Italian Sausage, Bean, Farro and Veggie Soup in the Ninja Cooking System

Have you heard of Vine? It's an app that the folks at Twitter developed & features 6 second videos. I set up a Vine profile today and linked it to my Twitter account. I even went so far as recording a video of this recipe. I will say that I think the app is pretty neat.  I know that we already have a video based app in You Tube. I think where You Tube falls short Vine shines.  Vine caters to those with short attention spans (don't be offended, I have one of those too).  When I imagine waiting in line at the grocery store or waiting in line to get fuel or waiting for my child's bus to arrive I think that Vine will entertain me nicely. The news feed sorts by category & the short videos could fill the gap in time nicely. Just sayin'.

 I discovered the hard way, though,  that there isn't a way to edit a post (video). My tags were #soup & #ninjacookingsystem.  Which sounds great except that it's such a new app that the category for my post should actually be #food.  Living and learning in social media, or as my son would say "NEWB".

Italian Sausage, Bean, Farro and Veggie Soup in the Ninja Cooking System

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
•  4 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup quick cooking farro (I used a 10 minute cook sold at Trader Joe's)
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup kale, torn into quarter size pieces
• 1 cup or 3 stalks of diced celery
• 10 dashes of Franks hot sauce
• 6 dashes of worchestire sauce
• 1 tablespoon of no salt seasoning
• 2 cans of butter beans (purred in a blender or food processor)
• 1 cup tomatoes (purred in a blender or food processor
• 4 cups of water
• 3 chicken boullion cubes
• salt and pepper to taste
• basil to garnish

In your Ninja Cooking system on high add olive oil, Italian sausage and onion. Saute for about 10 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and cook on high for 10 minutes or until boiling. Stir and reduce the heat to stove top low and allow to cook for 20 minutes.  Set to slow cooker low until ready to eat!

Garnish with fresh basil

Easy, healthy & yummy!

Serves: 10 people

By the way, if you would like to see the video of this recipe please visit Vine.co and view my profile: @purpleovenmitt 

Beef Barley Stew in the Ninja Cooking System

Hi friends, I've got a mild case of writers block today.  It's been explained to me by numerous writers and academics that the best thing to do is to step away, take a break and come back later. My problem with this advice is that later can turn into much much later and that's just not how I roll. I'm all about production and results & later doesn't yield results. (You love me anyway, even if I'm a driver, right?)

So what's causing this said writers block you ask?  Writer's block happens to me when I have stuff to talk about but I put a filter on and decide that I can't share my entire life with the world. 

It's seems as though the stuff I want to write about is floating around the front of my mind like a dark cloud floats low in the sky on a spring day.I want to push the gray clouds out of the way and frolic in the flowers and bask in the sun.  So, for now, I will share with you a beef barley recipe that my kids like. A home cooked, healthy meal can be my way to bask in the sun, for now :-)

Beef Barley Stew in the Ninja Cooking System

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery ribs, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup barley
• 2 boullion cubes
• 5 cups water
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Pan fry the hamburger, onion, garlic, salt and pepper on stove top medium for about 13 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove and drain.  

Place carrots & celery in the Ninja Cooking System on stove top medium (no need to add oil as you will have ground beef grease residue). Saute for about 5 minutes. Add water, boullion, parsley, barley, brown sugar & tomato sauce. Mix well.  Add hamburger mixture and cover with the lid. Turn to stove top high for 10 minutes. 

Last, turn the dial to slow cook, low and set the timer for 2 hours.

Serves: 6

What do you do when you get writers block?

Salmon Chowder in the Ninja Cooking System

Last week I took a little detour from my usual grocery store haunts & made a pit stop to a little discount place.  While there I stumbled upon an old staple of ours.  Little did I realize that later in the week I would be watching my kids drag each other across the living room trying to get the last bag.  

This discount place has mini shopping carts that haven't been cleaned in a decade or more and the aisles have room for one in a half carts and one in a half customers, at best. But,  they tend to have super cheap prices on expired products, so how could I go wrong? HA!

