering from seasonal allergies or even a spring cold than soup. 

Spring wisteria at a recent visit to Santa Clara University

Enter the Southwest Chicken and Vegetable Soup. I love a one pot meal that combines fiber rich vegetables, an easily prepared protein, and lots of flavor – this soup wins in all of those categories! Most tortilla soups or Mexican chowders lack the amount of heartiness I’m looking for.  They are often full of too much liquid, soggy strips of tortillas and never enough fiber-rich vegetables to keep you full.  This soup is none of those.  I took the concept of my vegetarian chili which I’ve been making for over 20 years as well as a few other Mexican soup recipes and came up with what I think makes a delicious lunch or dinner and most definitely tasty leftovers. 

Hearty and delicious soup

This is an easy one to make! The chicken can be easily shredded from a store-bought rotisserie chicken or from a few bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts that are roasted at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. The vegetables can be modified with what you have on hand – add frozen or fresh corn, poblano peppers to kick up the spice, a few handfuls of spinach. The beans can be doubled or swapped out with kidney, white or pinto beans. The broth can be chicken or vegetable stock but I especially like using my homemade or quality store bought chicken bone broth that provides even more protein to the soup. 

Place a few bowls of toppings out next to a hot pot of this soup and watch your people fill their bowls and their tummies with nourishing ingredients that keep them full for hours.  

Cheers and Happy Spring,

Christina

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Southwest Chicken and Vegetable Soup

This is a delicious, filling soup with fiber rich vegetables and southwest spices that can be enjoyed year-round. The toppings are fun to customize so choose your own adventure!

Course Soup
Keyword southwest soup
Servings 8 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, small dice (about 2 cups)
  • 4 celery stalks, small dice (about 2 cups)
  • 4 carrots, peeled, small dice (about 2 cups)
  • kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 medium zucchini, small dice (about 2 cups)
  • 1 large red, yellow or orange bell pepper, small dice (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 1 large jalapeno, membrane and seeds removed, minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes with juice or whole tomatoes in puree, hand crushed
  • 4-5 cups chicken stock or bone broth
  • 2 cups shredded or diced roasted chicken
  • 1 14.5 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

Toppings: diced avocado, sliced green onion, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, crushed up tortilla chips, fresh lime juice

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots and 1 tsp of kosher salt and 1/2 tsp ground pepper. Cook until the vegetables have a bit of color – about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  2. Add the zucchini, bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic and spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

  3. Add the tomatoes with their juices and chicken stock or bone broth. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then turn to low and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes. The zucchini and bell pepper should be tender.

  4. Add the chicken and black beans and heat though. Taste for seasoning, adjust as needed. Top with desired toppings.

Low and Slow Chicken Stock

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Chicken broth, chicken stock, bone broth… it’s all very similar with a few subtle differences. This is technically a chicken stock because it includes bones with some leftover meat still attached and water simmered with a mirepoix of onions, celery and carrot. It’s also bone broth because if cooked for an extended period of time, the collagen is drawn out even further by the longer cook time and the result has a gelatinous consistency. Either way, homemade broth is far superior to most products sold, especially those sold in tin cans and cardboard boxes.

You may notice this doesn’t have any garlic or salt. The goal is to make it as deeply flavored as possible but keep it neutral for a variety of uses. Seems funny to say that not everything I want to make with this broth needs a garlic flavor – I do love garlic! Not putting any salt ahead of time allows for more control when making your desired dish.

I won’t go into the science and “studies have shown” about bone broth, but rest assured a warm cup of this with some lemon and salt is delicious and I’m convinced has kept me pretty healthy over the past few months. At the very least, you have a killer broth that adds loads of flavor to your dish.

Cheers and good health to you,

Christina

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Low and Slow Chicken Stock

There is nothing more comforting than a pot of chicken stock simmering away all day long. And there is nothing more delicious and healthy than to make your own! I keep several quart containers in my freezer at all times – this is possible by freezing bones and carcarsses from whole roasted chickens and when I run out of room in the freezer, it's time to make stock. Endless possibilities, endless health benefits.

