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!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Cherry Tomato Salsa
At the end of summer (through September, if you live in California or some other parts of the country as well), cherry tomatoes are overflowing at farmer's markets and vegetable stands.
At our Swapmeet this past Sunday, I got a huge bowlful for practically nothing (for $5 I got at least 2 pounds of grapes, 2 pounds of cherry tomatoes, 5 onions and probably 16 carrots) - what a deal.
Of course, since I love tomatoes, I ate some of the cherry tomatoes by the handful, but I also made a sweet (and delicious) cherry tomato salsa.
Ingredients:
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters (depending on the size)
1/2 of a red onion (diced)
1/2 of a green bell pepper (diced)
1 small jalapeno pepper (diced)
black pepper and salt to taste
I threw all of the ingredients in my food processor (a blender would work well) and that was that. I typically add cilantro to my salsa, but didn't have any. With a sweeter salsa, though, I found that I didn't miss the cilantro nor the fact that I used such a small jalapeno (it was super, duper tiny - wish I had a photo to prove it.)
Simple, quick and delicious. The only negative to the salsa was that it caused me to eat way too many chips and that I devoured it before I got a good picture.
Coming soon -- roasted carrot soup made with the abundance of carrots I got. I promise to take pictures, since I know that is one of the best parts of food blogs.
At our Swapmeet this past Sunday, I got a huge bowlful for practically nothing (for $5 I got at least 2 pounds of grapes, 2 pounds of cherry tomatoes, 5 onions and probably 16 carrots) - what a deal.
Of course, since I love tomatoes, I ate some of the cherry tomatoes by the handful, but I also made a sweet (and delicious) cherry tomato salsa.
Ingredients:
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters (depending on the size)
1/2 of a red onion (diced)
1/2 of a green bell pepper (diced)
1 small jalapeno pepper (diced)
black pepper and salt to taste
I threw all of the ingredients in my food processor (a blender would work well) and that was that. I typically add cilantro to my salsa, but didn't have any. With a sweeter salsa, though, I found that I didn't miss the cilantro nor the fact that I used such a small jalapeno (it was super, duper tiny - wish I had a photo to prove it.)
Simple, quick and delicious. The only negative to the salsa was that it caused me to eat way too many chips and that I devoured it before I got a good picture.
Coming soon -- roasted carrot soup made with the abundance of carrots I got. I promise to take pictures, since I know that is one of the best parts of food blogs.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
To Squash or Not To Squash
That is the question. It has been quite sometime since I've posted anything. Since my last post, over a year ago, I've gotten pregnant and had a second baby (my first son is almost two), and my husband and I spent last school year shooting and editing a documentary film (which we are still working on--watch a teaser at www.thinktenmediagroup.com). Plus, we shot a narrative feature film this past July, right before having our second baby in August.
So, hopefully you will understand why I haven't been blogging or, frankly, cooking as much as I would have liked to. Now, even though I certainly have my hands full with productions, arts education (generationarts.org) and the two little guys, I am able to primarily work from home and am making a commitment (a New Year's Resolution, if you will, just starting in September rather than January) to cook much, much more.
My primary motivations: save money, be healthier, set a good example for my children. Hopefully, this commitment will find me sharing some good recipes and tips along the way.
I've digressed. Back to the current question at hand - To Squash or Not To Squash. At the moment, I have some precious time where neither child has any immediate needs and my primary work objective for the day has already been completed. Plus, I already made a batch of homemade granola (adapted from this recipe: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/maple-almond-granola-recipe/ - I did not add any raisins, neither my husband or I like them, and used honey instead of agave nectar because we didn't have any agave nectar. I also, slightly, increased the amount of brown sugar and cinnamon to make it a tad sweeter, particularly since there was no dried fruit in the mix).
Let me say, on the saving money tip, that making your own granola is definitely a great way to save money, especially if you can buy key ingredients (oats, nuts, dried fruit) at a grocery store with a bulk food section (for readers with a Sprouts nearby, all of their bulk stuff is 25% this week). Plus, you can make the granola the way you like it - adding or deleting ingredients as you like.
