Tag Archives: savory

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Easy + Light Potato Soup

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25

Happy 2013, y’all!

As always, I am striving for balance in the new year. After weeks of hearty meals and many cookies, I’m realistic enough to know that while a few weeks of lighter meals may be on the horizon–I’ll never give up dessert.

So, in an effort to find and maintain some balance, I made you this soup. Actually, I’ve made this soup 5 times in the last 3 weeks. It’s so dang good and filling! It’s the first potato soup I have ever made, myself. A lot of recipes call for cream or half-and-half, but when it comes to dinner, I struggle with the thought of consuming cups of either as part of a balanced meal. Instead, I subbed in reduced-fat milk, making the bulk of the soup with stock. There are some vegetables in there for good measure–and I bet you could sub some of the potatoes with cauliflower with great results. Even without the heavy dairy, this soup is creamy and satisfying. Topping the soup with some choice garnishes–bacon, green onions, and greek yogurt, in this case–make this simple potato soup a totally flavorful and filling meal.

Easy Potato Soup

Serves 4-6

I use reduced-fat milk in this recipe with great results, but to keep it from separating once it boils, I mix the cold milk with cornstarch to bind it. 

2-2.5 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-1/4 inch cubes

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 celery stalk, diced fine

1 carrot, diced fine

1/2 large onion or 1 small onion, diced fine

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

4 cups stock (I like to use either vegetable or chicken)

2 cups reduced-fat milk (I used 2%)

1.5 Tablespoons cornstarch

Garnishes I’m into: crisp bacon, green onions or chives, cheese, sour cream or greek yogurt, roasted tomatoes, croutons.

Place the peeled and diced potatoes in a large bowl of cool water, to prevent from oxidizing. Set aside.

Measure out the milk and whisk in the cornstarch, to combine and dissolve completely. Set aside.

In a soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion, sprinkle lightly with salt and sweat until translucent and tender–about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir, and cook another minute. Drain and add the potatoes, followed by the stock. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer–taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if desired–and cook for about 15 minutes–or until the potatoes are very tender. Turn off the heat and using an immersion blender (or regular blender), blend the milk/cornstarch mixture into the soup. Continue to blend until the soup is smooth and creamy. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer to keep warm until ready to serve.

Garnish as desired.

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Tortilla Soup with Chiles + Charred Corn

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23

So, I know it’s still summer and we’re hot & sweaty everywhere, but…I wanted soup, so I made soup. I was perusing through Saveur’s Mexico issue and it just had me craving soup and Mexican flavors. Sometimes, I just have to do what feels right and sometimes what feels right is piping hot and spicy soup in August.

I think it’s fair to say many of us have had some variety of tortilla soup at one point or another…and, I bet some have been “meh” and some have been great. I happen to love tortilla soup because of all the garnishes–avocado, green onion, queso, tomatoes, crispy tortilla strips…mmm, yes. The soup itself blends the flavors of 4 chiles with chicken and charred corn–it’s broth-y and flavorful with bits of chicken, corn, and chiles speckled throughout. I’m sure if you’re not in the mood for soup now, in a few months you may be and I urge you to try this recipe. The chiles in the soup don’t immediately assault your taste buds, but leave that slow burn in the back of your throat. It’s the type that builds with each spoonful, delicious and lasting.

Tortilla Soup with Chiles and Charred Corn

Serves 4

When I make soups I just kind of go all in and wing it. I wrote down my ratios (for once), but just know that you can swap and change ingredients as desired–for both the soup and garnishes. Make it vegetarian, add other vegetables, use a different chile, go nuts…it’s your dinner! Note: I used the rendered chicken fat to cook the vegetables, you can use olive oil or other desired cooking oil if you’re not feeling the chicken. 

4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on

2 ears of corn, husked and silks removed

1/2 large white onion, diced small

2 ribs of celery, diced small

1-2 poblano peppers, seeded, ribbed, and diced small

2 jalapenos, seeded, ribbed, and diced small

1 chipotle pepper in adobo, diced plus 1 Tablespoon of the adobo sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 dried New Mexico chiles, ground in a spice grinder

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 cup water

4 whole, canned tomatoes coarsely chopped plus 1/2 cup juices

5 sprigs cilantro

1 lime

salt to taste

3 corn tortillas cut into thin strips

oil for frying tortillas

Garnishes: Avocado, tomato, green onions, queso fresco, lime wedges–pretty much anything you like.

