Creamy Cashew Chowder

Well I guess I have some catching up to do with my pregnancy journey. It was quite the experience but SO worth it. 

Here are a few highlights from the 3rd Trimester:

-still was obsessed with bread, more specifically bagels

-my right leg went from going numb to excruciating pain after walking for more than 5 minutes

-I got dizzy a lot in the morning, but once summer break hit I was able to sleep more which helped

-He got the hiccups multiple times a day in my belly, which was a weird feeling
-He kicked me all the time and I loved seeing my belly move constantly.  

And now we have Wittle Warren!! He was born August 9th, 2017, weighing 8lbs 9oz. and three, YES THREE, weeks overdue. He was worth every day I waited over my due date though. 

This guy is the coolest kid on the planet. He is so happy, loves his family, and brings us so much joy. Warren, life didn't feel complete without you. 








This little guy gets cuter every day!

 

About a month before the wittle guy got here, RC and I got hitched!! I came home after my baby shower and he had handwritten me a note asking me to spend our lives together. Duhhhh I said yes!! I was so excited to marry him, we ran (well I more or less waddled) down to the courthouse and got married by a very sweet judge in front of our closest friends and family. It was perfection. It was also over 100 degrees on July 14th. Thank goodness the courthouse was well air conditioned!

Hopefully, I can keep up with some more recipes every so often. As it turns out, parenthood is pretty time consuming. 

This soup is my ultimate favorite! It tastes like real clam chowder. Enjoy!

I found the recipe here.

Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch half moons
• 3 celery stalks, sliced thin
• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced very thin
• 8 ounces of white button mushroom, or baby bellas, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 2 potatoes of your choice
• 2 sheets of nori, finely chopped
• 5 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 cup of raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours (or boiled for 10-15 minutes)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Once heated, sauté the onion, carrots, and celery with a pinch of salt until carrots are tender. 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile make the cashew cream. Drain the cashews. In a blender add the cashews and 1/2 cups of vegetable stock, pulse until there are no more big chunks, slowly add in 1 1/2 cups more stock, stopping to blend after the addition of each 1/2 cup. Once you have added 2 cups of stock total, blend on high for 1-3 minutes until completely smooth and creamy (should not be gritty). Set aside.
4. Once the vegetables are tender, add the mushrooms to the pot. Cook until softened. About 4-5 minutes. You just want them to soften a bit, but still maintain their texture.
5. Add the remaining 3 cups of vegetable stock to the pot, along with the nori and 2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let summer for 20 minutes.
6. While soup is simmering, leave the skin on the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
7. Add potatoes to soup and cook about 13 minutes.
8. Stir in the cashew cream gently, heat uncovered for 5-8 minutes until thickened.
9. Stir in the tomato paste and lemon juice.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Serve immediately & enjoy!