Finally She POsts SoMething

I am sure none of you have been waiting for another post, but just in case I am making up for my recent absence by posting some of the the best recipes I've been dilly dallying with this fall. I have been hibernating and gathering chanterelles on the weekends. Now my husband has a cold and we are stuck inside because of the rain we are finally getting so I have time to post something.

Beet & Goat Cheese Crostini

I adapted this from a Cooking Light recipe and instead of making fresh pickled beets, I buy a jar of nice ones from the store to save time and work. These are so garlicky and delicious. We used our garlic from the garden. 

Yield 12 servings (serving size: 2 crostini)

1 jar organic pickled beets

1 (5-ounce) package goat cheese

1 tablespoon light mayonnaise

2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, crushed

24 (1/2-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette, toasted

Drain the pickled beets saving the juice in case you have any extra. To prepare cheese spread, combine goat cheese, mayonnaise, tarragon, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and garlic in a small bowl. Spread each baguette slice with 1 teaspoon cheese mixture; top with 3 slightly overlapping slices of beet. 


Nutritional Information Calories:127 (27% from fat) Fat:3.8g (sat 2g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.3g) Protein:5.2g Carbohydrate:18g Fiber:1.4g 

 

Cashew Potato Leek Soup

This is a vegan soup that my husband now prefers to a previous version of potato soup I used to make. It is very basic and the apple is not noticeable in the soup, the cashew lends a thick creaminess to the texture. We got this recipe from The Bold Vegetarian Chef cookbook. We prefer to add chopped scallions to this on top of the soup before serving as well. I also use our handy stick blender to blend the cashews and soup.

3-4 leeks (white and green parts) coarsely chopped and well rinsed

2 Tbls olive oil

3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

6 cups vegetable broth or stock

 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp

fresh pepper

1 cup unsalted cashews

about 1 cup apple juice

chopped fresh chives for garnish 

1.Soften the leeks in olive oil over medium-low heat in a covered soup pot without allowing them to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the potatoes, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are very soft.

2.While the soup is cooking, prepare the cashew cream by pureeing the cashews and apple juice in a blender until very creamy. Add more juice or water if the cream is too thick. Set aside in a small bowl or measuring cup and rinse out the blender.

3.In small batches, ladle roughly equal amounts of potatoes, leeks, and stock into a blender or a food processor. Puree until very smooth. Serve warm or reheat. 4.Decorate the soup with the cashew cream or blend it in entirely. (It’s completely up to you how you want to do this). Top with chopped chives.  

 Pan Roasted Chicken with Leeks & Chanterelles

This is a recipe I created from combining a couple recipes that I liked, but I liked different parts of them. It is one of our favorite ways to eat our chanterelles we forage in the fall. If you don't eat meat, try this with a tofu steak, tempeh, or faux meat product like Quorn (and sub in veggie broth). I served this with roasted brussels sprouts.

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium shallot, minced

2 Tbls garlic, minced

1 cup chanterelle mushrooms, cut into thick slices

2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine

1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons half &half

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens

1.Combine 2 tablespoons flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture. 2.Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and/or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil, or your toaster oven to keep warm.

3.Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add garlic and mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Kale & Bacon with Butternut Squash Ravioli

I came up with this recipe because Costco has been selling this butternut squash ravioli that is not too bad on the waistline and very tasty. But it's hard to come up with anything else that tastes as good as serving it with brown butter and sage. So I made this last night with the intentions of stretching the ravioli and adding a bit of texture to the dish. The results were awesome and tasty. I might mess with it a bit more in the future but this is filling and serves at least 3 for dinner. We use kale from our garden, use any variety you prefer, or use swiss chard instead.

1 package Monterey Butternut Squash Ravioli

4 cups coarsely chopped kale

5 pieces turkey bacon (or pork, or none at all if you don't eat meat)

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 Tbls fresh sage, finely chopped

salt & pepper

1 Tbls olive oil

 fresh grated parmesan

In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp and place on paper towels. Boil a large pot of water and add chopped kale and salt to the water. Then add ravioli. Drain, making sure you save a cup of the water from the pan. Meanwhile in the skillet add oil then add shallot and garlic. Cook about 1-2 minutes stirring. Toss in the pumpkin seeds and sage, stir for 30 seconds. Add kale and cook, stirring to coat with shallot mix, sprinkle on pepper. Add ravioli and some pasta water, cook stirring constantly for about a minute. Use more water to thin out if needed, and before serving crumble bacon into the dish and stir to combine. Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan.