As in all conflicts a resolution usually follows. I watched  them counting out pieces in order to make a fair and equitable distribution, with a cock a roach (on wheels) as their witness. Seeing the mild violence, negotiation and ultimate child led resolution of a white cheddar smart puff lunch size bag would warm any mothers heart. These are the everyday joys of family life, my friends. I love my kids so very much and it's in these random moments that I forget my worries and let my heart happy.

Salmon Chowder in the Ninja Cooking System

• 1-1/2 pounds of wild salmon
• one leek, sliced
• 2 cups corn
• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• half a lemon, juiced
• 10 cups water, divided
• 2 bouillon cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• a few dashes of red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons dill
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound of red potatoes, cubed
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup flour

Place 4 cups of water in the Ninja, add the steamer basket and salmon. Cover with the lid and cook on stove top high for 20 minutes (If you have a thick filet of 2" of more) If you have a thin filet steam for about 15 minutes. Remove.  If your filet is thick in the middle like mine it will be a bit raw. Don't worry, it will cook more later.  Remove steamer basket but leave the water that was used to steam the salmon in the Ninja. 

Add the remaining 6 cups of water,  leek, celery, garlic, bouillon cubes, dill, paprika, red pepper flakes, potatoes, hot sauce, salt, pepper & lemon juice to the steamer juice in the Ninja. Cook on Stove top medium with the lid on for 15 minutes.  

In a saucepan on the stove, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, gradually. Turn the heat off. Stir until a paste is formed. Add paste to the veggie mixture in the Ninja. Stir until mixed.

Remove the skin from the wild salmon and flake it using forks. Remove and discard any bones. Give any salmon scraps to your cat :-)

Place the salmon and heavy cream in the Ninja and reduce heat to Slow Cooker low.  Turn the timer to 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes has arrived your Ninja will automatically set to warm.  Allow to warm for up to 3 hours and your chowder will thicken beautifully. I took the photo above right after I added the salmon and heavy cream before the chowder had a chance to thicken because we were racing off to drop off my sons friend, bring my son to basketball practice and catch my daughters basketball game! Busy times :-)

Enjoy....my whole family loved this Salmon Chowder & I hope yours will too!

Serves: 10

Thai Shrimp Soup with Ramen in the Ninja Cooking System

We made another pilgrimage to the snowy slopes of Mt.Baker this weekend. It's the first time we squeezed 7 of us in my car headed for Baker and gear for 6 people! What an accomplishment for my little Toyota. Kids had a blast and are asking and pleading for more time up there. We're thankful for the free 5th grade seasons pass & a big thanks to Mt.Baker for offering that program to our community.

After being on the mountain all day there isn't anything quite like a hot meal that's easy to prepare.  Again, my go-to source is the Ninja Cooking System that I received as a perk for attending the International Food Bloggers Conference in Portland last year.  I love this system because you can fry, saute, steam, slow cook and bake. Less clean-up + Fresh ingredients + Many features= Healthy Meal & Happy Mom

Thai Shrimp Soup with Ramen

• 2 cups shrimp
• 10 cups water
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups broccoli, diced
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup torn basil leaves
• Juice from one lime
• half a red onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

On stove top medium for 12 minutes, saute the broccoli, onion, carrots & garlic in vegetable oil.  Stir every few minutes.

Add fish sauce, lime juice, water, salt and pepper. Turn to stove top high for 5 minutes. 

Add two packages of ramen noodles (discard the seasoning packets or save for another use).

Cook for 6 minutes. 

Turn to stove top medium and add shrimp and coconut milk.  Stir and cook for about 4 minutes.  

Serve with lime slices and fresh basil leaves.

Serves: 8 

Sausage Veggie Couscous Soup in the Ninja Cooking System

Do you love the raw e-cards that are flying around the web? If not stop reading here & scroll down to the recipe. You've been warned. I love reading those & enjoy the subsequent belly laugh.  I also get a kick out of the ones that shame their pet. Maybe you have seen the one of a dog with a tag around his/her neck that says "I licked my brothers balls" or "I chewed the face off an antique stuffed panda bear".  Well today its my turn to shame. Not my pet, though.