Course Kitchen Essentials
Servings 5 quarts
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs roasted chicken bones and carcass, meat picked off
  • 6 quarts cold water
  • 1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 2 carrots, cut into a few large chunks
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into a few large chunks, including leaves if possible
  • a few sprigs of parsley optional
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tbsp peppercorn
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  1. Place chicken parts and cold water in a large stainless-steel stockpot. The water needs to cover the ingredients by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat.

  2. Once boiling, immediately turn down to the barest of simmers – one bubble here, one bubble there. Using a slotted spoon or or a small hand fine mesh strainer, skim off any foam. This helps keep the stock clear.

  3. Add the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, peppercorn and apple cider vinegar to the pot. Simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 hours. To keep the stock from getting cloudy, no stirring needed.

  4. Strain stock thorough fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl. Let cool until no longer warm and then pour into quart sized containers or mason jars. These can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for up to 4 months.

    Makes about 4-5 quarts of stock.

Recipe Notes

* If bone broth is desired, simmering on low in a crockpot for 18-24 hrs makes a delicious, even more gelatinous broth.  Just follow the same directions as above but add all ingredients to the crockpot at the same time, cover and let it simmer away. 

*You can easily skim off the fat from the top after refrigerating or freezing/defrosting the stock.  

*I try to keep a quart of bone broth in my refrigerator and drink it fairly regularly, especially during cold and flu season.  I heat up a cup of broth, add a pinch of sea salt and squeeze half a lemon.  Delicious! 

Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Veggies

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Happy New Year! I’m excited to continue sharing delicious recipes from my kitchen to yours. As always, 90% of what I eat year round is FOR my health and that’s what I will continue to share here. That said, it’s early January and in CA we are in an unprecedented stormy pattern to begin the year and it begs for a cozy, comforty, make ahead kinda dish. If you’re counting, it has 4 kinds of cheese and I’m okay with that every now and then!

Welcome to the world’s most versatile dish. Stuffed Shells can be made a thousand different ways and dishes like these are great recipes to keep in your back pocket! Don’t have mascarpone? Sub with cream cheese, replace with more ricotta or skip it altogether. No carrots or bell pepper? Add mushrooms, zucchini, or spinach. It all works. I used to focus on veggie only fillings, and of course that works great, but now for added protein – something I’ve been focusing on for a few years – I almost always have high quality bulk sausage on hand. It is a quick and easy protein and delicious in this dish.

The other reason I love this dish is that is can be made ahead in a variety of ways – one way is to stuff the shells and add it to a disposable foil pan, sauce and all, and frozen. They can be baked straight from the oven this way. For a freezer with less room for foil pans – the shells can be stuffed, placed on a small sheet tray, and once frozen can be tossed into a plastic ziplock bag and you can pull out however many you need and cook in a prepared casserole dish – big or small!

Cheers,

Christina

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Stuffed Shells with Sausage and Veggies

This recipe is such a great way to add extra veggies into an easy make ahead pasta dish. They freeze great and are a perfect dish to make early in the day for a busy evening. Feel free to swap out veggies for zucchini, spinach, mushrooms or whatever you have on hand – I almost never make the same veggie combo.

Course dinner, Main Course
Keyword stuffed shells
Servings 8 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 1 12 oz box of jumbo shells
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 carrots, finely chopped ~ 1 cup
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped ~ 1 cup
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1 28 oz jar of pasta sauce I like Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook shells according to package – al dente is easiest to work with. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Place on a sheet pan while you prepare the filling.

  2. In a medium skillet, brown the sausage. When cooked though with good caramel color, add the olive oil and onion. Saute until golden. Add carrots and bell pepper, continuing to cook until the vegetables are tender.

  3. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute. Take off the heat and let cool.

  4. In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, ricotta, mascarpone, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the cooled sausage and veggie mixture to the bowl and mix well.

