Christmas Lima Bean Soup

Sometimes I just want to give  Heidi Swanson a big ole' hug. She comes up with some very unique and delicious recipes. To say I have been uninspired in the culinary department this month is an understatement! One thing I always seem to make more of when I'm stumped is soup. I think I made some variation of coconut curry soup at least six times in December. The kids love it, but I started to worry that they might change their minds with the frequency! We've also had potato soup, chicken noodle, tortilla, butternut squash, and roasted tomato this month. Anyway, I stumbled on this Christmas Lima Bean Recipe and the combination of ingredients looked intriguing. I didn't have Christmas Limas but I had  regular limas. My Dad made lima beans and rice in Kauai and I forgot how much I loved lima beans! One of the first things I did when I got home is go buy some lima beans!

I wanted to share this recipe because I thought it was delicious. You don't have to garnish with olives. I never met an olive I didn't love so I really liked the combination. My soup looks different than the picture on 101cookbooks because I nearly pureed the tomatoes, and of course the beans are a different color. I didn't measure ingredients and just kind of used the recipe as a guide, but I didn't skip any ingredients either. The kids don't like tomato chunks in soup so I just gave the tomatoes a quick whirl in the food processor before adding them to the soup. I used fire roasted tomatoes as well. We served the soup over rice and I have to say, it is one of my new favorites! 

Ricotta Doughnuts!

I always make homemade doughnuts on Conference weekend. It's an indulgence for sure, but I look forward to them as much as the kids, even though I can't enjoy as MANY as they do! I usually stick with my mom's tried and true recipe, but I'm also a sucker for new recipes so we tried these ricotta doughnuts for a change.  With eggs and ricotta, these do have some protein to balance the sugar. Not health food by any means, but we did have green smoothies to go with them! I added a bunch of extra spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves) to the batter and they were delicious. It's hard to go wrong with  homemade doughnuts though.



Ricotta Doughnuts

 Ingredients
6 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 pound whole or skim milk ricotta
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (any whole grain flour works fine)
1 heaping tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar in a shaker or cinnamon sugar

Instructions
1. In a large bowl, together the eggs, sugar, ricotta, flour, baking powder, and vanilla extract until combined, being careful not to over mix the batter.
2. Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a deep, heavy pot to 325°F. Drop the batter by small ice cream scoopfuls or small spoonfuls (use 2 teaspoons) into the oil and fry for 3 minutes, turning often, until golden brown on each side. You may need fry the doughnuts in two batches to avoid crowding the pot. Break open doughnut to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. Scoop out the doughnuts with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels or a brown paper bag to drain. Let the oil come back up to temperature and repeat with remaining batter.

3. Dust  with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar and serve hot.


This recipe made quite a bit so the kids were stoked to have doughnuts two times!! Who kidnapped our mom, the children asked?


Somebody wants to be just like his big brother. Look at that cute little thumb!

Every time I make green smoothies, I think of this video . My friend, Darcie, shared this gem (made by her cousins) with me. It's hilarious!

Lemon Pancakes

 Thank you, Erin! My sister sent me the recipe for these delicious lemon pancakes. We all loved them, but Zig, who typically doesn't eat pancakes, thought they were fantastic.


The kids were so eager to eat these that they couldn't even wait for the berries to defrost, hence the frosty raspberries!


Lemon Pancakes
 Combine the dry ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Combine the wet ingredients:
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
Zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix wet and dry ingredients together and prepare the pancakes. Erin said maple syrup would overpower the lemon flavor, which is the special part of these pancakes, so we served them with raspberries and drizzled some lightly sweetened creme fraiche on them (Rollin still wanted a little maple syrup on his). The rest of us thought they were plenty sweet with just a slight sprinkle of raw sugar at the end. Pretty tasty! Oh, and I also added a few drops of lemon oil to the batter. Definitely not necessary, but that stuff is extremely powerful and really ups the intensity of the lemon flavor.

And speaking of breakfast, Zig typically goes for savory breakfasts like this one, all from our garden. We have some amazing tomatoes right now and these little yellow ones are our favorite.

Asian Chicken Salad

Here is the recipe for the salad I posted last week. 



