Yam and Peanut Stew with Kale

Around our house we've been feeling pretty uninspired to cook lately.  And there's one big culprit - we bought a house! So that means finding time or energy to think about or do anything has pretty much gone out the window.  Honestly even I get bored of how much we talk about house stuff but still we're super excited that we finally made this dream a reality.

When we have busted out with some cooking it's been for simple and healthy things to make up for all of the eating out we've been doing lately.  Up here in the PacNW we are also in between seasons weather wise so it can change daily what we're in the mood for.  We hit a cold and rainy spot earlier this week and that sent us hankering for some soup.  But healthy soup...and cheap soup...and quick soup.  So I found this recipe and it called my name immediately.

I really liked this soup but next time I'd pureed the whole thing and then add in the kale.  The texture was a little weird to have it a little of both.  Flavor wise this soup was top notch.  You may think, peanut butter in soup?  Are you sure?  And yes, I am sure - it's delicious!  Another thought is serving it with a nice lemon yogurt sauce on top to brighten it all.  Enjoy any which way you serve it.

Yam and Peanut Stew with Kale
found here

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 cup dried red lentils
2 lbs of yams, peeled and cubed
3 ripe vine tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
dash of cayenne
5 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 head of curly kale
salt and pepper to taste
chopped green onions and peanuts for garnish, optional but highly recommended

1. Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion and sautee until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and ginger and sautee until fragrant.  Add the lentils, yams, tomatoes and spices and stir to combine.
2.  Add stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce soup to simmer and cook until yams are tender, about 35-40 minutes.
3.  Add peanut butter and stir well.  Puree soup with an immersion blender.  Add kale and cook until wilted.
4.  Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper.  Serve and garnish with peanuts and green onions, if using.

Chicken Avocado Green Curry

Whenever we order Thai food, which in Portland is one of the only abundant take out options, I often order this dish.  I love the warm but not mushy avocado and the spice level of the green curry is perfect for me.  And although it's not soup it sure is close enough and provides the same comforts.

I was brainstorming what to make for dinner a few nights ago and whenever I want tasty but healthy I usually veer towards a stir fry with lots of veggies and chicken or pork.   But then I saw that DP had stocked up on avocados over the weekend and those avocados were all perfectly ripe at the same time. So I immediately thought of one of my favorite Thai food take out dishes.  I went in search of a recipe and didn't come up with a whole lot for this dish.  So I found a green curry recipe and made up the rest on my own using my mad stir fry skills.  What I turned out was extremely good, and dare I say, better than the take out we usually get.  All the more reason to start making my own Thai food and probably spending a whole lot less.

I hope you enjoy this!  It would be a fun take on a St. Patrick's Day meal as it has loads and loads of green in it.

Chicken Avocado Green Curry
curry sauce adapted from here

• 4 tablespoons green curry paste
•  2 cans of coconut milk
•  1 tablespoon soy sauce (or I use Bragg's liquid aminos)
•  4 cloves of garlic, crushed
•  1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 4 oz of fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha, give or take depending on your desired spice level
• 2 tablespoon canola or other light oil
• 1.5 lbs of skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 yellow onion, medium dice
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2" coins
• 1 bunch asparagus, fibrous ends discarded and cut into thirds
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 bunch of kale, stems discarded and chopped thin slices
•  3 small avocados, cut into medium dice
• cooked jasmine rice, for serving

First make the green curry sauce.  In a blender add green curry paste, coconut milk, soy sauce, crushed garlic, brown sugar, basil, and 1 tablespoon of Sriracha.  Blend until smooth and the basil is thoroughly blended.  Set aside. At this point you can start your rice, if using.

In a wok or large skillet, heat oil to almost smoking and add the chicken.  Cook until pieces are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside to add back in later.  Add some more oil to coat the bottom of the pan, turn down heat to medium high and add onion to pan.  Allow to caramelize and then add carrots.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Add in asparagus and bell pepper, cook for another 3-5 minutes until they start to soften.  Add kale and cook for 2 minutes until it starts to wilt.  Then add the cooked chicken and the green curry sauce.  Allow the sauce to come up to temperature.  Taste the curry sauce for desired spiciness and salt level.  Add more soy sauce or Sriracha if you'd like.  Last but not least, add in the diced avocado and allow to warm up, about 1-2 minutes.

Serve with jasmine rice if you'd like.

Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew

When that first fall chill hits the air, out comes my dutch oven for a big pot of stew.  