  5. Grease a 13×9 inch casserole dish. Add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of the dish. Fill shells with mixture and place in prepared dish. Cover with remaining sauce, remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, and parmesan.

  6. Cover with greased foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, until bubbly, removing the foil for the last 5-10 minutes.

  7. Garnish with basil.

Recipe Notes

*If you have extra filled shells, you can use a small 8×8 dish and bake alongside the larger dish. Alternatively, I often place extra filled shells on a small sheet tray, freeze, then store in a plastic bag for another day.

Harvest Pumpkin Muffins

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This has been a family favorite in my house since my kids were little. Though the cherished original recipe came from my mom, many tweaks have been made to improve the ingredients over time and this final version is one I’ve been proud to share with friends and family over the past month or so.

I love the combination of spices, using real pumpkin (see previous post on pumpkin-flavored food things!) and toasted pecans. I also love to experiment using different flours and one of my favorites to use instead of regular all purpose flour is Einkorn flour. Einkorn is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates, is a more easily tolerated gluten to digest, and has a lovely nutty taste that I enjoy in pastry dough, muffins and scones.

The perfect fall muffin to share with your family and friends – I hope you try it!

Cheers,

Christina

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Harvest Pumpkin Muffins

Warm spices, slightly sweet and a crunchy top make this muffin a true delight. Add a cup of tea or coffee and you have the coziest morning or mid-afternoon snack.

Course brunch, Snack
Keyword muffin, pumpkin
Servings 12 muffins
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
  • ½ cup superfine almond flour
  • ½ cup Einkorn all purpose flour Jovial is the brand I use. Regular all purpose or whole wheat flour works as well
  • ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup apple butter I use the Eden brand which is an organic, naturally sweetened product
  • 1 tbsp turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on top

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare a muffin tin with 12 paper liners or use a silicone muffin tray set on a sheet pan.

  2. In a large bowl combine pecans, flours, oats, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

  3. In a medium bowl combine pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, and apple butter with a whisk.

  4. Add pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined.

  5. Using a spring-loaded scoop, fill muffins cups. Top with turbinado sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Curry-Spiced Chickpea Burgers with Yogurt Sauce

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This is one of those recipes that use pantry staples as well as fresh ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It’s adapted from an old Martha Stewart recipe from 10 years ago but my version has more flavor, easily swaps grains, and adds healthy tahini to bind it all together. To make it quicker to prepare, I often use precooked grains such as frozen rice or pre-packaged cooked quinoa and rice blend. I prefer the stronger flavor of cilantro, but I’ve also used parsley with success.

In addition to the suggested toppings, I often like to round out the meal with one of my favorite side dishes, Spiced Cauliflower with Dates and Pine Nuts, a simple recipe found on my blog. As delicious as that dish is, quickly steamed broccoli is a fantastic idea, too. Whatever you do, make sure you include the yogurt sauce and have a spicy sauce option such as Sriracha or Gochujang to drizzle.

I hope this healthy, easy to prepare recipe makes its way into your dinner rotation soon.

Cheers,

Christina

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Curry-Spiced Chickpea Burgers with Yogurt Sauce

These vegetarian burgers are delicious with the spiced yogurt sauce, a dollop of hummus and a drizzle of Sriracha sauce over a bed of arugula. These can also be a delicious portable meal by stuffing the burger and all the fixings into flatbread or a pita pocket and served at room temperature.

Course Main Course, vegetarian
Keyword curry spiced burger
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Yogurt Sauce

  • 1 cup plain, whole milk Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 lime zested, half of the lime juiced
  • ½ tsp kosher salt

Burgers

  • 1½ cup cooked rice, quinoa or blend I like to use precooked Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa & Brown Rice with Garlic
  • 2 15.5 ounce cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup chopped scallions
  • ¼ chopped cilantro
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • 1 tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • kosher salt
  • olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine ingredients for the yogurt sauce and set aside while you prepare the burgers.