In a large pot (I used an enameled dutch oven) over medium-high heat, sear chicken thighs skin side down until crisp and golden and most of the fat has rendered into the pot. Remove chicken to a plate, and pour off all but 2 teaspoons of the chicken grease. Discard or save remaining grease.

Over a gas burner, on the grill, or under a broiler, char the ears of corn. Remove from heat source and set aside to cool.

Line a plate with paper towels. In a small skillet, heat about 1/4 inch of oil and fry tortilla strips in batches, draining on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt while still warm. Set aside.

Cook the onions, celery, poblanos, and jalapenos in the pan with the chicken fat over medium-high until the edges of the vegetables take on some deep golden color and begin to soften. Add the ground, dried chiles, cumin, and the chipotle plus adobo. Add 4 cups of chicken stock, water, and tomatoes plus juice to the pot. Return the chicken thighs to the pot. Tie the cilantro sprig into a knot and add to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is done. Remove the chicken to a clean plate and cool enough to handle. Taste the broth and add salt if desired.

While the chicken cools, cut the corn off the ears–there will be corn shrapnel, beware. Shred the cooled chicken, discard skin, and add both the chicken and corn to the pot. Remove the cilantro knot, squeeze a whole lime into the soup and return the soup to a simmer–cook for 10 additional minutes. Serve with crispy tortilla strips and desired garnishes.

 

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Recipe: Spice Roasted Carrots

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Let’s talk about these carrots.

I’ve always been lukewarm about carrots. Sure, I’ve eaten plenty of carrot sticks in my day..and inhaled little shreds of carrots into my lungs, sending myself into one of those ugly-coughing-fits, I hope I’m not the only one. Most of the cooked carrots I’ve had have been those little whittled dudes–aka baby carrots, aka NOT an actual baby carrot–or mushy coins taking up too much space on my plate. I never loved or hated carrots, I just didn’t really have any feelings for them.

You know?

I decided I needed to get over it. Mostly because I love those bunches of carrots with their frilly tops and spindly bodies. I wanted, so badly, to love to eat carrots as much as I liked to look at them. I went for roasting, a surefire way to prepare pretty much any vegetable. I liked the idea of sweet spices, a bit of heat, and a bit of acid. Cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne get whisked into honey thinned out with lemon, carrots get tossed with the mixture, drizzled with oil, and sprinkled with salt. It all gets tossed onto a baking sheet and hits a hot oven until the thin ends are crisp and caramelized, while the thick ends manage to be tender yet retain a bit of bite.

My carrot indifference has turned into carrot love. Love wins!

Spice Roasted Carrots

I have used maple syrup instead of honey for these carrots with great results. You can omit the ginger and cayenne if you want, but I think the cumin and cinnamon are a must. Also, I should have weighed my carrots to give you and exact amount, but this recipe is easily adaptable for any amount. It’s sort of a toss it into a bowl situation.

2 bunches of carrots, tops removed

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

big pinch of salt

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 Tablespoon honey

oil for pan and drizzling (I have used both grape seed and olive with fine results)

Preheat oven to 425*F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and drizzle the parchment with oil.

Scrub or peel carrots. In a large bowl whisk together honey, lemon, and spices. Toss carrots with the dressing. Put the dressing coated carrots onto the baking sheet, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, toss, and roast an additional 10-15 minutes–depending on how large your carrots are and the doneness you  would like.

These carrots are great with roasted or grilled pork loin, or with chicken.

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Recipe: Lemon + Thyme Roasted Parsnips

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One of my goals for 2012 is to cook with vegetables I may have never tried or simply overlooked in the past. We eat something green and vegetal on a daily basis, but I want to expand beyond our usual broccoli/spinach love. I decided to start with this recipe for roasted parsnip strips from Donna Hay.

I’ve adapted the original recipe a little–using regular thyme and a bit of lemon zest in lieu of lemon-thyme. I also nixed the cheese (more of an absent-minded mistake, rather than a conscious decision) and tossed the strips in olive oil instead of butter. After roasting, the strips become crisp along the thinnest edges and sweetly caramelized. To me, parsnips flavor is reminiscent of a carrot with a bit of a peppery edge. I’m actually not the biggest fan of carrots, so I was a little wary of the humble parsnip, but this preparation has definitely converted me. I love a roasty-crisp root vegetable and these are definitely a new favorite.

