Pomegranate Pear Sorbet

Okay y'all are going to LOVE today's post! Well I mean, I hope you do, because I think this may be one of my favorite things I have ever made.

Remember my friends that love to share their yummy fruits and vegetables they grow? Well they have pulled through again. They dropped off a huge bag of farm fresh pears and I can't stop thinking about all of the yummy things I can make! My first thought was sorbet. I have had sorbet on my mind for a few weeks now as an old friend of mine mentioned how she would love to see a recipe for sorbet show up on the blog. I have finally listened! I created a pomegranate, pear sorbet so I can use some of these delicious fresh pears from the farm.

Sorbet is super easy, especially if you have an ice-cream maker. I make sorbet often because I absolutely love it! I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but when I do, sorbet is what I crave. I guess it is because it is dairy free :).

For this recipe, I use Pom Pomegranate juice. If you have another brand you love, go with that one. Pom just happened to be my favorite. Pomegranate juice is full of antioxidants and potassium. You guessed it, Pom juice is GF!!

I use a Cuisinart ice cream/sorbet maker like this one. However, any type will work!

Printable Recipe Here!

Pomegranate Pear Sorbet
GF/DF

Ingredients:
1 cup Pom Juice
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 pound ripe pears (4-5 pears depending on size)
a pinch of sea salt

What to do:

Peel and core pears. I have an apple slicer that works perfectly for coring apples/pears.

Dice your pears and set aside.

Add Pom juice, water, and sugar together in a medium sauce pan.

Bring to a slight boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Carefully add in your pear chunks and stir together.

Bring back up to a boil and allow to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the pears soften.

Transfer mixture to a food processor and add in salt and lemon juice. Process until smooth. This should only take a few minutes.

Once move, transfer to a bowl and allow to completely come to room temperature. Don't rush this step!

Once at room temperature, cover and place in fridge for 3 hours or up to overnight.

Once chilled, transfer mixture to ice cream maker and process for 25-30 minutes. The mixture should be smooth but slightly firm.

Okay, now it is time! Grab a spoon and taste away! Store in freezer.

Thanks Y'all!
-Wise Wife

Lemon Caper Pasta

One misconception about pasta is that you always have to slop some type of sauce on top. This recipe proves that you don't. Add the power of garlic and lemons together and the end result is a deliciously healthy, simple pasta dish. 

This recipe takes no time at all to throw together so it is a perfect option for a late at work evening. Even better, this would be a great one for picky kids! I decided to use whole wheat pasta for tonights dinner. However, this can easily be a GF dish by swapping whole wheat pasta for GF pasta. 

Hubs topped his portion with a little parmesan cheese and said it was delicious. Lets whip up dinner!

Printable Recipe Here!

Lemon Caper Pasta

DF

Ingredients:

3 T olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

3 T capers

12 oz penne pasta 

2 lemons

1 cup fresh basil

2 pinches of salt

1/4 t black pepper 

What to do:

Mince your garlic.

Chop your chicken into bite sized pieces and rinse and chop your basil.

Cook your pasta according to package directions, drain and reserve 3/4 cup pasta water. 

While your pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium heat in a deep skillet.

Add in your garlic and capers. Pan fry for about a minute.

Add in your chicken and zest of one lemon and cook until no longer pink.

Add in juice of one lemon, stirring to remove any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add in your cooked pasta, basil, pasta water, juice of the other lemon, salt, and pepper and stir everything together.

Serve in a bowl and watch your Hubs smile!

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife

Quick Chicken and Vegetable Soup

What I love about vegetable soups is you can toss in whatever you have in your pantry or fridge. If you don't have one of the veggies listed below, no worries! Just omit it and keep on cooking.

It is suppose to be Fall, but it is still in the high 80's around here. Our house wants it to be cold so bad, we are just going to pretend it is and open up the season of soups! I love it when a chill comes in the air and pot roasts frequent our diner table. Hubs keeps dropping hints that he is ready for a roast. Maybe next week! 

This recipe calls for chopped tomatoes. I used a box of Pomi chopped tomatoes which is a little bit larger than a regular can of tomatoes but a typical jar is perfectly fine. Just make sure it is low sodium.

Printable Recipe Here!

Quick Chicken and Vegetable Soup 
GF/DF

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 

1 medium onion
2 T fresh parsley

1 cup baby carrots

2 celery stalks

1 can chopped tomatoes 

2 cups V8

1 cup chicken broth

1 can reduced sodium black beans

1 can low sodium kidney beans 

2 cloves garlic

1/2 t freely ground black pepper

1 T dried basil

1 t dried oregano

5 oz package fresh spinach

What to do:

First we have to get all the ingredients ready to toss in. Dice your onion and celery and cut your chicken into bite sized pieces.

Chop your parsley and mince your garlic.

Drain and rinse your black beans and kidney beans.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Add in your onions and sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add in your chicken and cook until the outside is no longer pink. The chicken will finish cooking throughout the cooking process.

Deglaze your pot with your chicken broth, scraping the bottom to remove any brown bits.

Add in your remaining ingredients, except the spinach.

Stir everything together and allow to come to a simmer.

Allow your soup to cook for about 30 minutes so that all of your flavors really come together.

Add in your spinach and stir until wilted.

Grab a ladle and serve in bowl. I served ours with a grilled cheese so that we could do a little dipping. (Mine was made with Daiya cheese of course!)