Healing Garden Soup

I'm not sure the picture does this meal adequate justice, but eating a bowl of this soup is truly like eating a colorful garden and is equally nutrient-rich.  Yay!  I made this as a first real meal after being sick for the past two days (now you know the reason for such post catch up); it has an easy smidge of kick but is warming and filled with veggie goodness.

Serves: 8+ soup bowls

1 large fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4-5 cloves of garlic, roughly minced
4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
4 large carrots, roughly chopped
about 1.5 c. frozen chopped butternut squash
8 c. prepared veg. broth or 8 c. water (3-4 t. boullion, which is less than pkg. instructs)
3/4-1 c. short grain, brown rice (rinsed)
1 8 oz. container baby bella mushrooms, finely diced
3-4 oz. arugula
salt, pepper, red pepper

1. In a large soup pot, heat 1-2 T. of olive oil (just enough to lightly coat bottom of pot) to med.-high heat.  Then, add fennel, onion, garlic, celery, and carrots.  Flash with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 min.  Add butternut squash; cook for another 5-7 min. until onion begins to become opaque.

2. Add water and rice.  Bring to a boil; then reduce to med. low and simmer for  40 min. or so until the rice is cooked.  Stir occasionally; midway through, flash some red pepper in (about 5-6 turns of the red pepper grinder).

3.  Once rice is cooked, taste for seasoning; you should taste veggie flavors with a very slight hint of pepperiness.  Add mushroom and arugula.  Turn heat to low; serve when arugula is wilted but still green (about 3-5 min.) and everyone is ready (uhm...).

Miss me? Birthday-Belated Post 1: Birthday Carrot Cake with Carrotfetti and Toasted Carrot Rosebuds

Well, I missed my first posts.  I know, I know -- most people are only trying to blog during the week, but I liked the idea of blogging every day during this month.  However, I think and hope you'll agree that I missed my posts for a good cause -- namely, an impromptu birthday getaway to Portland, Maine!  WOOHOO!

Before I get into the delights of Portland, I want to go back to my Sunday teaser.  Although my one, lone commenter (thank you!), did correctly guess that part of the special nature of the flowers was in fact their connection to my birthday, here is the other special part -- they were made out of CARROTS!  Yes, you read correctly -- flowers out of carrots!

And with this post, we return to tradition again.  All cakes are not created equal.  You may have noticed that I like chocolate and peanut butter.  I think I've commented elsewhere or should do so now that a good yellow cake with chocolate frosting (preferably eaten out of a pan) can solve many of one's life problems.  However, there is only one cake that I have ever wanted on my birthday -- my mom's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Although there have been a few years where I have not gotten to have this deliciousness (either from not being with said madre on my birthday or my previous reluctance about baking (I know, can you believe it?)), this is the first time that I was veganizing the recipe and adding my own touches.  Yes, I did make my own birthday cake, but other people sang to me so not to worry!

For the topping, I was inspired by the Fur Family Truffle topping that I made the other day.  In continuing my inquiry into products that I have previously consumed, I've learned that the additives in many decorative toppings are not vegan, and, as we know in general, the fewer additives and unprocessed foods the better in terms of our health  I also have been thinking a lot about how incorporating produce in a fun way is another way to engage people into playing with and thus learning more about produce.  Carrots were a natural selection here, given the nature of the cake, and I was curious if I could make kind of a streamer-esque centerpiece decoration.  So, I peeled (and gave fur helpers) the top peel layer and then peeled down to the core (2 carrots).  Then, I toasted the peels in the oven for about an hour at 250 degrees.  This temp was a bit higher than the one I used last time so as to reduce oven time.  After the hour, some of the peels were crispy and darker brown and some of them still had a bit of the fleshy element to them, but I liked the mix, especially because when I roughly minced them into "Carrotfetti," there was a nice variation of color that looked gorgeous sprinkled on the cake.

As for the rosebuds, about halfway through the cooking time, I simply shaped about 5-7 of the larger peels into buds.  Next time, I will try to make some larger multiple peel buds, but I was really happy with how these turned out for a first try.  As a person who loves to make treats beautiful but thinks that frosting overdose is the quickest way to ruin a fantastic cake, I love the idea of playing with produce to make the decoration as opposed to plopping on another glob of icing.  And frankly, this icing is sweet enough that it doesn't need any help in the sugar arena.  I think next year, I will further reduce the sugar altogether in both the cake and the icing, by either subbing with some agave or maple syrup in the cake and adding more cream cheese and reducing the sugar in the frosting.  Side note:  I made the cake with flax egg and applesauce instead of oil -- oh yeah!  For the full carrot cake recipe, check out http://therevisioniststreatery.blogspot.com or click the link to the right in the Blog Roll!

