{Soup Series} Creamy "Chk-n" Gnocchi Soup-Dairy Free

 I'm back with another soup recipe. This one was so good, we had it on Christmas. It's easy to make but feels special and decadent at the same time.  It's also super creamy without any dairy.

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for a few hours

4 cups vegetable broth

1/2 medium red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup riced cauliflower

1-2 cups raw spinach (or kale)

3 small carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 (18oz) package of potato gnocchi

2 meatless chicken breasts (I use Don't be a Chicken brand)

Spices: onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes(optional)

To make:

Serves 4-6

• Start by soaking your cashews in boiling water for a few hours or overnight.
• Sauté onions, garlic, carrots, cauliflower & celery in a large stock pot with some water or olive oil until onions are translucent
• Microwave the "chicken" patties until defrosted and cut into bite size pieces, add to the stock pot and cook through 
• Add spices to taste. I usually add 1/2-1 tsp of each onion, garlic, Italian seasoning to start. Season with salt & pepper. 
• Add vegetable broth and bring to a low boil
• Add gnocchi and cook for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer
• Drain soaked cashews and blend with 1 cup of water until smooth
• Add the blended cashews to the pot and stir on low heat
• Add spinach (or kale) and cook until wilted
• Check for seasonings and serve.  Add some crushed red pepper flakes for a little kick!

Enjoy!

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Another Winter Trader Joe's Haul

 I'm back from our big move!  We're still unpacking and trying to organize everything but the move went pretty smoothly and we're settling in so it's time for another TJ's haul.  Trader Joe's is always coming out with new products or I find something we haven't tried yet. 

I've been on an olive kick lately and these Garlic & Jalapeño Stuffed Olives are delicious. They aren't too spicy and are full of flavor. I like slicing them up on a salad.

I hadn't tried the Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon before. It wasn't my favorite..too many bones and just not my thing.

Mr. Click loves the Dark Russet Kettle Cooked Potato chips.

Hena from The Story of Us told me about the Five Seed Almond Bars...they are so tasty and great with a cup of coffee in the afternoon.  They remind me of a cross between a granola bar and a cookie with a nice hint of cinnamon.

The little bag of A Handful of Dark Chocolate Pretzels is a nice size to keep around.  Just enough!

I can't believe I had never tried The Black Bean and Cheese Taquitos. They are a fun snack or meal.

I love TJ's seasoning blends. Aglio Olio is new and I'm obsessed!  I'm on my second jar of Green Goddess.

I needed yogurt so I picked up a few. They didn't wow me but were ok.

I always need produced and these are all tried and true favorites from TJ's.

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Life Lately...We're Moving!

 You may have noticed I haven't been blogging as consistently lately or been around as much.  It's because we've been extra busy....

We bought a house! In another state (about an hour away)! Before we sold our current house! It's been a whirlwind and we haven't moved yet but it's getting close.We've been working on the new house to get it move-in ready.  That started with repainting the whole house.

My brain couldn't handle too many more decisions so I chose Simply White by Benjamin Moore (but used Behr paint from Home Depot) for the entire house. It's a warm white even though it looks super white on the paint fan.

Our painter (Mr. Click) started painting as soon as we had the popcorn ceilings removed (yup, popcorn ceilings in some of the rooms).

We had the ceilings removed starting on day 1. What a mess!

The start of the paint going on in the dining area.

We've spent many hours at the new place and "picnic" there frequently.

We also had the carpets removed from this lower level family room and the office. 

We chose LVP luxury vinyl planks for those spaces.  The floors are Lifeproof Sundance Canyon Hickory from Home Depot.

Office (BEFORE)

What a difference paint and flooring make!

We also had the upstairs floor refinished. They had been painted with a faux finish(left photo) which we didn't like. I love how the floors came out.

We had to strip some wallpaper from the upstairs hallway. Another huge mess and a lot of work but worth it.

Meanwhile back at our current house this was going on.  The house was under contract (yay!)and the home inspection revealed that the pipes from the house to the street had to be cleaned out and replaced (boo! $$$).   Then we got 24 hours of heavy rain.

We also got a beautiful snowfall. I'm glad we got one more snow before we move.

The For Sale sign was updated, getting exciting!  We've been majorly cleaning, decluttering, donating, selling, recycling, and shredding (on repeat)!  We are downsizing and it's painful but I'm glad we are going through everything now.

We went through so many boxes of old documents and receipts and got them down to two legal boxes. We took them to get shredded and it was so satisfying. Needless to say we've been really really busy but looking forward to being in ONE smaller house soon.

I got a new "do" and I'm loving the shorter length.  I hope to have more new house posts soon. I hope you'll stick around for our latest adventure!

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Winter Trader Joe's Haul

 It's been a long time since I've done one of my TJ's hauls.  We've done a few shopping trips over the last few months and here's what we've been buying (that I remembered to photograph!)

I needed a small bottle of balsamic vinegar and looking forward to trying this one.

The Pita Bite Crackers are so crispy and flaky.  Thumbs up!

The Buttermilk Ranch dressing has been out for awhile but I just tried it. I like it!

I hadn't bought the Oat Creamer in awhile and thought it would make a nice treat when I want a little creamer in my coffee. *It's good on oatmeal too!

Some freezer items: Mr Click enjoys the Cookie Butter Ice Cream and I like the Mini Mint Ice Cream Mouthfuls (even though that's a mouthful to say!)

I grabbed the Organic Jasmine Rice for a dinner one night, it's so nice to have it in the freezer for "rice emergencies" like that.

We have not had the Reduced Guilt Mac & Cheese in years and it was an old favorite. We'll see if it still holds up.

I was influenced by a TJ's YouTuber to try this. It's so good! 

I bought this little tree for my mother in law for hosting Thanksgiving. TJ's does great plants and flowers!

I finally tried the Giant Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce--they are a customer favorite. They were good but City Girl #1 said "too dilly ". She isn't a dill fan.

I love their Srirachi sauce and the price point.

A fun new pasta to try!

A few more staples: The Squiggly Noodles are so versatile and really tasty..like in my Easy Peanut Noodles.

I use the Beefless Ground in lots of recipes...like my Slow Cooker Taco Soup , Vegan "Meaty" Lasagna,American Style Vegan Goulash, Vegan Tater Tot Hot Dish, Vegan Taco Pie, Vegan Egg Roll In a Bowl & Shepherd's Pie.

We're on our second Crunchy Chili Onion Oil.  A little goes a long way!

I buy the Raw Cashew Pieces for dairy free sauces and recipes.  Way more budget friendly than whole cashews.

What have you been buying at TJ's lately?

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