14 January 2014

Soups for a busy day

A good friend in Chicago suggested that I post some new soup recipes to help take the chill out of January. She is not only an excellent human being, but a busy freelance musician and mom to a one-year old, so I'm guessing she doesn't have all day to sit around making the perfectly crafted work of art.  So, here are some soups, for Stephanie and all the rest of you busy people out there in cold climes, that should be easy to put together in a hurry after a long day of commutes, music lessons with babbling little kids, and the rest.  (These also freeze well for later.)

Tomato-Miso Soup

Serves 4

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 1/2 cups water
2 large tomatoes—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup miso paste 
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3/4 pound soft tofu, cut into 1-inch dice (cooked chicken would work, too)
2 large scallions, thinly sliced
4 small to medium radishes, thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring a few times, until the mushrooms are tender, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the water, stir well and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, cover and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Whisk in the miso and soy sauce and return to a simmer. Add the tofu and simmer for 2 minutes. Ladle into bowls, garnish with the scallions and radishes and serve.



White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup

Serves 8

16 oz. mushrooms, halved or quartered
2 large sweet onions, quartered
3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoon salt, divided
1½ teaspoon pepper, divided
8-10 fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoon dried thyme
48 oz. chicken or vegetable broth
3 – 15 oz. cans white beans, not drained
Additional salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss mushrooms, garlic and onion in olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. (You may want to keep mushrooms separate on baking sheet for roasting, because you’ll have to separate later. So, separate now, or later.) Spread on baking sheet. Add sage leaves and thyme. Roast in 450° F oven for 10 minutes, toss and roast for additional 15 minutes.

While vegetables are roasting, add broth, beans, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves to a large stock pot over medium heat and simmer.

When vegetables are done roasting, let cool slightly. Separate mushrooms from other roasted vegetables (if not already separated).

Retrieve 2 cups of the white beans, and 1 cup of broth from the stock pot, add to a blender along with the roasted onions, garlic and herbs. Cover and blend until smooth.

Add pureed bean mixture back to stock pot, whisking in until smooth. Add roasted mushrooms to soup. Salt and pepper to taste.

Warm over low heat until ready to serve.


Sweet Potato-Cauliflower Soup

Serves 8

1 large head cauliflower
olive oil for drizzling
Few dashes garam masala (optional)
3 medium to large sized peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
1 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
7 cups water

First, preheat your oven to 400 °F and cut up your cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle cauliflower lightly with garam masala. Place cauliflower onto ungreased cookie sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and let roast until golden brown on the tops and tender, but not mushy, about 20-30 minutes. There’s no need to flip ‘em. Just remove from oven and let cool while you cook the rest of the soup.
In large stockpot, bring sweet potato, onion, garlic and water to a boil. Salt (abt 3/4 tsp) and stir. Reduce heat and allow to remain at a constant simmer until sweet potatoes are tender. Add in cooked cauliflower and divide soup into 2 parts.
Let soup cool and then blend one part soup in blender until very smooth. Combine with second part soup and stir. Salt to taste and warm up over stovetop if needed.

Fire Roasted Tomato and Mushroom Soup

Serves 6

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced finely
2 garlic cloves, roasted and chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, stems removed and leaves finely chopped
1 lb mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped into small pieces
1 - 28 oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
4 cups broth
3/4 - 1 cup of cream or milk
1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place 2 cloves of garlic, in their skin, onto a baking tray. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and let cool.

In a large soup pot, fry the onions in olive oil, on medium heat, until soft and translucent.

Remove the garlic from its skin, and then chop. Add the garlic, rosemary, and mushrooms, to the pot. Continue to cook until the mushrooms begin to soften.

Add the tomatoes and broth. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The soup is ready when it has thickened slightly and the mushrooms are soft and flavorful. You should no longer see raw flecks of rosemary floating on the surface.

Remove the soup from the heat. Add the cream and salt. Stir.

