Curried Apple Butternut Squash Soup

I have become obsessed with Farmers Markets. I think I am craving a connection with the land being stuck here in the city so much. Last time I went it was pooring rain, I donned my long coat and hunters and spent a good 45 minutes there, soaking up the delicious dirt-natural feeling of the farmers. I wish I could make really good friends with one and go stay on a farm weekends, with a fireplace. I could help do chores! I could get dirty. I LONG to have dirt stuck in my fingernails from working with living things. Besides this craving, because I come from a great farm heritage, I am all for supporting local fresh markets, who don't overuse hormones and actually sell real food. I returned with many delicious, dirt-covered, organic foodstuffs; among them a large butternut squash. It was such a delectable experience scrubbing the thing, cutting it, and scrapng out the seedy pulp. I then made up this soup. It was delicious.

Ingredients:

2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3 in chunks

1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

about 5 c chicken stock or water (if water, add extra salt to taste)

1 Tb olive oil

2 large apples, chopped and peeled (don't use green or red delicious, something like Empire or Macintosh)

1 Tb curry powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

roasted sunflower seeds to mix in

Parsley for garnish

Saute onion in olive oil over med heat in large pot. Add stock, squash, apples, and seasonings. Heat to boiling, stir, turn to low, cover and simmer until vegetables are very soft (about 20 mins). Pour in batches into blender or food processor, or use immersion blender to emulsify soup to make a creamy consistency. Reheat, adjust seasonings as you like, and pour into individual bowls. Top with parsley and sunflower seeds. Enjoy~  

Blueberry Whole Wheat Yogurt Muffins

I don't like plain greek yogurt; I think it sort of tastes like something regurgitated. I had great intentions when I bought it, but alas, it is almost expired and I needed to do something with it.
So I made these muffins.

Adapted from this recipe (which calls for white flour)

Ingredients: (enough for 12 standard size muffins, double recipe if you want more).

4 Tb butter, softened (I used salted)
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 c plain yogurt (I prob could have used more with the wheat flour; next time if I do wheat I will use 1 cup)
1/4 tsp salt (though you could omit since the original recipe calls for unsalted butter-- I like the taste though)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c blueberries (next time I will use 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together butter and sugar, add egg and yogurt, mix well. Add dry ingredients, continue to mix well. The mixture will be thick; almost a cookie consistency. Do not let it sit and harden; immediately fold in blueberries and scoop into greased muffin tin. Bake on med oven rack for 20 mins, or until golden brown. Immediately remove from muffin tins to prevent overcooking and place on cooling rack. Enjoy with butter or yogurt, or fresh and plain! 

Grandma Nef's Wheat Bread

This is a recipe that has, and will, live on in my family for generations. My grandma, who raised 10 children in a small farm house, would make this bread in large batches multiple times a week, grinding wheat with an old fashioned grinder, and kneading the dough by hand. My mom changed the recipe slightly, but would also make this every week. It is the ultimate staple; healthy and made with few ingredients. Also, it only requires one rise; just mix, knead, rise, bake, eat. To me, there is nothing that means home like the smell of this bread straight out of the oven.  

Grandma Nef's Wheat Bread

Ingredients for 4 Loaves: (loaves can be frozen for later use. If you want to make less just half everything...)

3 Tb active dry yeast
half cup warm water + pinch of sugar

1/2 c sugar
1 Tb salt
1/3 c oil
2 c evaporated or normal milk. (I use evaporated, but have made this with 1% and it turned out virtually the same. You can also use powdered milk-- just add the appropriate amount of water).

3 c water
6 c whole wheat flour
6 c white flour

1. Dissolve 3 T yeast in a half cup of warm water with a pinch of sugar, set aside. (for bread-making novices; the water I use is normally very warm; not steaming, but the heat can be felt through a glass bowl. You don't want to it be boiling or so hot that it hurts to touch because that could produce the opposite result, but definite warmth and some sugar goes a long way with yeast; and me).

2. In mixing bowl combine sugar, milk, salt, and oil. Mix well.

3. Heat three cups water to almost boiling in microwave or on stove. Add some of this water along with 2 c flour to mixture in bowl. Mix continually.

4. Add proofed yeast mixture to mixing bowl (proofed means the yeast has sufficiently set up; it becomes notably more puffy than it was and usually feels warm, which is how you know its ALIVE!)

