Wilted Greens Soup

Summer isn’t really hot soup season but it is cold soup season – gazpacho any one?

My intent was to make this soup tasty chilled or warm, but it was my first go at this style and I preferred it warm. Not such a bad thing, as it turns out, because while summer is certainly hot outside, it is all too often FREEZING inside thanks to the A/C.

Inspired by this recipe, I put my sad, somewhat soggy, Spring Mix to good use. Upon further inspection, I found several other veggies who had seen better days. Throwing caution to the wind, everything on it’s last leg was added to the soup.

Being dairy free has expanded my culinary skills and creativity. How to make a soup rich and creamy without cheese or milk? Cashews, of course. And in this case, cashews and a few Brazil nuts. Cashew cream (soaked then pureed cashews) are often used to replace cheese and cream in vegan recipes. I’ve used it in several dishes and love the rich, creamy nuttiness it adds. I’m beginning to experiment with other nuts to see how they compare.

An emulsion blender or high-speed blender is required for this recipe. I made the soup super creamy, but if you prefer more texture you can always blend half and leave the other portion unblended.

 

The type of greens and veggies you use will affect the color of your soup. My spring mix was full of dark greens and deep purples, that in combination with the other vegetables gave my soup a rather unappealing brownish color. However, once the cashew cream was added, it became a light mossy color. Perhaps not the prettiest, but it was flavorful and kept me from throwing away food. Win, win in my book.

{Wilted Greens Soup}

[Ingredients]

• ~2 cups wilted greens
• 2-3 carrots
• 1 summer squash
• 1 fire roasted red pepper or bell pepper
• 1/3 cup cashews + 2-3 Brazil nuts
• 2-3 stalks celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 red onion
• 1 can chickpeas, undrained
• 1 carton vegetable stock
• 1 TBSP fresh basil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• ~1/2 TBSP herbes de provence
• 1-2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP tahini

[Directions]

1. Add cashews + brazil nuts to a deep bowl. Cover with water, soak for at least one hour.
2. Rinse and coarsely chop veggies.
3. Add olive oil to pan, heat over a medium flame then saute onion until tender and translucent.
4. Add summer squash, bell pepper, and carrots. Salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
5. Add greens, chickpeas along with the fluid from the can, garlic, and stock.
6. Stir in basil and herbes de provence. Cover and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes.
7. Once nuts have soaked for at least an hour, drain most of the water from the dish then add the nuts and remaining water along with the tahini to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
8. Using an emulsion blender or regular blender, blend soup until smooth. Add cashew cream and stir until well incorporated.

Note: my husband added a dash of Sriracha to his to give it some spice.

Cheers,

Danielle

Summer Garden Salad

Basic doesn’t mean tasteless. Sometimes keeping things simple, combining a few fresh ingredients makes the best dishes.

This salad is perfect for backyard gardeners as all but one ingredient can be found in most gardens. A pluck, wash, chop and eat salad that can be thrown together in a few minutes, this may be a new favorite.

{Summer Garden Salad}

[Ingredients]

• 1 cucumber
• 3-4 Tomatoes
• Basil leaves, chopped
• 1 fire roasted yellow pepper (You can do this at home, just follow this recipe)
• 1 clove garlic

[Directions]

1. Slice cucumber and tomato; place in bowl.
2. Coarsely chop basil leaves. Finely dice garlic. Add to bowl.
3. Chop roasted yellow pepper. Add to bowl and mix well.
4. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving for best flavor.

Cheers,

Danielle

Getting Saucey

I’ve finally sat down with enough time and mental energy to form a coherent post.  My last post was June 15th, can you believe that?! Life has been on fast forward this summer.  Once the weather grants us beautiful days, I can’t seem to help but fill them as full of activities as I can.  The hustle and bustle of being out and about is great but doesn’t leave me with much time to sit down to write.  After reviewing the growing list of recipes I want to share with you all, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. You have empty plates to fill, after all, and I have the recipes to fill them! 🙂

So, my goal this week is to cross off every recipe on my list. Which will probably equate to a couple posts a day. Stay tuned, like, and comment to keep me motivated!

