Even if you aren't a member of a CSA, the meal plans and written or linked recipes that will be the focus of my reinvigorated blog can still be of interest because the vegetables referenced will be seasonal and should be readily available at good prices at most grocery stores (though seasonal fruits and veggies do vary in accordance with geography).
Key items in this week's box (for those of you that don't also receive a box from Abundant Harvest Organics) are: broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, spinach, carrots, potatoes (Idaho and Sweet). There were other goodies, too, but I'm just listing the stars that I'm focusing on this week.
Here's a list of the recipes on the menu for the next week or so. Subsequent blogs will provide more details (and maybe even photos) of recipes, particularly those without links.
Cauliflower & Sausage Casserole (a blog on Cauliflower is definitely coming soon. It's a great ingredient - and a wonderful carb substitute.)
Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza - the recipe references kale, but given our box I'm going to do some with arugula and some with Spinach. I'm also making mine mini pizzas, instead of a big pizza, because I have pita that needs to get used.
Potato Salad with Arugula and Herbs - I always have plain yogurt on hand, so this recipe was naturally attractive. I'm not using dill, but might use mint or just not include an herb. Sandwiches have been a common lunch meal in our house, so this potato salad will be a perfect side dish.
Penne with Spinach Sauce - I was going to try Jaime Oliver's Creamed Spinach recipe, but then realized I had absentmindedly boiled some penne. Oops. So, I'm going to do this pasta dish instead, adjusting the sauce a lot based on the ingredients I have on hand.
White Bean and Radicchio Gratin (I still have radicchio leftover from a previous box) - details coming soon.
Ethiopian Stew - I still have turnips from a previous box and plan on adding my rutabaga in with this. I'll be making major spice adjustments to fit what I have on hand and won't be including the leeks, so I'll let you know how it turns out.
I hope these recipes are helpful. I'm sure I'll also make stir fry one night as it is one my favorite ways to use broccoli. I'll also report back on which items the 2 year-old will actually eat. I know his favorite items from the box will be the pears and oranges. He LOVES fruit. I'll take it!
Showing posts with label white beans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white beans. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Soup Week - Soup #1 - Carrot Soup
I've been making a lot of soups lately. It seems appropriate as it's finally starting to feel like Fall here in SoCal. What's interesting about soup is that I always used to think I didn't like soup, until I started making my own soups. I had really only eaten soup out of can, and that I don't like, but I love making my own soups (and eating them!).
My latest new soup was created through a recipe blunder. My first attempt to make a carrot soup (motivated by a farmer selling me a bunch of carrots for basically $1) went awry, but my "fix" resulted in a soup that was rather delectable. I based my attempt on this recipe. It was not the recipe's fault that my soup didn't turn out. The problem came when I decided to add my own choice of spices (mainly because I didn't have on hand the herbs/spices recommended in the recipe). I added cumin, curry powder, thyme and then put in some cayenne pepper (for a little kick, or so I thought). I wasn't really measuring any of these, but was just eyeballing.
Apparently, I used too much cayenne because the soup was so spicy that it was not really edible. But, my "fix" led me to create a smooth carrot soup with a lot of depth of flavor and with protein. I added a white bean puree to it. So, here's how I did it.
Ingredients:
6 carrots (sliced)
Olive oil (or grapeseed or avocado oil), salt, black pepper
Vegetable Stock (probably 6-8 cups between the carrot and white bean puree - I always just eyeball my stock and don't measure)
1/2 white onion (diced)
6 garlic cloves (1/2 for carrot puree and 1/2 for white bean puree)
1 tsp each of cumin, curry powder, thyme
cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 cup dried white beans (or 1/2-1 can of white beans)
1. If you don't use organic carrots, then I recommend peeling them. If you do use organic, then you don't really need to peel them. Slice them into rounds, then toss the carrots with olive oil, salt and black pepper and spread them out on a baking sheet. Add 2-4 cloves of garlic to roast with the carrots as well. Broil for about 15-20 minutes (I stirred them up and turned them about halfway through)
2. Sautee onions in olive oil (I did this in my stock pot, so that I didn't dirty any extra dishes).
3. Add stock (probably 3-6 cups, it will depend on your carrots - you want to make sure you have a nice ratio to puree it) to onions and bring to a boil. Add carrots and garlic from oven and simmer until carrots get soft.
