Lentil Soup on a Cold Day

The weather has been so cold (38F or 3C) this week and even colder all over the country that the only thing I really feel like making is soup to warm us up.   Approaching the table to a warm bowl of soup just makes my heart happy! Plus it just reminds me of Chile. We eat a lot of soup there. 

Today I am sharing my Lentil Soup recipe for making a soup that is comforting and high in protein, fiber, folate, vitamin B1, iron, and other minerals.   

Facts about lentils:

• very healthy food! 
• it goes well with most vegetables!
• inexpensive!
• taste even better on the second day! 

Recently I learned that I can use my rice cooker to cook legumes (beans, lentils, garbanzos, etc). It's been a time saver!!! I no longer have to stand in the kitchen stirring the legumes so they don't stick to the bottom.  No one wants to eat burned food!!!!   


This is the rice cooker I use, it's a great size for my family, and it really just works great!!! I highly recommend it:  (affiliate link)

Lentil Soup 

Ingredients 

(for 5 people)

2 14oz bags of lentils

1 large onion

some carrots

paprika

cumin 

salt 

cilantro (optional)

Preparation

1. Soak lentils for 15-20 min with cold water. 
2. In a pan, heat up some oil and then add your chopped onion with some paprika and cumin. Enough to cover all your onions. Then stir it. 
3. Then add your carrots.  Add a bit more oil if needed. 

                                         

4. Drain and rinse your lentils.
5. Pour lentils with the onion and carrot mixture and cover it with water.       Add salt now. 
6. Boil lentils for about 40 minutes or until tender.  

I like to add fresh cilantro to my soup while it's cooking. I love the smell and the flavor and it meshes real well with the other ingredients. 

If your lentils start to get dry, just add more water and compensate the flavor by adding more salt. 

Serve warm! 

Enjoy!!!

Fabi

Crochet Heart Hat

This hat to me is a work of a art because it combines a few techniques, which are great for when you are ready to take your crocheting skills to the next level! With this pattern you will be able to read a crochet chart, use the standing double crochet, how to switch colors, and how to strand yarn from the wrong side of the hat. 

I love the result, My Hobby is Crochet, has produced in this hat! It's so lovely! Get the free pattern here.  

This pattern uses Caron Simply Soft yarn and a size 5.00 mm crochet hook. 

Fabi

Crochet Heart Purse

Crochet this beautiful purse that uses the heart stitch. Make it in your favorite colors for yourself or to gift for someone very special.  This purse is sure to warm someone's heart. 

To make this purse you will need: Sports weightcrochet yarn, hook 3.00mm and 3.5mm.

This pattern is available through here.

Fabi

Crochet Cuffed Booties

 made this crochet booties using worsted weight yarn and a size H hook. It took me about two hours to make. The pattern was fairly easy to follow with clear instructions.  It can be made in a solid color or in two like in the picture. Personally, I think two colors look super cute. 

Thanks to Repeat CrafterMe for the free pattern! Here is the link to it. Click here.  

Fabi 

Crochet Hearts

These are two simple hearts, stitched together and decorated with a flower. It looks so lovely! Perfect to hang from a window.  To see more of Dada's Place pictures, click here. To get the tutorial to make this heart, click here. 

Fabi

Daisy in Granny Heart

Give flowers for Valentine's Day this year using this free pattern to make a Daisy in a Granny Heart. It uses cotton yarn and a size H hook.  

Fabi

Find this yarn at Craftsy

Make a New Poncho

Make yourself a poncho to sport to work, outings, etc. Let everyone know you crochet by wearing something made by you! This Poncho Wrap is a free pattern that uses worsted weight yarn and a J hook.  You probably have everything you need at home to make one! Find the pattern here. 

Fabi

How to Crochet Hearts

I love the drawing hearts, but more so I love making hearts. This is such a simple pattern to follow that will allow you to make a crochet heart in just a few steps. Use it to accessorize your hats, scarves, bags, blankets, etc.  Find the free pattern at this site. 

This post contains affiliate link(s). I may or may not receive compensation for it. 

This pattern uses Vanna's Choice Worsted Weight Yarn (Craftsy) and a size H hook (Amazon)

Fabi

Crochet Boot Cuffs - Free Pattern

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support! 

As much as I love summer, I am pretty much always ready for the cooler evenings that come with Fall. The crisp air, the leaves falling down from trees while on a picnic, a stroll around the park...everything is just perfect to get out the boots and dress them up with comfortable crochet boot cuffs. 

This has been one of my most favorite patterns thus far. I especially like this pattern because of the ridges that add so much texture, plus it makes the cuff fit snuggly around the leg. It also adds extra warmth. 

Materials to Crochet Boot Cuffs 

Vanna's Choice has some of the best yarn, very affordable, wears well, lasts long, feels good, and looks good!!!!  You could make several pairs of boot cuffs using Vanna's Choice. Great option for Christmas gifts!!! 

Available at craft stores, Amazon has some of the best prices and stock in colors! 

Lion Brand Yarn 860-153 Vanna's Choice Yarn,Lion Brand Yarn 861-171E Vanna's Glamour Yarn,Lion Brand Yarn 860-180E Vanna's Choice Yarn,  

          

        

Crochet Hooks

For this project, I recommend using a G or H hook like the Clover ones. This hook is so comfortable!!!

Related: Crochet Essential Tools 

Clover 1045/G Purple Amour Crochet Hook, Size

FREE Crochet Boot Cuffs Pattern

Chain 20

Skip 2, HDC across (18), Ch. 2, turn
Now work 1 HDC on each stitch (not your ch.) on the back loop only.