Pho King & Queen :)

Well I haven't posted a lot lately. Too distracted with all these crappy holidays and weird weather we are experiencing in my part of the world (avalanches, mudslides, floods, snow, etc..). Thought I would share with something Jarrod and I have been making a lot of lately.
Pho soup, if you never had it, you must try it. I would suggest getting some at your local vietnamese restaurant before venturing into the process it takes to make this wonderful deliciousness yourself. You need to taste it to know what it's supposed to taste like! But if you try it and you like it as much as we do, you may be saving yourself some serious moola by making your own. Not to mention all the garbage that comes with the take out order, that is what motivated us (though I supposed you can bring your own containers when you order it to go, just make sure you have a couple big ones).
We started with our turkey carcass from Thanksgiving. The usual would be to use a chicken, but hey it doesn't really matter. Pho lends it's beautiful flavors to all sorts of meats so use what you like. You can make a vegetarian version of this but I honestly don't think it will taste the same (good maybe though) and I really like vegetarian as often as possible but this just doesn't seem the same without the stock.
 If you do go the veggie route I recommend getting some broth like Imagine's "No Chick Broth" or just one of your favorite broths and using 1 part broth to 1 part water to get the flavor right before you add the other spices and such. Also try tofu in it or better yet, fried tofu. I've adapted a few recipes to create this one. After you have made it a couple times, you will want to adjust the seasonings to your own taste. Add more coriander, or less anise, more dish sauce, less sugar, whatever you prefer.
Pho is pronounced "fuh" though if you read it like it's spelled most people will know what you are talking about. The most typical, basic pho is made with beef, but since I don't eat beef this is the version we make, Pho Ga. I sometimes like to grill shrimp or scallops (amd slice the scallops when they are done) and then throw them in with the chicken or just use the seafood as the protein. My husband doesn't like seafood in his soup though so it's usually a mix for me. I think the seafood is delicious in it.
This will make a lot of broth. If you end up with a lot leftover (which I recommend making enough for leftovers- double it) you can store the broth in the freezer and anytime you want more it's that much faster. You can buy stock, but it won't be the clear enough (and will have other ingredients) to be the best for pho. To get it "right" you need to make your own and strain it.

   

Are feeling a little chilly?

I have mentioned this before but my husband is a soup-aholic. He always wants to eat soup no matter what time of year. Of course during winter we get into the thick, heartier soups. We made this the other night and it was delicious! I adapted it from a Martha Stewart recipe, and if you want to change some things (like adding veggies, or swapping veggie grounds for meat, etc...) go right ahead! I am sure it will still be delicious as long as you keep the base seasonings the same. :)
Got this recipe from Martha S. website. We made it last friday and it was great! Thought I would share.

 ~Turkey and Bean Chili~
You can substitute an equal amount of lean ground beef for the turkey. Other types of beans, such as black, northern or kidney beans, can be used instead of pinto beans. Serves 8.
Ingredients
4 turkey bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 pounds ground turkey ( I used extra lean and it was fine)
4 cups chopped onions
1 chopped green pepper
1/4 cup minced garlic cloves
2 medium fresh jalapeno chiles, ribs and seeds removed for less heat, if desired,
minced 3 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole tomatoes in puree
2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
Coarse salt
3 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
*Toppings-- Fresh cilantro leaves (I think these are essential to this soup!), sliced pickled jalapeno chiles, reduced-fat sour cream, crumbled cornbread, grated lowfat cheddar cheese

Heat a Dutch oven (or other heavy 5-quart pot) over medium heat. Add bacon; cook until crisp and brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Raise heat to high; add turkey. Cook, stirring and breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Add onion,green pepper,garlic, and jalapenos; cook until soft, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cocoa powder, and cumin; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Break up tomatoes with a spoon or your hands, and stir them in along with the puree. Add molasses, 1 cup water, and 4 teaspoons salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook, partially covered, 30 minutes. Add beans; continue cooking, uncovered, until meat and beans are very tender, and chili is thick, about 30 minutes more. Serve with desired toppings.