5. If mixing in a kitchenaid or other such device, switch to kneading hook. If doing all this by hand... good luck! You're a stronger woman than I. Alternate adding water and flour to mixer, continuing to knead on med-low speed, until appropriate consistency is reached. (For this bread, you want the dough to be cleaning the side of the bowl; you don't want it overly dry though. Sometimes I am a cup shy of the amount of flour it calls for when I can see proper consistency has been reached. The dough should spring back, and should be strong when squeezed. If it is rainy, you may need more flour than usual).

6. Continue kneading and kneading and kneading with the hook or your hand. A friend of mine who graduated from culinary school said that in making wheat bread you can't really over-knead; kneading stimulates the gluten in the bread, which is what you want for a hearty wheat loaf.

7. After kneading for a good 5 minutes in mixer, I like to take the dough out with floured hands and knead by hand on a lightly floured surface. Twist it, pull it, pound it, rough it up! That's what the pioneer women did! That's why they were strong. So I do that, and I feel like the strong, pioneer, granola woman that I want to be. It also makes the bread wonderfully glutenized (?).

8. Separate dough into equal fourths and form into loaf like shapes. The shapes should be oval and do not need to reach ends of loaf pans. Put each loaf into 4 large, pre-greased loaf pans and spray/grease tops of loaves. Put them in a warm place and cover until loaves double in size and look like you would want to bake them and eat them. (I usually turn my gas oven on to 450 for one minute, then turn it down to preheat at 350 and put the loaves on top of it on the stove, covered with a kitchen towel and lighted by the stove light. They rise fully in 45 mins this way).

9. Once loaves have risen past sides of pan and look in a state of pre-cooked yumminess, toss them in the oven. You can put all in at the same time. Watch them, because ovens are very different in how long they take to cook. Mine usually only take 25 mins to be a nice golden brown on top, my mom's take 40 mins at same temp.

10. Immediately remove cooked loaves from bread pans and place on wire rack to cool. You can, however, slice immediately and consume to your hearts content with butter and honey. But then you'll have to engage in rigorous repentance exercise and you'll feel sick-- a lesson I just can't seem to learn enough.

Nothing better than a slice of warm, homemade bread!!!

 

cinnamon lime roasted sweet potatoes

ok, so cinnamon and lime. You may be doubting. Don't think, just make:

Preheat your oven to 400.
About 6 sweet potatoes: cut them like above. Make them kind of thick. Take those sweet potatoes, throw them in a mixing bow, and toss with:
 2 TB EVOO
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
sea salt and cracked pepper to taste
add more oil if you want :)

Roast until browned the desired amount. Hear the sizzle. Don't let them get too brown or too soft: if too brown but not soft, turn oven off and leave them in hot oven til soft, or on low temp. If not brown enough but soft, move to roaster and put on high heat til brown.
When done, douse with come lime juice. Adjust seasoning to taste

Mexican Wraps

My version of the candle cafe cookbook jewel. Healthy and delicious.

Ingredients:
1 lb firm tofu

Marinade for tofu (or chicken!):
1 c OJ
1/2 c lime juice
1/4 c honey
1/2 c chopped cilantro
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt

Avocado filling:
2 ripe haas avocados, peeled, pitted, and chopped
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c cilantro
1 tsp salt

Large flour tortillas
1 can of black beans
1 c long grain brown rice
2 c chicken broth




pre-marinated tofu


1. Compile marinade, and cut firm tofu into 6 chunks, marinate for at least an hour in fridge.
2. Cook rice in chicken broth (takes about 40 mins).
3. Compile avocado filling in large mixing bowl
4. After marinating, remove tofu with slotted spoon, place on foil-lined shallow baking pan and broil in oven 5 to 7 mins. or until golden. Texture will still be soft, somewhat watery.
5. Reserve 1/2 cup of marinade and mix with avocado filling.
6. To compile wraps: chop one of the six tofu portions and place on lower end of wrap. Top with avocado filling, rice, and beans. Roll up lower side and outer sides first into wrap and cut on diagonal to serve.

Balsamic roasted vegetables with whole wheat penne and fresh mozzarella

Well that's a mouthful of a title! This is an Allison F. Boothe original creation, and was not only approved of, but actually completely devoured in food lust by Dustin L. Boothe. I will now explain the process of creation:

Preheat oven to 425

Ingredients:
Whatever vegetables you have. I used:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 large red bell pepper
1 very large zucchini (corgette)
1/2 red onion
1 sweet onion

balsamic vinaigrette
salt and pepper
crushed oregano
1.5 TB EVOO
2 cups dry whole wheat penne

approx 4 oz fresh mozzarella
12ish basil leaves

love

The corgette (I am using that term because it is the European way, and I'm feeling awesome) was washed, cut in fourths lengthwise, de-pulped (is that a word?), and then chopped in numerous small pieces. I sliced the onions in wedges. Red bell pepper (or shall we say capsicum? eh! yes. Learning something new every day) was washed, de-seeded and de-pulped (its a word now), cut in small, flat sticks and then cut in half, and I cherry tomatoes left whole.