4. Put in food processor (or blender) and puree. Set aside and make white bean puree.
Since I used dried beans, I'll include instructions here for using dried beans, but you can also use canned. (First, you need to soak the white beans in water overnight the night before. Then, I bring the beans to boil in vegetable stock and then simmer for a few hours until they are soft. It usually takes about 3-4 hours with the white beans. I do this in my cast iron dutch oven and think it works really well and that the beans taste much better than canned).
5. Sautee garlic and add white beans with vegetable stock (make sure the white beans are covered with vegetable stock. You want to have enough stock to be able to puree them). Simmer for about 3-5 minutes.
6. Puree white beans, streaming in olive oil as you do (to taste).
7. Mix the two purees together.
This soup really is delicious. I think it could be a good choice for Thanksgiving (you'd probably need to make more. This is really 4 servings, max). It's a nice soup that is not expensive at all to make, but is an enjoyable Fall-inspired dish.
Wish I had pictures as it is a really pretty soup, but the friend I shared the soup with -- well, we enjoyed it so much that I forgot to take a picture.
Oh - I think it would be great to garnish it with diced avocado, caramelized onions or toasted almonds.
Taco soup recipe coming soon!
My latest new soup was created through a recipe blunder. My first attempt to make a carrot soup (motivated by a farmer selling me a bunch of carrots for basically $1) went awry, but my "fix" resulted in a soup that was rather delectable. I based my attempt on this recipe. It was not the recipe's fault that my soup didn't turn out. The problem came when I decided to add my own choice of spices (mainly because I didn't have on hand the herbs/spices recommended in the recipe). I added cumin, curry powder, thyme and then put in some cayenne pepper (for a little kick, or so I thought). I wasn't really measuring any of these, but was just eyeballing.
Apparently, I used too much cayenne because the soup was so spicy that it was not really edible. But, my "fix" led me to create a smooth carrot soup with a lot of depth of flavor and with protein. I added a white bean puree to it. So, here's how I did it.
Ingredients:
6 carrots (sliced)
Olive oil (or grapeseed or avocado oil), salt, black pepper
Vegetable Stock (probably 6-8 cups between the carrot and white bean puree - I always just eyeball my stock and don't measure)
1/2 white onion (diced)
6 garlic cloves (1/2 for carrot puree and 1/2 for white bean puree)
1 tsp each of cumin, curry powder, thyme
cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 cup dried white beans (or 1/2-1 can of white beans)
1. If you don't use organic carrots, then I recommend peeling them. If you do use organic, then you don't really need to peel them. Slice them into rounds, then toss the carrots with olive oil, salt and black pepper and spread them out on a baking sheet. Add 2-4 cloves of garlic to roast with the carrots as well. Broil for about 15-20 minutes (I stirred them up and turned them about halfway through)
2. Sautee onions in olive oil (I did this in my stock pot, so that I didn't dirty any extra dishes).
3. Add stock (probably 3-6 cups, it will depend on your carrots - you want to make sure you have a nice ratio to puree it) to onions and bring to a boil. Add carrots and garlic from oven and simmer until carrots get soft.
4. Put in food processor (or blender) and puree. Set aside and make white bean puree.
Since I used dried beans, I'll include instructions here for using dried beans, but you can also use canned. (First, you need to soak the white beans in water overnight the night before. Then, I bring the beans to boil in vegetable stock and then simmer for a few hours until they are soft. It usually takes about 3-4 hours with the white beans. I do this in my cast iron dutch oven and think it works really well and that the beans taste much better than canned).
5. Sautee garlic and add white beans with vegetable stock (make sure the white beans are covered with vegetable stock. You want to have enough stock to be able to puree them). Simmer for about 3-5 minutes.
6. Puree white beans, streaming in olive oil as you do (to taste).
7. Mix the two purees together.
This soup really is delicious. I think it could be a good choice for Thanksgiving (you'd probably need to make more. This is really 4 servings, max). It's a nice soup that is not expensive at all to make, but is an enjoyable Fall-inspired dish.
Wish I had pictures as it is a really pretty soup, but the friend I shared the soup with -- well, we enjoyed it so much that I forgot to take a picture.
Oh - I think it would be great to garnish it with diced avocado, caramelized onions or toasted almonds.
Taco soup recipe coming soon!
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