Behold:
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| hungry? 😍🙌 |
Assemble only 6 ingredients 💁:
1) Toasted bread slices--- that are not too thick. Chunky, crusty bread pieces are good for many things, but a BLT is not one of them. The bread I used today is seriously THE BEST BREAD I'VE EVER USED for a BLT. We have been snacking on and frankly, devouring it, since we snagged it at the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. The amazing Juli Hamilton of Something from the Garden was selling this amazing preservative-free bread that was made from locally and lovingly grown grains! We normally don't treat ourselves to bread like this (hello cheapo loaves from the local box store 😐) but Juli spoke so highly of it- so we wanted to check it out. Oh my word I'm glad we did--- immediately upon taking out the first slice, we got a whiff of the most heavenly, sweet smell--- I have totally forgotten the true magic of homemade bread smells!! You guys this bread hits that sweet spot that seems impossible-- thin enough to not take over your sandwich, but strong, chewy, and grainy enough to hold its own and be a true supporting cast member of your BLT. Pure perfection!
2) Speaking of Juli, we also snagged the most luscious summer tomatoes from her, and knew right away we had to give them a spotlight in such a sandwich as this. 😂
3) Mayonnaise! I have lots of friends who "don't like mayonnaise," but even if this is you- for the love, put it on your BLT. I don't care if you're rocking Hellman's or Sir Kensington's or Veganaise or etc--- You just gotta use it! And BOTH sides of the sandwich, please! 🙌
4) Lettuce - we were thankful to nab super tender, gorgeous lettuce from local growers Geoff & Amanda Miller from Cedar Mill Farm.
5) Avocado - I'm not trying to be a Millennial hipster... I am just a firm believer that sliced avocado takes your BLT into the next universe. 🌌
6) Bacon! Whatever you are using for bacon, whether it be cured pork side.. tempeh... dehydrated eggplant... ETC- (TONS of super great vegan options out there!)- make sure you have something that is crisp and firm but not falling apart into a million pieces. 👍 I used regular pork bacon today and baked the whole package by laying the strips out flat in a single layer, on nonstick foil, on a baking sheet. The bacon slices cooked in the oven at 400*F until crisp/done but not totally falling apart/crumbling/overdone. The baking process took about 13-16 minutes(?).
Enjoy! We had ours with fresh corn on the cob and fresh blueberries for lunch today. Summertime is truly the best eating season, am I right? 🙌🙌🙌
Buon Appetito! 😘
Cold weather means I don't go to the grocery store as often-- which means sometimes our dinners are super simple. But everyone is cold and wants soup often, anyway, so complex or easy-- soup is always a winner in the winter. :)
*Basic* Potato Soup
makes about 2 quarts (enough for about 4 people as a main course or 8 people as a side)
Put a large soup pot over medium high heat, and add:
a swirl/about a Tbsp. of avocado oil, butter, ghee, coconut oil, etc. - whatever 'fat' you prefer
1 small onion OR leek, finely chopped
2 stalk celery with leaves, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
salt & pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced OR 1 tsp. of garlic powder
1 tsp. thyme (rub in your hands before adding)
1-2 tsp. parsley
--A few shakes of anything else you'd like. Today I used Trader Joe's Onion Salt and Penzey's Seasoned Salt. If you have a different flavor profile go for it!
about 6-9 Yukon Gold potatoes - diced (scrub them, then trim any bad spots away but just leave the peel on)
1 quart veggie or chicken stock
Let this come to a gentle boil. While that is happening, crack open 1, 15oz can of white beans (like navy, great northern, cannellini, etc.) and drain and rinse them. Add them to your food processor with about a Tbsp of water and puree until smooth. You might be able to use a regular blender to achieve this but I can't speak into whether this is actually successful or not. Add the pureed beans to the soup pot.
After it is bubbling, turn down the heat to low. Let this simmer until the potatoes are tender.
At this point, I took a big handful of baby spinach leaves and finely chopped them and added them to the pot-- letting them cook a couple minutes until wilted.
When you're ready to eat, adjust the soup with salt and pepper to your taste.
I *did* do one little swirl of heavy cream at the end because it was in my fridge and I couldn't help myself. 😬🙈
Other great final additions include a scoop of sour cream.. or a few shavings of a sharp cheese... bacon bits... chopped chives or scallions... etc... the possibilities are endless. 🙌 But the title of this piece is BASIC potato soup so I didn't load it on today! 👌
Then grab your cast iron skillet and fry up one drained and rinsed can of hominy in a little butter. Pan fry for just a minute or two. Your kitchen will smell amazing! 😍
Ladle soup into bowls and top with hominy.
This one is such a winner-- you probably have all of this stuff in your pantry/fridge already (easy!); there are beans, veggies, spinach! (healthy!); and it is so so good.
Buon appetito! 😋
