It's not your mama's recipe.

I'm blogging about food today. Because, to be quite honest, I can't think of anything else. I've had a creative block of sorts for a while. My brain has been preoccupied with food lately. Hubby is still recovering from surgery and we are both learning a "new" way of eating. Primarily it means no starches, pastas, sugars, caffeine and fried foods are a definite no no. It's been quite a challenge in the kitchen as it's eliminated a lot of ingredients from my recipes. I should also tell you that I've been a vegetarian for almost 15yrs now.  But, don't be fooled.. I'm not a skinny mini. I'm a girl with curves. Cooking is one of the things I do really well.... even when I cook for the carnivores (aka.. the rest of the family!) You see... I'm the lone vegetarian in the family. This means that unless I want to be a short order cook, I must make something that everyone likes. Picadillo is that dish. Usually you'll find Picadillo in Mexican restaurants and it consists of nothing more than ground beef, diced potatoes, a little garlic and salt. It's nothing fancy... and once you've tasted one... you've pretty much tasted them all. This recipe is a bit of a spin off of my mom's recipe. Hers consisted of ground beef, garlic, carrots, peas, onions corn and.. of course.. potatoes. My version is a little lighter on the starches and it's vegetarian friendly.

First you'll need to dice ... 1 large carrot, 1/2 a medium onion, 1 stick of celery and 1/2 a bell pepper. While you are dicing your veggies preheat a 2quart stock pot with 2 Tbsp of cooking oil (your choice). Toss in the veggies once the pot is screaming hot. Stir fry them until the onions are translucent. I like to caramelize the vegetables for added flavor.

Once you've got the veggies going... add in one bag of Morning Star Farms Veggie Crumbles and approximately 1tsp of Paprika.

Add one can of Tomato Soup (or 1/2 a small can of tomato paste), following the soup recipe on the label. If you want a thicker consistency to your soup just use less water than the recipe on the can indicates.

I also add 1Tsp of Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base for richer flavor and color. This is the ingredient that you don't want to leave out. It will make all the difference in taste of the soup.

  

The last ingredient to go into the pot is 1 large Tatuma Squash or Zucchini that has been sliced into 1/4" rounds then quartered. Squash is really easy to overcook so I always add it last.

Simmer the entire mix on medium heat for about 10min or until the squash is fork tender, then salt to taste.

It really tastes as good as it looks.. and I really hope you like it! This soup is easily adaptable and goes well with most vegetables. I've used  green beans, asparagus, potatoes, fresh tomato and even a couple of slices of pickled jalapenos for an added kick.  For the die hard carnivores in your family... just swap out the Veggie Crumbles for 1lb of cooked ground beef or pork. But truthfully... if you don't tell them it's vegetarian... they probably won't notice!! ;)