Archives for January 2020

Tater Tot Casserole

January 5, 2020~ Main, The Platefull Blog

This one is another recipe my Mom made when we were growing up. It’s a true comfort meal and of course, kid friendly. She always served it with Poppyseed Bread, and so do I! I make mine with homemade condensed soups so that I can control the ingredients, but feel free to use canned for convenience. I honestly think that the homemade soups taste better, but they do take a little extra work. This is a great recipe to have the kids help you with. They can pour the ingredients into the casserole dish and place the tater tots on top. I use Sprout’s brand Tater Tots, as they don’t have extra added sugar. It’s crazy to me how many brands of frozen potatoes add sugar. Why?! Anyway, this is a great Winter meal. I hope your family loves it as much as mine does! For this recipe, you will need Cheddar Cheese Condensed Soup and Cream of Celery Soup. My Mom’s original recipe also called for a can of Veg-Alls, but I sub frozen organic veggies. Feel free to use the can of Veg-Alls if you prefer.

Start by browning the ground beef with the onion. Drain and transfer to a casserole dish. If you want a thicker casserole, you can use an 8×8 or 9×9 pan (which is my preference actually, but in these photos I used a 9×13, because that’s what I had clean…it works fine too). Add the soups, milk, and veggies. Stir well.

Top with frozen Tater Tots and bake at 350 for 1 hour, until bubbly.

Tater Tot Casserole

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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1 lb ground beef

1 Tbsp onion, minced

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup

3/4 cup milk

1 cup frozen green beans

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

Tater Tots

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Instructions

Brown the ground beef and onion; drain. In a 9×13 baking dish, add the ground beef mixture and remaining ingredients, except for the tater tots. Stir well to combine, then layer the tater tots on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, until bubbly.

If using homemade condensed soups, use 1 1/4 cups of condensed soup in place of 1 can of store bought soup.

The Med Bowl

January 4, 2020~ Main, The Platefull Blog

Every time I travel to Raleigh for work, I hit up a local restaurant that has the best grain bowls. My favorite is The Med Bowl. Since I can’t get it at home, but have majorly been craving it since my last trip, I decided to recreate it! I’m so thrilled with how it turned out – it’s exactly like the real thing! This bowl makes the perfect flavorful, healthy lunch and has been on repeat at my house for the past few weeks!

Make the pickled cabbage in advance and store in the fridge for up to a week.

The Med Bowl

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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1 cup green or black lentils, prepared according to package directions

1/2 cup chopped cucumber

1/2 cup arugula

1/4 cup crumbled feta

1/2 cup pickled red cabbage

3–4 Falafel, prepared according to package instructions

1/2 to 1 Tbsp Harissa

2 Tbsp Green Goddess Dressing

Crushed Pita chips – optional

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Instructions

Layer the lentils in the bottom of a bowl. Top with remaining ingredients.

Pickled Red Cabbage

January 3, 2020~ Side Dishes, The Platefull Blog

This recipe is perfect for The Med Bowl. It’s simple to prepare and can last in the fridge all week while you eat Med Bowls for lunch!

Pickled Red Cabbage

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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6 oz red cabbage, shredded

2 c white vinegar

1/2 Tbsp dried parsley

1/2 tbsp chili flakes

1/2 Tbsp peppercorns

1/2 Tbsp ground ginger

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Instructions

To a small saucepan, add the vinegar, parsley, chili flakes, peppercorns, and ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, place the shredded red cabbage in a canning jar. Let the vinegar mixture cool completely, then pour over the red cabbage, through a strainer. Close with the lid and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Apple Kale Salad

January 3, 2020~ Salads, The Platefull Blog

This salad is one of my favorites. It’s beyond easy and just goes well with everything. The little blueberries I use in this recipe are like candy and I can’t get enough of them! I need to work on other recipes that I could use them in….

All this salad needs is chopped kale, chopped Granny Smith apple, dried blueberries, and shaved Parmesan cheese. Top it with your favorite Caesar dressing (I know it sounds like a weird combination, but trust me – my favorite Caesar is Sprout’s Organic Caesar) and you’re set! Easy!

Apple Kale Salad

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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4 cups kale, chopped

1 granny smith apple, chopped

1/4 cup dried blueberries

1/3 cup shaved Parmesan

Caesar Dressing

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Instructions

Put the kale in a salad bowl. Top with the apple, blueberries, Parmesan, and Caesar dressing. Serve immediately.

Notes

My favorite Caesar is the Sprout’s brand organic Caesar dressing.

Cream of Celery Soup

January 3, 2020~ Sauces and Dressings

I use this soup in Tater Tot Casserole. I make a batch and freeze it into 1 to 1 1/4 cup portions (the size of 1 can of soup) so that I have it on hand. It’s surprisingly simple to make your own copycat versions of canned soups at home. It just takes a few ingredients, most of which you likely already have on hand!

For this recipe, start by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then add the veggies and cook, about 5 minutes, until softened. Next, you will add in the flour and stir to combine well. Cook this mixture for 1-2 minutes.

Pour in the liquid and cook, stirring, until thickened. That’s it! See, not too hard!

Cream of Celery Soup

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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1/4 cup butter

1 cup celery finely diced

1/2 yellow onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 cracked black pepper

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup chicken broth

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Instructions

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the veggies soften. Add in the flour and stir or whisk to combine well. Cook, stirring, for about 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is a light golden brown. Add in the evaporated milk and chicken broth and cook, stirring, until thickened.

Notes

This recipe replaces 2 cans of cream of celery soup.

Cheddar Cheese Condensed Soup

January 3, 2020~ Sauces and Dressings

I’ve talked a little bit about my quest to limit processed foods and focus on foods that fuel our body. I’ll talk more about that at some point, but one of the things that I’ve started making from scratch is condensed soups for use in casseroles. I make this amazing Cream of Mushroom Soup (it’s seriously way better than anything canned!). One of my favorite recipes as a kid was my Mom’s Tater Tot Casserole. It calls for cheddar cheese condensed soup and this is what I use as a real food version of the stuff in the can.

Cheddar Cheese Condensed Soup

Author: Sarah

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Ingredients

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3 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 Tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

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Instructions

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds (do not let it brown). Add in the salt, dry mustard, and milk. Whisk until smooth, then add in the cheddar cheese and whisk until melted and well combined.