I put it all, except the CORGETTE on a jellyroll pan, filling the whole thing, and doused them fairly liberally with balsamic vinaigrette, sea salt, shaved pepper, oregano, and 1.5 TB EVOO. Remembering my earlier self-imposed course on proper veggie roasting, found here, I made sure the veggies were not overcrowded for even browning. I then popped the pan in the oven on the middle rack since it was super hot, and I wanted the veggies to get soft AND brown.  I put the dainty corgette morsels in a bowl and put salt on them and doused them with balsamic. They got mad. I put salt on them because they are watery, and salt draws out the water which will give them a good non-ooey gooey texture when done roasting. Now, I should have left the cherry tomatoes out to for a bit with the corgette because they are watery too, but I wanted to see what would happen. It worked out.

Salted water in pot for penne, when it was boiling I added 2 cups dry whole wheat penne (lower glycemic index and more fiber than enriched pasta), let it boil again, and cooked to al dente, approx 12 mins. (for those who are truly students of the kitchen, like me, you may be wondering what EXACTLY does al dente mean and how do I achieve it? You will learn here). Wheat pasta takes longer to cook. I drained in colander, than rinsed with cold water so the pasta wouldn't stick. Set it aside.

I was checking my roasting veggies like a hawk. After 15 mins I added the corgette. I turned them every 15 mins, stirring. When they were the right consistency (soft, but not ooey gooey, and nicely browned on tops and sides), after about 35 mins, I took em out and dumped them all in with my cooked pasta in a mixing bowl. The best part came last: fresh mozzarella. How I love fresh mozzarella. Everything tastes so much better with it! Including pancakes. Try it befor you doubt. I chopped about 3 oz of it in small cubes, added it to the hot veggie-pasta deliciousness, and topped it off with about 12 leaves of fresh basil, chopped. MAGNIFICO!

mmmm, yum. Roasted goodness.

And I did top it off with love. Good old fresh love, for my delicious husband, who was slaving away in the library pit to which he is wont to go, and be... constantly... I ran through the rain carrying a pouch of this deliciousness, in an air-tight container, along with some of the granola I made earlier and some yogurt for dessert. To health! And love! And all good things. (clearly, there is something in this dish that makes one happy. Try it out.)

Healthy Homemade Granola

I got this recipe from this blogsite written by a registered dietician. Now, I have been serious in my search for a true, healthy granola. Most are overwhelmed by sugars so much that "healthy"granola is sort of an oxymoron. I didn't realize how much oil goes into the standard homebaked granola, either. So, you can sort of taste the "health" in this... it probably would be better following suit with the others-- little more oil and sugar. But it is excellent with plain yogurt and a little honey, or just with milk and some fresh fruit! I felt great after I ate it that way, which was the best part.

Preheat oven to 300

Combine dry Ingredients:
3 cups Steeled Oats, rolled oats, or a combination of grains (barley, etc).
1 cup raw almonds
1/4 c unsalted, roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 c flaxseed (note: did you know that our bodies don't process the outer shell of a flaxseed? This is why, in order to get the nutrition in them, you must grind them before use).
1/4 c wheat germ
1/4 c dried fruit (I used just cranberries, and ended up doubling it :) *Do not add until done baking
optional: 1/4 c shaved coconut

In a separate bowl, combine:
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/6 c honey or agave
1 TB EVOO
1/2 TB ground cinnamon
1/2 TB ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt

Mix wet mixture into dry ingredients (except dried fruit and/or coconut) very thoroughly to achieve appropriate consistency. Place on large jellyroll on bakers parchment. Bake 35-40 mins, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes for even browning. Add dried fruit and mix when cooled. Store in refrigerator for up to one month.

One Hour Rolls

I got this recipe off a blog of a baker from my very own Bountiful, so of course it's good. I ended up giving the rolls more than the recipe's required rising time, but according to the mastermind, not doing so would have produced just as good of a result.