Asian Chicken Salad 
(www.nourishedkitchen.com)

4 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a Rotisserie chicken)
• 3 ribs celery, sliced thin
• 1/2 lb shredded napa cabbage (I used very thinly sliced red and green cabbage)
• 1/4 lb snow peas, trimmed and sliced thin
• 4 medium carrots, scraped and cut into matchsticks
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced thin
• 6 loosely packed cups mixed salad greens
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, optional
• ginger vinaigrette, as needed

Toss cooked chicken, sliced celery, shredded
cabbage, snow peas, carrots and scallions
together and plate over mixed salad greens.
Dress with sesame seeds and ginger vinaigrette.

Orange-Ginger Vinaigrette
juice of 1 orange
• 1 shallot, peeled and finely minced
• 1 1-inch knob ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tbsp raw honey
• 1/2 cup unrefined extra virgin olive oil

*This is the recipe as written. I didn't serve mine on lettuce, just because I ran out of time to gather and wash the lettuce.  I also added diced yellow and red peppers and mandarin oranges. Obviously you can use whatever fresh veggies you like. I also used less chicken than the recipe called for and I may have added a little rice vinegar to the dressing to give it more of a kick. 

Mediterranean Chop Salad & Strawberry-Mint Lemonade Slushie

Next to the chocolate mint in the garden is a big patch of lemon mint. The leaves are marbled yellow and green and they smell so refreshing. The kids were asking for popsicles since we had one of our first truly hot days, but we didn't have any, so I told them I'd come up with something. That something turned out to be a strawberry-mint lemonade slushies. We have loads of strawberries in the garden right now so I used the berries, lemons, honey, and several bunches of lemon mint, and ice, of course. I predict my craving for this yummy drink will keep the blender humming all summer long.








Evan is a total strawberry swiper. He can eat nearly as fast as I pick. He doesn't waste time with stem removal either. He takes the meaning of  eating "whole foods" to a new level. And yes, he is wearing a pink sequined shirt. He brought it to me from  Nina's laundry basket and I figured well, why not? 


I love a good chopped salad. This one is similar to a greek salad, but with the addition of romaine and garbanzo beans to make it more of a meal. The other ingredients are red pepper, red onion, basil, cucumber, tomatoes, kalamata olives (I prefer Nicoise, but didn't have any), and feta tossed with a 1:1 ratio of red wine vinegar and olive oil plus a little sea salt. Zig and I had this for dinner with some crusty bread with a smear of fresh pesto.Perfect summer fare.

Chocolate Mint Truffles

Last year Zig and I went to Poppy for the first time and we had some amazing chocolate mint infused ice cream. Neither of us are huge ice cream people, but the server convinced us to try the ice cream. He was right, it was pretty special. So of course, the next Saturday, I sent Zig out on a chocolate mint run and we planted some in the herb garden. Well, nearly 9 months later and it has spread like crazy, as all mint does, and I decided it was time to start experimenting.


I sent Nina out for 6 big sprigs of chocolate mint.


We brought the cream to a gentle boil, immersed the chocolate mint leaves in the cream, and removed it from the heat to steep.


Then we chopped some dark chocolate.


After about 30 minutes, I removed the mint leaves and reheated the cream and added it to the chocolate.


We let that sit for a minute and then gave it a whirl to make a chocolate ganache.


After the ganache firmed up (about 2 hours), we scooped little balls and rolled them in cocoa. These are what I would call rustic truffles, I didn't fuss about making perfect little balls or even making them the same size. They all taste the same going down, and they are amazing with a very strong mint flavor.

The Best Candied Nuts!

Sugar-and-Spice Candied Nuts

Adapted from Elizabeth Karmel of Hill Country
1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I might up this by a 1/2 tsp. next time for more of a sweet/salty balance)
1/4 teaspoon of hot smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon of chipotle powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pound walnut or pecan halves or whole peeled hazelnuts
1 egg white, room temperature
1 tablespoon water
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix sugars, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon, making sure there are no lumps; set aside. Beat egg white and water until frothy but not stiff. Add walnuts, and stir to coat evenly. Sprinkle nuts with sugar mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Spread sugared nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven, and separate nuts as they cool. When completely cool, pour the nuts into a bowl, breaking up any that stick together.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Curry Cauliflower Soup

