Minestrone Soup

After a very long hiatus, I've decided to start blogging my food adventures again. It may not be every week but at least when I make something that stands out to me, I'll post it here. Yesterday I made minestrone soup for our community group with church. People asked for the recipe which inspired me to just post it. Enjoy! (PS, it was even better the next day!)

Minestrone Soup, serves 6 as a main dish (with some good sourdough bread on the side!)

1½ cups dried great northern beans, soaked at least 4 hours
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
6 carrots, sliced or diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 bunch chard, leaves separated from stems and chopped 
3 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
½ tsp dried rosemary
5 cups chicken broth
5 cups water
1 oz piece of parmesan rind
 kosher salt and pepper to taste

Place soaked beans in large soup pot, cover well with water and boil until tender, about 1 hour. Drain beans and set aside. Rinse soup pot and return to stove. Add oil and heat through. Saute onion, carrots, celery and chard stems only about 10 mins or until beginning to soften. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add tomatoes with juice, rosemary, broth and water. Heat to boiling and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until veggies are tender, about 30 mins. Add parmesan rind, chard leaves, reserved beans and salt and pepper to taste and cook another 10 minutes or until chard is soft. Mash up some of the beans on the bottom with a potato masher or immersion blender. Stir well, taste for seasoning, and serve with some crusty sourdough bread.

(You can add bacon, potatoes and/or zucchini to this soup as well. Add bacon first, then use a slotted spoon to take it out after it's crispy and reserve until the end. Add potatoes w/the carrots and onion and add zucchini with the chard leaves).

Summertime Quinoa Salad

This was a "clean out the fridge" lunch that turned out so fresh and delicious I had to post it here! Super versatile so you could add or omit as desired.

Summertime Quinoa Salad, serves 1

approx. 1/4 cup cooked quinoa (use up some leftovers)
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 small tomato, diced
1 green onion, sliced
1/2 carrot, sliced
1/2 avocado, diced
1/4 jalapeno, thinly sliced (more or less depending on heat desired)
juice of 1/2 lime
EVOO
sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper
dulse flakes
cumin
1 hard boiled egg, chopped

Toss the quinoa with the veggies. Squeeze half a lime over. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt, cracked pepper, dulse flakes and cumin to taste. Toss gently to combine. Top with chopped hard-boiled egg. Enjoy!

Easy Insalata Caprese

This is my go-to snack lately. It's a fancy way of saying Italian tomato and mozzarella salad. It's low-glycemic, super easy, and delicious. The sure-fire way to make this extraordinary is to use the freshest, highest quality ingredients.

Insalata Caprese Recipe

4-5 slices fresh buffalo mozzarella
1 ripe organic tomato, sliced into 4 or 5 rounds
4-5 big basil leaves
high quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
fresh cracked black pepper
high quality sea salt

Layer the mozzarella slices, tomato rounds and basil. Drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Chicken and Wild Rice

I had a lot of leftover shredded chicken from making chicken soup last night and I needed to make dinner tonight without going to the store today. So, I pulled together this chicken and rice casserole type dish, sans the canned cream-of-chemicals-and-who-knows-what-else-soup. Wild rice is lower glycemic than regular white rice and possibly more so than brown rice, too. This came out really tasty, but the picture not so much. Sorry!

Chicken and Wild Rice Recipe
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs EVOO
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups uncooked wild rice blend
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp dried marjoram
fresh cracked black pepper
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms
4 cups cooked cubed or shredded chicken
1½ cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
½ cups dry white wine
¼ cup sour cream

Heat dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add butter and olive oil and heat through. Add onion and saute until beginning to soften. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add rice and saute a few minutes until beginning to brown, stirring frequently. Add salt, marjoram and pepper. Add mushrooms, chicken and stock. Stir to deglaze bottom of pot. Pour in cream, stirring. Add wine and sour cream. Bring to a simmer and then cover and transfer to preheated 375°F oven. Cook one hour or until rice is tender and liquid absorbed. Serve with green salad or another green veggie of choice :)

Valentine's Day - Fajitas

Maybe not the most traditional Valentine's Day fare, but there is something romantic about the sound of fajitas sizzling as they are brought to your table in a cast iron skillet with a mariachi band in the background. I aim to recreate that feeling at home tonight. Maybe I need to figure out how to flambé without burning anything unintended so we can really have the ambiance :)

For the Marinade:
juice of 1 lime
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
handful cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
1 Tbs tequila (optional but oh-so-good!)
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp sea salt
several turns of the pepper mill
dash Worcestershire sauce

In a medium bowl, pour marinade over 1 lb sliced beef. Mix well with clean hands. Cover and refrigerate at about 2 hours. I put this together after the girls went down for naps and will let it marinate until dinnertime.