Continue working your piece until it measures 10 in.

Now on the corner, work 2 sc in the corner, 1 sc in each stitch. Ch. 1 and turn.

1 sc on each stitch for 4 rows.  Ch. 1 and turn at the end of each row.

This boot cuff will fit around a leg circumference of 16 in. It's pretty stretchy.

Assemble Boot Cuffs

Sew together two ends and work your way over. Make sure you do leave a gap to insert leg. 

Hope you like this pattern. Leave a comment below! 

Apple with Kale Smoothie

Over Christmas all my kids were terribly sick with a barky cough, runny nose, and fever. Poor kids. I felt so bad for them!!! They really wanted to just enjoy Christmas, while one of them told me "I didn't know people could get sick when it's Christmas." Bless their hearts.

Finally this week, everyone has been feeling better and no one is coughing anymore. Yay!!! But I started to feel achy with a sore throat and an ear ache right at the beginning of the week.  Knowing that we have some special events coming up this weekend, I just knew I could not afford to get sick. So, because I believe in vitamins and healthy and clean eating I took it to my smoothies to help me feel better. That's right.

First of all, I avoided all dairy (milk), because there are many studies and my personal experience have shown me that whenever I start to feel a bit sick, congested with a sore throat, milk actually makes it worse. So for breakfast that first day I had an Apple with Kale Smoothie. Kale is a super food with a very high content of vitamin C. Exactly what I needed!!!

So I got my ingredients out and took them to my blender.

Apple with Kale Smoothie

2 apples (I used Gala)
2 handfuls of kale
1 banana
1/2 cup of almond milk
1/2 cup of water

Blend away!!!!

This has been my favorite green smoothie so far and I was so glad to have come up with the recipe!  I loved the texture from the apples, it made it juicy and chunky, and I loved getting a high boost of Vitamin C (from the kale and the apples) for my system that sure needed it!

I had the same smoothie again at dinner time and at breakfast the following morning.


I feel great and achy feeling is gone!!!  bye bye germs!

Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

Fabi

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link. I may or may not receive compensation for it. 

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Banana Avocado Smoothies - Smoothie de Platano con Palta

For over a year I have been venturing into smoothies off and on. It's been a fantastic experience so far, because it has gotten my children to eat more vegetables and eat a wider variety of fruits than they ever did in the past. 

Por mas de un año he estado preprando smoothies para mi familia. Ha sido toda una aventura porque ha ayudado a que mis hijos ahora coman muchos mas vegetales y consuman mucha mas fruta que antes.

Lately, we have been making smoothies 3-4 times a week and my kids are sometimes the ones to request we make it! They help getting the ingredients out of the fridge as well as also suggesting new food combinations.  I especially enjoy making the smoothies because it gives something we can 'cook' together quickly and also because we discuss the vitamin and mineral benefits found in different foods. 


Ultimamente he estado preparando a lo menos 3-4 smoothies a la semana y muchas veces son mis hijos quienes piden que hagamos uno. Ellos me ayudan a buscar los ingredientes del refrigerador y tambien dan sus sugerencias en cuanto a recetas y sabores que les gustaria probar.  A mi me encanta hacer estos smoothies porque nos da una oportunidad de ‘cocinar’ algo juntos en forma rapida y tambien nos ayuda a aprender sobre las vitaminas y minerales que contienen las frutas y verduras que vamos a utilizar.  

A few days ago we made a Banana Avocado smoothie at home.  Normally, we eat the avocado with sandwiches or pasta dishes, but this time we saved one avocado for a smoothie.  It made the smoothie so creamy! 

Hace unos dias preparamos un smoothie de palta (aguacate) con platano en la casa. Normalmente comemos la palta en sandwiches o sino la uso para salsa para pasta, pero esta vez quise probar algo nuevo y lo hicimos en un smoothie. La palta dejo el smoothie mas cremoso y suave. 

Banana Avocado Smoothie

(yields enough for 1-2 glasses - I doubled the recipe for 4 people) 

1 banana

1 avocado 

1 handful of kale 

1/2 cup of almond milk (unsweetened)

***Read note below to find out how to make it sweeter 

Smoothie de Platano con Palta

(rinde suficiente para 1-2 vasos. Dobla la receta para 4 personas)

1 platano

1 palta

una mano llena de col rizada

1/2 taza de leche de almendra (sin endulzante)

***Lee mas abajo para ver como hacer este smoothie mas dulce.

As is, you could replace the kale for spinach and it would just as yummy. If you go with the kale, like I did, you can add an apple to this recipe to make a sweeter smoothie. You see, Kale is a fantastic super food with over 170% vitamin C and it's also very high on vitamin A.  The only downside of kale is that it's more bitter and crunchier.  So I just make sure to compensate with a Gala apple, which is what's available in my fridge right now. 

Tambien se puede reemplazar la col rizada por espinacas y quedaria delicioso. En todo caso, si decides usar la col rizada, agregale una manzana a tu smoothie con cascara (sin pepas!). La col rizada es una super comida que contiene mas de 170% de vitamina C y ademas tiene mucha vitamina A. Definitivamente vale la pena agregarlo al smoothie, aunque sea un poco mas amargo, pero si usas la manzana como te decia...quedara muy dulce y totalmente natural! 

This was a delicious recipe! What smoothies do you make at home? 

Me encanto esta receta. Pruebala y despues me cuentas como te fue.  

Fabi

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link. I may or may not receive compensation for it. All opinions are my own.

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