Lemon-Thyme Roasted Parsnips

I used these as a garnish for some lentil soup, though they are just as delicious to snack on as-is. Since I made these well before dinnertime, I re-crisped them in a 350F oven for a few minutes–taking care to monitor them closely so they would not burn. 

3-4 parsnips peeled

1 tablespoon olive oil

10 thyme sprigs, stripped of leaves

1 lemon (I used a meyer lemon) zested

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Using a vegetable peeler, sharp knife, or mandoline, slice off thin strips of parsnip–leaving behind the woody center if using large parsnips. Toss parsnips in a large bowl with olive oil, thyme, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Spread parsnips onto the baking sheet in an even layer so they crisp and do not steam. Bake for 12 minutes, toss using tongs, and roast for another 10-12 minutes until crisp and browned along the thinnest edges.

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Recipe: Herbed Turkey Burgers with Goat Cheese and Cranberry Sauce

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Guess what?

I pretty much make dinner 7 nights a week. For real. It’s not always fancy, or meaty, or exciting in the least. Sometimes it’s just whatever is wasting away in the crisper drawer combined with rice, sweet or regular potatoes, pasta, or tortillas. I just love a carb-y vehicle to drive the food home (in this case, home is my mouth).

I take the weekends as a cue to make something fun and exciting. I test out recipes I’ve had pinned, bookmarked, or have schemed up. A couple of weekends ago, it was rich and delicious chicken pot pie. The next weekend, fried chicken sandwiches with extra pickles. This past weekend, it was these amazeballs turkey burgers.

Yeah, man…they were amazeballs.  That wasn’t even a typo.

I mean, it’s a burger. We’re burger fanatics in this house. It doesn’t really matter what kind of patty it is…we’re totally into bean burgers, as well as the classic beef, and we’ve even been known to love a pork or chicken burger. Ground turkey is always a lean and easy to find option, but it can be dry and bland.

I try to jazz  up  turkey burgers with lots of herbs (sage & rosemary) and aromatics (onions & garlic), and ensure juiciness with a little greek yogurt. Then, there’s the bun and the toppings, which cannot be ignored. In this case it was my favorite Light Brioche bun, some soft goat cheese, lemony cranberry sauce, spinach (for some green), and some grainy mustard. It was pretty much Thanksgiving on a burger and it was love.

What kind of burger are you in love with?

Herbed Turkey Burgers with Goat Cheese and Cranberry Sauce

This burger is a meal in and of itself, but it’s totally appropriate to serve with a side of sweet potato fries.

Cranberry Sauce

12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2-3/4 cup sugar (to taste)

zest of 1 lemon

juice of one lemon

3/4 cup water

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and cook until cranberries burst, give off their juice, and thicken (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve if desired. Pour into a heatproof jar and allow to cool. Refrigerate. Will thicken as it cools.

Turkey Burger

1/2 medium onion, diced fine

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped, fresh sage

2 teaspoons minced, fresh rosemary

1 pound lean, ground turkey

1 egg

2 tablespoons greek yogurt

3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

goat cheese, grainy mustard, and spinach leaves to serve

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, sweat onions and garlic. Once onions become translucent, add sage and rosemary and saute another minute. Do not brown or the garlic may burn. Set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl combine ground turkey, egg, yogurt, breadcrumbs, and cooled onion/herb mixture. Mix gently to combine. Divide meat into 4 sections and shape into patties (about 1/4-1/2 inch thick), making a shallow well in the center. Refrigerate patties for 20 minutes to firm up.

Heat a heavy skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle patties liberally with salt and pepper, cook, flipping only once, for about 4 minutes on each side. Top with goat cheese, add a splash of water to the pan (1 tablespoon is good) and cover until liquid evaporates. This will soften the cheese, but not melt it since goat cheese doesn’t really melt. Place burgers on toasted buns with mustard and spinach, top with cranberry sauce.

Light Wheat Brioche Buns

I used King Arthur White Whole Wheat and regular whole wheat flour. You can use whatever you like or just use bread flour.

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

 

3/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons warm milk

2 teaspoons dry yeast

2 tablespoons honey

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

poppy seeds or sesame seeds for sprinkling

1 egg + i tablespoon cream for egg wash

Measure out warm water and milk into a glass measuring cup. Stir in honey and then yeast. Allow to rest 5 minutes until foamy.

Lightly beat the egg in a small dish and set aside.

