Smooth Cauliflower Soup

I love cauliflower. It's a vegetable that looks like the bland cousin of broccoli and is often a second thought when thinking of what vegetable to make. What people miss when overlooking this species of brassica oleracea (same family as broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts, and collard greens) is a rich and smooth vegetable that is great roasted, fried, steamed, or in this case, included as the main part of a soup. In this recipe, I found a way to turn this white, floral looking veggie into a smooth and creamy soup that is simple, basic, and delicious. The dish only has 3 main components and takes less than an hour to prepare. I recommend this for those looking for a healthy soup that is big on flavor and simple to prepare.

Healthy Gameday: Cabbage Wedge Salad

The wedge salad is generally more of a steakhouse standard than a football snack, but I made one for a football game and it was delicious, so perhaps bars should rethink their menu strategy from a salad perspective. In addition to being a steakhouse standard, the wedge salad is also notoriously low on any nutritional value. The classic wedge is made up of a thick wedge of iceberg lettuce (which isn't unhealthy, but as far as lettuces go, it's not the most nutrient rich), blue cheese dressing, and bacon. For a healthier take, I made a roasted wedge of cabbage, with Greek yogurt and blue cheese dressing, with a bit of bacon for flavor. 

Healthy Gameday: Baked Wings

Wings are the classic "you know they're terrible for you but you love eating them" food. I personally can't turn down wings, especially when watching a football game. Last winter, when my beloved Pats were in the AFC Championship against the Ravens, I made a recipe very similar to this one. This version is much simpler to make and was inspired when I saw this recipe on the "Just a Taste" blog. I didn't mess with the recipe too much, but added a dipping sauce and adjusted the timing of the wings as well.

Healthy Gameday: Sweet Potato Nachos

Football. Healthy? Not usually. The usual game day fare is made up of nachos, wings, fries, and all sorts of artery clogging deliciousness. To try and capture the flavors of gameday without incurring the post eating guilt, I decided come up with a series of healthy versions of football classics. The first in the series of healthy bar food alternatives replaces pulled pork nachos in the form of sweet potato nachos.

My Return to Ty's Kitchen! Shrimp, Scallop, and Leek Chowder

I'm back! After a far too long hiatus and a less than inspired year at Ty's Kitchen, I've returned to make the blog better than ever. New recipes, ideas and hopefully a lot more interaction with YOU, my readers! To kick off the year, I wanted to share a delicious and easy recipe for a seafood chowder that would be good any time of the year. I had frozen some scallops and shrimp from Cape May that I picked up a couple months back and was looking for a fun way to use them. I decided on making a scallop, shrimp and leek chowder that would remind me of summer in the cold months and also provide a rich and warming dish for a cold winter's night.