Sweet Potato Soup

I would not consider myself a person who likes soup, I don't seek it out and I've never found myself uttering the words "oh yeah, I love soup" but it's fall now and even in sunny LA the air has become brisk, wood smoke burns somewhere within smelling distance and eating something warm and comforting sounds like a good idea.  Also we go this new Ninja slow cooker.  I've been raving to my family about it, how amazing it is, all the great accessories it came with, everything a good wifey could every want in a kitchen appliance.  It also came with a cookbook from which we've been basing our meals just to try it out and get some new recipes in the mix.  Last night I made Celery and Sweet Potato Soup with Barley and it was so amazing I even ate soup for lunch today and along with never expressing my joy for soup I never express my joy for leftovers.  I honestly don't even know what possessed me to try this recipe, but I'm glad I did, it's amazing.

What you need: 
1 tbsp olive oil
4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1/2 of a white onion, finely chopped 
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup pearl barley, uncooked (I used hulled barley because that's what they had at my farmers market and it was just as delicious as I would imagine pearl barley to be, and more nutritious)

How you do it:
My slow cooker has the ability to saute right in the pot (seriously, do yourself a favor and buy a Ninja) but you can do this first part on the stove then add it to the pot.  So heat the olive oil on high in a pan then add in the celery and onion and cook for about 10 minutes until tender, then add in the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often.  Now throw this into the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours until everything is fork tender.  DONE!  Was that the easiest thing ever?  

It will look chunky and not very brothy but once in your mouth the soup will taste creamy because the sweet potatoes are soft.  I slathered some salted butter on good bread to enjoy with my soup but it's quite hearty and satisfying on it's own.

REALLY GOOD Veggie Tacos

I LOVE taco night.  I don't, however, always love meat.  So when I convinced Jesse that we should make veggie tacos for dinner and he actually agreed, well I had won the day for sure.  These were so good we both agreed they might even be better than the original beef tacos, which is a huge accomplishment, and you can't go wrong with more vegetables.

Chop up as much of the following as you want (I like everything to be just bigger than a corn kernel):
zucchini
yellow squash
red bell pepper
shallot (I'm really into shallots these days, dice this up much smaller than the rest)
jalapeno (this should also be very small)

Put these into a saute pan with a small can of yellow corn and saute them all together for a while, you know, until they're about half way cooked.  Add in a package of taco seasoning with 3/4 cup water and turn the heat to simmer.  Cook until it all looks done and has a nice saucy consistency.  This is your "meat".

Meanwhile put some taco shells into the oven to heat up.

Chop up a tomato, lettuce and cucumber, open a can of sliced olives, shred your cheese (cheddar and mozzarella for us).

Refried beans are optional, they can go in your tacos, on the side, or as I like them, in between a soft shell and a hard shell for a double decker taco!  Here's how to dress up that can of vegetarian refried beans:  put the beans in a saucepan with about a tablespoon of each: green salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese.  Mix it all up and heat until bubbly.  Way more delicious than a regular can of refried beans.

To assemble the perfect double decker taco:  spread a bit of beans onto a warm flour tortilla (the really small taco sized ones), add just a little bit of shredded cheese then wrap this contraption around a hard shell.  Add in your veggie filling, top with the tomato, cucumber, olives, little more cheese, sour cream, green salsa and top with lettuce.

Of course you can make regular tacos, either hard or soft shell, but I just really like the combo, it's a delicious treat.