With all of that said (since I digressed again), I am torn between two equally appealing options: write (well, I'm doing that right now), but I was thinking of doing some work-related writing for a new film project we're developing or get busy with some squash. In the summer and winter, my wonderful produce box (http://www.abundantharvestorganics.com/) comes with lots of squash.
Typically, I dice it and add it in when I make breakfast potatoes (which I believe I've posted a recipe for before) or throw squash in with a marinara sauce, since no one really notices. But, I've been researching some other recipes and am intrigued by Jamie Oliver squash ribbon salad, an herbed squash salad with a yogurt dressing or a vegetable dip that includes squash.
The answer is To Squash and To Write, though I doubt my two little lovelies will grant me the opportunity to do both, but I am going to try going with the Herbed Squash Salad with Yogurt Dressing for two reasons: 1) it seems like the quickest choice and 2) I have plain yogurt that needs to be used.
This is a key tip in the saving money category, simple, but often forgotten or overlooked: use what you got!! Don't run to the store to get some other ingredient. Adapt, adapt, adapt recipes and look at what you have and build meals/snacks around those ingredients. I really dove in and started doing this last month when I was housebound with the new baby and discovered that I could be way more creative in the kitchen than I thought and really did save money that month (plus, we ate a lot healthier).
So, here's the squash (adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe in Everyday Food).
2 yellow squash, cut into half-moons (my 2 squash were small, so I adjusted the rest accordingly)
1/4 red onion, slivered
Toss in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a heaping tablespoon or two of plain yogurt. Add salt and pepper to taste and any fresh herbs you have on hand. Martha suggests parsley and mint.
This was my first experience with non-cooked squash and I enjoyed it. Simple and fresh -- a perfect, quick and healthy snack to hold me until dinner. Now, let's see if I can squeeze in some writing.
So, hopefully you will understand why I haven't been blogging or, frankly, cooking as much as I would have liked to. Now, even though I certainly have my hands full with productions, arts education (generationarts.org) and the two little guys, I am able to primarily work from home and am making a commitment (a New Year's Resolution, if you will, just starting in September rather than January) to cook much, much more.
My primary motivations: save money, be healthier, set a good example for my children. Hopefully, this commitment will find me sharing some good recipes and tips along the way.
I've digressed. Back to the current question at hand - To Squash or Not To Squash. At the moment, I have some precious time where neither child has any immediate needs and my primary work objective for the day has already been completed. Plus, I already made a batch of homemade granola (adapted from this recipe: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/maple-almond-granola-recipe/ - I did not add any raisins, neither my husband or I like them, and used honey instead of agave nectar because we didn't have any agave nectar. I also, slightly, increased the amount of brown sugar and cinnamon to make it a tad sweeter, particularly since there was no dried fruit in the mix).
Let me say, on the saving money tip, that making your own granola is definitely a great way to save money, especially if you can buy key ingredients (oats, nuts, dried fruit) at a grocery store with a bulk food section (for readers with a Sprouts nearby, all of their bulk stuff is 25% this week). Plus, you can make the granola the way you like it - adding or deleting ingredients as you like.
With all of that said (since I digressed again), I am torn between two equally appealing options: write (well, I'm doing that right now), but I was thinking of doing some work-related writing for a new film project we're developing or get busy with some squash. In the summer and winter, my wonderful produce box (http://www.abundantharvestorganics.com/) comes with lots of squash.
Typically, I dice it and add it in when I make breakfast potatoes (which I believe I've posted a recipe for before) or throw squash in with a marinara sauce, since no one really notices. But, I've been researching some other recipes and am intrigued by Jamie Oliver squash ribbon salad, an herbed squash salad with a yogurt dressing or a vegetable dip that includes squash.
The answer is To Squash and To Write, though I doubt my two little lovelies will grant me the opportunity to do both, but I am going to try going with the Herbed Squash Salad with Yogurt Dressing for two reasons: 1) it seems like the quickest choice and 2) I have plain yogurt that needs to be used.
