Kale Parsnip Potato Soup

Week 3 of my Organics to You Box! This soup was inspired by three of the start ingredients: Kale, Parsnips, and Potatoes (hence the post title!)

Also used: onion and leeks.

I love being inspired by fresh, local produce. Having beautiful local greens and veggies almost demand that you make something healthy with them. I just wouldn't feel right about frying or microwaving this food - it's just too clean and pretty!

Hence the soup! What a fabulously healthy recipe. I left my dad and step-mom a giant tupperware bowl full with very demanding instructions that they eat it because it "is good for you."

There is almost nothing more satisfying that a BIG bowl of homemade soup. It has to be one of my top favorite comfort foods (also making the list: creamy polenta and any kind of berry pie).

Kale Parsnip Potato Soup
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1.5-2 hrs (mostly inactive)
Serves 6 to 8

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 leek, diced (use all parts!)
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (you can add more if you love garlic like me)
• 2 medium white potatoes, cut into chunks (I didn't remove the skin but feel free to)
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks
• 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 large parsnips, cut into chunks
• 4 cups (one box) of your favorite veggie broth (I use Pacific or Trader Joes)
• 4 additional cups of water + 2 bouillon cubes
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp curry seasoning
• 1 tbsp hot sauce of your choice
• 1 LARGE head of kale, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large soup pan (very large - as large as you can muster) over medium/low heat. Add in onion and leek and allow to soften up for about 5-10 minutes. 

Add garlic, potatoes, carrots and parsnips and saute for another 10 minutes or so (add in veggie broth to keep veggies from sticking/help to soften as necessary.

Dump in veggie broth and water and bring everything to a boil.

Add in bouillon cubes and spices, cover pot, reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on your time frame.

Ten minutes before the soup is ready, stir in your chopped kale and allow to reduce for the final ten minutes or so (you want it to be soft but not soggy).

Serve up a HUGE bowl (or two in my case) with freshly baked bread of your choice and enjoy a healthy and satisfying local meal :)

Live long and prosper!

Stuffed Acorn Squash and Kale-Broccoli-Carrot Slaw

  

Part of my Christmas present this year (so exciting) was a bi-weekly subscription to a local farm CSA-type food distributor called Organics to You.

This gift is so right up my alley and I was ecstatic when my first box arrived!

They literally dropped it off right on my door step! It was wonderful :)

Full of everything from parsnips to pears to carnival squash to garlic, onions, avocado, oranges, collard greens and more! 

I have been slowly working through the plethora of ingredients and trying to use each of them in a new way.

This recipe was inspired by the leeks and squash that came in the box and by the leftover kale that I have been trying to use up.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Leek Pilaf

Serves 2

• 1 full acorn squash, cut in half, seeds removed
• 1 cup rice/quinoa/rice and quinoa mixture - prepared as directed (if in bulk it's usually a 2:1 water to grain ratio)
• 1 full leek, diced (I try to use all parts of the leek)
• 2 tsp oil (I used coconut)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp italian or other seasoning blend
• 1 Tbsp veggie broth

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees farenheight

Place halves of squash face down on a pre-greased cookie sheet and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes (or until lightly browned)

While squash is roasting, prepare rice/quinoa

In a separate pan, saute diced leek in coconut oil over medium heat for about 6 minutes or until leek is translucent and beginning to caramelize

Toss rice, seasonings and veggie broth into the pan with the leek and cook everything together for an additional 5-6 minutes, adding more veggie broth if it gets too dry

When squash is done roasting, remove from oven, spoon pilaf into each half and place back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Remove and enjoy!

  

I paired by squash with a kale-broccoli-carrot slaw which is simple to make and is a great way to get greens on your plate without reverting to a traditional salad cliche'

Take 2 cups chopped kale and steam it lightly in a large pan (for no longer than a minute - you don't want to wilt it down too much but you still want to get rid of the bitter edge)

Combine with 1 cup shredded broccoli and carrot (I buy the pre-shredded combo from trade joes in a bag)

Then add 1/4 cup shredded Nori or seaweed (I use the wasabi seaweed snacks and cut them into the mixture with kitchen scissors)

Then add your favorite dressing or make a vegenaise base - this is where you can be creative!