  2. In a food processor, add garbanzo beans, scallions, cilantro, carrots, jalapeño pepper and tahini and pulse until a chunky mixture forms. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add ⅓ cup of the yogurt sauce, rice or quinoa, curry powder and 1 tsp kosher salt to the mixture and combine.

  3. Using a ⅓ cup, scoop and form burgers. If time allows, chill the burgers for 30 minutes before cooking. It's not necessary but can make it easier to flip while cooking. You can also freeze the burgers at this point. Just thaw when ready to use.

  4. To cook, heat a nonstick skillet over medium and coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the burgers and cook until each side is lightly golden, about 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer burgers to a paper towel lined baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve with yogurt sauce.

    Makes about 8-10 burgers

Pumpkin Flax Protein Smoothie

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I love a good fall morning and a cozy beverage, and I absolutely love seasonal ingredients, but pumpkin only being highlighted a few months a year seems like a missed opportunity – especially since canned pumpkin is widely available year-round and a nutritional powerhouse.

All things pumpkin are so profitable for companies like Starbucks and Trader Joe’s that I’m sure they would agree with me that pumpkin should be used year-round. This year, Starbucks brought back the Pumpkin Spice Latte on August 30. August!! Yes, while some were still on summer vacation, tomatoes are overflowing at the farmer’s market and heat waves were in full force, Starbucks was likely making the stores a little extra chilly and pumping out scents of cinnamon, cloves and allspice – all in the name of the Pumpkin Spice season vibe.

Now, let’s not be confused with the pumpkin hype including actual pumpkin in most products. Pumpkin scent or flavor is usually just a combination of spices and sugar – a lot of sugar. If you’ve tried pure canned pumpkin puree you know there’s nothing spiced or sweet about it. Adding pure pumpkin to sweet or savory dishes is such a smart move. By doing this you’re adding a good dose of vitamins A, C and E to support your immune system, fiber to keep you fuller longer, and potassium for heart health.

Don’t get me wrong – my family and I will enjoy pumpkin pancakes, muffins (a delicious harvest muffin recipe with pumpkin coming soon!) and lattes this fall – but they will include real pumpkin puree. And one of my favorite pumpkin dishes this time of the year is actually a savory dish that I learned in culinary school – pumpkin curry. But as a daily smoothie drinker, and as a lover of seasonal ingredients, it seems like a no brainer to add pumpkin to my smoothies during the fall months, but I’m going to go crazy and add pumpkin to my smoothies even when the pumpkin things have been packed up for the season. Join me!

Cheers,

Christina

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Pumpkin Flax Protein Smoothie

This creamy, fiber and protein filled smoothie is a fun addition to the smoothie rotation. Pure pumpkin puree is a nutrient-dense, immune boosting ingredient that is begging to be included in your diet year-round.

Course Smoothie
Keyword protein smoothie, pumpkin
Servings 1 serving
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder Be Well By Kelly is my favorite
  • 3 tbsp pure pumpkin puree
  • 2 tbsp almond butter
  • 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp pumpkin spice
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon I like Ceylon cinnamon
  • ½ frozen banana
  • 5-6 ice cubes

Roasted Grass-Fed Meatballs

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Meatballs are a good idea no matter the season. They are quick to make, freezer friendly, and make great leftovers. I keep several pounds of local omega-3 rich grass-fed ground beef in my garage freezer at all times. It’s a staple for weeknight meals including these meatballs as well as quick tacos, skillet meals and salads. It’s my favorite “fast food” and one that keeps my family fed and nourished.

I’ve finally landed on a meatball recipe that I have been playing with for quite awhile and I’m happy to share it with you. It’s a few different recipes and techniques put together that I think make the most flavorful, tender meatballs. A few key components to this recipe that make it work great – sauteing the onion, garlic and seasonings along with toasting the panko produces much more flavor than raw onions, garlic and soaked bread. The addition of ricotta as well as a light hand while mixing makes a light and tender meatball. The addition of an acid as well as umami rich Worcestershire sauce are unique additions that one of our local restaurants uses. Finally, a cooking technique I learned that doesn’t involve getting my stove all messy from browning meatballs in oil – cooking the meatballs in muffin tins. The rendered fat essentially bastes the meatball to keep it from drying out while the top gets nice and browned.  