This is a key tip in the saving money category, simple, but often forgotten or overlooked: use what you got!! Don't run to the store to get some other ingredient. Adapt, adapt, adapt recipes and look at what you have and build meals/snacks around those ingredients. I really dove in and started doing this last month when I was housebound with the new baby and discovered that I could be way more creative in the kitchen than I thought and really did save money that month (plus, we ate a lot healthier).
So, here's the squash (adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe in Everyday Food).
2 yellow squash, cut into half-moons (my 2 squash were small, so I adjusted the rest accordingly)
1/4 red onion, slivered
Toss in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a heaping tablespoon or two of plain yogurt. Add salt and pepper to taste and any fresh herbs you have on hand. Martha suggests parsley and mint.
This was my first experience with non-cooked squash and I enjoyed it. Simple and fresh -- a perfect, quick and healthy snack to hold me until dinner. Now, let's see if I can squeeze in some writing.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Breakfast - Entry #2 - Cinnamon Raisin French Toast
Yummy!!
Cinnamon Raisin French Toast -- really good and can actually be not awful in terms of calories.
Ingredients:
1. Beat eggs in a pie dish (or something similar)
2. Add milk, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest
3. Whisk/Beat until all ingredients are mixed in well together
4. Heat griddle pan over medium-high heat and melt better
5. Dip bread in batter, coat thoroughly on both sides
6. Cook bread on griddle pan/skillet (should only take 1-2 minutes on each side for batter to cook up)
7. Serve and eat -- delicious. (Add syrup, if you want)
Bonus tip to keep yummy, but keep calories down -- I added a low sugar, all-fruit apricot spread to my batter (about 2 teaspoons) and mixed it in well. With the bread being so moist and sweet and this added touch on the batter, I didn't add in syrup, which is loaded with sugar and calories. (The bread I use is only 100 cals per slice.)
Cinnamon Raisin French Toast -- really good and can actually be not awful in terms of calories.
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs - beaten
- 1/4 cup milk
- Splash of vanilla extract
- Dash (or two) of cinnamon
- Orange Zest (if you want)
- Cinnamon Raisin Bread (I use the Sunmaid brand. It is very moist, which is key.)
- 2-3 pats of butter (for the pan)
1. Beat eggs in a pie dish (or something similar)
2. Add milk, vanilla, cinnamon and orange zest
3. Whisk/Beat until all ingredients are mixed in well together
4. Heat griddle pan over medium-high heat and melt better
5. Dip bread in batter, coat thoroughly on both sides
6. Cook bread on griddle pan/skillet (should only take 1-2 minutes on each side for batter to cook up)
7. Serve and eat -- delicious. (Add syrup, if you want)
Bonus tip to keep yummy, but keep calories down -- I added a low sugar, all-fruit apricot spread to my batter (about 2 teaspoons) and mixed it in well. With the bread being so moist and sweet and this added touch on the batter, I didn't add in syrup, which is loaded with sugar and calories. (The bread I use is only 100 cals per slice.)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Breakfast - Entry #1
Thank goodness I don't eat the way I blog -- in binges!! Yikes. Finally, an update to my blog and this one is dedicated to an often overlooked, but highly enjoyed meal: breakfast.
I used to not do breakfast on a regular basis, but having a baby has changed all of that. I love breakfast food (doesn't everyone?), but reserved breakfast for a weekend outing. Now, though, I must have breakfast and find that it has become one of my favorite parts of my morning. There's my quick fix breakfast, which is the most popular since I do have a baby. The quick fix is waffles from the freezer to the toaster and two Morningstar veggie sausages with my coffee and soymilk. Usually, instead of syrup, I have fruit on my waffles (berries or bananas). The bananas work great because I can slice up half of the banana for my waffles and mash the other half up for Sky.
I have also become quite skilled at making omelets, so I'm sharing today the technique I use for beautiful omelets and my favorite, healthy goodies to go in the omelets.
