loaded baked potato soup (loaded with sshh! Cauliflower!)

Well, here in southern California we finally got winter. It happened last Sunday. After weeks months of sunshine and tank tops, Sunday was winter. It rained and poured for about half of the day. And now we're back to spring.

For that one day, though, it seemed like I ought take advantage of the cold and dreary skies outside and make the house seem warm and cozy by heating up the kitchen. I made two batches of strawberry jam (see what I mean about the warm winter lately? Strawberries already at the farm stands!!).  And then I made a big pot of hearty potato soup.

But, since around here the name of the game is to load everything I can with more vegetables (and to make things healthier while I'm at it), I found a recipe that replaces half of the potatoes with cauliflower.

It turns out nice and creamy and rich, and by the time you top it with bacon and cheese and chives, you are in heaven. Rainy days don't get much better than this!

Baked Potato Soup
(I got this recipe from Skinnytaste.com)

2 potatoes
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 tablespoons chives, diced

First, scrub and dry, poke the potatoes all over with a fork, then bake them. You can do it in the microwave or the oven. In the microwave, put them on high for 5 minutes, flip them, and cook them another 5 minutes. In the oven, place them on a rack for about an hour at 400. When they are done, take them out and let them cool.

While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon. Yum! Try hard not to eat it all before the soup is finished.

Cut up the cauliflower and steam it. Again, this can be done in the microwave (about 8 minutes on high), or you can do it on the stove.

When the cauliflower and the potatoes are done, its time to puree them! Peel the potatoes and put them in  a blender with about half of the milk. Puree until smooth and pour into a stockpot. Next, put the cauliflower and the remaining milk in tot he blender and puree until smooth again (you may need to do this in batches). Add the pureed cauliflower to the pureed potatoes in the stockpot. Stir in the chicken or vegetable stock and season it all with a little bit of salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Bring it to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

Add the sour cream and about half of the chives. Let it all cook for another 20 minutes on low.

Ladle into bowls and top each with some more chives, some shredded cheese, and some bacon.

Bok choy and carrot slaw

As I promised yesterday, here is my recipe for bok choy slaw. It has soy and sugar in the dressing, which turns out to be a really awesome combination of sweet and salty.

My inspiration for this slaw (other than the fact that I had a head of bok choy in my Abundant Harvest Organics box to use up) was twofold. One, I just had no desire for sautéing or stir-frying the bok choy. I just wasn't int he mood for limp greens. Two, it was one of those days where I needed most of the meal to be prepared ahead of time, so that I could get dinner all wrapped up and served in just a few minutes once we got home from lessons, classes, and clubs.

It seems, more and more, like most days are one of those days. Oy vey.

Anyway, this slaw was a hit. It was just what I needed... crisp and flavorful, easy to make, and holds up well in the fridge. As a matter of fact, after serving my husband and myself one serving each for dinner, I ate the rest of it with lunch the next two days. I didn't share, and I don't feel bad about it. It held up well for two days, but I doubt it would do much beyond that. The bok choy was absorbing enough of the dressing by the second day that it was starting to go limp.

It would work well as a salad to bring to a pot luck, as you can toss it and dress it ahead of time without it going yucky.


Bok Choy Slaw
from Maine Food and Lifestyle

1 large head of bok choy, cut cross-wise into thin strips
2-3 carrots, shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
1/c cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

4 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

¼-½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger 

Cut the bok choy into thin strips by rolling the leaves tightly together and cutting thin slices off of the end of the roll. Shred the carrots. Toss the bok choy, carrots, chives, almonds and sesame seeds in a large bowl and set aside.

Make the dressing by whisking together the remaining ingredients.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to make sure the dressing gets evenly distributed.

This is good served right away, and even better a few hours later!

zucchini and herbed ricotta torte

A few weeks ago I made a hummus and roasted vegetable torte that just rocked my world.  Actually, it was the simple, four-ingredient, flaky delicious crust from Soma at ecurry that was the world-rocking part.

And so, on meatless Monday yesterday, at about 4:45, when I had no idea what to make for dinner, I remembered Soma's awesome torte crust. Luckily I had all the ingredients on hand, and away I went!

