Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

makes a big pot.  serves 6.

adapted from Epicurious.com

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3/4 cup all-purpose flour with a big pinch of salt and pepper

1 1/4 pound stew beef, cut into 1-inch chunks

about 1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, coarsely diced

2 cups peeled and thickly sliced carrots

3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and cut in half

6 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup light beer

1 pound sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks

4 cups beef broth (more if you’d like it more soupy)

1 bay leaf

3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1-2 tablespoons sugar

salt and pepper to taste

couscous and parsley to serve

In a large brown paper bag, place flour, salt, and pepper.  Add diced beef.  Close the bag.  Hold it tight and shake.  Open bag and make sure that all of the beef is lightly coated in flour and seasoning.  Set aside.

In a large dutch oven (or giant soup pot), heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add as much beef as will fit along the bottom of the pan in a single layer.  Cook, browning on all sides.  The beef doesn’t need to be cooked through, just browned.  Once all of the beef is cooked, remove from the pan and place on a plate.  Set aside.

In the same dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add onions and carrots and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and garlic, and cook for another 3 minutes.  Add tomato paste and heat through.  Deglaze the pan with the beer, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the beer steams.

Add the sweet potatoes, and cover with beef broth.

Add bay leaf, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce.  Add beef.  Turn heat to low and let gently simmer for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through,

Taste and add sugar (this helps the acidity), salt, and pepper as necessary.

Serve over couscous or rice with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

adapted from The 3-Day Cleanse

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1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 1 hour then drained

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 heads of broccoli, chopped into bite-size florets

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard seeds

fresh ground black pepper to taste

3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

about 4 cups of water

Soak raw cashews in water for 1 hour.  They’ll soften slightly.  Drain.

Steam broccoli until tender.  A fork should be able to easily pierce the flesh.  Remove from steamer and set aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat,  add olive oil, and onions.  Cook until onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one minute more.  Add cumin, salt, mustard seed, and black pepper and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add cooked broccoli florets, and remove from heat.

In a blender, add half of the softened cashews, about 1/2 of the broccoli mixture, and 2 cups of water.  Blend until smooth.  Pour blended soup into a large soup pan.  Blend the remaining cashews, broccoli, and 2 more cups of water.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into pan.  Heat over low heat.  Add lemon and worcestershire sauce.  Taste and season as necessary.  Add more water for a thinner consistency.

Serve warm.  Soup will last, in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.  

Vegan Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

This soup is the picture of health.  Sweet carrots are cooked down and mixed with spicy ginger and creamy coconut.  It’s vegan.  It’s healthy.  Your insides will totally throw a parade in your honor.  I like to serve this soup with crusty bread… I like to serve everything with crusty bread.

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serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 tablespoons minced ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

4-5 cups diced carrots

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup light coconut milk

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add ginger and saute for another 4 minutes, until softened and fragrant.  Add coriander and diced carrots.  Stir to incorporate.  Add the vegetable broth, reduce heat, and simmer mixture until carrots are completely softened, about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Using a blender, blend soup in batches until smooth.  (You can also use an emulsion blender in the pot and never have to move the soup… if you’re into that sort of convenience.)  Return soup to pot, stir in coconut milk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve soup warm with crusty vegan bread.

Kale Chips

These are not potato chips.  Don’t let anyone tell you that they taste as good as potato chips.  They don’t.  Potato chips are uuuuhhhh-mazing.  These chips are also delicious.  Believe it or not, kale bakes up into a crisp paper, chip-like consistency.  The flavor is light, but green… and you can add just about any seasoning you’d like.  Old Bay Seasoning?  A total dream come true.  Try them.  The crunch is addicting.  Oh!  I like using dinosaur kale (the flatter kale variety) because they leaves are more easily removed from the stalk.  Try any kale you can get your hands on!

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1 pound bunch of dinosaur kale

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

any seasoning you’d like:  Old Bay Seasoning, Grill Seasoning, smoky paprika, chili flakes, sea salt and coarse black pepper.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Thoroughly clean and dry kale leaves.  Remove the fiberous center stalk from the kale by tearing the leaves away from the stalk.  The center stalk will bake up very tough, that’s why we remove it.

Place kale leaves on one or two baking sheets.  Leaves should be in a single layer for the most part.  Sprinkle with olive oil and seasoning.  Toss with your hands.  Add more seasoning if you’d like.

Place pan(s) in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove sheet(s) and toss leaves with tongs.  Return to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes.  after 30 minutes of baking, turn the oven off and allow the leaves to dry in the cooling oven for another 30 to 45 minutes.  They’ll be crisp and ready to snack on in no time!

