Strawberry Cream Cheese Bites | Minestrone Soup | Chopped Salad - Laura Will - Scratch Made Simple

This episode of Scratch Made simple is all about healthy dishes that are high in delicious flavor, but low in calorie. Learn how to make a hearty and tasty minestrone soup from scratch, get a great recipe for Laura's favorite green chopped salad, and finish it off with delicious strawberry cream cheese bites for a tasty and light dessert!
HEALTHY MINESTRONE SOUP...
~ Ingredients ~
2 Tablespoons of minced garlic
1 large yellow onion (chopped)
3 stalks of celery (diced)
4 carrots (peeled/diced)
2 cups of freshly chopped sugar snap peas
2 large russet potatoes (chopped)
2 (12 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
1 (14oz.) can of crushed tomatoes
6 cups of chicken broth (or veggie if you prefer)
1 (15oz.) can of kidney beans
1 cup (pre-cooked) mini shell pasta
Bundle of fresh kale
1/4-1-2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
few sprigs of freshly chopped oregano
small bundle of freshly chopped basil
2 bay leaves
~ Directions ~
Sweat/sauté your onions and celery for about 4-5 minutes on medium heat with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Next, add in your carrots and potatoes, salt and pepper again. Cook your veggie mixture for 5 minutes. Add garlic, stir, and let cook for about 1 minute (don't overcook your garlic and burn it). Pour in chicken broth, and then add in your sugar snap peas, freshly chopped oregano and basil. Add your chopped tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and kidney beans. Add bay leaves and more salt and pepper again at this point (taste, and season appropriately). Let this simmer for at least 20-30 minutes on medium heat.
After your soup has simmered long enough on the stovetop (for the veggies to soften and flavors to meld together) add in your cooked mini pasta shells. Stir in your de-vained fresh handfuls of kale and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Be sure to remove your bay leaves before serving
FRESH GREEN CHOPPED SALAD...
~ Ingredients ~
1 head of romaine lettuce
2 cups of spinach
1 small handful of fresh basil
4 green scallions
1 cup (diced) sugar snap peas
2 whole small dill pickles
1 cucumber
1 small package of feta crumbles
1 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt & freshly cracked black pepper
~ Directions ~
Chop all of your greens up and place them in a big salad bowl. Top with the feta, chopped nuts, dijon mustard, oil & vinegar, and salt/freshly cracked black pepper. Toss together, serve, and enjoy!
STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE BITES...
~ Ingredients ~
Fresh strawberries (tops cut off and center cored out, with a small cut on bottom of strawberry so it can stand)
1 (8 oz.) package of room temperature cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
crushed graham crackers (I just smash a few graham crackers in a sandwich bag with a wooden spoon)
~ Directions ~
Beat room temperature cream cheese for a few seconds in your Kitchen Aide mixer (a handheld beater works just fine, too). Next, beat in your sour cream with your cream cheese. Add your powdered sugar, slowly incorporate into mixture. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and heavy cream. Turn on high and beat for a minute or two until all of you ingredients form a creamy mixture.
Cut the tops of your stawberries off, hollow out the centers, and cut a small portion of the bottom of your strawberry off so that they can stand. Spoon your ingredients into a plastic sandwich bag, cut a small tip off the bag, and pipe into your hollowed out strawberries. Sprinkle the top with your graham cracker crumbs, serve, and enjoy!
To get complete recipes with instructions and measurements, check out my Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/ScratchMadeSimple OR my blog at www.ScratchBakes.com/blog.

[@texasbandera7320]

That looks sooo good!

[@margielavarias1490]

I love your recipes so much!! God bless

[@colleencrawford5232]

You are such a great cook and create easy recipes for us to follow. AND you look and sound like Reese Witherspoon 💞

[@cindystrother7710]

YOU ARE A FABULOUS COOK THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME

[@cindystrother7710]

YUMMY DELICIOUS! THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@mama-shellsmith359]

Greetings...i just found your channel today and i must say im very impressed...you have such great recipes and they are fairly simple...homemade from scratch...satisfying...easy...delicious and healthy. I love your presence your style. I have saved a few of your recipes today. Thank you for sharing. New subscriber now.

[@scratchmadesimple2274]

Awww Marshalea! Thank you!! I’m so glad you are here 😊 Happy new year!

[@mariansmartt]

I just made this apple crisp and it is the best ever! Thank you so much. And I absolutely love your channel!

[@scratchmadesimple2274]

Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed it! My whole family loves having it several times a year--especially in the cold months. Thanks for watching!

[@realetreasures6443]

Rather than hunting through the soup for the bay leaves, we always leave the bay leaves in, but tell everyone that they're good luck if they find one. This has meant that those serving may bestow the bay leaf to someone for luck. (Even grown-ups get excited to get the bay leaf.) And, a few weeks ago, I heard one of my daughter's friends tell someone I didn't know at a party, 'Well, the bay leaves are good luck, of course. We leave them in there so you'll have good luck, not so you'll eat them.' So the tradition continues.

[@scratchmadesimple2274]

My momma used to do this, too! :-D

[@cindystrother7710]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING YOUR FABULOUS RECIPES AND DIRECTIONS UNDERNEATH SO WE CAN HAVE THEM FOR LATER THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@scratchmadesimple2274]

Cindy Strother yay! You’re so welcome! Thank you for taking the time to watch and leave such a nice comment. Appreciate you!

[@goav3256]

Hello there! I like everything about your channel. You are talented and blessed. I'm so glad i found your channel! I would really like to visit your bakery, looks beautiful! You are very creative... Maybe one day i get to visit your bakery when we come up north... God bless!

[@scratchmadesimple2274]

Go Av I would LOVE to meet you!! If you’re ever in the area please drop in :-)

[@sarahmichaels2117]

Just subscribed to your channel. Your recipes are so delicious. Keep them coming!

[@scratchmadesimple2274]

Hi Sarah! Thank you so much! We're working on posting new content, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas to you!

[@colleencrawford5232]

Btw- I just found you today 👍🏻

[@christinebrush4399]

Are you going to make regular videos..I just found you..Oct 2019!

[@scratchmadesimple2274]

Hi Christine! We really need to start uploading them again! We have new ones, I just haven't had the time with opening a second bakery in a few weeks and raising 4 kids :-D. Hopefully soon. I LOVE doing them. Thank you for stopping by!

[@christinebrush4399]

@@scratchmadesimple2274 Congratulations. I understand. I am 73 now but did have a nursing career and 4 children when younger. I look forward to a vid now and then if you can.

[@janet7024]

I gust found you 2019-2020

[@linbron2018]

Do u do recipes using a instant pot? U didn’t mention all the veggies or things needed to cook this. Music is too high. Looks delicious .

[@dinahsoar6982]

The link to the recipe is below the video. The music seemed fine to me, I turned it down and was still able to hear her fine.

[@scratchmadesimple2274]

Hi Lin Bron! I just updated the description page and added all of the recipes/ingredients/directions for your convenience. Hope that helps! And I don't personally edit/produce the videos, but I can pass along your suggestion about music volume. Thanks for watching!