In a stand mixer, whisk together flours and salt. Rub butter into flour mixture with your fingertips. Mix in the yeast and water mixture, as well as the egg. Knead with the dough hook for 5 minutes. The dough will pull from the sides of the bowl and form a ball, the dough ball should be tacky to the touch. Rise, covered with plastic for 1-2 hours until doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls. Place the dough portions on a parchemnet lined baking sheet and cover loosely, allow to rise another hour.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Whisk together egg and cream, brush the tops of the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds. Bake buns in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. The buns should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Allow to cool on a cooling rack. Buns can be baked and frozen in a resealable plastic bag for use later.  Just defrost for 1-2 hours on the counter, or overnight in the refrigerator.

 

 

 

 

 

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Recipe…Method? Black Beans

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10

Are you a dried bean evangelist?

No?

Me neither.

I usually just go the canned route. I don’t usually think that far ahead.

This week though, I totally did. I was at the store doing some grocery shopping and decided to go for the dried beans.

I was just feeling ambitious is all, and guess what?

It really wasn’t all that technical.

Plus, those dried black beans were so tiny and dainty…I couldn’t resist!

I mean, soak some beans in cold water over night and throw ‘em in a pan with some other tasty goods, simmer, and done.

After the soaking those beans were a little more plump, shiny, and oh-so-pretty.

Yeah, I said it, black beans = pretty.

There’s really not a lot of hands-on happening here, just time and a little bit of forethought.

Who knew?

Lots of people I’m sure, but not me.

Now, I do though, and I feel all fancy-pants about it.

Learnin’ stuff everyday…

So, put on your fancy-pants one of these days and try it out.

Water, beans, salt, garlic, onion, a little cilantro, and jalapeno turn into a delicious, bean studded elixer and you’ll wonder why you never attempted this whole dried bean thing before.

You won’t regret it, I promise! ‘Cause when those humble, dried beans are bubbling away you’ll know some kind of magic is happening in that pot.

Simple Black Beans

So, this isn’t really a recipe, just a basic method on how to cook up some dried black beans.

You could really do this with any dried bean, in whatever quantity you want. You can also make this even simpler and cut down on the extra ingredients–like, if you happen to be adverse to cilantro or spicy things, you can just skip out on those. You could even add different herbs and dried spices (oregano! cumin!). You could even use stock, but I think water works just fine…those beans have their own flavor. Do what you want.

the night before:

1 cup dried black beans

Place 1 cup of black beans in a large bowl and cover with water. Make sure there are at least 2 inches of water over your beans as they will absorb a lot of it.

get cookin’:

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1/2 of a large, yellow onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

a few sprigs of fresh cilantro

soaked beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

a big pinch of salt, to taste

At this point you can either drain your beans of the soaking liquid (I did) or use it to cook with.

In a medium sauce pot or in a deep, covered pan (I used an enameled, cast-iron braiser) place beans, olive oil, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and cilantro into your pan. Cover completely with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. At this point, add your salt. Cook an additional 30 minutes to 2+ hours. My beans were tender after about 1 1/2 hours, but it really depends on how old your dried beans are. Start checking the beans for doneness after about 1 hour.

I implore you not to pour off the cooking liquid. It is an elixer of the bean gods. The bean liquid is SO, SO delicious. I left mine in the pan and mashed the beans with the liquid…liked refried beans without the refrying! You could also leave the beans whole, bathed in the cooking liquid…it has a TON of flavor, so don’t waste it!

 

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Recipe: White Bean Salad

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Today, I have for you, a salad.

What the heck?

Indeed, a salad.

Yeah…sometimes…I gotta eat stuff that’s relatively good for me.

I can’t just eat cookies.

I want to, but I can’t.

Also, I just like to eat lots of different stuff.

That’s okay right?

This salad has been making weekly appearences in our dinner rotation.

It’s mighty tasty, bright, and fresh.

At it’s simplest it’s just white beans, a little onion, and a homemade vinaigrette. Sometimes I add basil, or parsley, or cilantro. Sometimes I add some Israeli couscous and it becomes a salad with carbs.

My favorite.

I’ve even added roasted red peppers and/or tomatoes.

Those are both lovely additions.

Basically, you can add whatever you fancy.

This salad is totally adaptable that way.

It’s nice as a side to some grilled protein or perfect for lunch. Sean loves this homely little salad. It actually shocked him how good it was. I like when I shock him with my humble cooking skills. Makes me feel like a champion.

I like that.