I hope you get a chance to make this recipe – it makes 24 meatballs and can be easily cut in half, but with them being so freezer friendly, save some for later or share some with a friend!

Cheers,

Christina

Toasting the breadcrumbs along with the onions, garlic and spices adds tons of flavor
Spring loaded scoop makes similar sized meatballs that cook evenly
Brush with olive oil to help brown the meatballs
Browned meatballs get a quick bath in warm marinara sauce – my favorite is Rao’s Marinara
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Roasted Grass-Fed Meatballs

Meatballs are a great make ahead dish and this is my go-to recipe. Taking a few minutes to saute the onions, garlic and panko makes for a flavorful, well seasoned meatball. Perfect next to a side of pasta and broccoli but equally tasty stuffed into toasted garlic bread with melted mozzarella cheese.

Servings 24 meatballs
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup red onion, minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 lbs grass-fed ground beef
  • ¾ cup whole milk ricotta
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
  • ¼ cup minced fresh basil
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
  • For serving: Chopped parsley, marinara sauce, grated parmigiano reggiano

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.

  2. Heat the olive oil in medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add red onions, salt and pepper and saute until tender. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute. Add panko and cook until slightly golden. Remove from heat and let cool.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, add the ground beef, ricotta, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, parsley, basil and cheese. Using clean hands, thoroughly mix the ingredients. Add the cooled panko mixture and incorporate all the ingredients – do not overmix.

  4. To cook meatballs, use a spring loaded scoop to form a round a little larger than a golf ball, about 2 ounces. Place in a greased muffin tin and brush with olive oil and bake about 30 minutes. Meatballs are finished when they have an evenly browned surface and the internal temperature has reached about 150°.

  5. To serve: Transfer meatballs to a pan of warm marinara sauce and simmer for a few minutes. Top with parsley and grated parmigiano reggiano.

Recipe Notes

To freeze meatballs: place raw meatballs on a small sheet pan and once frozen, transfer to a zip top freezer bag.  Meatballs can be cooked from frozen but will take a little longer.  

Cottage Cheese and Tomato Toast

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I’m not always ahead of the curve, but aside from my daily smoothies, there are two things I’ve been doing since the late 80’s and 90’s that have been very popular in the 2000’s – adding extra salt to my chocolate chip cookies and making loaded toast.

Salted cookies aren’t going anywhere and neither is loaded toast. Avocado toast is still a menu and household favorite, nut butters with chia and banana will always be a healthy way to start or end the day, but cottage cheese toast with in-season tomatoes is definitely a winner and has been since I was about 10 years old. I’m pretty sure I topped it with a staple seasoning we always had in our house growing up – Santa Maria’s Barbeque Seasoning. Today, I join many other Trader Joe’s devotees in being a big fan of the Everything but the Bagel Seasoning – especially on tomatoes.

I’m writing this at the end of September and I’m still able to find glorious dry-farmed early girl tomatoes at my Bay Area farmer’s market and local fine foods store. I will buy them by the pounds until I no longer see them and all things pumpkin have taken over.  

Since my goal with nearly all meals and snacks is to have a good dose of protein, fat and fiber, this cottage cheese and tomato toast meets all those requirements nicely!  And it’s a lovely way to say goodbye to the last warm days that have given way to chilly mornings and evenings and crazy busy fall schedules.  

Cheers,

Christina

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Cottage Cheese and Tomato Toast

This is a lovely high protein snack with some healthy fat and fiber! Good quality bread, cottage and beautiful summer tomatoes make this a quick and easy snack. Two slices of this loaded toast and a handful of berries makes a satisfying lunch.