Store kale chips in an airtight bag.  They’ll last anywhere from several minutes (because they’re an irresistible snack) to several days (because your husband doesn’t like kale).  

Cold Avocado Soup with sweet corn and bacon

makes about 4 cups

adapted from Bon Appetit August 2011

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For the Soup:

2 ripe Haas avocados

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons sour cream, creme fraiche, or milk (optional if you’re vegan)

3/4 teaspoon salt (plus a bit more if you’re a salt freak like me )

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water

For the Topping:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 ears fresh corn, sliced from the cob

1/2  jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and diced (I used a fresh cayenne pepper)

4 slices cooked bacon, chopped (optional if you’re vegan)

small handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

To make the soup, place avocado flesh in a blender along with vegetable broth, lime juice, sour cream (if using), and salt.  Blend until the avocados are creamy.  Remove the center from your blender lid, and while blending, slowly add the water.  Soup will be done when smooth, with your desired consistency.  Feel free to add a touch more water if you prefer a thinner soup.  Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.  Place in a container in the fridge while you make the topping.

To make the topping, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until translucent and browned, about 5 minutes.  Add corn and jalapeno and cook for 3 minutes more.  Add sliced bacon and parsley.  Cook until everything is warmed and just browned.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pile about 1/2 cup of warm topping into a bowl.  Pour cold soup around the topping.  Serve and enjoy.  Soup lasts up to three days in and airtight container in the fridge.  

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup

serves 4

guided by this recipe.

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3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 small apple, peeled and sliced

4 to 5 cups sliced, peeled carrots (about 1 1/2 pounds)

4 cups vegetable broth

pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add ginger and garlic and cook for one minute, until fragrant.  Add sliced apples and diced carrots and cook for 3 minutes more.

Turn flame to medium-high and add vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce flame to low and simmer, uncovered,  until carrots and apples are softened, about 30 minutes.  Remove pan from the flame and let rest for 10 minutes.

Blend the soup in batches in a blender.  Be sure not to fill the blender more than halfway full or hot soup will explode everywhere.  Not cool.  Also, when blending hot liquids in a blender, leave the blender lid slightly ajar to let some of the steam escape.

Once all of the soup is blended, return to the pot.  You may decide that you want you soup a bit thinner in consistency.  Add more vegetable broth if you’d like.  Taste, and add a dash of fresh ground nutmeg, as well as salt and pepper to taste.  The soup won’t need much pepper, as ginger is pretty spicy.

Serve with a drizzle of quality olive oil, a sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper, and a few carrot top sprigs… cause you’re fancy, and whatnot.

Soup will last, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  Soup also freezes well.  Thaw in the fridge before reheating.

Roasted Garlic Soup with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Makes 2 large, or 4 small servings

adapted from Bon Appetit, February 1999

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For the Roasted Garlic:

26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper

For the Potatoes:

2 Russet potatoes, cut into large bite-size chunks

or

12 small new or purple potatoes, or a mixture!

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

salt and pepper

For the Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, sliced into half rings

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

15 to 18 garlic cloves, peeled but kept mostly whole

4 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock will also work)

1/2 cup Greek yogurt, milk, or half and half, or heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

lemon wedges, Parmesan cheese, and good olive oil for drizzling

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Place 26 unpeeled garlic cloves in a small baking dish.  Toss with olive oil, a few pinches of salt and black pepper.  Cover dish with foil and set aside.

Dice potatoes into large bite-sized pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Toss with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Place the foil-covered garlic cloves  and the rosemary potatoes in the oven.  Bake both for 45 minutes.  Remove the potatoes from the oven once or twice to toss around the pan to ensure even baking.  After 40 to 45 minutes, a knife will easily pass through the roasted garlic and roasted potatoes.  Remove both from the oven and allow to cool.

When cool enough to handle, remove the roasted garlic from their skins and combine with the raw garlic.  Set aside.

Heat a olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the sliced onions and chopped thyme.  Cook until onions are translucent and thyme is super fragrant, about 6 minutes.  Add the two types of garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the chicken stock, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer the soup until raw garlic is soft and tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and blend, in two or three batches, in a blender until smooth.  Return soup to the pot and add yogurt or cream.  Stir until yogurt has dissolved; a whisk helps incorporate the thick yogurt into the soup.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, stack roasted potatoes in the center of a shallow bowl.  Pour soup around the potatoes.  Drizzle with olive oil, a dash of fresh lemon juice and a generous shaving of Parmesan cheese.