This was a crockpot recipe, but I wanted to do it on the stove top because I was worried it would turn into a big pile of curry mush. I am glad I did it my way because all the vegetables turned out perfect!  The curry gives it a warm comforting vibe, like a big hug from the inside. 

If you use vegetable broth, this would be vegan!  If you don't like one of these veggies, just leave it out or sub something else that you do like--green beans, mushrooms, zucchini, cabbage, etc.  Add some shrimp or shredded cooked chicken if you have some on hand.  If you like things spicy, add more cayenne or top it with hot sauce when you eat it.  We ate this as a soup but it would also be delicious over rice or cous cous.
Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew
Adapted from TheKitchn
Serves 8 - 10

1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 large onion, diced 
2 medium sized red potatoes
1 small sweet potato
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 of a medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 small head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
10-ounces baby spinach
1 cup frozen peas  1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated (about 1 tablespoon)
4 garlic cloves, minced 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
2 cups chicken stock
2 (16-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon salt 
2 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup coconut milk 

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the diced red potatoes and sweet potato and a tablespoon of salt.  Saute until the potatoes are slightly translucent around the edges.  Add the broccoli, cauliflower, red and green bell peppers and saute for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the curry, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.  Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Pour in the stock and the tomatoes with their juices and stir to combine.   Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer.  Let simmer for 45 minutes until the vegetables are just barely soft.  

Add in the chickpeas, spinach, frozen peas, and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender, the spinach is wilted, and the chickpeas and peas are warmed through.   Stir in the coconut milk, taste, and adjust seasonings.  Fall comfort in a bowl!

Stuffed Eggplant with Pork

This is not exactly a summer meal but it turned out so good I decided to post it anyhow.  My mom and I have a standing Saturday date at the farmer's market and this time of year in the PacNW it's a bounty that is all for the taking.  Every single stand looks like a picture out of a cookbook.  I had a hard time restraining myself.  One of the things I did end up with in my basket was some beautiful small eggplants. I always feel good buying these because they are DP's favorite vegetable.  To which I had two people exclaim to me on that same day, "Who's favorite vegetable is eggplant?!?"  He's an odd bird that one.  Fortunately, I like eggplant too so I was on my way to something good for dinner.

In the summertime I feel you can't go wrong with veggies and protein so I thought a meat stuffed eggplant sounded great.  I ended up finding a recipe out of the beautiful cookbook Jerusalem.  This one was for lamb stuffed eggplant and I'm not such a huge lamb fan, unlike Michelle.  So I substituted ground pork in its place.  I made a few other small adjustments.  Next time I think this would be even lovelier with a nice yogurt sauce spooned on top.  Come fall I'll be giving it another go around. Here is the recipe as I made it.

Stuffed Eggplant with Pork
adapted from Jerusalem cookbook

• 3 small eggplants, halved lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon hungarian paprika
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
•  1/2 ground pork or any other ground meat you prefer
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425.  Place the halved eggplants in a roasting pan with sides and brush with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let roast for 20 minutes, until golden brown and then allow to cool slightly.

While the eggplants roast start making the filling.  Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Mix together the cumin, paprika and cinnamon and add half of this mixture to the pan, along with the onions.  Cover over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes. stirring often.  Add the ground meat, pine nuts, parsley, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of the sugar and salt and pepper.  Continue to cook and stir for another 8 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

Place the remaining spice mix in a bowl and add the water, lemon juice, tamarind paste, cinnamon sticks, a sprinkle of salt and the remaining sugar.  Stir well.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375.  Pour the spice mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Spoon the meat mixture into each eggplant, heaping.  Cover tightly with foil and return to the oven for 1 1/2 hours.  Twice during cooking baste the eggplants with the sauce and add more water if it starts to dry out.  The eggplants should be completely soft at the end.  Serve warm or even at room temperature.



I totally failed at taking a final picture - whoops.

Turkey Green Pepper Chili with Masa Dumplings

For some reason that's never been explained to me DP is constantly suggesting chili when I ask him what he wants for dinner.  I guess when I think about it it doesn't need much explaining other than chili is a delicious thing to eat.  However, it does leave me in the position of needing to come up with different ways of making chili, which I'm all too happy to be tasked to do.

So on such an occasion of a chili suggestion I decided that I'd made this dish often enough to not need a recipe for the base of it.  That I could wing no problem but what I did need was a clever pièce de résistance.  So having a huge bag of masa in the cupboard from a recent tortilla making spree I went in search of a masa related idea.  I had heard of adding masa to chili before to thicken it up but making a masa dumpling was so much more interesting and happened to thicken the chili at the same time.  It was certainly a win-win.  I also used turkey instead of beef to lighten the caloric intake.  Add in some veggies, beans and tomatoes and you're on your way to a great chili night.  I hope it's one of many for you just as it is for us.