I love to know who is reading and sharing my posts, so pretty please, comment and let me know how your dish turned out or if you have any questions.

Now, let’s get down to business. I have two sauce recipes to share with you today. Both come from Argentina and pair wonderfully with grilled proteins.

{Chimichurri Rojo}

(Original recipe from Epicurious.com)

*Disclaimer: this sauce is very spicy! I did not use all the spice the recipe called for and still had to mix in sour cream to tone down the heat. Proceed with caution and use a light hand when adding spices.*

[Ingredients]

• 4 TBSP Extra virgin Olive oil
• 1/2 cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 1/2 TBSP Paprika
• 1 TBSP Cayenne
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 fire roasted bell pepper

[Directions]

1. In a food processor, pulse together garlic, bell pepper, and olive oil until pureed and smooth.
2. Pour into a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and whisk together.
3. Refrigerate about 15-30 minutes before using to allow flavors to develop.
4. Use as a marinade or sauce to top meat, fish, or pasta.

{Chimichurri Verde}

(Original recipe found on foodandnutrition.org)

[Ingredients]

• 1 loosely packed cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 loosely packed cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 loosely packed cup cilantro leaves
• 1/2 loosely packed cup oregano leaves
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt

[Directions]

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until herbs are finely diced.
2. Serve over grilled meat.

Bonus Round! I used the Chimichurri Rojo as the dressing for a pasta salad. Scroll down to find that recipe.

{Chimichurri Rojo Pasta Salad}

[Ingredients]

• 1/2 – 3/4 cup Chimichurri Rojo sauce
• 1/2 cup – 1 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1 package noodles, cooked
• 1 large zucchini
• 1 large summer squash
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 carton cherry tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1 brick mild, semi-soft cheese (I used Formaggio with Salsa and Cilantro)

[Directions]

1. Cook noodles according to the instructions on the box. Rinse with cool water then set aside in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together chimichurri rojo and sour cream/greek yogurt in a small bowl.
3. Rinse and cut vegetables into bite size pieces.  Add to bowl with noodles. Cut or grate cheese then add to bowl with veggies and noodles.
4. Pour sauce over noodles/veggies then stir or toss to distribute sauce and vegetables.
5. Serve chilled.

Cheers,

Danielle

Quinoa “Meatballs”

In preparation for the exodus from our little nest downtown to our new home, I did a lot of meal prep last weekend.  I meant to post this recipe Sunday but in all the mayhem of family activities & trying to pack, that just didn’t happen.

In my attempt to avoid packing, I decided to take one last hooray in my little kitchen. I made two kinds of hummus, pretzel buns, and these vegetarian “meatballs”

For never having made them before, they turned out well.  I still have some tweaking to do on the spices but paired with a marinara or sweet & sour sauce, these morsels are a great meat alternative.

{Quinoa “Meatballs”}

[Ingredients]

• 1/2 can of chickpeas
• 2 large handfuls of spinach
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups + 2 TBSP chicken stock
• 1/4 large onion
• 1 roasted red pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• pinch of salt & pepper
• 3/4 cup amaranth “bread” crumbs

[Directions]

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a rice cooker or using a medium saucepan on stove top, combine 1 cup dry quinoa with 2 cups chicken stock. Stir occasionally and cook until no liquid remains.
3. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender*, combine onion, garlic, chickpeas, spinach, roasted red pepper, 2 TBSP chicken stock, tahini, basil, salt and pepper.
4. Pulse food processor a few times then blend until well combined.
5. Once quinoa has finished cooking, transfer to a large bowl and add bread crumbs.
6. Empty the contents of food processor into bowl with quinoa/bread crumbs. Using a spatula, mix together. The consistency should be close to uncooked ground beef.
7. Create 24 meatballs by rolling about 2 TBSP of mixture into balls.
8. Bake in oven for about 35 minutes or until golden brown-ish on top.
9. Serve with marinara or sweet & sour sauce.

Cheers,

Danielle

Stuffed Mushrooms

Last week was a whirlwind & I have a feeling that the busy days, nights, & weekends will not slow down until the new year has been rung in. Its been harder for me to sit down to post things but the fact that I will be cooking a LOT in the next few months will give me plenty of things to write about!