My slaw dressing had the following ingredients in it:

• 1 Tbsp cilantro hummus
• One handful chiffonaded fresh basil
• 1 small jalapeno, minced
• 1 Tbsp cranberry sauce
• 2 tsp sriracha
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp maple syrup

But feel free to mix it up with citrus, agave, your favorite prepared sauce or any other dressing! And add some dried fruit or chopped nuts to give it an extra layer!

This is a great and totally approachable way to prepare kale - Colin said it was one of his favorite things I've ever made and he doesn't even like kale!

Yay for greens!

What a power meal!

Live long and prosper! And get inspired by local fruits and veggies! They exist, even in the winter :)

Rice Noodle Bowls!

This is the second part in the series I like to call "Cleaning Out My Kitchen" in which, instead of going to the grocery store, I simply use whatever happens to be in my fridge, freezer or pantry. Really, you should try it. It is amazing the creativity that ensues.

Final Product:

For this particular installment, I found each of the following ingredients in my kitchen:

• 1/4 a package of rice noodles (left over from salad rolls)
• 1 can garbanzo beans (you may also know them as chick peas)
• A drizzle of olive oil
• 2 tsp curry spices
• 1 tsp chipotle seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs Braggs
• 1 cup shredded carrots (I buy them pre-shredded at Trade Joe's)
• 3/4 cup frozen petite peas
• 1 Tbs peanut butter
• 2 Tbs soy sauce/braggs (I don't remember the exact measured combo)
• 1/4 can light coconut milk
• 8 vegetable gyoza (Also Trade Joe's)

I put Trader Joe's in parentheses all the time, but realistically most everything we buy is from Trader Joe's so you can just assume that the ingredients you see listed can be purchased at Trader Joe's. Now if I could just get them to start carrying Sriracha, it really would be a one stop shop.

Bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Throw in the rice noodles. Let them cook for maybe 4 minutes and then, using a wooden spoon, hold the noodles in the pan while you drain the water. This works fairly well and is easier than using a colander because the noodles will either a) slip through the holes or b) get smushed together so that you have to scrape them off the bottom. No bueno.

Place the pan back on the warm burner and turn it to simmer. Add in your peanut butter, soy sauce and coconut milk as well as the carrots and peas and stir them all together until the sauce is evenly mixed and distributed and the veggies warmed. They don't need to be fully cooked, especially the carrots which add great texture, but the main thing is that you don't want your peas to be frozen in the middle.

While you are doing this (not LITERALLY at the same time, but all these steps should be staggered and you should have all three pans going at once), toss your chick peas with the spices and throw them in a warmed fry pan drizzled with olive oil. Saute them for about 5-7 minutes.

While you are doing that, coat the bottom of another, larger fry pan with some Bragg's or soy sauce and toss in your gyoza on medium heat. I never ever fry my gyoza in oil. It's no necessary, they turn out crisp and delicious if you just sear them in a pan with a little bit of liquid. Just put a lid on the pan (very important! you want your gyoza to cook through evenly and if you don't keep the heat trapped you will end up with crispy gyoza on the outside and frozen on the inside). Keep an eye on them as you do your other cooking, making sure to rotate them periodically so that each side is cooked evenly.

When everything is cooked and ready, get your bowl out, throw your noddles in it, top it with your gyoza and chickpeas and munch! We even started the meal with some edamame that I also found in the freezer (and that is also from Trader Joe's) topped with salt!

This meal is so great and easy, I kind of surprised myself with how well it turned out. Full of fiber and protein from the chickpeas, it fills you up and the noodles, gyoza and veggies are low cal so it's relatively guilt free. The coconut milk and peanut butter also have good omega fatty acids in them so it's a great dish if you are working to cut out meat and dairy.

If I had summarize this dish in one word it would be: Fulfilling.

Live long and prosper. And clean out your fridge!