Turkey Green Pepper Chili with Masa Dumplings
chili improvised. masa dumplings from here

• 1 lb. ground turkey (or any other ground meat you fancy)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tblsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, de-seeded and minced
• 2 (15 oz.) cans of cooked black beans, rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can of pinto beans, rinsed
• 1 (28.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 (15 oz.) can of roasted tomatoes with juices
• 1 tblsp. cumin
• 1 tblsp. ground ancho chili powder
• water
• salt and pepper
• cilantro for garnish (optional)
• 3/4 cup masa
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Heat olive oil in large dutch oven over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and saute until translucent.  Add garlic, bell pepper and jalapeno and saute until bell pepper is soft.  Add turkey and break up into small pieces with spoon until most of the pink is cooked out of the meat.  Add cumin, chili powder and S&P until fragrant.  Add black beans, pinto beans, diced and roasted tomatoes and cover with just enough water that all veggies and beans are submerged.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer until soup thickens just slightly.  Check seasonings and adjust if necessary. 

While that simmers make the masa dumplings.  In large bowl combine masa, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add butter and work into flour mixture with a pastry cutter (or fork) until butter resembles corn meal with a few large chunks.  Stir in buttermilk just to combine.

Add dumplings by the tablespoon to the simmering soup.  Cover with a lid and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve soup with a dumpling or two in each bowl and garnished with cilantro.  I also slipped in a few avocado chunks and some cotija cheese I had on hand for good measure.  Enjoy!

Charred Cauliflower, Potato and Kale Soup with Gremolata Breadcrumbs

I know what you're thinking.  That this recipe sounds either too boring or exactly like something you've made before.  But hear me out because I happen to think this is one of the most perfect soups I've ever made.  That's a bold statement, yes, but it's true. 

When I think of my most perfect soup I have a lot of items that need checking off the list.  First, it must be fairly easy because let's be real here, soup should not be something that you slave for hours over. Which in and of itself might be why it's one of the more perfect dinners to make.  Then I want it to be healthy, lots of veggies and not too much fat.  But at the same time it needs to be rich and interesting and flavorful.  Then, and I know this makes me sound crazy, but I want the soup to be creamy and have some bite to it all at the same time.  I am one demanding soup eater.  But this recipe, well it has it all.  It even has just the right amount of spice to it as well.  Have I hooked you yet?  I hope so because I waited until the end of this post to tell you that this recipe is also vegan and gluten free.  Hook, line and sinker.

Below is the recipe as I made it but if you don't care about being vegan I think adding some ground sausage to the recipe would work marvelously.  Just brown the meat as the very first step, set it aside, and add back in at the very end.  You can use the fat rendered from the sausage in place of the oil to char the cauliflower in.  And also, I used gluten free bread for the gremolata because I had some left over but regular day old bread works just as well here.  Enjoy!

Smoky Charred Cauliflower, Kale and Potato Soup
adapted from here

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chipotle chiles packed in adobo sauce, finely chopped
• 2 quarts veggie broth (or any other broth you like)
• 2 lbs of yukon gold potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 lb lacinato kale, thick stems removed and julienned
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in dutch oven over high heat.  Add cauliflower and cook, stirring often until charred on most sides, about 10 minutes.  Reduce heat if it starts to burn or smoke.  Reduce heat to medium low and add onions.  Cook until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic and chipotles and cook 2 more minutes.  Add half of broth and bring to a boil.  Cook until cauliflower is soft, about 5 minutes.  Using a hand blender puree mixture completely until all chunks are gone.  Add remaining broth, potatoes, kale and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes can be easily smashed, about 30 minutes.  Remove bay leaves and smash potatoes with a spoon to your liking.  Serve with the gremolata below, and maybe some Parmesan cheese if you'd like.

Gremolata Breadcrumbs

• 1/2 loaf of stale crusty bread, cut into cubes
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil, or more as needed
•  1 large garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley

Add bread to a food processor and process until it turns to breadcrumbs.  Add garlic, lemon zest and parsley.  Pulse until mixed in and chopped fine.  With the processor on slowly stream in olive oil until bread crumbs are coated but not drenched. 

