Carrot Soup

This past weekend, Mark and I hosted a reunion of sorts with a few good friends who have not had a meal together in far too long. It was sort of a spur of the moment thing, so I didn't have long to plan, shop, and cook for 6. I decided on soup, since it is an easy, economical way to feed a crowd (and we all know how much i love soup in general). I also had a vegan guest, and soup is an easy way to accommodate that. After trolling through a number of carrot soup recipes online, everywhere from vegweb.com to martha stewart's website, I concocted a recipe that I thought would turn out the best. I was a bit apprehensive about trying out a new recipe for so many guests, but I figured that it would be exceptionally difficult to make a recipe with these ingredients taste bad. This recipe fed 5 hungry boys and myself, and there was about a serving and a half left over.

CURRY/GINGER/COCONUT CARROT SOUP
-olive oil
-1 onion, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, chopped
-2 pounds carrots, scrubbed and chopped (no need to peel them, the skin is full of vitamins)
-1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
-4 cups vegetable stock, low sodium
-1.5 cups coconut milk
-salt and pepper
-1.5 heaping tsp coriander
-1.5 heaping tsp cumin
-1 scant tsp turmeric
-.5 scant tsp cayenne pepper

-Cook the garlic and onion in the olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
-Add the carrots, cook for about 3 minutes.
-Add the spices and grated ginger. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
-Add the veggie stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat in order to maintain a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
-Take soup off the heat, cool for about 10 minutes, and proceed with blending the soup in small batches. REMEMBER! Never fill the blender more than halfway and never seal the blender lid when working with hot liquids! Bad things happen, like explosions!
-Once soup is all blended and returned to a soup pot, put it back over medium heat and stir in the coconut milk. Get soup hot again and serve.

One of my guests commented on the fact that he was a little nervous about a carrot soup initially, but really liked it after all. I can see why. The flavors in this soup are bright and the texture is silky. Even the color is great. The coconut milk adds a much needed fat to the soup and makes for a nice consistency, but doesn't weigh it down. Add another soup recipe to your fall repertoire!

Easiest Pasta Base Ever

We all know pasta makes for a tasty dinner. But what it doesn't always bring to mind is simplicity. It's easy to get hung up on simmering a sauce for an hour, or making a baked pasta dish that takes nearly as long. That's where a simple garlic and olive oil base comes in. This is the most versatile "sauce" for pasta that I have come across, and it takes next to no time to prepare. And the best part is, you can add anything to it and it's delicious.

GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL PASTA BASE
-enough olive oil to fully coat your pan (3-4 tbsp should do it)
-6-10 garlic cloves, minced, depending on how garlicky you want your dish (more is better, in my opinion)
-1 tsp red pepper flakes
-ground black pepper

All you need to do is heat the oil on medium, add the garlic, red pepper flake, and pepper, and saute for about 5 minutes. Then you can go ahead and start adding. Tonight I used fresh cherry tomatoes (halved) from the farmer's market this morning and canellini beans. I cooked these about 5 minutes. Then I added a bunch of fresh arugula, also from the farmer's market. I boiled some spaghetti while I was doing this, and after I drained it I tossed it in to help wilt the arugula. A sprinkle of fresh chopped herbs was all this needed to be complete.

Some other good additions to this base are artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella chunks, shrimp, and chard. I could go on, but I'll let you experiment and find your favorites for yourself!

Corn "Chowder"

I have fulfilled my own prediction. Another soup post. Tonight, it was not so much the weather as my schedule that made me decide on this recipe. This one is as quick as it is tasty. First off, I should thank my mom, since this is her recipe that I have been enjoying for years. Tonight is the first time I have taken a stab at it, and it was just as delicious as it is out of her kitchen. The "chowder" part of the recipe is slightly deceiving; this is not your traditional chowder. No bacon fat, no milk, no cream. I suppose it isn't really chowder at all, but the name stuck, and it is a thick and almost creamy-textured soup. There is also an extremely short list of ingredients, which is always good on an evening that you just don't have time to stop at the store to pick anything up. Anyway, here's the recipe.