So this soup is chunky, hearty, flavorful and healthy.  I love this soup. Really. I can eat it for lunch and dinner, then lunch and dinner the next day.  Then the leftovers go in the freezer for another time. But I really shouldn't have leftovers, except that my husband is super duper picky. It's kind of a plague of sorts, for a food blogger, to be so restricted. You see, he is an amazing husband...I love him for sooo many reasons, he is; strong, loving, has an amazing work ethic, a can-do attitude, he's seriously smart, mostly patient, caring dad and the list goes on (and on).  But what he isn't is adventurous in the dining department.

 We were at the Longsdale Market in Vancouver, Canada many moons ago, before marriage & I ordered each of us a bubble tea. He looked at the gigantic straw, the bubble tea, looked at me, took a sip and his face became crazed. Really. He ran for the garbage can and spit it out.

Bubble tea is out, Thai food and Vietnamese Pho are out of the question & as far as couscous goes, that's just simply not happening. It's like a relative to the bubble tea balls, or so he tells me.

So if you love a delicious soup and aren't afraid of the couscous give this one a try.  If you're like my husband, well. I'm sorry, I can't help you today. Alright, I suppose you could substitute the noodles for couscous. Maybe.

Sausage Veggie Couscous Soup

• 3 mild Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 3 whole carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups fresh cauliflower, diced
• 2 cups fresh broccoli, diced
• 1 large fire roasted red pepper diced (I usually use the jar variety)
• 1 can canellini beans
• 1 cup uncooked pearl couscous (otherwise known as Israel couscous)
• 8 cups beef broth
• a few dashes of worcestershire sauce
• 4 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste

In the Ninja Cooking System on Stove top high, fry the sausage for about 10 minutes. Break into smaller pieces.  Add onions, carrots, broccoli, & cauliflower. Fry for another 10 minutes.

Add beef broth & water. Place lid on top and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove lid, add beans, couscous, red pepper, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Turn the Stove Top dial to medium. Place the lid on top and cook for 15 minutes.

Serves 10 people

Creamy Turkey Noodle Stew

I hope that your holiday was everything you wished for it to be. We had a lovely evening at my folks house with extended family. There were a lot of laughs during the white elephant exchange.  My 70 something dad got stuck with a 2013 Twilight calendar and book! I ended up with my own gourmet foodie gift basket. It got passed along to my nephew who just graduated and moved into his very first place. I remember when....

If your family likes turkey noodle casserole then you might give this one a try. I call it a cousin of the casserole.  Here's what you'll need:

Creamy Turkey Noodle Stew

• 2 cups leftover turkey pieces or 2 cups diced turkey 
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1 can Progresso Creamy Portebello Mushroom Cooking Sauce
• 2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I used cauliflower, carrot & broccoli)
• 2 cups sour cream
• 6 slices of Havarti cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Using the Ninja Cooking System, fry the onion and oil on medium for about 8 minutes. Add the turkey, oyster sauce, chicken broth, mushroom cooking sauce & mixed veggies.  Stir.  Place the lid on top of the Ninja Cooking System and allow the ingredients to cook for about 10 minutes.

Stir again then add milk, sour cream & cheese. Allow to cook for a few minutes. Last, add uncooked egg noodles. Continue to cook on medium stove top for 10 more minutes.

Season with salt and pepper & serve.

Smoky Potato Soup with Ham in the Ninja Cooking System

                                  Potato Soup with Ham in the Ninja Cooking System

It was an ordinary afternoon pumping gas at the gas station on our way to my daughters art class. The cell phone rings and she answers it. It's the call that you don't expect to get but it's kinda in the back of your mind if you shop online. You know, it's a possibility but you figure it's not going to happen to you. It was our bank asking if we made purchases in town and in London, UK today? Someone in England was attempting to book travel arrangements at a travel agency. Thankfully our bank declined the transaction, twice.  So to the dirt bag who is trying to take without earning (stealing) I say "shame on you"! May karma drift your way sooner than later.