For the Fajitas:
1 lb marinated beef, brought to room temp
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 red or white onion, sliced thickly
oil for sautéing at high heat (coconut oil or grapeseed oil are my preference)

Toppings:
salsa
sour cream
avocado slices or homemade guacamole*

Heat a large cast iron skillet (preferably well seasoned). When hot, add oil and heat a few seconds, just until oil almost smokes. Add onion and sauté until almost tender. Add bell pepper strips and sauté about 2 minutes. Add drained beef and sauté to desired doneness. Serve in warm tortillas, if desired, with toppings of choice.

*Homemade guac is super easy but you have to have a super ripe avocado. Slice open the avocado, remove pit, scrape flesh into small bowl. Add a handful of minced red onion, a few minced garlic cloves, juice from half a lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Mash with fork. Taste for seasoning. Stir in handful of diced fresh tomatoes if desired. Enjoy!

No-Cook Peanut Butter Balls

I made these for a Superbowl treat yesterday and they came out better than expected! You could make these with any sort of nut butter or alternative (sunflower seed butter, for example) and if you use a raw nut butter they would be a great raw food treat! My kids loved these and they don't normally eat sunflower seeds.

Peanut Butter Ball Recipe (adapted from Dr Sears' Nutbutter Balls), makes about 15 one inch balls

½ cup raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup unsweetened peanut butter (or alternative of your choice)
½ cup raw sesame seeds
½ cup raw sunflower seeds (hulled)
½ cup rolled oats (old fashioned style, not instant)
¼ cup ground flax
scant ¼ cup raw agave nectar or raw honey
finely shredded unsweetened coconut

Mix all ingredients except coconut in a medium bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine thoroughly. It will get pretty stiff so really put some muscle into it! Put some shredded coconut into a small bowl. Form approximate one inch balls with the peanut butter mixture and roll in the coconut to coat. Depending on the coarseness of your coconut, you may need to pulse it in a food processor a few times to make smaller bits that adhere to the balls better. Enjoy immediately or place in an airtight container and store in refrigerator.

Broccoli Chowder

This makes a surprisingly hearty lunch or dinner. Double the recipe if you want leftovers!

Broccoli Chowder Recipe, serves 4 as a side dish or 2 adults and 2 small kids as a main course
3 strips bacon, diced
2 Tbs butter
1 small onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, smashed
½ tsp celery seed
2 Tbs tapioca starch (can use all-purpose flour)
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 cup milk
4 small red potatoes, cut into large dice
½ head broccoli, chopped into florets
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
sea salt and cracked pepper
sliced avocado and crushed red pepper flakes for serving

Heat dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add bacon and cook until crisp. Reduce heat to low, add butter, onion, garlic and celery seed. Cook until onion is softening. Add tapioca starch and stir. Add chicken stock and milk and bring to simmer. Add potatoes and cook 10 minutes. Add broccoli, bell pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until potatoes and broccoli are tender, about 20 mins more. Serve with crushed red pepper flakes on top and a slice of avocado if desired.

Salmon with Sauteed Spigarello

One of my goals this year is to eat fish or seafood at least once a week. I think this was a goal last year too but somehow it didn't happen all that often. I love salmon (wild-caught) for the health benefits which most notably are the great protein and omega 3 fats. It tastes great too and even the kids love it!

Spigarello is a relative of broccoli and some people call it broccoli leaf. It is a thick, leathery green that I think tastes great. This preparation with the shallots, garlic, and lemon-honey is superb!

Salmon with Sauteed Spigarello, serves 2
for the salmon:
2 salmon filets, skin-on
EVOO
sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Rub salmon with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat (skin side down first then flip half way through) until cooked to your liking. I like mine moist and pink so I do about 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of the filet. 

for the spigarello:
EVOO
1 bunch spigarello (would work with another hearty green such as kale), washed and dried
1 small shallot or about ¼ cup chopped red onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
red pepper flakes to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste
juice of ½ a lemon
1 tsp raw honey or agave syrup for drizzling

Remove tough stems from spigarello and discard. Roughly chop leaves. Heat EVOO in medium skillet over medium heat. Add spigarello and sauté until beginning to soften. Add shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and continue cooking, stirring, until shallots are soft. Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice and a drizzle of honey. Toss to coat.