Word on the street is that I will be making Swedish Cardamon bread this weekend.  I am hosting Thanksgiving this year so look for a post to see how my VERY first turkey turns out. I will be making Farmor’s sugar cookies in the next few weeks to store until Christmas time. So much cooking, so little time 🙂

I also have a bag of fresh cranberries that I need to use. I’ve been looking through recipes so as soon as I settle on one & test it, I’ll post the results.

But, today’s post is about stuffed mushrooms. My niece & nephew are being dedicated this Sunday & I am honored to be bringing this dish to share as we celebrate. These stuffed mushrooms are super easy to throw together & taste amazing!

{Stuffed Mushrooms}

[Ingredients]

• 6-8 large portabella caps
• 3 diced tomatoes, or 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can artichoke hearts
• 2-3 handfuls of spinach
• fresh basil
• fresh oregano
• balsamic reduction
• red wine, optional

[Directions]

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Wash mushrooms & remove gills
3. In a baking dish arrange caps
4. Dish tomatoes, basil, & oregano.
5. Drain & rinse artichoke hearts. Drain tomatoes, if using canned. Roughly chop artichoke hearts if they are still very large.
6. In a bowl, combine artichoke, tomato, basil, oregano, and add 1/4 cup of red wine, if desired.
7. Spoon mixture into caps then cover with spinach leaves.
8. Loosely tent baking dish with foil & bake in oven for 20-30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven & drizzle stuffed caps with balsamic reduction.

Cheers,

Danielle

Pesto Bacon Loaf

Last weekend Dan, myself, and my family traveled to Minnesota for my cousin’s wedding.  My dad is a private pilot so we usually enjoy the luxury of jumping in the plane, taking a groggy 3 hour nap & waking up in Minnesota. Mother Nature had other plans for our means of travel for this trip, though. With impending dark cloud cover, quickly dropping temperatures, and forecasted rain, we were resigned to traveling the good old fashion way – in a car. In all honesty, I enjoyed the extra hours I got to spend with Dan, my sister, and her husband.  Driving all night, however, was not such a treat.

With the day off from work the day of our departure, I figured it’d be nice to whip something up to munch on during our travels. I had left over fresh basil from the Tomato Basil soup & decided the best way to use it would be to make pesto.  If you’re like me, you don’t keep pine nuts stocked in your pantry. But, I did have walnuts. So I plucked the basil leaves, dumped the walnuts in the food processor, adding a clove of garlic, drizzled in some olive oil, & whizzed the little machine until I had a nice smooth mixture. I added in some grated Parmesan & a bit more EVOO, pulsed the food processor a few more time and I had a beautiful dark green, aromatic, fresh pesto within a matter of 5 minutes. I used some pesto to make Daniel an egg white sandwich that morning, check out my Instagram feed for the picture.

We had opened a package of bacon a few days prior & since we would be gone for three days, I wanted to use it before we left so it wouldn’t spoil. Daniel wouldn’t have protested but I didn’t want to serve him a half pound of bacon along side his sandwich that morning. So I cooked it until it was nice & crispy so I could easily crumble the crisp strips to sprinkle on the loaf of bread I was planning on making.

The Pesto Bacon loaf turned out beautifully. The dough was extremely easy to make & work with. And there is nothing better than the smell of homemade bread. My dad & Dan swooned over the thick slices I cut for them once the bread had cooled. And, much to my delight, my Mom was amazed that I had created such a wonderful thing. The recipe is below, I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did!

{Basil-Walnut Pesto}

1.5 packages of fresh Basil leaves (I used the small packages)

6 ounces raw walnuts

1 clove garlic

EVOO, enough to get things moving then to taste

Grated Parmesan, to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients to food processor & pulse until smooth.