My omelet is a two egg omelet. I use butter (just a pat) and peanut oil (just a drizzle) to set the stage for the omelet. This prevents sticking and creates the perfect cooking set up for the omelet. Also, I use a smaller pan, since I only use 2 eggs in my omelet. If the oil/butter combo (after the butter has melted) is not just coating the pan, I drain off the excess.
I whisk the eggs. I don't add salt, pepper, cheese, milk or anything at this stage. Then pour them into the pan (over medium-high heat). Once the omelet begins to set, lift the edge with a wooden spatula (or whatever spatula you prefer) and let the wet portion run under. Once the omelet seems pretty well cooked (to your liking), simply fold it over.
If you want to add goodies, which I highly recommended, I add them when it seems that the egg is about to set -- still a bit wet (and always after I've done the lift up edge trick). My favorite additions are spinach and mushrooms (typically sauteed ahead of time with some garlic) with some good parmesan tossed in. Sometimes I just toss in the parm if I don't really have any great veggies on hand.
As for salt and pepper, I think it is best to add after the egg is cooked -- along with, if you like, parsley or chives sprinkled on top.
Check back tomorrow (and it will be tomorrow!!) for my follow up breakfast blog featuring a delicious Cinnamon-Raisin French Toast I made for myself for Mother's Day.
I used to not do breakfast on a regular basis, but having a baby has changed all of that. I love breakfast food (doesn't everyone?), but reserved breakfast for a weekend outing. Now, though, I must have breakfast and find that it has become one of my favorite parts of my morning. There's my quick fix breakfast, which is the most popular since I do have a baby. The quick fix is waffles from the freezer to the toaster and two Morningstar veggie sausages with my coffee and soymilk. Usually, instead of syrup, I have fruit on my waffles (berries or bananas). The bananas work great because I can slice up half of the banana for my waffles and mash the other half up for Sky.
I have also become quite skilled at making omelets, so I'm sharing today the technique I use for beautiful omelets and my favorite, healthy goodies to go in the omelets.
My omelet is a two egg omelet. I use butter (just a pat) and peanut oil (just a drizzle) to set the stage for the omelet. This prevents sticking and creates the perfect cooking set up for the omelet. Also, I use a smaller pan, since I only use 2 eggs in my omelet. If the oil/butter combo (after the butter has melted) is not just coating the pan, I drain off the excess.
I whisk the eggs. I don't add salt, pepper, cheese, milk or anything at this stage. Then pour them into the pan (over medium-high heat). Once the omelet begins to set, lift the edge with a wooden spatula (or whatever spatula you prefer) and let the wet portion run under. Once the omelet seems pretty well cooked (to your liking), simply fold it over.
If you want to add goodies, which I highly recommended, I add them when it seems that the egg is about to set -- still a bit wet (and always after I've done the lift up edge trick). My favorite additions are spinach and mushrooms (typically sauteed ahead of time with some garlic) with some good parmesan tossed in. Sometimes I just toss in the parm if I don't really have any great veggies on hand.
As for salt and pepper, I think it is best to add after the egg is cooked -- along with, if you like, parsley or chives sprinkled on top.
Check back tomorrow (and it will be tomorrow!!) for my follow up breakfast blog featuring a delicious Cinnamon-Raisin French Toast I made for myself for Mother's Day.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Avoiding Food Waste and Making Soup
According to some studies, on average, homes generate 474 pounds of food waste each year in America. That's a lot when people are starving here in America and in other countries.
I find that taking stock of the fridge, not going crazy at the grocery store, and cooking with what you have make a big difference. (My blog recipes are definitely based on what I have and I will make the same dish in different varieties based on what I need to use up). Sharing is also a great idea. I used to have a huge problem with produce going bad, but now I just share my produce if I think I won't be able to use it up. I've also discovered that when it comes to using up ingredients - soups are your best friend.
Here's my latest two soups both inspired by the contents of my fridge. Also, you don't have to eat all of the soup once you make it. You can freeze some for later, which I often do.