Serve salmon and greens with couscous or quinoa if desired.

Colorful Chili

I love chili. It's so versatile and you can pretty much put anything in it. This is my most recent version, which I'm calling "colorful" because of all the different veggies that went into it. It also has a variety of spices for the flavor and for the health benefits (chili peppers for the capsaicin and turmeric for the anti-inflammatory properties).

Colorful Chili Recipe, serves 6

Brown the following in Dutch oven or stock pot:
1 lb ground beef or bison (preferably from a grass-fed animal)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
2 cups chopped kale or other sturdy green

Add and stir for a minute until fragrant:
¼ cup chili powder
1 Tbs cacao powder (or unsweetened coco powder)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp ground corriander
½ tsp cayenne (more or less to taste)
¼ tsp turmeric
fresh cracked pepper

Add:
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can drained beans of choice (I like kidneys)
2 cups water
1 Tbs blackstrap molasses

Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about an hour or until flavors are mingled to your liking.

Top with some or all:
shredded cheese
sour cream
chopped chives
more cayenne or red pepper flakes

Quinoa Egg Veggie Bake

I made this for dinner but it works equally well as breakfast, so save your leftovers! This recipe is super versatile and you could use whatever veggies (or even meats) and spices you have on hand. Try a southwestern twist with jalapenos and jack cheese, or Denver omelet style with bell peppers, ham and cheese, or Italian style with greens, tomatoes, garlic and top with marinara. The variations are really endless!

Quinoa Egg Veggie Bake Recipe, adapted from Door To Door Organics, serves 6 (two muffins for each person)
1 cup quinoa, cooked according to package directions and cooled
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped sturdy greens, such as spinach or kale or chard
1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used quartered grape tomatoes since I had them on hand)
6 eggs, beaten
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp dried oregano or basil
cracked pepper
grated cheese of choice for topping (optional, I used Romano)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into well-greased muffin cups (should fill a normal sized 12-muffin pan). Bake at 400ºF for approx 20 mins or until lightly browned and set. Remove pan from oven, top muffins with grated cheese, return to oven and turn to broil. Broil for a couple mins, just until cheese melts. Remove and let cool a couple mins in the pan. Run a knife around each muffin to loosen and serve immediately.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes with Goat Cheese

This is adapted from a Door To Door Organics recipe. I used it as part of a dinner along with the Quinoa Egg Veggie bake. I really love the flavors of the eggplant and tomatoes and it makes a great vegetarian and low-glycemic appetizer or side.

Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese Recipe
1 eggplant, sliced about ½" thick (could slice the short or long way, it's up to you)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
EVOO
sea salt and cracked black pepper
goat cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Pour a couple tablespoons of EVOO on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss tomatoes thoroughly in the oil and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with EVOO and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. If you have room on the same baking sheet as the tomatoes, lay eggplant in single layer on it, otherwise use a separate baking sheet. Roast about 10 mins, flip eggplant slices and continue roasting another 10 mins or until eggplant is tender and tomatoes are caramelized. Remove from oven, arrange eggplant on serving dish, top with tomatoes and their juices, and sprinkle crumbled goat cheese over the top. Enjoy!

Hearty Pumpkin Soup w/Orange

This sounded like a strange combination, but I happened to have all (well, most) the ingredients on hand so I gave it a try. I am so glad I did because it's surprisingly good! Somehow the brightness of the orange really enhances the flavor of the pumpkin and it melds together beautifully.

Hearty Pumpkin Soup w/Orange Recipe (adapted from The Pumpkin Cookbook), serves 4-6
1 ½ lb pumpkin or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup brown rice
1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
5 cups chicken or veggie stock, warmed
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2" stick cinnamon
sea salt to taste
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas (I didn't have any so I used edamame and it was good)
1 orange

To a large sauce pan or dutch oven, add pumpkin, onion, rice, carrots and stock. Bring to a boil and add the spices. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 45 mins or until pumpkin has pretty much disintegrated into soup and the carrots and onion are tender. Add peas or edamame and cook just until warmed through, about 5 mins. Remove cinnamon stick.

Cut 4 or 6 (depending on how many people you're serving) thin slices from the center of the orange for the garnish. Grate the rest of the zest and add to soup along with the juice from the orange. Serve in warmed bowls and garnished with the orange slice.