CORN "CHOWDER"
-1 can whole kernal corn, preferably no salt added
-2 cans corn, creamed style
-1 can vegetable stock, low sodium
-1 onion, small diced
-3 potatoes, small diced (I used 5 smaller potatoes tonight)
-2-3 tbsp butter
-black pepper

-In a pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and potatoes, and saute about 5 minutes.
-Add the stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook the potatoes until they are tender, 10-15 minutes.
-Add the 3 cans of corn and stir to combine. Add black pepper to taste. Cook for 10-15 minutes more. Serve.

That's it! The only thing I added was some parsley, strictly for color and a little freshness. This is by no means necessary to the recipe's success, so if you don't have it, don't worry. I just happen to have an enormous amount of parsley in my garden that needs using. I served this soup with a small french roll, and it was just enough for a filling dinner. This recipe is a great way to avoid take-out or some other generally unsatisfying dinner options on a busy night. The ingredients are easy to keep on hand, and it takes only about 30 minutes to prepare. The next time you think you don't have time to cook, pull this recipe out and give it a shot. You can thank my mom!

SOUP WEATHER!

Obviously, I am excited that summer is over as far as I am concerned, because that means it's soup season! I am one of those people who does not eat soup at all in the summer. i can't get behind eating hot, liquid based meals when it's sweltering outside. but today the high was 71 and that was all I needed. To celebrate impending autumn, I made one of my all time favorite soup recipes. It's called Nutty Sweet Potato Soup, and the recipe is care of Ellie Krieger. Now, Mark and I differ on our opinions of Ellie. She might be overzealous about healthy eating (which some people might say about me), and her eyes might open a little too wide when she gets excited, but I don't even care. She makes lots of tasty meals, and a many of them are vegetarian. Anyway, this soup is stellar. You can find the recipe here.

Do NOT change a thing, because this recipe is perfect. Well, tonight I did switch out regular sweet potatoes for white sweet potatoes. Still delicious. And on top of that, this meal is super nutritious. There is literally nothing bad for you in this recipe, and it includes a few nutritional powerhouses, like the sweet potatoes and the carrots. You even get some protein and healthy fats with the peanut butter in there. Plus, it's the perfect meal to make if you are vegan, or having vegan guests over.

My inspiration tonight was soup and sandwich. Obviously, I went all out with the soup, so I cheated on the sandwiches. I picked up a loaf of fresh bread on my way home today and simply cut a few slices, put some shredded Cabot reserve cheddar cheese on top, and toasted them up in the oven. Voila, cheater grilled cheese. Healthier too, since you avoid all that butter you would need in a pan on the stove. This hit the spot with the soup. So, be prepared! I apologize in advance if this turns into a soup blog until June, but at least you won't be disappointed when you try this recipe (and many others to come)!

No Paper, No Plastic

Yup, neither.  Let's face it, they're both bad for the earth.  Plastic can take up to 1,000 years to degrade and requires oil (as if we need to use more of that) for production.  Paper entails chopping down trees, and most people don't recycle them.  So what's the solution?  A reusable bag, of course.  These are popular and very easy to find at this point, so there is no reason we all shouldn't be using them.  It's a little bit of money at the outset, versus the free throw away bag at the store.  But it's a small price to pay for eliminating your part of unnecessary waste.  And just think if we all did this; what a difference.

Now for my recommendation, based on personal experience.  The ACME Workhorse.  Made of nylon, it's sturdy, has comfy handles, washes easily, and even folds into a tiny built-in pouch the size of your palm.  

My mother in law gave me one of these bags about 2 years ago, and I was hooked.  I got two more as a gift from her, and just last night I found a good deal on a four pack.  Now even on a big grocery shop, I won't have to use any one time use bags.  Check out this website,  www.reusablebags.com, for this particular bag, and tons of other reusable bags, bottles, and other products.  I am sure you will find something that suits your needs.