Soup #1 - Taco Soup
I had lots of leftovers from a taco bar we did at work, and I was leaving town and couldn't eat another taco, so I made taco soup using:
The preparation was very simple -- aside from chopping the tomatoes, all I did was dump all of the leftovers into the crock pot along with the frozen items and turn the crock pot to high, stirring upon occasion. Perfect cooking style for someone with a 5 month old.
When you serve it, you can add shredded cheese, crushed chips, sour cream or avocado/guac if you have any left from your Mexican/Taco Fiesta.
This soup kicked ass! It was definitely one of my favorites. I didn't end up freezing any because I liked it so much that I ate it all before I left town. Thus, I avoided food waste and saved my self some money. Win. Win.
Soup #2 - "Miso" (sort of)
I made this soup this morning. I have a great miso paste that a friend gave me and I had some vegetable stock (that I had previously made) in the fridge, as well as some other veggies that were just taking up too much space, so I consolidated and my miso had:
Preparation -- again, simple. I put the veg stock in a pot and dumped in all of the vegetables and add in two solid tablespoons of miso paste. While I was bringing that up to a boil, I browned the tofu, dumped it in and let everything simmer. Then, I enjoyed the soup for lunch.
With both soups, these are suggestions -- see what you need to use up and create your own soup. Let me know how it goes!
I find that taking stock of the fridge, not going crazy at the grocery store, and cooking with what you have make a big difference. (My blog recipes are definitely based on what I have and I will make the same dish in different varieties based on what I need to use up). Sharing is also a great idea. I used to have a huge problem with produce going bad, but now I just share my produce if I think I won't be able to use it up. I've also discovered that when it comes to using up ingredients - soups are your best friend.
Here's my latest two soups both inspired by the contents of my fridge. Also, you don't have to eat all of the soup once you make it. You can freeze some for later, which I often do.
Soup #1 - Taco Soup
I had lots of leftovers from a taco bar we did at work, and I was leaving town and couldn't eat another taco, so I made taco soup using:
- Ground Turkey (seasoned with taco seasoning) - probably had 1/2 a package of cooked ground turkey left
- Black beans (seasoned with taco seasoning) - probably had 1/2 a can left
- Diced tomatoes (probably 1/2 cup)
- Frozen corn (between 1/2 and 1 full cup)
- Frozen tri-colored bell peppers (probably 1/2 cup)
- Canned tomatoes (with sauce) -- I diced them myself (I had used half of one large can of tomatoes in a soup the week before and the other half was in the fridge)
- 1/4 of a jar of salsa
- Vegetable stock (as needed to get the soup consistency that you want) - you could use water, if you don't have vegetable stock (if you use water, you may want to add more seasoning, though mine was seasoned perfectly with the taco seasoning that was on the beans and meat and the salsa)
The preparation was very simple -- aside from chopping the tomatoes, all I did was dump all of the leftovers into the crock pot along with the frozen items and turn the crock pot to high, stirring upon occasion. Perfect cooking style for someone with a 5 month old.
When you serve it, you can add shredded cheese, crushed chips, sour cream or avocado/guac if you have any left from your Mexican/Taco Fiesta.
This soup kicked ass! It was definitely one of my favorites. I didn't end up freezing any because I liked it so much that I ate it all before I left town. Thus, I avoided food waste and saved my self some money. Win. Win.
Soup #2 - "Miso" (sort of)
I made this soup this morning. I have a great miso paste that a friend gave me and I had some vegetable stock (that I had previously made) in the fridge, as well as some other veggies that were just taking up too much space, so I consolidated and my miso had:
- Tofu (about 1/4 of a package browned in a pan with peanut oil and soy sauce)
- Edamame (1/4 cup)
- Mushrooms (1/4 cup previously cooked with olive oil and garlic)
- Broccoli (I only had about 6 pieces of broccoli left and it was raw)
Preparation -- again, simple. I put the veg stock in a pot and dumped in all of the vegetables and add in two solid tablespoons of miso paste. While I was bringing that up to a boil, I browned the tofu, dumped it in and let everything simmer. Then, I enjoyed the soup for lunch.
With both soups, these are suggestions -- see what you need to use up and create your own soup. Let me know how it goes!
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