Mmmm....cake.
K

"Roots and Crucs" Two Ways and the Continuation of a Friday Family Tradition

Roots 'n Crucs Pizza

Maybe, somewhere deep down, the hub and I knew when we met that we had an eternal bond -- a bond that was founded in shared family tradition, a tradition that was reinforced virtually every Friday night, regardless of the season, participants, or ages.  PIZZA NIGHT!

Both the hub and I grew up with skilled pizza makers.  Even now, we eagerly try (usually successfully) to convince my mother and his father to make pizza when we are all together.  Although the hub and I have no doubt enjoyed many a pizza night outside of these full family gatherings, admittedly (she adds shame-facedly) -- we rarely do our own pizza entirely from scratch. But tonight... perhaps we made a solid start toward reinstating this tradition in our own home, though my toppings may be a bit more unconventional than traditional.

Roots and Crucs. (i.e. Cruciferous Vegetables) Two Ways
Saturday is usually market squared day at the homestead; we hit up the farmers market for a plethora of produce and then whatever larger supermarket best meets our needs for the week.  This week, I was ahead of the game, because ( by way of cleaning up said homestead) I sorted through various coupons and thus decided to just get the shopping done ahead of the pre-Thanksgiving crowd.  Although I was not actually going to the Christmas Tree Shop, I do LOVE a bargain, especially on groceries.

In addition to actually shopping for groceries, I much enjoy organizing my pantry and fridge -- a lovely ritual cleansing and recentering.  I know, I know...I am very involved with my foodstuffs.  That really shouldn't surprise you.  (The hub and I celebrated our "Wood" wedding anniversary this year, and I admit that I probably showed more jubilation over this year's wood shelf that he added to the pantry than previous more luxurious gifts!)  Anyway, when I got home, I noticed several lone root veggies chillin' in the crisper.  I recalled that here and there I had bought a singular veggie or pack of veggies for a recipe and then ended up using the other ingredients required by the intended recipe for something else.  Thus, my gracefully aging celeriac and the stalwart parsnips continued to persevere, even if relegated to the bottom of the drawer.  Enough, I declared!  I have vowed to limit food waste to trimmings and such, so I knew I had several things to prepare today so as to achieve my goal and reap the benefits of these flavorful veggies.

With some lingering lettuce and sunflower sprouts, I whipped up a salad for the weekend and early part of next week.  Then, with the root vegetables which (this time around) included one white turnip, one celeriac, 1 lb. carrots ( about 5 due to subtraction of 2 for fur helpers),  1 small pkg. (1lb.) parsnips, 1 yellow beet, 1/2 sweet potato remant, 1 small red onion, 1 remnant of garlic bulb (approx. 2/3 of med. original), I made Jae Steele's "Maple-Roasted Root Vegetables" which I found in my copy of her cookbook Get It Ripe.  The recipe is pretty much as simple as it sounds.  Mill around doing other kitchen fun for approximately an hour wherein you make pizza dough and occasionally shuffle around the veggies, and then....

Voila!

This picture hardly does justice to the glory of the maple-caramelized goodness that wafted from the oven at almost the moment of the pans' entry.  Nor does it do justice to the crispy outside of the veggies and gorgeous autumn colors of the dish.  Now, you can simply stop here...and you will convert people to all of these veggies, if you can manage to share the bowl.  Trust me, if there had not been a pizza plan, I would have been quite content to carry on with eating from said  for dinner bowl (maybe just with a fork instead of my fingers).

However, there was a pizza plan, and I still had some brussels sprouts, a broccoli crown, and some brown rice to put to use.

Complete Dish #1: Root 'n Crucs PIZZA
Call me a heretic if you want, but this is the best pizza I have ever had -- hands down.  If I had known what roots could do for my pizza experience, I would have branched out from my spinach garlic (with period crucs) haze years ago.

Roots n' Crucs Pizza Prior To Baking -- add a little Mozz. Daiya and GO!

In addition to the "roots,"  I sauteed up those "crucs," as well as a few mushrooms,  and added them to my roasted garlic tomato sauce-topped spelt flour crust.  The sauce was some leftover Muir Glen Pasta Sauce, and I found the crust recipe here http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-no-yeast-pizza-dough-254063.  Although both of our parents' recipes use yeast and their doughs are great, sometimes, you don't want that much fuss.  We LOVED this dough.  It made two perfectly-sized pizzas (about 6"); the crust was thin, but in about 20-22 min., it comes out fully cooked and with a flexible, lightly browned crust.