Garlic and Greens Spaghetti Squash

This is adapted from Food Network Magazine's Great Easy Meals. Instead of using actual pasta, I opted for spaghetti squash which considerably takes down the glycemic load on your body (meaning you won't get the blood sugar spike that you would from traditional pasta). You could certainly try this with a low-glycemic pasta if you wanted to go that route.

I was shocked that the kids (ages 4 and 1½) gave this dinner rave reviews! They both cleaned their plates and asked for more! I knew that would happen if I had used real pasta but was very impressed that they both loved the spaghetti squash so much (and the greens)!

Garlic and Greens Spaghetti Squash Recipe, serves 4
1 small spaghetti squash
16 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup EVOO
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
sea salt
1 bunch hearty greens such as kale or chard, thick stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
cracked black pepper and fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for topping

Cut squash in half the long way. Scoop out seeds (I just discovered that my ice cream scooper works great for this!), place in baking dish, and bake in 375°F oven about 45 mins or until very tender.

When squash is almost done, begin with the rest of the recipe. Fry garlic in EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. You want a nice color beginning to form but don't over brown or the garlic will be bitter. Transfer garlic with slotted spoon to a bowl or plate. Pour off all but about 2 Tbs of the EVOO (reserve the garlic-infused EVOO for another use or for dipping crusty bread into - which I didn't feel bad about in the least since we were having spaghetti squash instead of actual spaghetti). Add onions and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Cook until onions are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 mins. Season to taste with salt. Add greens and sauté until just wilted, about a minute.

While the onions are cooking, you can remove the squash from the oven and shred into "spaghetti". Use a fork and scrape the flesh, across the short side, to form the strands. Remove all the strands and place in the skillet with the greens and onions and toss to coat, adding more EVOO if necessary. Top with fried garlic chips. Grate Parmesan over the top, do a final seasoning with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Week 52!

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and was able to spend some time reflecting on the amazing, miraculously true story that we celebrate in Christmas.

One whole year done!! Even though each week has not been a full meal plan, I feel pretty great about completing a whole year of blogging. Here is the last week of the year!

Moroccan Winter Squash Quinoa (from Epicurious.com)
Stew

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Pinch of saffron (I did not use this)
• 1 cup water
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 butternut squash (or similar), peeled and cubed
• 2 carrots, scrubbed well and sliced thick

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Mix in paprika and next 8 ingredients. Add 1 cup water, tomatoes, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Add squash and carrots. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrot
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint, divided

Rinse quinoa well in fine mesh colander or sieve and drain. Melt butter with oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Sauté until vegetables begin to brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add quinoa; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups water. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir half of cilantro and half of mint into stew. Spoon quinoa onto platter, forming well in center. Spoon stew into well. Sprinkle remaining herbs over. 

Braised Maple-Bourbon Pork with Beans (in the slow cooker, adapted from Williams-Sonoma), this makes enough for a crowd, 8-10 servings. Feel free to half the recipe if that is more appropriate for you :)

2 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 pieces

kosher salt and cracked pepper

1 Tbs grapeseed or olive oil

2 lb keilbasa (2 large links), each cut into 3 pieces

3 yellow onions, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 Tbs minced garlic

3 Tbs tomato paste

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup bourbon

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 lbs dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 cups chicken broth

4 oz bacon, diced

2 cups fresh bread crumbs

1 tsp chopped fresh sage

2 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Season pork lightly with salt and pepper. Warm oil in dutch oven over med-high heat and brown pork. Transfer to slow cooker and in same dutch oven brown sausages. Transfer to slow cooker and cook onions and celery in same dutch oven over med heat. Add garlic, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Cook one minute. Add bourbon and cook another min. Add all to slow cooker.

Into slow cooker, add tomatoes, beans, maple syrup and broth. Nestle pork into bean mixture and arrange sausages around pork. Cover and cook on high until beans are tender, upto 10 hours. Skim off fat and discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. 

In large saute pan or cast iron skillet over med-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Pour off all but 1 Tbs fat (reserve rendered bacon fat for another use) and add bread crumbs and sage to pan. Cook 4 mins, stirring. Stir in parsley and bacon. Sprinkle over pork mixture. If your slow cooker insert allows, you can finish the dish in a 400 F oven for about 5 mins.

Spice Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables, serves 4
2 medium red onions, cut into wedges
2 lbs mixed root veggies of choice (carrots, parsnips, etc), cut into 3" pieces
2 Tbs EVOO
Kosher salt and cracked pepper
4 small chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks, so 8 total)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 425F. Toss veggies with oil and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper on large sheet pan or baking sheet.