Thai Curry Vegetable Pot Pie

I struggled with whether or not to make this recipe.  It sounded so good but the recipe was written a tad poorly and I wondered if it would end up soupy.  In the end I decided that it's the thought that counts and I made quite a few adjustments to make it my own masterpiece.  Not to mention that I'll take just about any chance to roll out a piece of pie dough.  It's so therapeutic and rewarding when it comes together and I always get a thrill when I get it right.  It's easy for this one to get her kicks these days, mmkay?

Also this is a great recipe to make in this weird in between spring time because it's lighter than your traditional pot pie but still is hearty enough to chase away the rainy blues.  I made some changes not only to the vegetables I put in to the mix but also I always opt to make my own crust even though I know it's so much easier to use store bought.  But if you're not feeling it and don't get your kicks the same way I get mine then use that pre-made pie dough! If you do, this recipe is easy as pie.....pot pie.

Also if you aren't into the tofu thing, which I know lots who aren't, chicken would be a perfect meat to substitute in place of that.  After all chicken and pot pie go together like birds of a feather.  Below is the recipe as I made it. 

Thai Curry Vegetable Pot Pie
adapted from here

2 sheets of pre-made whole wheat pie crust (or here is the homemade recipe I use)
12 oz. drained extra firm tofu
2 tbl olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 bunch kale, center stems removed and chopped thin
1 small head broccoli, stem removed and chopped into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet potato, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 tbl soy sauce 
1/2 cup broth of your choice
1/2 can lite coconut milk
2 tsp green curry paste
1 tsp flour
2 tsp fresh herbs of your choice (I used thyme and parsley)
salt and pepper to taste

1. First prepare your pie dough.  If you're making homemade get that prepared and chilling in the fridge.  If using premade there's usually a thaw period to abide by.
2. Drain tofu by sandwiching between two plates and put a weight on top for about 10-15 minutes or until most of the liquid has drained out.  Then cut into 1 inch pieces.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large wok or skillet. Throw in tofu and cook until golden brown on all sides.  Remove from pan into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in same skillet or wok.  Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent.  Add celery, broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes.  Saute until potatoes are tender.
6. Add soy sauce and mix with veggies.  Remove veggies and put into the same mixing bowl with tofu.
7. In the same wok or skillet add green curry paste and allow to heat until aromatic.  Add coconut milk and broth.  Then add the flour and allow to thicken on low heat for about 5 minutes.  Turn off heat.
8. Prepare your baking pan with the pie dough.  If using pre-made use a 9" pie plate.  I used a larger casserole dish for mine as my homemade recipe made enough dough.
9. Line the bottom of the pie dough with chopped kale.  Pour the tofu and veggies on top of the kale.  Then add the curry sauce from the pan on top of the veggies.
10. Place the second pie dough over the top and seal the sides up as decoratively as you please.  Put a few vents by poking fork holes or something decorative as well.
11. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.  Goes great with a green salad!

Gumbo - Portland Style

Even though the original recipe did not come from a Portlander I ended up thinking how quintessentially Portland this gumbo ended up being.  It's definitely not traditional and with the addition of quinoa instead of rice and oil instead of butter it felt healthier and a bit modernized.  While we really enjoyed the end product a lot I think there are a few additional tweaks I'd make for the next round but this recipe is a great jumping off point.

The dish wasn't too spicy but for those who want an extra kick you can easily add hot sauce or a spicy pepper to the bell pepper mix.  I personally loved the crab meat and shrimp in it but next time I will also add an Andouille sausage to round out the meat profile and to also kick up the spice.  For a week night meal I also love recipes where the chopping is kept to a minimum and this fits the bill with only one chopping step and the rest comes together in a cinch.

When I originally read the recipe I saw that one of the ingredients was file powder.  Now being someone who wasn't raised anywhere near the south I thought that was a misprint.  Then when preparing my shopping list I figured it was another name for some spice I probably already owned.  Boy was I wrong when I looked it up and discovered that file powder is a spicy herb made from dried and ground leaves of the sassafrass tree.  That was intriguing and I'm definitely going to try it out next time I prepare gumbo!

I changed some of the cooking times from the original recipe. Below as I made it.  Enjoy!

Seafood Gumbo
recipe adapted from here

1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 unbleached flour
3 small bell peppers, differing colors
1 gumbo seasoning packet or make your own
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 lb cooked crab meat
1 cup frozen okra
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 cups cooked quinoa
file powder, for garnish

Dice up the bell peppers and set aside. Combine the oil and flour in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, for about 10 minutes or until it's dark brown. Carefully add the bell peppers, okra, gumbo seasoning and cayenne pepper. Give it a good stir and let the vegetables cook for about 5 minutes or until softened.  Add the tomatoes and chicken broth, bring to a boil.