After making the crust (this time with rosemary), I went about loading it up with the vegetables that are still lingering from last week's box. Ahem. That is to say that this week I am somehow faced with catching up on all the stuff we somehow didn't get around to eating last week, and at the same time tackling this week's bounty. I am not sure how this is all going to work out, but I guess there are worse problems in the world than having too much delicious, fresh, organic produce on hand.

Back to 4:45 yesterday. With my crust safely baking in the oven, I had 12 minutes of free time to figure out how to top it. We have no hummus on hand right now, but while rooting around in the fridge I found some ricotta. Perfect! Mixing the ricotta with some fresh herbs gave it plenty of zip, and topping it with a couple of the veggies I needed to attend to made it perfectly tasty. Again, I think it would make a perfect appetizer, cut into  small squares. However, though, this time it was the main course here, served alongside a big salad.

And so, I give to you, my zucchini, tomato, and herbed ricotta cheese torte!

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (or any other herbs you have on hand)

1/3 cup + 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons very cold club soda

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup basil leaves, cut into thin slivers

2 tablespoons chives, chopped finely

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium zucchini

about 12-14 cherry tomatoes

crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the flour, salt, pepper and herbs together. In a separate small bowl, whisk the club soda and olive oil for a couple minutes, until they become creamy and well incorporated.

Pour water-oil mixture into the flour mixture, and combine with a fork just until there is no dry flour left. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball.

Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each one separately. Place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, and roll in only one direction (not back and forth). Last time I did it, I went for a rectangle. This time, I let it take on the shape it wanted... a sort of loose oval.

Bake it for 12 minutes, until the crust is starting to become golden.

While it is baking, prepare the toppings:

First, mix the ricotta with the garlic, chives, and basil, and set aside.

Using a vegetable peeler (I used my new y-shaped peeler. For $4.99, it is giving me a whole new happy life in the kitchen! Why didn't I invest in this baby sooner?), cut the zucchini into thin ribbons. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.

When the crusts are done, remove it from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes to cool a little bit.

Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over both crusts.

Spread the zucchini strips in an overlapping layer over the torts, and sprinkle with the crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Place it back in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the zucchini starts to soften.

When it comes out of the oven, top it with the tomatoes, and cut into pieces.

garlic chive pesto

Before we begin, a little disclaimer:

I can't endorse you trying this recipe unless you promise to first make sure you have some breath mints handy. With all of its oniony, garlicy goodness, you won't make any new friends after you eat it.

Unless you invite them to eat some too. In which case, they will most likely find it so compellingly delicious that they become your best best friend forever.

This pesto had a little more bite to it than traditional basil pesto... and a little bit more complex flavor. It goes well with chicken (or fish, I suppose), pasta, or spread on a sandwich. This time around, I tried to imitate an appetizer I had at the very trendy Pizza Mozza in Hollywood -- served with crackers and ricotta cheese. Absolute heaven.

This is my own version of a few different recipes for chive pesto I found online. They are all more or less the same (chives, garlic, olive oil, nuts, cheese).

I'll give you the recipe the way I did it:

Garlic Chive Pesto

1/2 - 1 cup chopped garlic chives
1/4 cup parsley
3 tablespoons cashews
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 large clove of garlic
4-5 tablespoons olive oil

Place the chives, parsley, cashews, garlic, and cheese into a food processor. Pulse until it is all mixed up and uniformly minced. Add the olive oil (enough to reach your preferred consistency), gradually as you continue pulsing.

Store it with a tiny bit of olive oil poured over the top, to help keep that beautiful bright green color.

Fresh Ranch Dressing

Sing this (out loud or in your head, you choose) to the tune of Love and Marriage:

Ranch and Veggies, Ranch and Veggies, The shock of healthy is so much less edgy...

Okay, a poet I am not. I guess I'll keep my day job.

We go through so many salads and miscellaneous other veggie dipping experiences that Ranch Dressing is a hot commodity around here. 

I love the stuff. But I have to say, I don't love it out of a bottle. I found that Marie's brand dressing (found, refrigerated, in the produce department) is pretty dang close to fresh ranch. Except it's pretty pricey. And still not perfect.

The good news, though, is that ranch dressing is super easy to throw together, and it's pretty much all ingredients you probably have already. I wish I could remember where I got this recipe, so I could give props to the creator. 