Course Snack, vegetarian
Keyword cottage cheese, toast, tomato
Servings 1 slice

Ingredients

  • 1 slice Ezekiel sprouted grain bread, or any good quality bread
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup cottage cheese I like Good Culture brand
  • 1 small ripe tomato, sliced
  • Seasonings: Everything but the Bagel and Aleppo Pepper
  • 2 basil leaves, torn or roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Toast a slice of bread. Drizzle the toast with olive oil and cover with a layer of cottage cheese. Add sliced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Top tomatoes with a sprinkling of Everything but the Bagel Seasoning, Aleppo Pepper and basil leaves.

Chia Seed Pudding

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Hi Family and Friends! It’s been a little bit since I’ve posted any recipes and I hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying the beginning of summer.   The spring was a doozy in my household… busy kids, busy schedules, as well as Covid hitting our house in waves and kinda messing up all kinds of plans.  It’s such a strange virus, affecting people so differently – it hit yours truly pretty hard and took me more than a month to feel like myself again.  I can happily say I’m feeling 100% again and recently have been able to increase the intensity of my workouts a bit, making up for all that idle time, I suppose.  There’s nothing like feeling badly to make you appreciate feeling good!

While I was under the weather, I spent a good amount of time reading.  Not surprisingly, I was reading about food.  Stanley Tucci’s book Taste: My Life Through Food was given to me by a dear friend and remains one of my most favorite reads in a very long time.  I loved reading about his love of food and feeding others and it certainly got me excited about the idea of traveling again!  Another good read was David Lebovitz’s The Sweet Life in Paris.  I must have been feeling better when I read this book because there are too many dog-eared pages to count all the recipes I’d like to try.  Currently, I’m reading Ruth Reichl’s Memoir, Save Me the Plums. It’s a good read so far, but more about the behind the scenes of Gourmet magazine and not nearly as mouth watering as the two previous books I read.  

Mostly recently I’ve been working on my upcoming Kids Summer Cooking Camp.  I’ve got a small group of local kiddos coming next week for a 4 day cooking camp – each day has a different theme and I’m excited to get in the kitchen teaching again! 

The most exciting news is that last week our family returned from celebrating my husband’s 50th birthday on the beautiful island of Kauai.  It’s our favorite island by far and we always consider it a treat to go back.  As my husband noted, so little changes each time we visit and it’s kind of comforting to find the same ice cream/shave ice and poke shops year after year. 

There was one particular dish I had that made me recreate it less than 24 hours after we arrived home.  In Poipu Beach there is a coffee hut/breakfast place called Little Fish Coffee.  It’s the little yellow building on Poipu Rd. with the looong line the minute it opens.  I am not one for long lines, especially in the morning, but it was my husband’s birthday and we needed some good fuel before our hike in Waimea Canyon. Despite the long wait and the high prices, we all enjoyed our breakfast – I loved mine! Iced matcha latte with almond milk and chia seed pudding with fresh mango, kiwi, banana, and homemade granola – delicious. 

Chia seeds are one of my top favorite ingredients and I eat them every single day.  Chia in a smoothie, sprinkled on toast with almond butter or fairly regularly in a chia seed pudding.  I usually just eat the pudding plain but with the fruit, granola and coconut it’s a delicious, satisfying meal that keeps me full for hours and one I’ve enjoyed on the regular since we arrived back home.

We’ve got some adventures planned this summer and I have no doubt the food inspiration will be on overdrive – I hope to share some of those inspired recipes soon!

Cheers,

Christina

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Chia Seed Pudding

Chia pudding wears many hats – a satisfying breakfast food, snack or even dessert. It's filling, but in a healthy, feel good kind of way. Inspired by a recent Hawaiian vacation, toppings often include my House Granola, any seasonal fruit and toasted coconut. Sometimes I just squeeze some fresh lemon and simply top with berries or peeled mandarin oranges. Individual containers portioned out make for an easy grab and go treat to enjoy all week.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword chia seeds, pudding
Servings 5 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups almond milk I also like unsweetened Macadamia milk
  • 1 cup full fat coconut milk
  • 2 tsp pure maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • pinch sea salt
  • ½ cup chia seeds
  • Toppings- fresh fruit, granola, toasted coconut, lemon juice

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, add both milks, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Add chia seeds and whisk to combine.