Start cooking your quinoa according the package instructions in a separate sauce pan.  Once the gumbo is boiling add the shrimp and cook for 5-7 minutes or until pink.  Add the crab meat and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat and add the fresh parsley.  Serve with cooked quinoa and file powder.

Watch:



Look:

Quatro of Smooth Soups with Grilled Cheese

Quatro? Quartet? It doesn't matter. The point is that we made four soups at once and dunked grilled cheese into them and they all were tasty.  I had this idea buzzing around in my head for quite a while after visiting the Picnic House in SW Portland last year, where they serve a trio of soups with little grilled cheese slices.  I have not really ever been a fan of pureed soups, but I enjoyed the dunking aspect and taste comparisons of having multiple soup options for dunking. 

It was kind of a crazy idea to make four soups at once, and V also commented as such, but I stuck to it and I am glad I did. I am also so glad I enlisted V to help me with this because otherwise I probably would have pulled out my hair or given up.  Also, since V gave me an immersion blender for my birthday, it was the perfect chance to put it to use!  Another total bonus about making four soups at once is that now my freezer is stocked full of soups for rainy days to come! 

Vanessa, Matthew, and I all had different rankings of these soups, and even the expectations of which we would like best turned out to be wrong. This was a fun experiment, but I won't be making four soups at once again anytime soon!

My rankings: Curried Butternut, Tomato/Pepper, Zucchini Basil, Roasted Cauliflower. I expected to like the Cauliflower the best.
Vanessa's rankings: Curried Butternut, Tomato/Pepper, Cauliflower, Zucchini Basil.  V expected to like the Zucchini soup the best.
Matthew's rankings:  Tomato/Pepper, Cauliflower,Curried Butternut, Zucchini Basil.  Matthew ate the zucchini one first and said it was great but then each one he ate after that he liked more.  (It's nice to cook for this guy, he loves everything!)


(Please forgive the super 90s food styling here, I didn't really plan that out and these are the only dishes I had that were appropriate!)

I pulled these recipes from various sources, and chose recipes with few ingredients and that did not use cream, as we intended to dunk grilled cheese into them and why add extra cream?  We used chicken stock that I made a couple weeks ago, but these could all easily be vegan by simply using vegetable stock.  I cut a couple of the recipes in half and one I cut into thirds, and there was still way more than I expected of each.  We made simple grilled cheese sandwiches on a foreman grill I forgot I had, since all the burners on the stove were being used by soup!

Here are the recipes as we made them, along with our notes on each.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Roasty Onions and Rosemary from The First Mess

*Various taster comments: "More manly (than the zucchini)," smoky, charred, "too roasty."
*Note: I would use less potatoes next time and not let the veggies get as browned as they did.  Maybe bigger cauliflower florets/onion chunks. 

Ingredients:

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
4 medium yukon gold potatoes, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
Olive oil
salt and pepper

3 cups chicken stock

1/2 of a lemon

lemon zest 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Remove the core from the cauliflower and chop it into florets.  Chop the potatoes into pieces about the same size. Chop the onion into rough 1-2 inch pieces and toss all of the veggies onto a rimmed cookie sheet or other roasting pan. 

3. Remove the leaves from the rosemary sprig and chop them up. Sprinkle the rosemary over the potatoes and cauliflower.  Toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper until evenly coated with the oil, rosemary and S&P.

4. Roast vegetables for about 20 minutes flipping and tossing them here and there with a metal spatula/spoon to promote even browning. 

5. When the vegetables are soft, remove from the oven and squeeze the 1/2 lemon over the hot vegetables (drop the lemon into the warm pan too so that it can release some oil too). Toss the vegetables with the lemon juice, scraping the browned bits off the bottom.

6. Once the vegetables are slightly cooled, put them into a soup pot and add a cup at a time of stock. Purée until smooth and cntinue blending in batches until you’ve used up everything. Heat the large soup pot full of purée over medium heat until it boils. Add more stock or water to thin the soup out if necessary and adjust seasoning to taste by adding lemon zest, more lemon juice, salt and pepper.

7.  Keep on low while you make the grilled cheese.

Zucchini Basil Soup from Cooking in Red Socks

*Various taster comments: "Tastes like summer," fresh, light.
*Note: This soup was tasty but in comparison to the rest it was just a little too simple and light. Maybe more basil or more red pepper flakes, or adding another veg to it might have been good. This soup may have benefited from a squeeze of lemon, I wish I had thought of that!  The original recipe had some cream added but I don't think that is necessary.  