10 January 2014

Breakfast for dinner: souped-up hash browns

It's cold outside, and I think we can all agree that low temps lead to comfort food cravings.  I have had a hankering for hash browns, something I ate very little of in my youth, but which covers all the comfort bases of starchy, salty, and greasy.  These incorporate some other vegetables for a little less guilt (though I don't think you should feel bad about eating potatoes--they're full of nutrients). As described below, I like to serves these topped with my favorite oven-roasted Brussels Sprouts and a fried egg on top and liberal dashes of hot sauce. And if the patties don't stay together for you in the skillet, just fry it up loose like a hash--it's delicious either way (exhibit B, below).



Mixed Veggie Hash browns

Serves 4

2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 medium rutabaga, peeled
1 medium carrot, peeled
1 egg, beaten
Canola or peanut oil for frying
Salt and black pepper to taste

Roughly chop all veggies and pulse in a food processor until you have a fine dice or shredded look.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine shredded veggies with the egg and salt and pepper taste.  The mixture will be wet and loose.

Heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Drop tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet and flatten into thin patties.  Fry until golden, about 5 minutes, then carefully flip and fry another 2-3 minutes or until golden on both sides.

These can be eaten on their own, served with a dollop or sour cream or plain yogurt, or they can be topped with steamed vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, something green) and topped with a fried egg.


07 January 2014

Your Food New Year's Resolutions Made Easy

January blogs, magazines, and newspapers are littered with self-help style recipes and exercises tips.  I could scoff, but after the gluttony that was late November through December, I feel the same way: it's time to simplify, clean up, and get back to normal.  It's also time to go back to working long days without breaks in the middle of the week now that the holidays are over, which makes cooking those halo-bequeathing meals a little more challenging.  So, here's my plan for making separate ingredients ahead and adding various flavors quickly and easily throughout the week.  I can knock out these basics on a Saturday afternoon if I multi-task and stay focused by not drinking too many work beers. I'd love to see some of your ideas/favorites to have on hand, too--add to the comment section, please!

Goal: Eat healthy, filling breakfasts with a minimum of time in the morning.

Make-ahead fixes: 

  • Keep at least 6 hard-boiled eggs in the fridge--just peel and season in the in the morning.
  • Keep fresh or frozen fruit on hand (freeze fresh fruit by laying out on a baking sheet in a single layer and placing in the freezer at least 4 hours; then toss in a zip-top bag and keep frozen until ready to use).  You can use these in smoothies or as stir-ins for your yogurt or oatmeal.
  • Make overnight steel-cut oats. All you have to do is dump everything into a container before bed, give it a stir, and it's ready in the morning.  
  • And of course, revisit my "Cook, freeze, and pack it for later: breakfasts" post for more healthy recipes you can make ahead.  I always have breakfast burritos and muffins in my freezer.

Always have in the pantry: multi-grain bread for toast, mustard and capers for the eggs, nuts and seeds to stir in to oatmeal and yogurt, Greek yogurt

My favorite way to start the day!


Goal: Eat more fiber

Make-ahead fixes:


  • Make a big pot of beans with minimal seasoning: black beans, garbanzos, pintos, mung beans, and lentils are particularly versatile and fiber-rich.  Freeze portions (for two people, I usually freeze 1 cup servings) in small zip-top bags and you can toss them straight into stir fries, soups, or just serve with seasoned rice and hot sauce. Keep a small amount in the refrigerator for up to a week to toss into salads. 
  • Make a big pot of grains to replace white rice in your recipes (though you can also do this with white rice). Quick-cooking quinoa, bulgar, millet, and couscous can be "cooked" overnight by soaking in equal parts grain and water, so those don't need to be cooked far in advance.  But wheat berries, farro, barley, and the like all freeze beautifully as described in the bean method above.  
  • Keep plenty of fresh and frozen veggies on hand.  Freeze fresh veggies by blanching them in boiling water for about 30 seconds to a minute and spreading out on a tray as described above with fruit. 
  • Single portions of grains, beans, and veggies can be combined in a bowl and heated quickly in the microwave, then seasoned to taste, for a quick, filling, and very healthy lunch or dinner.  In fact, you can even pop the frozen stuff in a container the night before, refrigerate until you head to work the next morning, and then everything will be thawed and ready to eat as a cold salad by lunchtime.  Hot or cold, you can toss everything with a dressing below for a really brainless meal when you're exhausted...
Farro with asparagus, almonds, feta, and Mustard and Caper Vinaigrette.
The farro and asparagus were frozen and reheated together in the bowl. 