  2. Let sit a minute or two and then whisk again to thoroughly incorporate liquid and chia seeds and to avoid any lumps. Repeat, if needed.

  3. Divide pudding into 5-6 containers with lids and refrigerate for a few hours.

Ground Pork Skillet with Maitake Mushrooms, Cabbage and Cashews

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This tasty skillet recipe is a new family favorite. I fear the name of the recipe may not get your taste buds buzzing, but trust me, it’s a delicious warm bowl that hits all the categories – protein, fat and fiber with some serious umami. It’s healthy, balanced and the perfect answer to that take out craving we all get from time to time.  I cannot stomach the refined oils that are often used in take out and get headaches from the MSG, so take out is rarely an option for me. Plus, dishes like these allow you to add so many healthy ingredients to the dish that don’t look a whole lot different than the take out option. My kids ate this with no knowledge or detection of mushrooms at all.  I certainly wasn’t hiding this nutritious ingredient, but if they took one look at the maitake mushrooms there’s a good chance they’d hesitate trying this dish.  Those are some funky looking mushrooms!  One of my kids even commented how much he liked the cabbage – just like the cabbage in the chow mein take out dish he likes so much.  Nutritionally speaking, this dish is worlds away from any take out variety. 

While I enjoyed this dish over a big pile of arugula (my favorite green!) that slowly wilted as I ate, my kids ate this sans extra greens.  Seeing as though there’s a ton of wilted cabbage for added fiber in this dish, it’s a great stand alone meal and everyone wins.  Don’t forget your favorite hot sauce – it makes the dish!

Cheers,

Christina

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Ground Pork Skillet with Mushrooms, Cabbage and Cashews

This quick and satisfying skillet can be thrown together in well under 30 minutes and it's a hit with my family. A high quality ground protein, fiber and healthy fat mixture served on top of a pile of arugula is the perfect quick and healthy meal. I like a generous drizzle of gochuchang sauce or sriracha as well as an extra sprinkling of cilantro.

Course Main Course
Keyword cashew, mushroom, pork, skillet
Servings 4 servings
Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 oz maitake mushrooms, chopped, including stem shiitake or crimini mushrooms are great options
  • 1 lb ground pork chicken or dark turkey will work great, too
  • ½ inch knob of ginger, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce, add more to taste for a gluten free option- use coconut aminos, to taste
  • ¼ cup raw cashews
  • ½ head cabbage, shredded
  • handful of chopped cilantro
  • arugula

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, heat over medium and add avocado oil. Add onion and a pinch of kosher salt and ground pepper. Saute until golden and translucent.

  2. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms are golden.

  3. Add ground pork, breaking up as it cooks. Be sure to cook until no longer pink, and then another 4-5 minutes. This additional time allows the protein to caramelize and add great flavor.

  4. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add liquid aminos or soy sauce. Continue stirring to combine flavors.

  5. Make a well in the center and add the raw cashews. Allow them to toast briefly and toss to combine.

  6. Add shredded cabbage, stir to combine and cook until cabbage is wilted.

  7. Add chopped cilantro and taste for seasoning. Serve pork mixture on top of a bed of arugula and drizzle desired sauce on top.

Recipe Notes

*To make this dish quicker than quick, Trader Joe’s is a good place for packaged shredded cabbage and even chopped onion.  My favorite items to keep on hand for a quick dish are their frozen cubes of ginger and garlic.  You can use 2 cubes of each to replace the fresh garlic and ginger in this recipe.  With these quick shortcuts, this dish can be on the table in no time at all.