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

Back to the Blog

It’s been far too long, friends, and I’m happy to finally get back to blogging! After a long but amazing 14 weeks of my clinical rotation, I will now have the time, brain power, and energy to string coherent sentences together after 5 PM.

Stay tuned for posts about my clinical case study and what to expect during the intense 3-month rotation.

Some how May is here and am both excited and feeling unprepared the warmer weather. My hubby and I decided that we would let our backyard, aside from mowing the grass, do it’s own thing last year. We had just moved into the house, both had relatively new jobs, and I was beginning my internship. It just wasn’t a big priority. Well, now that we suffered through a season of being somewhat ashamed our the jungle we allowed to rise up, we have committed – at least mentally- to fixing up the yard. It’s May and our weekends are basically double booked and we have not even set foot in the yard to pull a weed.

This was…scratch that, IS the year my attempts at gardening will be successful. Do you think I’ve picked up seeds or started any thing? That would be a no. But now that I’ve blogged about it, I’m committed to chronicle the adventure for you all here.

If any one has any advice on the following, I’m all ears…

1. Enjoy yard work
2. Create/plant a LOW maintenance landscaped backyard in Zone 5 (Southwest Michigan)
3. Successfully plant and care for “raised bed” garden – as in what veggies grow best. I’m using stainless steel containers…

With all the chaos that life has been, quick and easy dinners have been a must. Enter the runny-yolk egg that turns basically anything into divine deliciousness. Below is just one of the many, many ways to create a healthy, satisfying dinner from pantry staples in under 20 minutes.

{Soft egg Sweet Potato Boats}

[Ingredients]

• 2 large handfuls baby spinach
• 1 small-medium sweet potato, cooked. (I cook mine in a 350F oven for 2-3 hours. This makes the skin crispy and the inside soft and fluffy)
• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP chopped red onion
• McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper

[Directions]

1. Spritz a saute pan with cooking spray, add red onion and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add spinach and a few dashes of Montreal Steak Seasoning. Cook until spinach has wilted and is a deep green color.
2. While your spinach is cooking, fry egg in a pan. Cook to desired yolk consistency. Salt and pepper egg.
3. Cut your sweet potato lengthwise and fluff inside using a fork. Place wilted spinach over the top the potato then add your egg. Puncture the yolk to allow it to make a “sauce” over the spinach and sweet potato.

Cheers,

Danielle

 

Cast Iron Pork Chops

I made these pork chops a few weeks ago when my mom and sister came to visit. I served them with smashed rosemary red skin potatoes and roasted asparagus.

We will call these “Left-over Thanksgiving Ingredients” pork chops. I had lots of fresh herbs and apples left from Thanksgiving and used these along with other aromatics to create a warm, savory-sweet dish.

My mom got me a cast-iron skillet for Christmas and I’ve been addicted to using it since. To clarify, we celebrated Christmas with my parents the first weekend in December. Being able to use one skillet that has such an easy clean up makes cooking a breeze!

{LOTI Pork Chops}

[Ingredients]

• 4 pork chops
• 2 small-medium apples, diced
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 5-6 springs thyme
• 4-6 leaves sage
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 TBSP butter

[Directions]

1. Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Saute onion until translucent then add garlic and apple.
3. Cook apples for a 1-2 minutes then add rosemary and thyme leaves.
4. Add butter and pork chops to skillet. Top chops with apple mixture.
5. Cook on each side about 8 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145F.

Sesame Ginger Eggplant

Why am I just now discovering the wonderful versatility of the eggplant?

You can make it into mini pizzas, marinate then grill, throw it in a stir fry, make Napoleon, or order Szechuan eggplant at your favorite Chinese place. Well, at least I can at mine….

Inspired by my last order of chinese take-out, I decided create my own version.

I added more veggies and used a lighter sauce for a “guilt-free” dinner.

{Eggplant Stir Fry}

[Ingredients]

• 1 Eggplant, quartered
• 1 cup roughly chopped mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2 large handfuls spinach leaves OR 1 head baby bok choy
• 1 can water chestnuts
• 1 zucchini, quartered
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup broccoli florets
• 3 TBSP Ken’s Lite Sesame Ginger Dressing
• 1 tsp fresh ginger paste
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1 TBSP coconut oil

[Directions]

1. In a large skillet or Wok, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add to skillet onion, eggplant, and mushrooms.  Season with salt, pepper, and curry powder.
2. Saute for about 5 minutes before adding in the remaining vegetables.
3. Add dressing and ginger paste to skillet.
4. Stirring often, cook for until veggies are tender – about 20 minutes.
5. Enjoy solo or serve over fried rice or quinoa.