Goal: Use less salt without sacrificing flavor

Solution: Make dressings!  These may have originally been intended as salad dressings, but they can be used over veggies and pasta, beans and rice (or other grain), and just about anything else you can think of. These are some of my favorites right now--they'll all keep a couple of weeks in the refrigerator:

Tahini-Lemon Dressing: whisk together

1/2 garlic clove, smashed and minced
1 scant tablespoon tahini (for a milder flavor, use almond butter)
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

I love this on steamed potatoes, green beans, and kalamata olives.

Mustard and Caper Vinaigrette: whisk together 

1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
1 teaspoon capers, chopped
1 teaspoon mustard
pinch sugar (optional)
4 tablespoons vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste

This keeps for weeks on the countertop; refrigerating makes it gloppy. Different vinegars will give a different level of acidity, with apple cider being the most intense I ever want, and balsamic being the mildest, so experiment. This is clearly a standard salad dressing, but it is also delicious on hot foods.  I like it on pasta with steamed broccoli.

Miso-Ginger Dressing: blend in a food processor


1/4 cup peanut oil 
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons mild or sweet miso, like yellow or white
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
1 inchlong piece fresh ginger, chopped OR 1 heaping teaspoon minced ginger form the jar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.


Obviously, this works well in stir-fries, but it's also surprisingly perfect over steamed greens like kale or collards, along with a little hot sauce on the side. 

"Ranch" Dressing: whisk together

1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup milk (any kind will do)
½ teaspoon dried summer savory
½ teaspoon dried dill
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon dried onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

If you're from the Midwest like me, you already know that Ranch dressing is not only a salad condiment, but a replacement for sour cream, a dip, and a general salve for life.  

Dinner tonight: quinoa, frozen Sante Fe veggie blend, 
and Tahini-Lemon Dressing

03 January 2014

A salad that isn't too salad-y...

I guess I'm getting old, but there is a limit to how many heavy, spicy meals I can eat at night and still manage to fall asleep and avoid the dreaded heartburn attack at 3am. Or maybe it's all the booze I had on New Year's Eve.  In the summer, this problem is easily remedied but just grazing in the garden and composing a plate of fruits and vegetables for dinner, but in the winter, salad supplies are pretty boring at the grocery store, and it's just too cold to eat cold things.  So, I've been experimenting with warm salads, which means the vegetables have been cooked to some extent.  This particular concoction also satisfies those damnable winter cravings for fat, salt, and junk with bacon, the most perfect fatty, salty junk that occurs in nature.  Don't like cabbage?  use any green you can cook, or a combination of greens.  You could also do this with a vegetarian bacon alternative, like Morning Star breakfast strips, smoky seitan, BBQ tempeh...



BLT Salad

Serves 2 as a dinner salad, 4 as a side

1 medium head green cabbage, thinly sliced
6 strips bacon
2-3 medium sized tomatoes (or 5-6 romas)

Dressing:
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup milk (any kind will do)
½ teaspoon dried summer savory
½ teaspoon dried dill
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon dried onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Set the oven at 325°F.  Cut the bacon into small pieces and spread out in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet; season with freshly ground black pepper.  Cut the tomatoes into large chunks (or into quarters if you’re using romas), lay out on a separate baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt.  Bake both in the oven until the bacon is very crisp and the tomatoes look roasty, about 30 minutes.  Stir the tomatoes occasionally so they don’t get burned in any spots.  Drain the bacon on paper towel when it’s done.

Meanwhile, steam the cabbage until crisp-tender, 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of slices.  Combine all dressing ingredients together into a small bowl.

To construct, spread steamed cabbage onto a plate, followed by tomatoes, bacon, and drizzled dressing.