{Pesto Bacon Loaf}

I found the bread recipe here: http://www.bellatheblog.com/2014/09/easy-fall-entertaining-2-tips-and.html

Ingredients

• 1 C and 2 Tbsp warm water
• 1/3 C vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp (2 packages) yeast
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 4 1/4 C flour
• Corn meal for dusting pan
• Basil-Walnut Pesto
• 1 to 1.5 cups grated mozzarella cheese
• Half pound cooked & crumbled bacon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees\

2. In a bowl, mix warm water, yeast, sugar, & oil. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

3. Add egg & salt.

4. Add flour, a cup at a time, incorporating until the dough is sticky but not sticking to the sides of the bowl. Add more flour if needed.

Note: I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the dough hook to do this step & required a little less than the called for amount of flour.

5. Grease & lightly dust with corn meal a jelly roll pan or casserole dish

6.  Leave dough ball in bowl & let rise 20-30 minutes

7. Slightly flour a clean surface. Roll out dough ball to about the size of a medium pizza, rough 12 inches.

8. Spread pesto, crumbled bacon, & grated mozzarella cheese over the dough.

9. Roll & tuck the ends under to form a loaf.

10. Place on greased & dusted pan then bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on the outside & fully cooked in the middle.

Note: Check on your loaf about half way through the cooking time to ensure the outside is not burning. I had to cover mine with a sheet of foil to prevent the crust from becoming burnt.

11. Allow to cool then cut & enjoy

The great thing about this loaf is that it is a great stand alone & could be used as an appetizer. It would compliment a bowl of soup or pasta. I toasted it then topped it with scrambled eggs for Dan’s breakfast a few mornings, as well. You could also cut the loaf before baking to create pinwheel biscuits.

Cheers,

Danielle

Spicy Tomato Basil Soup

I went a little crazy with the red pepper flakes which made the soup much more spicy than I intended.  Omit the firey flakes for a more traditional savory, sweet tomato soup.

Ingredients:

3 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes

3 TBSP EVOO

3 medium carrots, roughly chopped

1 large yellow onion

3 cloves peeled garlic, whole

1 quart chicken broth

10 basil leaves, plus more for garnish

1 yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Salt to taste, about 2 tsp

Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1) Wash carrots & pepper then chop. (This goes without saying, but, remove seeds from bell pepper before chopping)

2) Remove papery skin from onion & chop. Remove papery skin from garlic.

3) Add chopped veggies & garlic to crockpot.

4) Add remaining ingredients to crockpot.

5) Cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 2-4 hours.

6) Turn off crockpot to allow soup to cool slightly.

7) In batches, add to food processor or blender (make sure it is safe to add warm liquid to your blender) & puree.

8) Return pureed soup to crockpot & keep on low. Can be served immediately or removed from heat, cooled, & stored in the refrigerator.

{belated}Tasty Tuesday

As of right now, I am free of obligations on Tuesdays. Sort of a weird day to havee off, but you got to work with what you’re given.

Being a new wife has really brought out my inner domestic diva. Through childhood & into the early parts of my college days while I was living on my own, cleaning is not some I got excited about. Ever. But, my how times have changed! I like seriously love to clean. My most recent discoveries have been Pinesol & Febreeze vacuum filters – obsessed! All this to say, Tuesdays are usually when I get the bulk of my cleaning & meal prep for the week completed.

As the weather is cooling down, the hubs & I have been jonesing for a nice bowl of soup. So I went a little soup crazy this week. I made cheesy potato soup on Sunday & on Tuesday made Miso soup & Spicy Tomato Basil soup. I also made Kale chips for the first time!

I found original recipes on Pinterest & modified as my whims inspired. I will put recipes up later on…

To nourish not only your bodies but also your minds, below are some of the health benefits to the ingredients used in these recipes.

Kale:

A great source of vitamin C, providing 134% of your DRI per 1 cup. It is also an excellent source of calcium. Just over 1 cup of kale packs 150 mg of calcium! Great news for non-dairy friends!

Basil:

Not knowing much about one of my favorite herbs, I did a little research. Not only is this bright green leaf aromatic & delicious, it is also high in iron! Who knew? While you’d have to nosh down a smidge over 2 cups to get 10% of your daily value of iron, it still makes a great addition to anything from omelets to infused water.

Potato:

P is for potato & potassium. With the skin on, one medium potato will provide 18% of your DV.  Your medium spud is also a good source of B6.

Cheers,

Danielle