Cheers,

Danielle

Pesto Lemon Salmon

In celebration of my grandpa’s birthday and wonderful sunny weekend, I threw together this yummy salmon Sunday night.

There is nothing better than a recipe that comes together in a breeze but tastes like you slaved over it for hours.

Scratch that, enjoying it with your favorite people makes it even better 🙂

I refuse to buy pesto at the store because it is so easy (and tastes much better) to make it at home.  Being frugal, I swap the pine nuts for walnuts to save a few bucks. A penny saved is a penny earned, I am right?

I used frozen, WILD CAUGHT salmon from Costco and Aldi. Both were delicious but the Sockeye, from Costco, had amazing color!

I left the skin on the fish but did not grease the foil packets which we grilled them in.  The skin will stay stuck to the bottom of the foil packet and allow you to easily remove the filet, skin free.

{Pesto Lemon Salmon}

[Ingredients]

• 4-6 oz Wild caught Salmon fillets, 1 per person
• Walnut Pesto, about 1/2 cup (recipe is below)
• 2 TBSP finely chopped cilantro
• 1 Lemon
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

[Directions]

1. Preheat grill or oven. If using oven, set to 350F.
2. Tear off a sheet of foil for each piece of fish you will be making.
3. Mix 2 TBSP of cilantro into pesto. If pesto is very thick, add about 1/2 of olive oil to thin it out.
4. Place one filet on a sheet of foil, top with a spoonful of cilantro-pesto, a healthy pinch of lemon zest, and sprinkling of salt and pepper.
5. Tent foil over salmon then bake for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes.

{Walnut Pesto}

[Ingredients]

• 10-15 leaves of fresh basil
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• Optional: 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese (I did not include cheese for the pesto I used on the salmon)

[Directions]

1. Add ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
2. Add additional olive oil in small amounts if you feel the pesto is too dry.
3. Refrigerate in an air tight container for up to one week.

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

Sesame Peanut Stir Fry

I was hoping to sit down to write a post bragging about the arrival of my nephew & a decadent dessert I baked to celebrate his arrival.

Jake had other plans.  He is still snuggled up in my dear sister’s belly.

Saturday night Mom & Dad Byers came over for dinner. I decided to make a stir fry with tons of veggies & chicken served over orange infused quinoa. I also steamed some edamame then lightly salted the delicious little pods. Since I don’t eat meat, I made tofu on my grill pan to add to my stir-fry.

It was quite tasty. I love how fresh & easy a stir fry is. And the wok is such a fun thing to cook in! Frozen veggies keep this dish low on prep time but high in nutrients & flavor!

{Sesame Peanut Stir Fry with Orange infused Quinoa}

[Ingredients]

• 1 1/2 bags of frozen stir fry veggies
• 1 bag of broccoli slaw
• 2-3 large chicken breasts
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 summer squash
• 1 bottle Lite Asian Sesame dressing
• 2 TBSP peanut butter
• 2 TBSP tahini
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp onion salt
• 2 cup quinoa
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade
• 1 TBSP coconut oil

[Directions]

1. Cut chicken into strips then into bite sized pieces
2. Heat wok over low to medium heat & grease with PAM
3. Add chicken & season with onion salt, ground ginger & tahini
4. Drain any fat from wok
5. While the chicken is cooking, slice bell pepper & summer squash
6. In a rice cooker, cook quinoa according to the instructions on box
7. Once chicken is cooked, add frozen stir fry veggies, sliced vegetables, broccoli slaw & 1 TBSP coconut oil to wok
8. Cover & let simmer 5 minutes
9. As the vegetables start to become tender, add 1/2 cup Asian sesame dressing & 1 large spoonful (roughly 2 TBSP) of peanut butter to wok. Using tongs, mix sauce & peanut butter to combine with the veggies and chicken
10. Cook a few minutes longer then remove from heat
11. Stir into cooked quinoa 1/4 cup orange marmalade
12. Serve stir fry over quinoa

Cheers,

Danielle