Season chicken with paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Place chicken on sheet pan and roast about 30 mins, until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked through.

Peppermint Crunch Bark (adapted slightly from King Arthur Flour) Need to do something with those Christmas candy canes? Try this!

16 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 tsp peppermint extract

12 oz white chocolate (with cocoa butter), chopped

1/4 to 1/2 cup crushed hard peppermint candy (or candy canes)

Melt dark chocolate over double boiler (I jut use a large glass bowl set over a pot with about an inch of simmering water in the bottom). Stir in the peppermint extract. Spread into an 8 x 12" oval/rectangle on parchment paper (should be about 1/8" thick). Allow to set but not harden completely (I ended up putting the parchment paper in the fridge for about 3-4 mins to set up better. Move it on the backside of a sheet pan).

Melt white chocolate in same manner (in a clean bowl). Mix with half of the crushed peppermint candy. Spread this over the dark chocolate and then sprinkle the rest of the peppermint candy on top, pressing in lightly with your fingers to adhere. Allow to cool until hardened (again I put in the fridge for this). Cut with large, sharp chef's knife into shards or chunks.

Week 38

Some super tasty recipes for you all this week! And warmer dishes for the changing of the seasons. The leaves are starting to turn here and it's beautiful. I hope to take a trip to the mountains this weekend to see all the fall colors. Enjoy these tastes of fall for the week :)

Yam and Black Bean Burritos, serves 6 (adapted from Woman's Day Sept 2011)

EVOO

1 med yam or sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks

1 small red onion, diced

kosher salt and pepper

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 Tbs chopped chipotles in adobo

1 small bunch spinach, chopped

juice from half a lemon (or one lime)

6 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded

6 whole wheat tortillas

Heat oil in large cast iron skillet. Add yams, onion and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until yams are tender, about 10 mins. Add beans and choptles in adobo and cook for another minute. Add spinach and cook, tossing just until spinach is wilted, about a minute. Divide the yam filling mixure evenly between the tortillas and sprinkle cheese on top. Roll into enclosed burritos (so all sides are closed), and place back in skillet, seam side down, and cook until golden, turning to "toast" each side. Serve with a side green salad.

Chicken Not Pie (adapted from Prevention Magazine, an old issue that I don't have the date for since I ripped out the page and it doesn't have it on there.) This has all the flavors of chicken pot pie, but without the pie crust so it's a healthy version. Serves 4.

3 Tbs EVOO

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup dry white wine

1 Tbs chopped fresh tarragon (this is my new favorite herb!)

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 lb yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1" cubes

2 med carrots, sliced

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt

pepper

1/2 lb green or wax beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces

juice from one lemon
1 cup frozen peas
chopped fresh parsley for topping

Heat EVOO in dutch oven, add onion and cook a few mins, until beginning to soften. Add stock, wine and tarragon. Bring to a boil, add chicken, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked (about 10 mins). Remove chicken to cool. Stir in potatoes, carrots salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until potatoes are almost tender, about 20 mins. Add green beans and cook about 10 mins more, or until all veggies are tender. Shred or chop chicken and return to pot (along w/juices). Stir in lemon juice and peas. Taste and adjust seasonings. Warm through and serve topped w/chopped parsley.

Cream of Zucchini Soup (adapted from a recipe from Natural Grocers). This is another good way to use up some zucchini from the garden that seems to just keep on coming! Serves 4.

2 Tbs EVOO
1 Tbs butter
1 med onion, chopped
2 lbs zucchini, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
4 oz crumbled blue cheese
1 cup half and half cream

Heat oil and butter in large saucepan. Add onion and cook over low heat until tender. Add zucchini, oregano, salt and pepper and cook over low heat about 10 mins, stirring. Add broth and bring to boil. Lower heat, tilt lid on pan and simmer gently about 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Stir in blue cheese until melted. Process soup in blender or with immersion blender until smooth. Return to pan and add half and half, stirring, but do not boil. Adjust seasoning to your liking and serve in heated soup bowls. You can swirl in more half and half if desired. Garnish with oregano and extra cheese if desired.