Ingredients:

4 large zucchini, ends chopped off and diced

1 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

⅔ cup fresh basil, packed and roughly chopped

2 cups chicken stock

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.  Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the zucchini, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions start to become translucent. Add the basil and cook another 3 minutes.

2. Add the chicken stock to the pot, cover, and cook for 15 minutes on a low simmer. 

3. Once the vegetables are all soft, carefully blend until the soup is completely smooth.  Add more stock if necessary (or you can add a touch of cream at this point for extra creaminess). Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

4. Keep on low heat while you make the grilled cheese. Garnish with basil.

Roasted tomato and red pepper from Vegetarian Times

*Various taster comments: "Delightful."
*Note: I was excited about this soup because I am obsessed with red peppers and we added more of them than the original recipe called for. I felt that the soup was slightly too acidic in the end and a touch of cream might be good in this one. I will try it with the leftovers!  Also the original recipe said to just half the tomatoes and quarter the peppers so they would get more browned, and I would do that next time for the slight roasty flavor and to contain the juices somewhat.
 

Ingredients:

2 ¼ lb. ripe tomatoes, diced

3 large red bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 onion, diced

4 large cloves garlic, peeled

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 cupchopped fresh basil

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp. dried thyme

2 cups chicken stock

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2.  Place all tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic on a large baking sheet (or two).  

3.  Toss with olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. 

4.  Roast until brown and tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool slightly.

5.  Transfer vegetables and any juices to soup pot. Add basil and thyme leaves. Purée soup, gradually adding enough stock to thin soup to desired consistency.

6.  Heat through, stirring occasionally.  Keep on low while you make the grilled cheese. Serve hot. Garnish with fresh thyme.

 

Curried butternut squash and apple soup from Ina Garten

*Various taster comments: "The ginger was a great addition!" 
*Note: This soup was incredible.  I added ginger because it sounded like it would go well and V and I agreed it really made this soup extraordinary.  This one surprised us both!  

Ingredients:
1.5 lb pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded, diced
1 yellow onion
1 red apple, peeled, cored, and diced

3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon good curry powder 

1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger 

Scallions

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

2. Cut the butternut squash, onions and apples in 1-inch cubes. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread in a single layer. 

Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, until very tender.
3. When the vegetables are soft, put them into a soup pot.  Add stock 1 cup at a time and blend with immersion blender.   Add more stock as needed to reach desired consistency. 

Once blended, Add the curry powder, ginger, and salt and pepper to taste. Be sure there's enough salt and pepper to bring out the curry flavor. 

4. Keep on low until ready to serve. Top each serving with chopped scallions.

No video for this post because it was a little too chaotic!  Happy souping!

Mulligatawny

Mulligatawny soup is a great soup for leftovers.  The recipe I found was one of those ideas on what to do with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. I didn't have leftover turkey in late January (god forbid) but what I did have was a lot of similar ingredients to the recipe already in my pantry. So I ended up taking this soup and really making it fit what was in my cupboard.

The key to a good mulligatawny is the acidity and the warm Indian spices.  The spices are what I would say define this soup.  However the rest of the elements can be open to interpretation.  I ended up using the traditional lemon and granny smith apple to bring the acidity to the soup but I saw recipes that omitted the apple and just had lemon.  I think subbing in lime would work just as well too if that's what you had on hand.  Also, the protein can be chicken or turkey but you can use whatever cuts you prefer.  Chicken is traditional but using slightly dried out turkey from Thanksgiving leftovers is a perfect option to bring back to life in this soup.

The other element I played with was the grain.  The recipe suggested basmati rice but I used red lentils instead because I had just the amount needed on hand.  The key if you choose to use lentils is to use the red/orange ones (like these ones) because traditional lentils won't cook up as fast as you need them to in this recipe.  So go forth with this knowledge and use what you got and make one hell of a good winter soup, just don't sub out the spices or you'll regret it.