White Bean Salad

This time I added spinach to the mix. I suggest adding the spinach right before serving as the dressing will make it all wilt-y. I used a combination of lemon juice and cider vinegar for the acid part of the dressing. I just really like those two things and always have lemons and cider vinegar lying around. The dressing, like the salad, is totally adaptable to your taste. I like to grate the garlic and let it mingle with the acid so the raw edge is tamed a bit…or else you might just have highly corrosive garlicky dragon breath, as opposed to the regular kind of garlicky dragon breath.

1 can drained, rinsed white beans, such as cannelini or great northern

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I used white, red or sweet are nice too)

1 small clove garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1-2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

2+ tablespoons fresh herbs, if you have them

1 cup washed, baby spinach leaves

Place beans and chopped onion in a medium bowl. Set aside and make the dressing

Grate garlic with a microplane or mince finely, place in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Add lemon, vinegar, maple syrup/honey, dijon, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Screw on lid and shake it up! Taste the dressing and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Pour the vinaigrette over the beans, mix well. Fold in the herbs (if using) and spinach leaves. Serve. If you don’t use the spinach or don’t add it in at this point this salad is wonderful after it has had time to chill in the refrigerator–anywhere from a few hours to 2-3 days.

 

 

 

 

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Recipe: Barbecue Sauce

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I think we all know refrigerator space is a precious commodity. I am always shifting containers around, trying to use up leftovers to free up space, and keeping chilled beverages to a minimum. The one thing that we always have room for is our crazy collection of condiments. We usually have a few kinds of mustard, some spicy horseradish, the requisite ketchup, ranch dressing, a few kinds of hot sauce, and any other number of specialized condiments in our refrigerator door…not to mention a variety of pickled things and yogurt. Sean’s a dipper and needs a lot of options, plus, I can never resist an interesting condiment at the store. One of our faves is BBQ sauce and it is one of the things that I rarely purchase these days.

My mom is a fan of doctoring up store bought bottles with a little sugar and spice. I often just go the fancy ketchup route, small batch style. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking of making barbecue sauce entirely from scratch.

So, this rainy weekend, I did, and it was so, so good.

I don’t know what I was waiting for.

The thing is, it is exactly to my taste. I know there are about a billion different specialty sauces I could buy, but I always find those are either missing tang, heat, or sweet, and I personally need a specific balance of all of those flavors. So, I set out to make my own, and guess what? It wasn’t even difficult.

I felt like a champ.

I, actually, still do.

You can too, with a few pantry items and a little time!

I made it sweet, spicy, tangy, with a little bitter edge from the instant espresso.

Guess what else?

You can totally adjust all of the elements and make this sauce your own.

Want more cumin or spice?

Less sweet, more tang?

Go for it!

It’s all you.

Your signature sauce….

Something all your own…

That, is a a beautiful thing my friends.

You can dip fries into your sauce, barbecue up some chicken, or slather it on a burger. You could even replace the tomato sauce on a pizza with some of this BBQ goodness and make it something really special.

Basically, do what you want with this sauce, whatever you see fit.

This is your signature sauce, after all.

BBQ Sauce

You can make this recipe beginning with 2 cups of ketchup instead of the tomatoes. Just reduce the cider vinegar, molasses, and maple syrup by half. You can use even less sweet stuff if you’d like, we like our BBQ sauce on the sweeter side with some spice for good measure. I used home-pickled jalapeños–which were super spicy. You can reduce or multiply jalapeños and sriracha to your taste. 

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños

1 can whole tomatoes, crushed with fingers

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, plus 3 tablespoons, divided

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 + teaspoons sriracha

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon instant espresso granules

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon each:

cinnamon

ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon each:

allspice

chinese 5 spice

nutmeg

cumin

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan saute onions until transluscent in a bit of olive oil. Add garlic and jalapeños, saute until garlic is fragrant. Add whole tomatoes, crushing with fingers, and simmer over medium for about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and using either a blender or an immersion blender, puree tomato mixture. Press through a mesh sieve if desired, to remove seeds and any solid bits.

Return pan to medium heat and add 1/2 cup cider vinegar, lemon juice, molasses, maple syrup, sriracha, soy sauce, worcestershire, espresso granules, and all dry spices. Stir everything together until completely combined and continue to cook at a low simmer for about 1 hour, until sauce is reduced, thickened, and dark burgundy in color. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool a few minutes before ladling into jars. Allow jars to cool to room temperature before placing sauce in the refrigerator. Sauce will keep a few weeks properly stored.