1-2 yellow diced onions
4-5 Yukon gold potatoes cubed (I don't peel these)
1 head cauliflower chopped
1 tsp curry powder or more
1 tsp cumin
1 pinch cayenne or more
salt and pepper
lemon juice for 1 lemon
1 quart veggie or chicken  broth
milk or evaporated milk

In a bit of olive oil, saute the onions about 5-7 minutes. Add the spices and the potatoes and saute another 5 minutes. Add the chopped cauliflower. Then add the broth and a bit of water--you need to cover everything. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover. If you are in a hurry this will take about 40 minutes to cook, otherwise I let it simmer all day. Puree with the stick blender and then add the lemon juice and enough milk to change the color and make it creamy. Taste and add more salt/pepper/cayenne as needed.

pumpkin scones and halloween

The kids love Halloween. And why wouldn't they...they get to have a week of fun festivities, parties at school, work, and church. Candy, candy and more candy! Halloween seems to get bigger and bigger every year with the hoopla stretching out for weeks prior. So I must say I feel some relief when we finally get the actual day behind us. This year it fell on Sunday so we opted to stay home and keep it low key. I left that decision up to the kids, and it seemed like a fairly simple choice for them. They already had way more candy than they were going to be allowed to keep at this point anyway. Since Halloween was on Sunday and Zig was feeling a little bit obligated, we did the Friday Microsoft trick-or-treating for the first (and last) time. Way too much candy for far too little work :)

We stopped by Zig's office. I always loved going to my Dad's office when I was a kid, and my children are no different.



chubby fish


It was all too much for Evan. He was a mad fishie when he couldn't eat candy to his heart's content.


We  had our neighbors over for dinner on Sunday evening which was very fun. I always make Dad's chili, cornbread, salad, and pumpkin scones. This year I tried a new pumpkin scone recipe and it's definitely a keeper. Lots of spice and tastes so yummy right out of the oven.

Pumpkin Scones with Autumn Spiced Glaze

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground all spice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 7 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 large egg

For the spiced glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• A pinch of all spice
• A pinch ginger
• A pinch ground cloves

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

With your hands, mix the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

In a medium bowl combine the pumpkin, sugar, cream and egg with a whisk. Fold into the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon until the dry bits at the bottom of the bowl have been incorporated.

With your hands, pat the mix into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Continue to shape into a ball, then gently press down and out, forming the dough into a flattened circle about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. If the edges of the circle start to crack just place the palm of your hand against the edge and gently press the dough back in. Dust a large, sharp knife with flour and cut the dough into six triangles. Slide the knife under each triangle to help you lift and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

I think I've finally got your chili recipe down, Dad! I got the Rotel and I think of you every time I chop the heck out of those veggies!

The kids chose their costumes and I only made one last minute run to one store this year for a pacifier and bottle for Sela who changed her costume idea many, many times. I made it to all the class parties and really enjoyed watching the kids and all their friends celebrating.

 
Sela becoming a baby.




Sela and friends

Sela's friend, Treela, with her precious baby sister.


I love this shot...both fourth graders in Sela's class! The girls are obviously having their growth spurts a bit earlier than the boys!


Nina, Maisy & Sydney


Nina's red carpet moment


Nina and her best little buddy, Kate!

And last but not least, Zig and I went to the Hansen's international themed Halloween party. I had one decent outift that would fit the theme so India it was!

Zig is a good sport. He loves dressing up. I mean just look at that face! Okay, yes, I bribed him...again.

Happy Halloween!

roasted pepper and tomato soup

Just before we left for Hawaii, I had tons of tomatoes and not a lot of time to do anything with them so I made a roasted vegetable soup. So quick and so tasty. After tossing the veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasting, I just added broth, herbs and pureed. I also strained the soup at the end because it was quicker than taking the seeds out ahead of time. I added a bit of cream, but not much.

