Dec18

Easy Blender-Made Soups for Wintertime

Tara Rafferty Blog, Food and drink, Winter no responses

We always recommend bringing a blender when you travel to one of our vacation properties. That’s because there are so many recipes that can be made with this one simple tool. It’s easy to pack and endlessly diverse, whether you want to make dessert smoothies, creamy blender-made soups, or blended cocktails. An immersion blender is particularly easy to pack and works great for soups of all kinds.

As the weather dips in December, you and your family are probably craving something warm and rich to eat. Blenders are great for whipping together easy soups. Here are a few of our favourites:

1. Easy Carrot Soup

This uber-filling soup makes for a perfect winter dinner. Cut up 2-pounds of carrots and boil them with the other ingredients in full-fat coconut milk and water. After about 10-15 minutes of simmering, the carrots should be tender enough to blend. Poke them with a fork and insure the prongs go through easily before introducing the blender.

Curry paste and onion make up the base of this flavourful dish. Additionally, you can add in some cilantro, toasted almonds, or chile oil.

Get the full recipe here.

2. Tomato Basil Soup with Asiago

This twist on traditional tomato soup is a welcome chilly weather meal. You can use canned tomatoes for the base or boil and peel 3-pounds of fresh tomatoes for an even richer flavour. Though the recipe calls for chicken broth, you may substitute vegetable broth in order to make the recipe suitable for vegetarians.

The grated asiago cheese gives this dish some zest. Save a bit to sprinkle on top of each bowl directly before serving. You can also garnish with croutons if you choose!

Get the full recipe here.

3. Butternut Squash Soup

The most challenging part of this recipe is peeling the squash, removing the seeds, and quartering it all. If you don’t have time for this, you can use frozen or canned squash as a substitute. But fresh always tastes best! You will need 3 cups of squash and 1 peeled, decored, and cubed apple to make up the bulk of the soup.

You will want to saute some onion in butter while the squash and apple are steaming. Then, blend it all up with the rest of the ingredients and voila!

Get the full recipe here.

Stay Warm and Fill Up!

Hot, fresh, and quick blender-made soups are the perfect winter recipe. They are easy to make and can be adjusted to accommodate what you have on hand if you are in a rental suite and away from your kitchen.

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Nov06

Immunity Boosting Healthy Smoothies for Cold Season

Tara Rafferty Blog, British Columbia, Food and drink, Okanagan, Vancouver Island no responses

As the weather goes down, so does our body’s natural immunity. Wintertime tends to mean: being indoors more, where germs travel more easily; a lower body temperature, making you vulnerable; and germs get tougher as the weather gets chillier. That’s why you should try to incorporate vitamins and minerals into your diet that boost immunity and help keep you healthy! Smoothies are an easy way to do this. Here are a few nutrient-rich healthy smoothies to get you started:

Citrus Immunity Boosting Smoothie Recipe

Citrus fruits have a ton of vitamin C so this recipe is a perfect, healthy smoothie choice. The vitamin C in citrus fruits are also proven to slow aging and prevent cancer. Oranges and mangoes are the primary ingredients, which is great because mandarin oranges are in season. Lime juice and coconut water finish this recipe off. With no yogurt or milk, it is also low calorie.

Full recipe here.

C-Blast Smoothie

Pink grapefruit, pineapple, and strawberries are all packed with vitamin C. Because most fruit is out of season, feel free to sub in frozen or canned varieties where applicable. This blend included half-a-cup of non-fat Greek yogurt, too, which makes it more filling—perfect for breakfast or a midday snack to tide you over until dinner.

Full recipe here.

Immune Boosting Winter Citrus Smoothie

Mangos, turmeric, ginger, a pinch of cayenne, oranges make the base of this rich, delicious wintertime favorite smoothie. Try swapping in blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges, or mandarin oranges to change up the flavor a bit. You can even mix varieties in the same dish. This smoothie is perfect for winter blues, with plenty of vitamin C and antioxidants.

Full recipe here.

Superfood Power-Up Smoothie Cups

This smoothie cup contains coconut milk, oatmeal, raw honey, chia seeds, vanilla, quinoa, as well as an assortment of spices that you can modify based on what you have on hand. We suggest using turmeric, which is known to help control blood pressure and boost your body’s natural restorative properties.

Full recipe here.

What are your favourite healthy smoothies for wintertime? Let us know in the comments. Want to tap into some sweet, sweet Okanagan produce for your healthy smoothie recipes? Book your summer vacation plans with us now at Breakaway Vacations. We book up fast!

Stay fed, stay healthy.

Oct09

Easy Pumpkin Recipes for October Travel Treats

Tara Rafferty Uncategorized no responses

Going away for the weekend doesn’t have to mean living off crusty gas station cookies when you get the inevitable sweet tooth. We believe that home baking can travel with you anywhere, which is why we’ve compiled this list of # pumpkin-themed baking recipes that are uber easy to make.

Pumpkin Granola

Oats, pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin puree are the star or this granola dish. Plus, coconut oil, maple syrup, honey and brown sugar add all the sweetness you could possibly desire. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes to prepare and then another hour to bake, so consider making it the night before if you want a get-up-and-go treat first thing in the morning.

Full recipe on Tasty Kitchen.

Baked Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Pumpkin can be used in the main course, too. If you have some picky eaters in the family, try this pumpkin mac and cheese dish. No one can say no to mac and cheese! Other than the usual mac and cheese ingredients that you would expect, you will also want to pick up some pumpkin puree and ground nutmeg. This easy lunchtime treat takes just under an hour to make.

Full recipe on The Bossy Kitchen.

Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins

This recipe takes only 45 minutes to complete with minor prep time of about 10 minutes. A perfect afternoon craft! You also get about 18 muffins out of it, making it perfect to share with friends or family. All you need is pumpkin spice cake mix (or similar cake mix of your choosing), pumpkin puree, cinnamon chips, and chopped pecans. Makes a perfect dessert!

Full recipe on AllRecipes.

Pumpkin Smoothie

If you’re a fan of pumpkin spice lattes, you might want to try this pumpkin smoothie. Pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, apple cider, milk, maple syrup, and pumpkin-pie spice to taste. Pumpkin smoothies are great for a midday snack or even a quick breakfast. Don’t forget to pack your personal (1 serving) blender so that you can make smoothies on the go, no matter where you are. We highly recommend it.

Full recipe on Express Life.

Need somewhere to stay for a quick week/end getaway this Fall season? Contact us to learn about one of our many vacation rental properties, from cottages to larger group facilities.

May01