Dish #2: Warm Roots n' Crucs Salad
I simply added the leftover brown rice to my bowl of veggies and will warm in the oven in upcoming days for some additional wonderful meals.  I thought about adding something to increase wetness of the dish, but I decided that I like the vegetables to lend all the creaminess.  If you are mindful about oil usage, you can make this dish extremely healthy and delicious!

Slightly blurry, but the vibrant color and varying, yet complimentary, texture of this dish are evident!

Just in case you thought I forgot about dessert, check out THE REVISIONIST'S TREATERY! Also, if you recall my mentioning of pretzel fun, I was waylaid by pizza exploration. Check out the pretzel posts tomorrow!

Don't miss out -- add those roots and crucs to your pizza! The brussels were once again a brilliant surprise. And to think...I once only ate them disguised by a block of cheese. Shame on me! As for the missed opportunities with parsnips, celeriac, beets, and turnips, I have many more years of penance...

Enjoy the weekend...and the many ways in which to use a diverse offering of produce!
K

Fur Family PB Truffle Snacks and Soup in a Bread Bowl

Peanut Butter Truffles with Dried Carrot and Apple Sprinkles

My horoscope has really been speaking to me lately...or maybe I just want to feel that is speaking to me. Either way, it was spot on today, and I really should have just called it a day and snuggled in with a book. But gosh darn it -- I had planned on experimenting and applying various odds and ends from the refrigerator. I did, and ten hours later, I am writing this post.

I was having a rough time getting started, so I made some brown rice for tomorrow (this was oddly calming, kind of like having a cup of tea or knitting, if that's how you roll).  Then, I had some investigators in the kitchen, so I decided to start with our goody first.  Here's a great homemade treat for the puppies that can use apple peel/carrot scrapings that you have as scraps or the cleaned apple/carrot choppings if you are sharing with them.

Fur Family PB Truffle Snacks  

(Pet-only version since using the peels)


Servings: 12-16 small truffles

For middle:
4 med. carrot peels, finely minced
1/3 large apple, finely minced.
1/4 c. peanut butter (smooth is best)

For topping:
1 c.  mix of carrots and apples

Preheat oven to 200. Dry for 2-3 hours (or put in oven while you are baking something else...just not sure if they will burn at higher heat.)  Line baking pan with parchment paper.

Mix all middle ingredients together in a bowl. (may heat PB to loosen it before you mix).  Roll into 1/2"-1" balls.  Put in fridge.

Spread topping mix over parchment paper.  Once toppings are dried to your liking (slightly crispy so as not to brown form air),  put into a bowl and roll balls to coat.  Then, serve; check out the audience reception.

Oooh.  That looks AWESOME!  Let's share!

                      

I will now sit closer than you -- all the better to get the treat quicker!  If only I could catch them...

Nestle (back): Delicious.  Just checking to make sure I didn't miss any crumbs.

     Boomer (front):  She's slow, but I'm ready.  I now give you the treat stare down.

Doggies make life happy; share your treats with them!  If your pets love pb and produce, these are a great alternative to straight carrots (our house fave) or conventional treats (that often have substantial grain filler and potentially problematic by-products).

And now...Dinner: A Mixed Review

1) Sunflower sprouts are awesome!  A nice, colorful alternative to carrots when you just want an easy veggie.  Look for a lovely variety at your local Farmers Market.

2) BREAD BOWL!  I really just wanted to see if I could make one, and I just wanted to make this beer bread.  Bowl factor -- yay!  Beer bread --I used this recipe  http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/breads-yeast/beer-bread.  I wouldn't use a winter lager next time.   Otherwise, texture was fantastic and PERFECT consistency for the bread bowl eating.

3) I really wanted Broccoli soup (a la days of yore when that used to be my meal of choice at a certain P chain), but I had no broccoli -- thus butternut squash.  I wanted to change it up a bit so I subbed half of the broth for beer (in keeping with the theme) and then added some different spices.  I don't know if it was the combination or the addition of tarragon, but it wasn't as yummy as usual.  Ah well -- can't improve without risk!

My activities didn't stop here.  Check out The Revisionist's Treatery (see link to the right) for odds-'n-ends applications and some new items:  Popcorn Balls -- Updated!; Cinnamon-Infused Chocolate Cake with Almond Ganache and Caramelized Almond Popcorn; and Mom's Trifle -- Revised!

Zzzzzz....
K

P.S. I didn't have any cake flour (as needed for the bread) and found this substitution suggestion online http://www.food.com/recipe/cake-flour-substitute-87689 -- totally worked!  Just thought I'd spread the info, as we all have those inopportune missing ingredient moments!