savory breakfasts

I've been trying to add more savory breakfast ideas (preferably vegetarian) to my repetoire. Now that the kids are back in school, I am saving pancakes for the weekend and trying to curb their little sweet tooths (teeth?) to prepare for flu season and to put them in the best frame of mind for learning and staying focused. I'm also re-reading a book about cancer and there is such a huge connection between over-consumption of  sugar (even in natural forms), the immune system, and ultimately disease. I think we can all do better in this area, Zig and I included. So anyway, the point of this post is that I tried a new recipe this weekend that is a perfect easy, healthy breakfast and it fits my criteria for savory breakfasts. I don't mind spending a little extra time in the morning to prepare breakfast because it is such an important meal, but this recipe is super fast. The recipe is for Okonomiyaki, or Japanese Pizza and it disappeared in a flash! Cabbage is one vegetable that everyone in our family totally loves and the bulk of this pizza is leeks and cabbage.  It got the thumbs up from the three oldest. Evie had already eaten his peaches and eggs by the time I made the real breakfast (he's my earliest bird), but I think he would like it too. When I read some of the reader comments on 101 Cookbooks, I noticed many said this pizza is served with a sauce made of mayonaise and tamari in Japan, or at least some mayonaise/soy sauce concoction. So I mixed some tamari and mayonaise and this simple sauce did make the dish perfect. We had chives from our garden for garnish and toasted almond slices. And ours looked just like the picture on 101, only my camera is broken and had to be sent back to Nikon to hopefully be fixed. Sadness.

Anyway, I'll post more keepers as I find them. I'm on the hunt!

* I also found this recipe at Mothering with some additional ideas for Okonomiyaki.

Salmon Cakes

With our lettuce exploding in the garden, I've been on the hunt for some good salad recipes the kids will eat (and like). Salmon is always a favorite in our household so around dinnertime I did a quick search to find a recipe for salmon cakes. I've tried several variations of salmon cakes and they have all been fine, but I really love this one, especially with the simple sauce and served over salad. It came from Rachael Ray of all places. I did have to add another egg, but I drained the salmon really, really good..maybe too much? I used a different seasoning than Old Bay because I didn't have it, but I stuck to the recipe everywhere else. These were delicious and very kid friendly. The kids ate all the salad too with no "encouragement."



Salmon Cakes
•Vegetable oil, for frying (or butter)
•3 (6-ounce) portions cooked salmon or 3 (6-ounce) cans salmon, drained well
•1 1/2 cups cracker meal (I used Panko crumbs)
•2 large eggs, beaten
•2 rounded teaspoons Old Bay seasoning blend
•1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
•20 blades fresh chives, snipped or chopped
•2 to 3 tablespoons fresh dill, a handful, finely chopped
•1 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce
•1 lemon, zested and juiced
•Salad greens
•Coarse salt
•Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
•1/2 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise
•1/2 cup chili sauce
•2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

Directions

Heat a large, heavy skillet with 1 inch of frying oil over moderate heat. ( I did not do this, instead just a simple pan fry with a drizzle of olive oil and a pat of butter. It was fine and plenty "fried")

Flake the cooked cooled salmon with a fork. Add cracker meal to the bowl and work through the fish with your hands. Add the eggs, seasoning, pepper, chives, dill, pepper sauce, and the zest of one lemon to the bowl. Combine the ingredients well with your hands. If the mixture is a little wet, add a bit more cracker meal. Form 3-inch patties of salmon cakes 1-inch thick. You should yield 8 to 10 cakes. Fry cakes until golden in a single layer 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towel lined plate.

Toss salad greens with coarse salt and the juice of the lemon you zested. Drizzle the greens with a little extra-virgin olive oil and re-toss the salad to coat.

Combine mayonnaise, chili sauce and relish in a small dish. To serve, place salmon cakes on a bed of baby greens, 2 cakes per person and top with chili mayonnaise sauce.

** The WILD canned salmon at Costco is awesome and makes this a meal I can throw together at a moments notice. Fresh salmon would work too, but we usually eat that up and never have leftovers.

berry + dark chocolate muffins

I love this recipe because the muffins are only slightly sweet. These taste like muffins should taste, which in my opinion, is not like cupcakes. I use strawberries, raspberries or a mixture. And I use more berries than the recipe calls for. We often sprinkle little bits of dark chocolate and berries on the tops and if we're really getting fancy (pretty much all the time), a little bit of turbinado (raw cane sugar) to make them have a bit of a crunch. Sugar sprinkling is a coveted job around here. Rollin did the honors this morning.

raspberry & chocolate

strawberry & chocolate

Muffins à la Framboise, Eclats de Fève de Cacao

- 4 Tbsp (75 g) butter
- 2 C (230 g) all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
- 1/2 C (100 g) sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 C (125 ml) plain yogurt
- 1/2 C (125 ml) buttermilk / fermented milk / kefir
- 1 C raspberries (or more!)
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate pieces

Yield : 12 muffins

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease (or line with paper cups or leave alone if they are silicon) a set of muffin tins.

Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan, and set aside to cool. In a small bowl, combine the cacao nibs and brown sugar. Set aside.

In a medium mixing-bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt) and stir to mix. In another medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (butter, egg, yogurt and buttermilk). Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and stir with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix. The mixture will be lumpy, that's okay. Fold in the berries and dark chocolate bits.

Spoon the batter into the prepared tins and into the oven to bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until risen and golden. Turn out on a rack to cool, and wait for 10-15 minutes before removing from the tins. Serve warm or completely cooled.

salads on the go

My sister, Erin, and I both love to cook, so naturally we also like to talk about food a lot. Seldom do we have a phone conversation where one of us doesn't mention something we've made, something we want to try, and even recent "flops" (kale chips anyone?) Whether it's meal planning, new recipes, food ruts, new healthy treats we've tried, and not so healthy ones, or our not so little dream of opening a healthy "fast food" restaurant, we just love to share our findings with each other.

(Miss you, Erin!)


One of our recent conversations revolved around finding meal-type salad recipes that we can make up ahead of time and keep in the fridge for several days and nibble on. Obviously these aren't of the green tossed salad variety as they wouldn't keep. Since I'm currently working my way back through a lot of Cynthia Lair's recipes, I made the Asian Noodle Salad with Fried Tofu this weekend. Great simple recipe!

Unfortunately, not a bit made it to the refrigerator for the intended purpose of having leftovers. I had a very little bit of it before running Sela off to her tennis match. I returned to the big serving bowl completely empty and sitting in the sink with just a few drops of dressing left :( Turns out both Zig and Rollin liked the salad, a lot. I was both bummed and happy at the same time. This salad had kale, red cabbage, carrots, red & yellow bell pepper, zucchini, cilantro, sesame seeds, radishes, and TOFU! Rollin apparently had a huge bowl and and a second helping. So I couldn't be too dissappointed, but I was hungry.


Just the veggies. pretty huh?

Now back to the tofu. None of us are fans of tofu, especially the kids, but I gave it another try and prepared the marinated pan fried tofu and it was delicious. For real. This is definitely the way I will prepare tofu in the future. Sometimes chicken just sounds so gross and fish doesn't work in the recipe so it's really nice to be able to have a way to use tofu. And the tofu is lightly fried in coconut oil, need I say more?! (Plus, if you have little kitchen helpers around, tofu is really fun to cut up into little squares.)



I made the salad again the following day because we had lots of veggies and because I wanted more than two bites. When I make this salad, I loosely follow the recipe, I don't measure anything, and I add lots more veggies than are listed in the recipe, but I know it's also great just exactly as written. Since I doubled the recipe, kind of, I needed a little extra dressing at the end so instead of making another round of dressing, I just used a little soyaki that we had in the fridge, and that worked just fine. We've been eating if for the past few days, took some on a day trip to San Juan Island, and I'm pleased to report, this salad keeps very well. Add that to the list, Erin!

And here it is, Asian Noodle Salad with Fried Tofu.

Be Bop Breakfast

Yesterday, Zig got up with Evan and made the both of them breakfast. So what's a sane mother to do when the early bird is occupied? Sleep in, of course. But I can never really go back to sleep in the morning so I walked a couple steps to my computer and visited one of my favorite cooking sites. I can't rave enough about Cynthia Lair, but suffice it to say she's the real deal. I've seen her lecture, been in a class of hers at Bastyr, attended her cooking classes, and own her cookbooks. She's fantastic.

But anyway, after just a few minutes browsing her breakfast recipes, I was totally inspired to try this new breakfast called Be Bop Breakfast. And it did not disappoint. It's a take on a Korean dish that I love as well. In fact I had to run find Zig out in the yard afterwards and tell him about the awesome breakfast I was going to make for him the next day. We eat eggs and kale a lot in the mornings, but this recipe had rice and the condiments really make it sing, especially the Thai Chili sauce. A definite new favorite. In fact, I just made it again!