Carrian's one hour rolls
A Bountiful Kitchen


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon yeast, rounded
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/4 cup milk, scalded
4 tablespoons butter

2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup warm water
4 cups flour, plus more for kneading and surface

2 tablespoons melted butter, optional

Directions:

1. mix sugar and warm water, set aside to raise
2. beat eggs, mix in sugar and salt
3. in sauce pan on med high heat, scald milk (heat to a fizzy bubble but not to boiling, stirring continually), and add butter. Mix in, stirring continually, let cool.
4. When butter-milk mixture is no longer hot (but can be warm), mix it with egg mixture in large stainless steel mixing bowl, then add yeast mixture, 1/2 c warm water, and 1 cup of flour. Continue to add flour until the right consistency is reached. The right consistency will be a dough that is firm but springy, not sticky to the touch, but not overly floury to the touch (is that a word?). You will still use more flour to knead and roll out dough, so at this point you need to make room for the addition of a little more. Dough should still be moist.
5. Knead in mixer if possible, but then knead on flowery surface, roll out, and cut into 1 inch strips. Form knots.
6. Place knots on pan or baking pans (recipe will definitely make more rolls than will fit on one shallow, large pan), let rise in a warm place (I put stove light on and had oven on). The recipe says that you can just let the rolls rise while the oven is preheating, but I let them rise while i was making some of the rest of dinner, about 30 mins longer. They turned out beautifully. It's all about letting them rise in that warm place.
7. Preheat oven to 400, and when your instincts tell you, or a time crunch tells you, put those babies in the oven for about 15 mins or until they are browned. Mine only took 10.

Roasted Winter Veggies

The pre-roast phase. Anxious veggies... they know somethin's up... and its not gonna be good..

After reading this post from an educated foodie, I learned:

Roasting Vegetables, the basics:
1. Heat and surface area: Try to have all vegetables in one layer in shallow pan; you want as much of their surface area as possible to be exposed to the hot pan and the hot air in the oven.
2. To brown; you want high heat (use the roaster at 425), make the pan close to heat source. That gets em crispy. You also of course need to cook them, which you can do at any temp for a certain amount of time depending on the size of the veggies (smaller pieces cook faster), shape (longer thinner vs cubes), and temp. Making them soft and more soggy would be done at a lower temp when they are not as close to heat source, as in the roaster oven.
3. Enough EVOO to coat, and enough salt and pepper to your liking is all you really need to season. Thyme, oregano, and rosemary are, however, all good additions. Also a little balsamic vinegar sets of the sweetness nicely.


I used:
8-10 red potatoes
4 med. sized sweet potatoes
1 Large zucchini
A red onion would have been delicious, i forgot...

• I chopped em into roughly one in. size pieces, which worked great. The potatoes take slightly longer to cook it seems. They should be cut smaller than the other two.
• I tossed the chopped veggies with approximately 1.5 Tb. EVOO (can you believe it! Only that much... healthy. I am sooo healthy. Could have used about a 1/2 tb more though), dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper freely.
• Later, I doused them with balsamic vinaigrette which brought out the sweetness in the veggies and tasted great.
• Preheated to 425. Spread foil onto pan so it wouldn't stick.
• Spread tossed and coated, chopped veggies on shallow large baking pan in almost one layer and cooked on mid rack of oven about 20 mins. They were basically cooked through and soft at that point.
• Then I put them in the roaster for about 15 mins more actually, which didn't really do much, made them somewhat more crispy on outside. Took them out, tossed with the vinegar and more salt, and put them back in another 10 mins. They were then perfectly crispy and sooooo good.

Learned:
1. one layer is good
2 these would have been better with onions
3 in the future, will do roaster for the entire time, but at 400

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, believe me when I say these are truly the best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies in the world. My mom has been making a steady supply of these for years, making sure to keep extras in the freezer to prevent that horrible occasion of their unavailability. Everyone DEPENDS on her to have them around. They are a favorite, not only of our family, but of anyone and everyone who has ever entered our home. MAKE THEM. But make a double batch; the first won't last more than four days, I guarantee it.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (From Betty Crocker)

Preheat oven to 375

Cream together:
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c shortening
1 c peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In separate bowl, mix:
1 1/2 t soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 1/2 c flour

1-1 1/2 c choc chips
Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture slowly, then stir in chocolate chips by hand.
Form into circular balls however large you like, flatten slightly on baking sheet, then cook for 8 to 9 mins. I recommend testing 2 or 3 first to see if the time and temp are good for your oven. Enjoy!!