Here is the recipe I use:

1/2 - 1 tsp. sugar

1-2 cloves garlic

1/4-1/2 onion powder

salt to taste

1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chives

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1/2 - 1 tsp fresh dill

1/8 black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

buttermilk (as needed for desired consistency)

Mince the garlic with a knife, and then sprinkle about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt on it and mash it into a paste with a fork.

Chop the parsley, and chives very finely and add to the garlic.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed.

Chill for a couple of hours before serving, and thin with buttermilk if desired. I usually leave it thick if it is going to be for dipping, and I thin it before I pour it over a salad.

Peas Porridge Hot

Peas!

I love peas! I have been thrilled to get peas in the box the past two weeks. They are so green and sweet and fresh and summery! 

Plus, the kids think that shucking peas is great fun. 

And if the kids are busy shucking peas, you know what that means... they aren't busy spreading every blessed Lego ever created onto the bedroom floor. Or dripping glue and stray crayon marks over the dining table. Or changing clothing. for. the. fourth. time. today.

So this week, we had an unexpectedly cold, rainy day. While everyone around me here in Southern California grumbled about how it just isn't fair to have rain in May, and they just don't know what to wear when they wake up in the morning, I went home, poured my fourth cup of coffee, and got started on some nice, comforting chowder. Green Pea and Potato Chowder, to be specific.

The kids thought the chowder was great... enough to ask for seconds. I am not sure if they were really hungry, or were just having fun talking about Pee Pea Chowder. Either way, I'll take it.

It takes a while to cook it all, but if you have the time and a blustery day, you won't mind standing next to a warm stove, inhaling bacon scent. What could be better than that? It is creamy, hot, and very filling. The perfect antidote to standing in the rain waiting for school to be let out.

2 Tbsp butter

1 onion, diced

1 pound bacon, diced

6 potatoes, peeled and diced

4 tablespoons flour

1 quart chicken stock

1 quart milk

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups fresh peas

cheddar cheese, shredded

chives, to garnish

Melt the butter in a large stock pot. Add onion and bacon, and cook until golden brown. Add the potatoes, and cook for 10 minutes more. Stir in the flour and cook for another couple of minutes. Gradually pour in the chicken stock and milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add peas, and continue to simmer another 15-20 minutes, until the peas are cooked.

Serve with a sprinkling of cheese and chopped chives as a garnish.

It's eight o'clock somewhere

When I was a little tyke I hated going to bed at night, much like every little kid does. I was pretty much convinced that the minute my light was off, my parents were going to scoop some ice cream and enjoy it in front of the TV. As a matter of fact, I believe that the minute my light was off, my parents did enjoy a bowl of ice cream and some TV shows I wasn't supposed to watch.

The other day, as I was tucking my own kiddos into bed, my five-year-old said, "After I go to bed and you go downstairs to do your sweeping, will you try to find my baseball hat?" I am not sure why he thinks I run off to do some secretive pleasure sweeping at night, but I am not about to set the record straight.

Can you keep a secret? My evenings look more like this:

The best guacamole ever

2 avocados
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 green garlics, sliced thinly (Is that how you pluralize it? I would say green onions, so I guess it is right. It just sounds funny.)
2 Tbsp. fresh chives, sliced thinly
A handful of fresh cilantro, chopped up real small
salt and pepper to taste.

Just mash the avocados, stir in the rest, and get ready to dip your chips. Or your spoon.

hot potato

When I unpacked my box last week, I had a little internal conversation. Please, come on in to my brain:

"Potatoes? What the heck am I going to do with more potatoes?"
"You could... eat them."
"Oh. Yeah."


Was it Freud who said "Sometimes a veggie is just a veggie."?

Rather than mash them, fry them, cook them into soup, or add them to a casserole, I decided to just bake them and eat them. I set up a little do-it-yourself potato bar, after reading about what Melanie did over here.

The family was invited to build their own baked potatoes. I had ground beef, black beans seasoned with caramelized onions and chicken stock, sour cream, cojita cheese (a soft Mexican cheese), chopped cilantro, chives, and jalapeno peppers. Not surprisingly, the kids opted out of all things green. However, having the chance to fill their own plates eliminated all complaining whatsoever. I couldn't ask for anything more.