Carrot Soup with Lemon and Ginger

Here is the recipe for a wonderfully healthy spring soup I made at a cooking class this week. I didn't have time to take pictures the night of as I was busy trying to make 6 dishes in 1 1/2 hours, but the kids had some leftovers for lunch the next day. They loved it, especially the color.



















Carrot Soup with Lemon and Ginger
Bon Appétit June 1997

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds medium carrots, peeled, chopped (about 3 cups)
2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 small carrot, peeled, grated
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.

Wild Rice-Sour Cherry Soup

Here is the recipe for the soup I mentioned in the previous post (thanks Lisa!) The last time I made the soup, I added shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken (just a little bit) and some white wine to add some depth, but it's delicious even without those additions.



Wild Rice-Sour Cherry Soup

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 or 2 carrots, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup dried sour cherries (or cranberries)
1 cup milk or hald and half
*shredded chicken
*1/3 cup dry white wine

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until hte carrot is tender, about 8 minutes. Add hte flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add the stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and dried sour cherries. Reduce the heat;cover and simmer stirring occasionally, until the cherries are softened and plumped, about 15 minutes. Stir in all the remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally until warmed through. Season with satl and pepper to taste.

Pan Apple Pancake

I can't remember if I've posted this recipe before, but this is one of my favorite breakfast recipes. I love rustic looking dishes and this one is delicious and takes about as long to prepare as oatmeal, making it a great weekday breakfast. I served slices with a little whipped cream and maple syrup. I like using Granny Smith apples in this dish.

The recipe is from www.mothering.com



Pan Apple Pancakes
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (whole wheat pastry works fine too)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting
Maple syrup

Combine the eggs, milk, flour, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth, and set aside.
Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet that can later be placed in the oven. Then add the sliced apples and the brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes or until the apples begin to turn a golden brown. Remove pan from heat.
Pour the blended mixture over the apples in the pan, and move the pan to the oven. Immediately put the pan into the oven at 425°F. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until the batter is browned and slightly raised. Once you remove the pan from the oven, dust with powdered sugar. Cut into wedges and serve with maple syrup.

Mango Mama

I made up a new smoothie recipe this weekend which turned out to be a new favorite, and the rest of the family agreed this was the best yet. Before I forget the recipe, I wanted to write it down. I did use canned pineapple but a fresh pineapple would be even better.



Mango Mama Smoothie
1/2 can coconut milk
1/2 bag of frozen mango
3 slices of fresh ginger
1 can of pineapple
Very generous squeeze of lime
handful of ice

Black Bean and Yam Quesadillas

At Birgette's cooking class last week, she made a super simple black bean/yam recipe. I'm a sucker for black beans and yams. Prep time was less than 15 minutes (IF you have a food processor) and these tasted great. Nothing fancy, but a super nutritional profile. Birgette says kale is her favorite food, so we are kindred spirits in that regard. When we had so much of it in the garden that we were eating it every morning for breakfast with our eggs, my skin looked the best it ever has. Anyway, in the class she used Ezekiel Tortillas and those are extremely hearty, but so good for you. I wondered if the kids would eat them. I figured later I could use just regular whole wheat or spelt, but went ahead with the ezekiel tortillas and surprisingly, no one complained. The creme fraiche inside and the salsa on the outside softens them enough that they aren't tough. They were just right. I wish Zig were here to try them. I know he would be stoked about these guys. Super awesome leftovers the next day! This is a keeper!

Black Bean and Yam Quesadillas
1 yam grated (2 cups)
2 medium carrots, grated
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chili powser
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 bunch of kale or other dark leafy greens, finely chopped
1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour creme
4 sprouted grain tortillas
16 ounce can black beans
8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet, saute the yam, carrots and onion in the olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the spices and continue to saute for anotehr 5 minutes. Add the greens, cover and saute for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Spread creme fraiche on each tortilla. On one half of the tortilla sprihnkle one fourth of the sauteed vegetables and beans. Top with cheese and fold. Spread the salsa evenly on top of hte tortillas before baking. Place ona baking tray lined iwth parchment paper and bake for about 20 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.