Soup Cures {almost} Everything {Vegan Lentil Soup Recipe}

This week has just been horrible health wise for us. It started with me on Friday and then escalated from there; Little Man started teething and then came down with a horrible chest cold, which now The Mister and I are starting to get. Figures this would all hit the week before Christmas! I'm just hoping we're all feeling better before then.

We have plans to go to my Grandmothers this weekend and I'll be devastated if we can't go. Her house is always so welcoming and the holidays are always best spen there. Good food and a warm homey atmosphere; it's better than any hotel on earth. It's what I try to emulate in my own home and hopefully when I'm a Grandma I will be able to provide that for my family {because god knows it will take me that long}. I'm going to start taking notes from now on so I don't forget everything I learn from her!

Now on to the soup!

I made this vegan lentil soup Friday when I started feeling nauseous and couldn't eat much. I thought the warmth of the broth along with the ginger would help calm my stomach, and boy was I right. Sadly I didn't have fresh ginger or turmeric, next time I make it I will make sure I do though. Fresh ginger is amazing when it comes to nausea! I found this recipe from Eat Yourself Skinny on Pinterest, it was created by Alicia Silverstone so I knew I had to try it. I adapted it to what I had on hand so definitely follow the link to see the original recipe, it looks divine!

Vegan Lentil Soup
1 medium onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 tsp ginger (powder)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne (the original calls for an 1/8 tsp but I like mine a little spicy)
pinch of salt
2 medium russet potatoes
7 cups vegetable broth
1 cup brown lentils

In a large pot, saute onion for a few minutes until soft ( I don't use oil to saute onions since they sweat a little while cooking.)
Stir in tomatoes and ginger, cooking an additional 3 minutes.
Stir in remain spices, including salt, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Then add the potatoes, broth, and lentils.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cover, letting it simmer for about 30-40 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Hope you like this recipe as much as I did. It's very simple to put together so is perfect when you're feeling a little under the weather.

What's your go to recipe when you're not feeling well?

First Post Celebration {I Made Cookies!}

I've never started a blog before, but I have always wanted a place to put all my ideas and record all of my successes and failures {which there tend to be A LOT of.} I enjoy cooking and baking so many of my posts will involve food, but I will branch out with other things as I try and find my way as a housewife and mother. To celebrate the beginning of this new adventure I thought I'd share one of my cooking successes from today.
I've been trying to find an easy way to use up the leftover cranberry-orange sauce I made from thanksgiving. I figured it only had a shelf life of 2 weeks and I NEEDED to use it up soon. I came across this thumbprint cookie recipe from The Mommy Dialogues and thought it would be a perfect!

I basically just followed the recipe: butter, eggs, sugar and flour, but I also added a tiny bit of orange extract to the dough. It complimented the orange in the cranberry sauce nicely, obviously if you are using another filling substitute the orange extract or omit it all together. This recipe is really adaptable, find what suits your taste!

I was able to use up every bit of the cranberry sauce which worked out nicely! I baked mine for only 10 minutes since my oven runs a little hot. Luckily I was watching them because I almost burnt the first batch! {I can't stress how important it is to get to know your oven.}

They were divine once cooled, but honestly I couldn't wait and I may have burnt my tongue a little. But trust me, I am not complaining!
These thumbprint cookies took me about 30 minutes to throw together and they will definitely be making it into my holiday recipes. I always love when I can find new ways to use leftovers, and I might just start making cranberry sauce more than once a year now!