Mulligatawny Soup
adapted heavily from this recipe

4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
1 medium Granny Smith apple, medium dice
2 medium carrots, medium dice
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
6 cups of chicken stock (we used homemade)
2 lbs chicken boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1 (14 oz.) can unsweetened light coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
cilantro leaves for garnish, we also added some avocado on top

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put chicken thighs in a casserole dish, season with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Roast chicken in the oven until temperature reaches 165 degrees internally.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Once cool, dice up into small bites.
2.  Heat other 2 tablespoons of oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onions and allow to cook until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add apple, carrots and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Saute until apple is tender and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3.  Sprinkle flour, curry powder, garam masala, cumin and cloves over vegetable mixture.  Stir until fragrant and flour has cooked down, about 2 minutes.
4. Slowly add stock and stir until flour/spice mixtures is all dissolved.  Bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. At this point I chose to use my immersion blender and blend these ingredients together before adding the other meat and lentils.  The original recipe didn't say to but I didn't love the idea of eating chunks of cooked apple.  I'll leave you to make the call.
5.  Add diced chicken, lentils, coconut milk, and lemon juice and return soup to a simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir in lemon zest and season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Server immediately topped with cilantro leaves and avocado (if using).

We also bought some pre-made naan at the store for dipping.  Next time I'd love to make some of my own naan at home but since it was a weeknight I decided to choose the quick options.

I made a Vine video for this but unfortunately accidentally erased it so all I have is this pretty picture of the final product.  Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

We arrived home from a two week trip to Spain to find that fall has hit in Portland! Which is just dandy by me, I sure do love this season. All the traveling and hotel hopping left me yearning to spend the day in my kitchen so I decided to spend my Sunday making this very involved, from scratch, chicken pot pie that I got from the new Bon Appetit magazine. It was the perfect cure for fall weather and the need to cook. I went above and beyond on this one and even pulled the meat from the chicken carcass with my bare hands, a first and most likely a last for me. I'm not as carnivorous as I may have thought after shirking my vegetarian upbringing some 12 years ago. Overall, this recipe turned out really well but I think I prefer Ina Garten's Chicken Stew with Biscuits more. It's an all time favorite. This recipe can be a close second though and one to keep around should I ever need to impress anyone with my chicken ripping skills.


Chicken Pot Pie
slightly altered from Bon Appetit

Crust
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup vegetable shortening

Chicken
2 cups peeled, coarsely chopped carrots
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 leek, coarsely chopped
1 3-pound whole chicken
4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
6 sprigs thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Filling
2 tablespoons dried chanterelle or shittake mushrooms
1 cupo 1/2" slices of carrots
1 cup fresh (or frozen, thawed) peas
1 cup fresh (or I used frozen already peeled) pearl onions
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup all purpose flour
6 fresh sage leaves
4 thyme sprigs
2 sprigs rosemary
1 cup button mushrooms
1 cup 1/4" rounds sliced fingerling potatoes
1 egg, beaten to blend
coarse sea salt and ground pepper

PREPERATION:

Crust

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor. Add cubed butter and shortening and process until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size lumps. With machine running, add 1/2 cup ice water and process, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry, until dough forms. Form dough into a ball; flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 12x9 1/2" rectangle, about 1/4" thick. Place on prepared sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill. DO AHEAD: Can be made 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

Chicken

Preheat oven to 400°. Place carrots, onion, and leek on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a large pot fitted with a lid. Add chicken, breast side down, celery, thyme sprigs, wine, salt, and peppercorns to pot. Add 8 cups water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat, cover, and poach chicken until cooked through, about 35 minutes.
Remove chicken from pot and set aside until cool. Reserve broth. Shred meat; discard skin and bones. Set a large strainer over another pot. Strain broth into clean pot. Stir in tomato paste. Return to medium heat and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 5 cups, about 40 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cool. Cover chicken and broth separately; keep chilled. Rewarm broth before continuing.

Filling

Place dried chanterelles in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup hot water. Let steep for 10 minutes; set aside. Reserve soaking liquid. Cook carrots in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a medium bowl. Add peas to saucepan; cook for 1 minute; transfer to bowl with carrots. Add onions to saucepan and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside; let cool. Peel onions. In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Whisk in herbs and warm broth from chicken. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chanterelles to saucepan. Pour in soaking liquid, leaving sediment behind. Simmer for 20 minutes. Set a strainer over another large pot. Strain broth into pot; discard solids. Add chicken, carrots, peas, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cool; cover and keep chilled. Rewarm before continuing. Preheat oven to 400°. Spoon filling into an 11x8x2" or 2 1/2-qt. round baking dish. (Add pie bird, if using.) Top with pastry, pinching edges to seal. If not using pie bird, cut a 1" slit in center of crust for steam to vent. Brush pastry with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, if desired. Place pot pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Poaching the chicken and making the stock base

Stirring the roux

The filling. so good


et voila

Winter Comfort in a Bowl-Vegetable and Sausage Cobbler

This is one of those recipes that surprises you with its astounding goodness. In search of something wintery and cozy to serve my craft night buddies I had been sitting on this recipe from Moosewood Cookbook called Vegetable Cobbler. It sounded a tad strange since I've only had cobblers of the sweet kind. But I figured it had biscuits on top and well, as you may know from my last post, biscuits are one of my favorite foods.