Chili based on Cooking With Michele's recipe

Pizza Night - I've decided (much to the delight of my family) that I want to do a weekly pizza night on Saturdays. I've pretty much figured out which sourdough crust recipe works best for me and then of course the toppings are limitless. The crust recipe is as follows:

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter (at 100% hydration)
1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 Tbs EVOO
1 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbs or so of water if needed

Mix all ingredients in bowl and knead until soft and very smooth. Cover and let rest about 1/2 hr. You're not really looking for a rise so much as just letting the gluten relax and the sourdough flavor to permeate a bit. Roll out to desired thickness (I prefer a pretty thin crust), top with desired toppings and bake at 450 F for about 15-20 mins. You can also pre-bake the crust first for about 10 mins and then top and bake again later.

Worth Repeating

I made two meals in the last week which I just linked to in previous posts. Well, they were so absolutely delicious that I decided I just had to post my version of the recipes here, with pics! They are both low glycemic yet totally filling, satisfying, and delicious. You know when you eat something and your body all but verbally thanks you for the life-giving nutrients that sustain and the burst of flavors that wow? Well these two meals were that for me. I hope they are that for you, too.

The warm salad with potatoes and bacon tasted like something you could order from a fancy restaurant. The kids loved the bacon and potatoes (especially the purple potatoes) but didn't really care for the wilted greens. The carrot and fennel soup was amazing, and I've never had fennel before. Well at least not the fresh kind. I've used dried fennel seeds a lot. But yes, truly amazing. My senses were wowed by the bright yet warm combination of the carrots and the fennel. I didn't even have the orange juice or orange olive oil that the original recipe calls for and I still loved every bite! Enjoy!

Warm Salad with Fingerling Potatoes and Bacon, serves about 3
(adapted from Door To Door Organics recipe which was adapted from an Epicurious.com recipe)
1 pound small fingerling potatoes, unpeeled
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (I used several sprigs)
1 teaspoon sea salt
8 cups bite-size pieces spinach leaves
4 cups bite-size pieces dandelion greens, tough center ribs and stems discarded (if you don't have dandelion greens you could sub more spinach or another green which could stand up to the wilting action of the dressing)
1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
12 ounces thick slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces (preferably from pastured pork but that is extremely hard to find around here so the next best thing is a nitrate-free, organic version)
1/4 cup sliced shallots

Scrub potatoes under running water and pat dry. Toss in a 9x9" roasting pan w/2 Tbs of the EVOO and the thyme and salt. Roast at 425 F for about 40 mins or until fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 mins before halving lengthwise.

Toss spinach, dandelion greens, and parsley together in serving bowl.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in large cast iron skillet over med-hi heat. When browned and starting to crisp up, add shallots and cook another minute or two, until shallots are tender. Add remaining 2 Tbs EVOO and the red wine vinegar. Turn off heat and stir to combine everything. Top greens with bacon and potato mixture, tossing to wilt the greens. Serve immediately.

Carrot and Fennel Soup, serves about 4
(adapted from 101 Cookbooks)
1 gallon bag frozen veggie trimmings (I've been saving my washed trimmings from various veggies so I can make my own vegetable broth. This batch had cabbage, red chard, broccoli, and something else I can't remember)
8-10 cups water
EVOO for sauteeing
1 fennel bulb,sliced (reserve fronds)
1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and thickly cut on the diagonal
1-2large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
kosher or sea salt to taste
2 cups cooked wild rice
one poached egg per person that you're serving
fresh grated Parmesan for serving, if desired

Place your frozen veggies in a stock pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to boil and then simmer about an hour. Skim out veggies and you will be left with a beautiful vegetable broth.

Saute carrots and fennel in the EVOO over med heat until beginning to sweat. Add garlic and saute another minute. Transfer to soup pot. Simmer until carrots are tender. Salt to taste (note - if you make your own broth like I did, you will need a considerable amount of coarse sea salt. I think I used 1-2 Tablespoons total). Add cooked rice and heat through.

While the rice is heating in the soup, poach the eggs. Fill a wide skillet with water and add a splash of white vinegar. Bring to boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer. One at a time, break an egg into a small cup and then gently tilt the cup into the simmering water and let the egg flow out. Continue with as many eggs as you need (or as many as will fit in your skillet, trying to keep the eggs separate). Turn off heat, cover skillet, and set timer for 4 minutes. At high altitude, that gives you a just-beginning-to-solidify yolk. Ladel the soup into bowls and top with poached egg. Garnish with grated Parmesan, fresh cracked pepper, and reserved fennel fronds. (And that is my very first attempt at real, 100% wild-yeast sourdough bread in the pic below).