Ok, rant over. Cozy soup recipe to warm your heart & mine to follow:


Potato Soup with Ham in the Ninja Cooking System:

• 6 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups celery, diced
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups diced ham
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups milk, 2%
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup of cheddar cheese for garnish
• parsley for garnish
• green onions for garnish
• pepper to taste

In the Ninja Cooking System, add butter and onions and fry on stove top medium for about 5 minutes.  Add potatoes, celery, chicken stock, water, salt & ham.  Cook on stove top medium for 40 minutes

Add milk and cream and cook on stove top medium for 5 minutes.

Serve and garnish with parley and green onions

Turn to slow cooker, low for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes the Ninja will set to warm. 

Ham & Sausage Lentil Soup Ninja Cooking System

Somehow my house has been infiltrated by surfer dudes sans the tropical beach, 80 degree weather and mai tais. It started off slowly with the introduction of "epic fail". It evolved to "he's such a noob".  Now all I hear around here is "dude" or "bro" "hey bra" or "yo".

It's giving me flashbacks to my own youth growing up on the beautiful beaches in Hawaii. But somehow it seems a little more acceptable to speak in surfer slang when you live in Hawaii than it does to do so living in Washington state. Or is it just that I'm getting old and turning into one of those "kooks"?

So who am I, really, to judge my families choice of slang. I suppose, if anything, I should be grateful that they are choosing something close to my heart and heritage.  Let's see if I can dust off the cobwebs and mommy pride and join the banter & go "hella" crazy with them.

In the meantime, here's a "righteous" soup recipe:

• 1 pound of mild Italian sausage
• 2 cups of cooked diced ham
• 3 cups of lentils (I used red lentils from Trader Joe's)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cups canelli beans
• 8 cups chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste

On stove top medium, pan fry the sausage & onion until cooked (about 10 minutes).  Remove and drain the fat. 

Add chicken broth, beans, spinach, lentils, ham, sausage & onion.  Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook on stove top medium for about 35 minutes. Turn to slow cooker, low and serve.

Serves: 10 

Tell me your slang story, I know you have one!!

Smoky Sausage Chowder in the Ninja Cooking System

There's nothing quite like the sounds of pattering feet throughout the house, music playing in the background, the latest and greatest version of Modern Warfare being played on two t.v.'s, the cat meowing because he's mad that it's raining and wants to go outside but doesn't want to get wet & the guinea pig squealing for more veggies. It's a semi- ordinary weekend when you sprinkle in birthday parties, a company holiday party, a basketball tournament, a Girl Scout function, cousin sleepovers & a sex ed class. My only revenge, this time, was to belt out 90's songs as they played on the radio. There's something really freeing about singing, especially when you can't hold a tune.

With a schedule like this we picked up pizza mid-day on Saturday & admittedly it tasted perfect. When evening rolled around and my husband asked what's for dinner I replied in a forced and my most unemotional tone "pizza".  By Sunday I knew I couldn't feed the family take out all day again, mostly because there wasn't any leftovers and I didn't want to feel guilty about feeding them more processed food.

I fired up my Ninja Cooking System that I received at the IFBC Bloggers Conference in Portland.  Since this cooking system is unlike anything on the market recipes are hard to find. Sure, there are lots of slow cooker recipes around but this cooking system can do so much more than a slow cooker and I really didn't want to wait 4-8 hours for a slow cooked meal.  I decided on a chowder, mostly because I happened to have the ingredients on hand.  It was way better than the pizza the day before and everyone in my family enjoyed it. A few had seconds too.

     In 45 minutes we had a wholesome, homemade chowder

Here's what you need:

• One pound of new potatoes, diced
• 6 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 1 cup of green beans, sliced in 1/2" pieces
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 14 ounces of smoked Kielbasa, sliced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese to garnish
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 8 cups Chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons Kirkland no salt seasoning or Trader Joe's 21 seasonings salute (no salt)

Serves 10

Place sliced Kielbasa in the Ninja & turn the dial to stove top, medium. Fry for 10 minutes. Remove & set aside. 