Farmer's Market Finds and Frozen Fish

After an almost catastrophic milkcrate fall on my way home from the farmer's market on Sunday, my vegetables in the crate came out unscathed.  Lesson learned; when biking with a milkcrate, check to make sure it is secure every time!  Anyway, everything was okay, thank goodness, since I had tiny little cherry tomatoes in there.  I wanted to use them since they were very ripe, and I had a bag of frozen tilapia filets that I got for a great sale price at Wegmans.  I figured I could come up with a tasty way to combine them, and after poking around I came up with what ended up being quite a tasty, heathy dinner.

ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOS AND TILAPIA

-defrosted tilapia fillets, one per person

-1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, give or take depending on number of fillets, cut in half

-6-8 garlic cloves, peeled, again, adjusted according to number

-olive oil

-salt and pepper

-2 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (I used basil and parsley)

-Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

-Coat the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil, and add the tomatoes and garlic.  Roast for 12 minutes.

-In the meantime, season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.

-After the initial roasting is done, remove the baking dish and nestle the fish into the tomatoes.  Sprinkle the herbs over everything and return the dish to the oven.  Roast for another 7 minutes, until the fish is flakey.  Serve!

I served this with a side of Near East brand rice, Sundried Tomato and Basil flavor.  This dinner was made on a night when I really didn't feel like cooking, but it was so easy it still turned out well.  I mean, you barely do anything to prep this.  The big flavor of the tomatoes steals the show without any extra effort on your part, and the fish gives the dish substance.  Use this recipe now and take advantage of the end of Jersey tomato season!

Bistro Ole and Pasta

First of all, I want to plug Bistro Ole in Asbury Park, NJ.  Mark and I went here on Tuesday for our 1st wedding anniversary.  The food was great, the ambiance very nice, and the service excellent.  If you are in the mood for Spanish and Portuguese food (especially seafood!), you should give this place a try.  Check out their website for menus here.

Today when I was thinking about dinner I realized that it had been awhile since I made a straight up pasta with marinara sauce.  So that's exactly what I did.  I had a can of artichoke hearts, so I added these to the sauce.  It added a meaty texture to the sauce, and of course, great artichoke flavor.  Definitely one of my favorite veggies, and super convenient in a can.  i would have loved to make this sauce with fresh plum tomatoes, but unfortunately, my plants all have a bad case of anthracnose, a fungus.  Maybe next year.  Thank goodness canned tomatoes can be had for a reasonable price and be of excellent quality.

SPAGHETTI WITH MARINARA AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS

-1 box spaghetti, cooked

-1 32 oz. can crushed tomatoes (San Marzano are the only kind I use, and you will too once you try them)

-olive oil

-half an onion, diced

-6 garlic cloves, minced

-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

-1 tbsp tomato paste

-2-3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used my usual mix of basil, parsley, and oregano)

-1 can artichoke hearts, quartered

-salt and pepper

-Coat a pot (I used a Dutch oven) with olive oil and turn heat on medium.

-Add onion, cook 5 minutes.  

-Add garlic and red pepper flake, cook 2 minutes.

-Add tomato paste, and stir to combine with the garlic and onion.

-Add crushed tomatoes, and stir to combine all ingredients.  Add a bit of water if it's too thick.

-Cook sauce for 10-15 minutes.

-Add herbs and artichokes, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook another 5-7 minutes.

-Combine cooked pasta with the sauce, and serve.

I added thick slices of Italian bread with this, to make sure none of the sauce went to waste.  This is a real comfort dish that is pretty quick and easy.  The sauce is a great base for anything, really.  This would be good with white beans, arugula, or roasted red peppers.  A shave of pecorino romano is a good idea too, alas, I forgot I had it in the fridge until after dinner.  That's what leftovers are for!