Soup can be made one day in advance, and develops really well in the fridge.  Soup lasts, in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup with Cashew Cream

Makes about 6 cups

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For the Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 tablespoons soy sauce (I used Bragg’s Amino Acids)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (vegan please)

about 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

3 cups vegetable broth

salt to taste

For the Cashew Cream:

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup water

*Substitute Cashew Cream with 3/4 cup half and half or 8 ounces of silken tofu

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions to hot oil and saute until translucent and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, stir, and cook for 1 minute more.  Add the mushrooms, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook until mushrooms are cooked and broken down, about 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Add cracked pepper and  vegetable stock and cook at a simmer until mushrooms are completely soft.  This took me about 10 to 15 minutes.

While the soup simmers, prepare the cashew cream.  In a blender, combine raw cashews and water.  Blend on high until smooth.  Pour into a measuring cup and set aside.  Don’t worry about washing the blender… we’re going to use it to blend the soup.

When mushrooms are cooked through, add about one third of the soup to the blender.  Hot soup rises high in the blender so definitely be careful how high you fill the blender.  Blend soup on low, increasing the speed to high, until no large mushroom chunks remain.  Pour blended soup into a clean pot or large bowl.  Blend the remaining soup in batches.  *If using silken tofu instead of cashew cream.  Blend the silken tofu in with the mushrooms and broth.

Add the cashew cream to the blended soup and stir to incorporate.

Place a fine mesh strainer over the pot that you cooked the soup in.  In batches, pour the blended soup into the fine mesh strainer and work the soup through the strainer with a rubber spatula.  Don’t use a wooden spoon… you could get splinters in your soup… seriously.  Heat and serve the strained soup.  Or place in a freezer safe container for a few weeks down the road.

Not So Vegan Herb Bread

1 fresh baguette

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste.

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

On a clean cutting board, use a fork to mash together softened butter, garlic, and chopped parsley.  Once incorporated, drizzle the olive oil over the butter mixture and work in the olive oil.  Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and incorporate with the fork.

Slice baguette into thick slices, not slicing all the way through the loaf, but keeping the slices connected.  Spread parsley butter in between bread slices.  Wrap baguette in foil and bake for 10 minutes, or until butter is melted and fragrant.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Ginger and Lentil Soup

adapted from Essential New York Time Cookbook

serves 8

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2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped small

3 to 6 cloves garlic, minced

3 to 4 tablespoons ginger, grated or finely diced

3  cups water

3 to 4 carrots, sliced

1 pound French lentils

6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

grated Gruyere cheese for serving

cooked couscous for serving

Take some time to sift through the lentils.  Do it.  Sometimes you find little rocks and pebbles.  Those are bad for the teeth.  I found a rock in my lentils… check through!  After picking through the lentils, place in a colander and rinse with cool water.  Set aside.

Chop onions, garlic and grate ginger and chop carrots.

Place a large pot over medium heat.  Add oil.  When oil is hot, add onions.  Cook until transparent and slightly browned.  Add garlic, ginger and carrots and and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute.  Add cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the water to the hot pot and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pot as the liquid sizzles.  Add lentils and broth and simmer for about 45 minutes, until lentils have softened.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Finish with lemon.

Serve with grated cheese and/or couscous.

Soup will last, in an airtight container in the fridge, for about a week.  Soup is also great to keep in the freezer.  It’s a win.

Jalapeno Pepper Jack Scones

makes 6 large scones

inspired by Suzanne adapted from NY Magazine

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2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes

2 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream  (plus more for brushing the tops of the scones)

1/4 pound pepper jack cheese, cut into small cubes

2 medium jalapenos, some seeds removed, diced small

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a small saute pan and cook diced jalapenos  until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Let the diced peppers cool and them mix with the diced cheese.  Toss mixture in 1 tablespoon of flour and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.  Work in the cold butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Some butter pieces will be the size of peas and the flour will be nice and crumbly.

Whisk together 2 eggs and heavy cream.  Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients, fold together with a fork until almost fully incorporated.  Add the jalapeno and cheese mixture to the shaggy dough and work together.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 30 seconds.  Form into a disk  about 8 inches around and 2 inches thick.  Cut disk into six wedges and refrigerate for 10 minutes before baking.

When ready to bake, place chilled scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and delicious.  These are best served the day they’re made.

Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

inspired by Food and Wine

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2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped fine

3/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers

3/4 pound kale, tough stems removed  and roughly chopped

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (yams), peeled and diced into 3/4-inch cubes

1 1/2 quart chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups cooked brown rice

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook down until tender and translucent, about five minutes.  Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook, stirring, for about 1 minutes.

Add the sweet potato chunks and stir.

Add the chicken or vegetable broth and bring to a simmer.

Add the kale once the broth is simmering and submerge all of the leaves, helping them to cook down.

Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes have become tender.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lastly, stir in coconut milk, heat through and serve over a bed of brown rice.