Place carrots, celery, potatoes and onions in the Ninja. Fry for 10 minutes on stove top, medium. Add all ingredients except the milk. Set Ninja to Oven 350 for 20 minutes.  

Add milk + half and half & set on Oven 350 for 5 minutes.

Turn Ninja to slow cooker, warm. Serve chowder & sprinkle with cheese.

How do you manage the chaos of a busy schedule?

Cheddar Broccoli Soup in the Ninja / Slow Cooker

My nephew is joining us for a few days & it's fun to see the cousins interact and engage with one another. The highlight for me has been watching their moves on the trampoline. With the exception of the deep voices, it is as if I'm watching a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) show.

 The funniest part of the weekend was off the trampoline and on solid ground. At dinner time (or should I say at smackdown) I was given a rendition of their favorite moves.  The fluidity with the way they work together is remarkable. It's something that I notice watching team sports, when a group has played together for years. In our case, our kids have grown together since babes.  It's pretty cool to see how each cousin is so intuitive & anticipating the others' moves.

Kid friendly food is important when hosting friends and family. Yesterday we made our own pizza's with Trader Joe's pizza dough in a bag.  Good stuff!  Today, I was tempted to swing by Little Caesars for their $5.00 Monday "Hot and Ready" Pizza deal but decided that pizza two days in a row is just not right.  As my nephew is vegetarian so is the yummy recipe below:

• 5 cups raw broccoli (once measured place in a food processor to desired consistency)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 whole medium yellow onion (place in a food processor)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 5 cups water
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or any cheddar combo

Place onion in the food processor and puree.  Remove & place the onion in the Ninja on Stove top, high. Pan fry for 6-8 minutes, stir each minute.

 Place broccoli in the food processor and puree. Remove.

Remove onion from the Ninja. Place butter in the Ninja. Once melted add the flour and mix using a whisk. Add the water & cream. Whisk until it's smooth.

Add broccoli, onion. Stir well. 

Add  salt, nutmeg & pepper. Stir.

Set on Slow Cooker Low for 8 hours.

Place soup in bowls and add a handful of cheese.

Serves: 8 

It's soup weather! What kind of soup do you serve when hosting friends and family?

Meaty Bowling Chili

My husband and brother in law are crazy-about-bowling. Leagues, tournaments, YouTube videos, alley critiques, custom ball drillings & special order bowling balls. Because, unbeknownst to me, you cannot have just one ball.  You need multiple balls for the various shots & lane conditions.

All things bowling fill the background of our home lately & although I can say that I can't match their enthusiasm and passion for the sport at this time in my life, I am grateful to tag along for the ride.  We've met some great people.  The kind of folks who give you a high five when you're up...knuckles when you're down & all sorts of encouragement every week.  They take the sport seriously but not themselves.  They laugh a lot & they throw amazing parties.

Last night, we co-hosted a little bowling party. Thankful that my sister and brother in law hosted the venue, we arrived with meaty bowling chili in tow.  It was garlicky and great!

• 4 (16 ounce) cans of chilli beans
• 1 (16 ounce) can of kidney beans
• 3 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 onions (minced in a food processor)
• 8 garlic cloves minced
• 6 tablespoons chili powder
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 5 teaspoons sugar
• cilantro to garnish
• jalapenos to garnish
• shredded cheese to garnish
• cooked rice

Halve the beans and tomatoes then puree in a food processor then set aside.

Pan fry beef, onion & garlic until the pink is gone from the meat. Drain the meat.  Stir in chili powder, cumin, and sugar. Stir in puree & beans/tomatoes. Cook for 15 minutes then garnish with cilantro, jalapenos and or cheese.  Serve chili over cooked rice.

Serves 12-14

Recipe source: America's Test Kitchen: The Best Simple Recipes. I added kidney beans, rice and the garnishes.