The result was something so cozy and delicious that it sent some folks back for seconds. We decided it was a cross between Shepard's pie and chicken pot pie. I'm really glad I took a chance on this one as it's definitely something I'll be making again and again (I ended up making it again 5 nights later). I added some basil garlic chicken sausage to the recipe and altered the vegetables I used a bit as I wasn't in the mood for corn or white potatoes. And if you don't fancy yourself a baker don't let the biscuit part scare you; drop biscuits don't require any rolling out or cutting. Here is the recipe as I made it.

Vegetable and Chicken Sausage Cobbler

adapted from the Moosewood Classics Cookbook

Serves 6

• 2 tablespoon olive oil (or butter)
• 1.5 lbs bulk basil garlic chicken sausage (or any type of ground meat you prefer)
  
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onions (about 1 large onion)
  
• 1 fennel bulb, core removed, thinly sliced
  
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 to 5 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes (or butternut squash)
• 2 cups peeled and chopped carrots (or parsnips)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 cups mushroom stock
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Dash of hot sauce (optional)

Biscuit Topping:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt (I used nonfat yogurt)
  
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill (or any herb you have on hand)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 X 13-inch baking dish.

2. Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the sausage and saute just until all of the pink is gone. Remove the sausage and all of its juices and set aside in a bowl to add back later. Warm the other tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Add the onions, fennel and garlic, cover, and cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the salt, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, mushrooms and mustard. Cook until the mushrooms start to release their juices, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the sweet potato, carrot, black pepper and water or stock, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender.

5. Stir the dissolved cornstarch mixture into the simmering vegetables, stirring constantly. When the liquid starts to thicken, mix in the peas, soy sauce and salt. Add the cooked sausage back to the pot. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. (You can also add a dash of hot sauce.)

6. Pour the vegetable/sausage mixture into the prepared baking dish, and set aside.

7. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and buttermilk or yogurt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients with as few strokes as possible to make a soft dough.

8. Drop the biscuit batter over the vegetables in the dish in six equal mounds. Sprinkle the dill over the dough.

9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Into the oven it goes

Done!

Ratatouille Throwback

In my fourth year of high school I was in french class and one of our assignments was to partner up and make a classic french recipe. My partner decided upon ratatouille and well, it sounded french to me. When we made the recipe I kept expecting there to be a grand finale but it turned out it was just a bunch of sauteed vegetables. I was underwhelmed thinking we picked the most unexciting recipe possible. Maybe it had something to do with being raised a vegetarian and more veggies was the last thing I needed to see. Some years later I have a much different take on this classic french recipe. I realize now that its beauty is in its simplicity. Paired with some crusty french bread and a glass of red wine and the meal feels downright decadent.

My inspiration for this comes from it being french week over at The Kitchn. DP and I took the opportunity to pick up a bunch of fresh veggies at the Kruger Farms roadside stand here in St. Johns and I was set. The recipe I got from The Kitchn was perfect, no revisions needed. I served this with some homemade garlic bread and a glass of red wine. Natch.

Dad's Authentic Ratatouille
Source - The Kitchn

Ingredients (feel free to play with proportions as this is a more or less situation):

2 large eggplants, peeled and cubed into 1-inch cubes
6-8 zucchini, coined
3 bell peppers, roughly chopped (red are classic, but use what you have on hand)
5 cloves garlic, whole
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 yellow onions
1 bay leaf
3-4 sprigs thyme (fresh thyme is the key to making this Ratatouille taste right)
1 can whole tomatoes or 4 large tomatoes that are nice and ripe
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a large pot sauté the onions in olive oil until brown, then add peppers and allow to soften. Stir in whole garlic cloves, tomatoes and bay leaf and turn heat down to a simmer and leave for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, sautee eggplant and zucchini (they tend to get mushy if you throw them in with everything else but that can be good too and is easier than dirtying a second pan) until browned and softened.

Add the zucchini and eggplant to the simmering pot along with the sprigs of thyme and some salt and pepper (to taste) and allow to simmer at least another 20 minutes. Simmer longer if you want the flavors to really get good, or just reheat it the next day and you'll have the same effect.

Add the minced garlic on top or serve with some extra garlicy french bread as I did. And don't forget the red wine.

Separate but equal

All together now

The grand finale I was waiting for